Pub Date : 2020-12-21DOI: 10.1177/0197693120980554
B. L. Fritz
Archaeologists have struggled to find meaningful and cost effective ways to analyze and interpret prehistoric quarry sites. Quarry site deposits typically contain large quantities of broken rock fragments that generally lack morphological attributes commonly used for lithic debitage analysis. Remnants of quarry pits often overlap and converge, forming complex cultural landscapes that are difficult to document and understand. Archaeological excavations near Glens Falls, New York, uncovered evidence of prehistoric mine pits, dense layers of chert quarry debris, and intensively battered bedrock surfaces. High resolution mass analysis was used to analyze large quantities of quarry debris. A new classification for prehistoric quarry sites and new models for quarry site development are proposed.
{"title":"Models for prehistoric lithic quarry development","authors":"B. L. Fritz","doi":"10.1177/0197693120980554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120980554","url":null,"abstract":"Archaeologists have struggled to find meaningful and cost effective ways to analyze and interpret prehistoric quarry sites. Quarry site deposits typically contain large quantities of broken rock fragments that generally lack morphological attributes commonly used for lithic debitage analysis. Remnants of quarry pits often overlap and converge, forming complex cultural landscapes that are difficult to document and understand. Archaeological excavations near Glens Falls, New York, uncovered evidence of prehistoric mine pits, dense layers of chert quarry debris, and intensively battered bedrock surfaces. High resolution mass analysis was used to analyze large quantities of quarry debris. A new classification for prehistoric quarry sites and new models for quarry site development are proposed.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"8 1","pages":"243 - 285"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80612762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-12-17DOI: 10.1177/0197693120980982
Jeffrey S Alvey
Archaeologists working in the Eastern United States routinely employ shovel testing as a method for site discovery and delineation in areas of dense ground cover, and as a means of collecting information on the kinds and numbers of artifacts and features present at a site. This sampling strategy is employed in the context of Section 106 compliance, as well as in academic research. This paper presents findings on the relationship between shovel-testing strategies and the accuracy and usefulness of the models of archaeological occupations that result from the information collected during shovel testing. These results demonstrate that some common approaches to shovel testing lead to faulty models that fail to accurately represent important occupational variables, thus compromising our ability to make valid significance determinations.
{"title":"The problem of undersampling for models of archaeological occupations derived from shovel testing and its consequences for significance determinations","authors":"Jeffrey S Alvey","doi":"10.1177/0197693120980982","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120980982","url":null,"abstract":"Archaeologists working in the Eastern United States routinely employ shovel testing as a method for site discovery and delineation in areas of dense ground cover, and as a means of collecting information on the kinds and numbers of artifacts and features present at a site. This sampling strategy is employed in the context of Section 106 compliance, as well as in academic research. This paper presents findings on the relationship between shovel-testing strategies and the accuracy and usefulness of the models of archaeological occupations that result from the information collected during shovel testing. These results demonstrate that some common approaches to shovel testing lead to faulty models that fail to accurately represent important occupational variables, thus compromising our ability to make valid significance determinations.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"31 1","pages":"205 - 234"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81096047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-12-13DOI: 10.1177/0197693120976136
T. Emerson, R. E. Hughes, K. Farnsworth, S. Wisseman
This paper assesses our current understanding of the native use of the major midcontinental United States pipestone quarries based on over two decades of research. Our studies indicate that combining chemical and mineralogical techniques such as shortwave infrared spectroscopy (SWIS), thin-section petrography, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have identified pipestones with similar chemical compositions containing distinctive mineralogical suites (often including berthierine, kaolinite, diaspore, muscovite, and pyrophyllite). This research has identified unique mineral compositions at known quarries such as catlinite, Ohio Feurt Hill, Baraboo, and Barron pipestones, as well as identifying previously unknown quarries of Sterling Illinois pipestone, Cahokia Missouri flint clay, and Portsmouth Ohio Claystone. These discoveries have led to a major shift in interpretations of Cahokian and Hopewell pipe exchange. Further examination of native ethnographic quarry use identified the primary attraction of pipestone quarries lay in the perceived ritual and spiritual power of the stone rather than in its economic utility.
{"title":"Identifying animate stones and sacred landscapes: Twenty-five years of native pipestone-quarries research in the American midcontinent","authors":"T. Emerson, R. E. Hughes, K. Farnsworth, S. Wisseman","doi":"10.1177/0197693120976136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120976136","url":null,"abstract":"This paper assesses our current understanding of the native use of the major midcontinental United States pipestone quarries based on over two decades of research. Our studies indicate that combining chemical and mineralogical techniques such as shortwave infrared spectroscopy (SWIS), thin-section petrography, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have identified pipestones with similar chemical compositions containing distinctive mineralogical suites (often including berthierine, kaolinite, diaspore, muscovite, and pyrophyllite). This research has identified unique mineral compositions at known quarries such as catlinite, Ohio Feurt Hill, Baraboo, and Barron pipestones, as well as identifying previously unknown quarries of Sterling Illinois pipestone, Cahokia Missouri flint clay, and Portsmouth Ohio Claystone. These discoveries have led to a major shift in interpretations of Cahokian and Hopewell pipe exchange. Further examination of native ethnographic quarry use identified the primary attraction of pipestone quarries lay in the perceived ritual and spiritual power of the stone rather than in its economic utility.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"83 1","pages":"177 - 204"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79450735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-12-09DOI: 10.1177/0197693120976316
Richard L. Rosencrance, A. Hirshman
The archaeology of the eastern West Virginia uplands remains significantly understudied compared to other areas of the Appalachian Plateau. Bettye Broyles’ excavations at the Hyre Mound site (46RD1) in 1963 recovered a variety of artifacts within and directly adjacent to a burial mound but the excavations remain largely unpublished. We provide a report of Broyles’ excavations, new radiocarbon dates, and an analysis of the lithic raw material frequencies at the site. Material culture and ceremonial practices suggest the initial mound construction dates to the Middle Woodland period. Radiocarbon dating of cultural features confirms that people also used the locality during the Late Woodland period. Lithic raw material frequencies indicate a preference for non-local, Hillsdale chert found ∼100 km from the site throughout both time periods. The directionality of toolstone conveyance supports existing models that emphasize the quality and location of raw material sources and the orientation of the region’s physiography.
{"title":"Over the hills and far away: Middle to Late Woodland archaeology and toolstone conveyance at Hyre Mound (46RD1), West Virginia","authors":"Richard L. Rosencrance, A. Hirshman","doi":"10.1177/0197693120976316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120976316","url":null,"abstract":"The archaeology of the eastern West Virginia uplands remains significantly understudied compared to other areas of the Appalachian Plateau. Bettye Broyles’ excavations at the Hyre Mound site (46RD1) in 1963 recovered a variety of artifacts within and directly adjacent to a burial mound but the excavations remain largely unpublished. We provide a report of Broyles’ excavations, new radiocarbon dates, and an analysis of the lithic raw material frequencies at the site. Material culture and ceremonial practices suggest the initial mound construction dates to the Middle Woodland period. Radiocarbon dating of cultural features confirms that people also used the locality during the Late Woodland period. Lithic raw material frequencies indicate a preference for non-local, Hillsdale chert found ∼100 km from the site throughout both time periods. The directionality of toolstone conveyance supports existing models that emphasize the quality and location of raw material sources and the orientation of the region’s physiography.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"29 1","pages":"140 - 176"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80121328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-04DOI: 10.1177/0197693120963446
J. Adovasio
The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of my first publication on prehistoric basketry. Over the past five decades, the field of perishable artifact analysis has evolved dramatically. Though this evolution has not resulted in a geometric increase in the number of practitioners of this still arcane specialty, it has witnessed numerous transformations and enhancements of focus. After a half century and literally hundreds of publications, papers, and other perishable platitudes, my fundamental “message” continues to follow Weltfish’s original observation that basketry is valuable as a medium for comparative study from multiple points of view because as noted by Weltfish decades ago “the mechanical factors involved in the technical process objectify themselves in the product and are not lost in the process of making.” This contribution summarizes some of the major developments in the arena of basketry studies and, more broadly, in the field of perishable artifact analysis at large.
{"title":"Fifty years with baskets","authors":"J. Adovasio","doi":"10.1177/0197693120963446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120963446","url":null,"abstract":"The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of my first publication on prehistoric basketry. Over the past five decades, the field of perishable artifact analysis has evolved dramatically. Though this evolution has not resulted in a geometric increase in the number of practitioners of this still arcane specialty, it has witnessed numerous transformations and enhancements of focus. After a half century and literally hundreds of publications, papers, and other perishable platitudes, my fundamental “message” continues to follow Weltfish’s original observation that basketry is valuable as a medium for comparative study from multiple points of view because as noted by Weltfish decades ago “the mechanical factors involved in the technical process objectify themselves in the product and are not lost in the process of making.” This contribution summarizes some of the major developments in the arena of basketry studies and, more broadly, in the field of perishable artifact analysis at large.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"33 1","pages":"119 - 139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83652981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-01DOI: 10.1177/0197693120946997
Matthew C. Greer, B. Macdonald
Historical archaeologists working in the Middle Atlantic rarely use archaeometric techniques to source ceramics. Yet, there are several important research questions we can ask if we sourced more of our ceramics. This article presents the findings from a neutron activation analysis study that sourced 100 presumably locally-made vessels recovered from an early to mid-19th century enslaved quartering site in the northern Shenandoah Valley determined that 99 vessels were made in the region and were able to source 90% of the vessels to three towns in the region. Using these results, we argue that in the northern Shenandoah Valley it is not only possible to determine where consumers went to acquire locally-made ceramics, but that doing so lets us create histories of local ceramic industries that highlight consumer agency.
{"title":"Which town did it come from?: Sourcing locally-made ceramics in the Mid-Atlantic","authors":"Matthew C. Greer, B. Macdonald","doi":"10.1177/0197693120946997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120946997","url":null,"abstract":"Historical archaeologists working in the Middle Atlantic rarely use archaeometric techniques to source ceramics. Yet, there are several important research questions we can ask if we sourced more of our ceramics. This article presents the findings from a neutron activation analysis study that sourced 100 presumably locally-made vessels recovered from an early to mid-19th century enslaved quartering site in the northern Shenandoah Valley determined that 99 vessels were made in the region and were able to source 90% of the vessels to three towns in the region. Using these results, we argue that in the northern Shenandoah Valley it is not only possible to determine where consumers went to acquire locally-made ceramics, but that doing so lets us create histories of local ceramic industries that highlight consumer agency.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"22 1","pages":"135 - 167"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86660242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-10-01DOI: 10.1177/0197693120954170
R. Stewart
Relatively small, triangular bifaces often considered to be projectile points have a demonstrable use history that includes the Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, Early Woodland, late Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and Contact periods of regional archaeology. Radiocarbon dates and other data are used to document this extensive history using the Upper Delaware Valley of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York as a case study. Observed trends are evaluated in a broader regional context. The degree to which triangles of different ages can be distinguished from one another is addressed and suggestions for future research are made.
{"title":"The millennia-long use history of triangular bifaces","authors":"R. Stewart","doi":"10.1177/0197693120954170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120954170","url":null,"abstract":"Relatively small, triangular bifaces often considered to be projectile points have a demonstrable use history that includes the Middle Archaic, Late Archaic, Early Woodland, late Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, and Contact periods of regional archaeology. Radiocarbon dates and other data are used to document this extensive history using the Upper Delaware Valley of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York as a case study. Observed trends are evaluated in a broader regional context. The degree to which triangles of different ages can be distinguished from one another is addressed and suggestions for future research are made.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"18 1","pages":"168 - 207"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87514756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-23DOI: 10.1177/0197693120952925
Karen F. Anderson-Córdova
{"title":"First Encounters: Spanish Explorations in the Caribbean and the United States, 1492–1570 by Jerald T Milanich and Susan Milbrath (eds) (1989)","authors":"Karen F. Anderson-Córdova","doi":"10.1177/0197693120952925","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120952925","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"49 1","pages":"208 - 211"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82245474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-01DOI: 10.1177/0197693120939478
Samantha H. Blatt, Susanne J. Miller, K. Reid
The fortuitous discovery of an isolated Late Archaic burial (10MO84) in southeastern Idaho is a rare contribution to bioarchaeology of the region. This study describes the osteobiography of this skeleton and contextualizes results to published accounts of bioarchaeology within Idaho, the Great Basin, and the Intermountain West. Analysis suggests that there is much potential variability in burial styles and goods in the region through time, dental attrition is consistently severe, and arthritis of the upper limb is common. More systematic and collaborative bioarchaeology will continue to improve a bio-cultural synthesis of prehistoric Idaho and surrounding regions.
{"title":"Bioarchaeology of Idaho in perspective: A Late Archaic Burial (10MO84) from the Upper Snake River Plain","authors":"Samantha H. Blatt, Susanne J. Miller, K. Reid","doi":"10.1177/0197693120939478","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120939478","url":null,"abstract":"The fortuitous discovery of an isolated Late Archaic burial (10MO84) in southeastern Idaho is a rare contribution to bioarchaeology of the region. This study describes the osteobiography of this skeleton and contextualizes results to published accounts of bioarchaeology within Idaho, the Great Basin, and the Intermountain West. Analysis suggests that there is much potential variability in burial styles and goods in the region through time, dental attrition is consistently severe, and arthritis of the upper limb is common. More systematic and collaborative bioarchaeology will continue to improve a bio-cultural synthesis of prehistoric Idaho and surrounding regions.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"56 1","pages":"101 - 130"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87123385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-04-01DOI: 10.1177/0197693120939473
Roger W. Moeller
I provide a brief personal introduction including my professional background, interests, and qualifications. I invite authors with a wide diversity of interests to submitted manuscripts to the journal.
我提供了一个简短的个人介绍,包括我的专业背景,兴趣和资格。我邀请兴趣广泛的作者向期刊投稿。
{"title":"New Editor’s introduction","authors":"Roger W. Moeller","doi":"10.1177/0197693120939473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0197693120939473","url":null,"abstract":"I provide a brief personal introduction including my professional background, interests, and qualifications. I invite authors with a wide diversity of interests to submitted manuscripts to the journal.","PeriodicalId":43677,"journal":{"name":"NORTH AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST","volume":"98 1","pages":"59 - 62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2020-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88463184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}