Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 31 - 36 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Laptops In The Sand: Using Rugged Computers In The Field, Michael T. Searcy, Scott Ure
Laptops In The Sand: Using Rugged Computers In The Field, Michael T. Searcy, Scott Ure
Faculty Publications
Computers have been used in the archaeology for decades to perform various tasks including statistical modeling, database management, geospatial analysis and other processes ranging from the relatively simple to the incredibly complex. Traditionally, computers are used in relatively “clean” environments such as indoor offices or laboratories. However, when subjected to harsh outdoor conditions with extreme temperatures, precipitation, dust, and debris, failure in some degree, ranging from the irritating to the catastrophic, is highly likely and often quite predictable. Sandy and dusty regions, as well as wet and humid areas, are particularly hostile to the delicate and environmentally sensitive processors, circuit …
The End Of Farming In The Northern Periphery Of The Southwest, James R. Allison
The End Of Farming In The Northern Periphery Of The Southwest, James R. Allison
Faculty Publications
The area once called the northern periphery of the Southwest was occupied for approximately 1,000 years by prehistoric farmers identified by archaeologists as Fremont and Virgin Anasazi, although hunter-gatherers occupied the area at European contact. Although the timing is similar, possible relationships between the end of farming in the northern periphery and the Four Corners abandonments have not often been considered. This paper reviews the cultural context and timing of, as well as explanations for, the end of the Fremont and Virgin Anasazi sequences, and explores the linkages with the better documented abandonments in the Four Corners region.
Moving From A Grinding Halt: Expanding The Interpretation Of Ground Stone Through Ethnoarchaeology, Michael T. Searcy, Jaime Holthusen
Moving From A Grinding Halt: Expanding The Interpretation Of Ground Stone Through Ethnoarchaeology, Michael T. Searcy, Jaime Holthusen
Faculty Publications
Some of the most ubiquitous artifacts found at archaeological sites across Mesoamerica are manos and metates. Yet these important household implements continue to be underrepresented in the archaeological literature. This paper highlights recent ethnographic research on groundstone produced and used by four Mayan communities in Guatemala. We demonstrate how the size of grinding surfaces can be indicative of function, and how modern taboos can be examined to explore notions of gender. Groundstone from the site of La Quemada, Mexico is then analyzed in light of such inferences to evaluate the consistency of archaeological patterning with ethnographic observations.
Petrographic Analysis Of Sherd Samples From The Hot Spring Lake And Airport Sites, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sergio F. Castro-Reino, James R. Allison
Petrographic Analysis Of Sherd Samples From The Hot Spring Lake And Airport Sites, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sergio F. Castro-Reino, James R. Allison
Faculty Publications
Prehistoric sherds from two sites near the Salt Lake City airport were analyzed petrographically and compared to a small reference set of sands from the Salt Lake Valley. No Fremont wares are tempered with sand from the Salt Lake area. Some Late Prehistoric wares are tempered with coarse, angular, alluvial sand temper of mineralic composition from metagranite sources 10-12 kilometers away. Volcanic-tempered Late Prehistoric sherds may originate in the Traverse Mountains--provenance cannot be established without further sampling, but the closest sources are at least 30 kilometers away. In all cases sources appear to be non-local to the studied sites.
Craft Specialization And Exchange Among The Virgin Anasazi, James R. Allison
Craft Specialization And Exchange Among The Virgin Anasazi, James R. Allison
Faculty Publications
A large proportion of the culinary ceramics found on 11th century Anasazi sites in the Moapa Valley of Nevada were manufactured more that fifty miles to the east, in northwestern Arizona. This paper uses analyses of ceramics from sites in southeastern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Utah to more precisely define the regional distribution of these ceramics and to assess their degree of standardization in form and technology. Questions relating to the development of community specialization and interaction in egalitarian societies are--examined in light of these analyses.
Using Anasazi Redwares To Reconstruct Prehistoric Trade Networks, James R. Allison
Using Anasazi Redwares To Reconstruct Prehistoric Trade Networks, James R. Allison
Faculty Publications
Anasazi redware ceramics were widely traded from relatively small areas which specialized in their production. They form one stylistic sequence, but exhibit technological variation due to differences in resource availability. This variation allows most redwares to be traced to specific manufacturing areas, a crucial step in the reconstruction of trade networks and alliances. However, because few archaeologists have worked with the redware production areas, the current typology is misleading and the redwares are often mistyped. As a result, patterns of distribution and the behaviors that created them are obscured.