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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Archaeological Anthropology

2011

Selected Works

GIS

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Geologic Constraints On Rain-Fed Qocha Reservoir Agricultural Infrastructure, Northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru, Nathan M. Craig, Mark Aldenderfer, Paul Baker, Catherine Rigsby, :Luis Flores Blanco Jan 2011

Geologic Constraints On Rain-Fed Qocha Reservoir Agricultural Infrastructure, Northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru, Nathan M. Craig, Mark Aldenderfer, Paul Baker, Catherine Rigsby, :Luis Flores Blanco

Nathan M Craig

This paper reports new data on qocha ponds from the Rio PucaraeAzángaro interfluvial zone, northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. Qocha are a little known form of Andean agriculture that developed around 800e500 B.C. and remain in use today. Prior estimates suggested that in the study area, there were more than 25,000 qocha. While most Andean sunken beds are excavated to reach groundwater, qocha are rain- fed ponds. How these rain-fed ponds functioned has been an open question, but one that is answered in part by research presented in this paper.We suggest that a thick impermeable stratum of clay that was …


Ground Truthing Of Remotely Identified Fortifications On The Central Coast Of Perú, Margaret Brown Vega, Nathan M. Craig, Gerbert Asencios Lindo Jan 2011

Ground Truthing Of Remotely Identified Fortifications On The Central Coast Of Perú, Margaret Brown Vega, Nathan M. Craig, Gerbert Asencios Lindo

Nathan M Craig

Remote imagery, including freely available satellite images viewed in Google Earth_ and historic aerial photographs, was used to identify anomalies in a 25,000 km2 macroregion encompassing 13 river valleys along the Peruvian coast. These anomalies, located atop hills and mountains, were hypothesized prehispanic fortifications. A sample of remotely identified anomalies was ground truthed in the Huaura and Fortaleza Valleys on the Central Coast of Perú. 140 positive anomalies were documented and assessed using a simple defensibility index. Our results significantly increase the number of fortifications identified in both valleys. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method for locating fortifications in …


Geologic Constraints On Rain-Fed Qocha Reservoir Agricultural Infrastructure,Northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru, Nathan Craig, Mark Aldenderfer, Catherine Rigsby, Paul Baker, Luis A. Flores Jan 2011

Geologic Constraints On Rain-Fed Qocha Reservoir Agricultural Infrastructure,Northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru, Nathan Craig, Mark Aldenderfer, Catherine Rigsby, Paul Baker, Luis A. Flores

Luis FLORES

This paper reports new data on qocha ponds from the Rio PucaraeAzángaro interfluvial zone, northern Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. Qocha are a little known form of Andean agriculture that developed around 800e500 B.C. and remain in use today. Prior estimates suggested that in the study area, there were more than 25,000 qocha. While most Andean sunken beds are excavated to reach groundwater, qocha are rainfed ponds. How these rain-fed ponds functioned has been an open question, but one that is answered in part by research presented in this paper. We suggest that a thick impermeable stratum of clay that was …


Advancing Theory?: Landscape Archaeology And Geographical Information Systems, Di Hu Jan 2011

Advancing Theory?: Landscape Archaeology And Geographical Information Systems, Di Hu

Di Hu

This paper will focus on how Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been applied in Landscape Archaeology from the late 1980s to the present. GIS, a tool for organising and analysing spatial information, has exploded in popularity, but we still lack a systematic overview of how it has contributed to archaeological theory, specifically Landscape Archaeology. This paper will examine whether and how GIS has advanced archaeological theory through a historical review of its application in archaeology.


Gis: A Rising Tool In The Geoarchaeologist's Toolbox, Erin Wayman Dec 2010

Gis: A Rising Tool In The Geoarchaeologist's Toolbox, Erin Wayman

Daniel A. Contreras

Researchers use GIS to see ancient landscapes, trace historical water use and preserve archaeological sites.