Archaeological Aerial Thermography: A Case Study At The Chaco-Era Blue J Community, New Mexico, John Kantner, Jesse Casana, Adam Wiewel, Jackson Cothren
Apr 2014
Archaeological Aerial Thermography: A Case Study At The Chaco-Era Blue J Community, New Mexico, John Kantner, Jesse Casana, Adam Wiewel, Jackson Cothren
John Kantner
Despite a long history of studies that demonstrate the potential of aerial thermography to reveal surface and subsurface cultural features, technological and cost barriers have prevented the widespread application of thermal imaging in archaeology. This paper presents a method for collection of high-resolution thermal imagery using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), as well as a means to efficiently process and orthorectify imagery using photogrammetric software. To test the method, aerial surveys were conducted at the Chaco-period Blue J community in northwestern New Mexico. Results enable the size and organization of most habitation sites to be readily mapped, and also reveal …
Patterning In Procurement Of Obsidian In Chaco Canyon And In Chaco-Era Communities In New Mexico As Revealed By X-Ray Fluorescence, John Kantner, Andrew I. Duff, Jeremy M. Moss, Thomas C. Windes, M Steven Shackley
Aug 2012
Patterning In Procurement Of Obsidian In Chaco Canyon And In Chaco-Era Communities In New Mexico As Revealed By X-Ray Fluorescence, John Kantner, Andrew I. Duff, Jeremy M. Moss, Thomas C. Windes, M Steven Shackley
John Kantner
X-ray fluorescence analysis of obsidian artifacts from sites located in Chaco Canyon and from three Chaco-era communities in New Mexico permits determination of their geological origin. These source data are used to describe patterning in obsidian procurement in sites located in Chaco Canyon dating from A.D. 500–1150, and in a three non-Canyon communities occupied during the period of Chaco Canyon's regional prominence (ca. A.D. 875–1150). These data demonstrate that the most proximate sources generally dominate the sourced obsidian assemblages from sites of all periods, but also suggest differences in procurement patterning both over time and across space. Within Chaco Canyon, …
Political Competition Among The Chaco Anasazi Of The American Southwest, John Kantner
Feb 1996
Political Competition Among The Chaco Anasazi Of The American Southwest, John Kantner
John Kantner
An actor-based model of political competition is proposed to explain the development of Chaco Anasazi groups in the northern American Southwest. This model is derived from neo-Darwinian theory and the associated concept of methodological individualism, and focuses on the transition from societies dominated by egalitarian relationships to those exhibiting increasingly coercive leadership. The model especially emphasizes the role of the physical and social context for structuring individual decision-making and competitive behavior. A brief survey of the ethnographic record from around the world is employed to identify how political competition might appear in the archaeological record, with a specific focus on …
