Archaeological Method & Theory

Testing Technological Practices: Neutron Activation Analysis of Neolithic Ceramics From Valencia, Spain

by Sarah McClure

Toward a theory of archaeological classification

by Dwight Read

Published in Essays in Archaeological Typology, edited by R. Whallon and J. A. Brown, pp. 56-92. Center for American Archaeology Press, Evanston, IL

2008 - L'archéologie paléolithique à la reconquête de territoires oubliés

by Marc Jarry

JARRY M. – L'archéologie paléolithique à la reconquête de territoires oubliés. Construction(s) de l'archéologie, Archéopages, 2008, hors série,  p. 28-33, 3 fig.

Où fouiller ? Comment repérer un site en n’ayant aucun point de repère ? Où implanter un sondage ? En plein air, les... more Où fouiller ? Comment repérer un site en n’ayant aucun point de repère ? Où implanter un sondage ? En plein air, les sites sont indétectables, à quelques rares exceptions près. Les chances de tomber sur un gisement sont infimes. Ce n’est qu’avec le plein développement de l’archéologie préventive de ces vingt dernières années et l’acuité même de sa méthode d’intervention par sondages systématiques « en aveugle » que les investigations ont pu enfin reconquérir des terrains jusqu’alors quelque peu oubliés.

Ur- und Frühgeschichte - eine Disziplin zwischen Boom und Krise

by Frank Siegmund

published in: Jahrbuch der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte 84 (2001) p. 109-118

(Antrittsvorlesung an der Univ. Basel, gehalten am 16. Mai 2000) (Antrittsvorlesung an der Univ. Basel, gehalten am 16. Mai 2000)

Coming to grips with the beast – a reply to Carrie Roy

by Michaela Helmbrecht

Debate article, co-authored with Maria Domeij Lundborg and Michael Neiß. Fornvännen 2012:1

Die Verantwortung von Archäologen im Umgang mit der Vergangenheit - von gesellschaftlichen Verpflichtungen, Identitätssuchen und anderen Dilemmata

by Michaela Helmbrecht

Bajuwarenhof Kirchheim - Projekt für lebendige Archäologie des frühen Mittelalters, Jahresschrift 2006

Theorising Landscapes: the Concept of Historical Interactive Landscape

by Jaromír Beneš

Co-authored with Marek Zvelebil

Zvelebil,M. - Beneš, J. 1997: Theorising Landscapes: the Concept of Historical Interactive Landscape, in: J.Chapman - P.Dolukhanow (eds.), Lanscape in flux. Central and Eastern Europe in Antiquity. Colloquia Pontica 3., s. 23 - 40. Oxbow Books.

Archaeology as a Social Science

by Gary Feinman

„TÍ DRUHÍ“ A „TEORETICKÍ“ ARCHEOLÓGOVIA („THE OTHER“ AND „THEORETICAL“ ARCHEOLOGISTS)

by Marek Hladík

In the article, the author responds to work by E. Krekovič (2009) published in the latest volume of thismore In the article, the author responds to work by E. Krekovič (2009) published in the latest volume of this
magazine. He discusses the relationship between so-called theoretical and so-called terrain archaeology. He draws
attention to the fact that theoretical and methodological foundations have no significance without terrain research
and subsequent processing of data. On the other hand, terrain research aimed at obtaining and description
(documentation) of individual facts cannot be considered scientific activity without developing theory and methodology
of archaeology. In conclusion, the author emphasises that bringing the theory and practice closer together
is a task especially for universities. These institutions should integrate the theory that studies the existing trends as
thoroughly as possible and practice that tests theoretical foundations in terrain.

Une connaissance de l’âge du bronze transfigurée par l’archéologie préventive

by cyril marcigny

Brun P. et Marcigny C., 2012 – Une connaissance de l’âge du bronze transfigurée par l’archéologie préventive, in. Nouveaux champs de la recherche archéologique, Archéopages, hors série 10 ans, p. 132-139

The Origins of Pottery as a Practical Domestic Technology: Evidence from the Middle Queen Creek Area, Arizona

by Christopher Garraty

Garraty, Christopher P. (2011)

The site of Finch Camp in the middle Queen Creek area of Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, has produced some of the... more The site of Finch Camp in the middle Queen Creek area of Arizona, southeast of Phoenix, has produced some of the earliest evidence of utilitarian pottery use in the US Southwest. Using multiple lines of evidence from vessel morphology, surface alteration, and minute fatty acid residues in vessel walls, I evaluate the nascent function of the earliest vessels (mostly neckless jars, or tecomates) and infer a diachronic process of functional expansion from about 350 B.C.–A.D. 400. This evidence provides robust evidence for evaluating various theoretical models of pottery origins. I argue that utilitarian pottery was initially adopted in connection with the intensification of small particulate plant foods (e.g., seeds, grains) and increasing household-level control over resources. Further, vessel functions may have expanded during the early centuries A.D. in response to women’s task-scheduling conflicts stemming from increasing residential stability and growing reliance on low-level horticulture.

Detecting Marketplace Exchange in Archaeology: A Methodological Review

by Christopher Garraty

Stark, Barbara L., and Christopher P. Garraty (2010) Detecting Marketplace Exchange in Archaeology: A Methodological Review. In Archaeological Approaches to Market Exchange in Ancient Societies, edited by Christopher P. Garraty and Barbara L. Stark, pp. 33-61. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.

Negotiating the Imperial Landscape: The Geopolitics of Aztec Control In the Outer Provinces of the Empire

by Christopher Garraty

Garraty, Christopher P., and Michael A. Ohnersorgen (2009)

Preindustrial Markets and Marketing: Archaeological Perspectives

by Christopher Garraty

Feinman, Gary M., and Christopher P. Garraty (2010)

Markets are key contemporary institutions, yet there is little agreement concerning their history or diversity. To... more Markets are key contemporary institutions, yet there is little agreement concerning their history or diversity. To complicate matters, markets have been considered by different academic disciplines that approach the nature of such exchange systems from diametrically opposed perspectives that impede cross-disciplinary dialogue. This paper reviews the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the detection, development, and significance of markets in the preindustrial past. We challenge both the view that marketing is natural and the perspective that market exchange is unique to modern capitalist contexts. Both of these frameworks fail to recognize that past and present market activities are embedded in their larger societal contexts, albeit in different ways that can be understood only if examined through a broadly shared theoretical lens.We examine the origins, change, and diversity of preindustrial markets, calling for multiscalar, cross-disciplinary approaches
to investigate the long-term history of this economic institution.

Imperial and Social Relations In Postclassic South-Central Veracruz, Mexico

by Christopher Garraty

Garraty, Christopher P., and Barbara L. Stark (2002)

We explore social and imperial relations in the western lower Papaloapan Basin, especially along the lower Blanco... more We explore social and imperial relations in the western lower Papaloapan Basin, especially along the lower Blanco River, using statistical analyses of ceramic rims from recent surveys. This region is sandwiched between two known tributary provincial centers of the Aztec empire, but its relationship to the empire is uncertain in colonial documentary materials. Our analyses illuminate changes in social relations from the Middle (A.D. 1150-1350) to Late Postclassic (A.D. 1350-1520) periods and shed light on the impact of Aztec imperialism. We use a ceramic unmixing procedure to assign collections to the Middle and Late Postclassic periods for assessment of settlement patterns. Next we use cluster analyses to examine vertical wealth and status differentiation. In the Middle Postclassic period, we observe a concentric gradation of wealth and status away from the small center of El Sauce. Late Postclassic changes include the decline of El Sauce and the founding of a new center at Callejo'n del Horno. The concentric model does not apply to the Late Postclassic period, however, and wealth and status became more highly concentrated at Callejon del Horno compared to its hinterland. We also investigate sparse collections-those with few Postclassic rims-to evaluate whether these collections represent poor residences or, rather, sherd scatter from possible field manuring. The lowerBlanco region was likely integrated into the Aztec empire on the basis of changes in vertical social differentiation from Middle to Late Postclassic times and percentages of Aztec-style ceramics compared to known Aztec provincial centers, especially Cotaxtla.

PDF 3D: biface achelense

by Francisco José López Fraile

Este bifaz del valle medio del Tajo ha sido escaneado mediante láser con apoyo fotográfico.

PDF 3D es un formato que soporta modelos de 3D y permite interactuar con ellos: mover, rotar, medir, extraer secciones, etc. Se necesita tener instalado el software Acrobat Reader (gratuito, mínimo versión 8).

The Intersections of Archaeology and Postcolonial Studies.

by Matthew Liebmann

2008. In Archaeology and the Postcolonial Critique, edited by M. Liebmann and U. Rizvi, pp. 1-20. Altamira Press, Lanham, MD.

2010 - Identification de sites paléolithiques et mésolithiques en Midi-Pyrénées, méthodes et implications

by Marc Jarry

by JARRY M., ARRAMOND J.-C. - in : P. Depaepe et E. Seara coord., "Le diagnoctic des sites paléolithiques et mésolithiques", Inrap, Les cahiers de l'Inrap, n°3, 2010, 21-29

Existe-t-il une spécificité du diagnostic paléolithique par rapport aux autres périodes ? Quelles solutions ont été... more Existe-t-il une spécificité du diagnostic paléolithique par rapport aux autres périodes ? Quelles solutions ont été mises en œuvre par les équipes de l’INRAP en Midi-Pyrénées? Cette région, immense, aux contextes géologiques diversifiés et au patrimoine préhistorique prestigieux, ne livre que depuis très peu de temps des résultats probants concernant l'archéologie paléolithique. Comment et jusqu'où évaluer des sites dans un terrain vierge de références ? Nous tentons, à partir de l'analyse d'exemples récents de diagnostics et de fouilles, de répondre à ces interrogations en proposant un bilan des méthodes utilisées pour le repérage et l’évaluation des sites paléolithiques dans ce secteur du bassin aquitain.

Bunimovitz, S., and Faust, A., 2001, Chronological Separation, Geographical Segregation or Ethnic Demarcation? Ethnography and the Iron Age Low Chronology, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 322: 1-10.

by Avraham Faust

BASOR articles are available on JSTOR and the JSTOR Current Scholarship Program (JSTOR CSP).

The traditional Iron Age chronology has recently been challenged by I. Finkelstein who proposed a wholesale lowering... more The traditional Iron Age chronology has recently been challenged by I. Finkelstein who proposed a wholesale lowering of its dates. The cornerstone of the new chronology is the seemingly absence of Philistine Monochrome pottery in 20th Dynasty sites in southern Canaan and the absence of Egyptian(ized) pottery in Philistine sites. According to Finkelstein the only viable explanation for this phenomenon is chronological. Adherents of the traditional schema, on the other hand, prefer an interpretation based on cultural segregation and reject the low chronology. Both views, however, are based on the implicit premise that there is a straightforward correlation between the extent of interaction between human groups and the amount of similarity in their material culture. Relying on ethnographic/ethnoarchaeological evidence, we intend to show that this premise is flawed, and that restricted distribution of artifacts does not contradict interaction. This observation on human behavior is enough to cast serious doubts on the foundations and methodology of the low chronology. Furthermore, since symbolic delineation of group identity and boundaries is accentuated at times of competition, items symbolizing cultural identity may be held back in spite of interaction. As competition seems to characterize Iron I Philistia, it is highly tenable that the social meaning of the Philistine Monochrome pottery as well as of its Egyptian counterpart prevented their diffusion and adoption outside the restricted zones in which they communicated group identity and cohesion.

Überlegungen zur Verwendung pollenanalytischer Forschungen im Rahmen einer archäologischen Untersuchung der frühmittelalterlichen Landnutzung in Norddeutschland

by Anne Klammt

Veröffentlichung eines 2007 gehaltenen Vortrages.

Der Beitrag beinhaltet methodenkritische Überlegungen zur (unbedachten) Einbeziehung der Ergebnisse palynologischer... more Der Beitrag beinhaltet methodenkritische Überlegungen zur (unbedachten) Einbeziehung der Ergebnisse palynologischer Untersuchungen in siedlungsgeschichtlichen Studien. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Auswertung von Pollenprofilen aus Seen und Mooren im Zuge archäologischer Untersuchungen. Näher betrachtet wird die Frage der Datierung, der räumlichen Tiefenschärfe und der Erkennbarkeit wirtschaftlicher Nutzungsstrategien. Der Beitrag richtet sich somit an die Archäologie und hier besonders die Siedlungsarchäologie. Sie stützt die eigene Argumentation vielfach auf die Ergebnisse palynologischer Untersuchungen, ohne die jeweiligen Parameter und Unsicherheiten der zugrundeliegenden Daten darzulegen.