Anthropology Commons^™

Review Of "The Archaeology Of Mobility: Old World And New World Nomadism" By Barnard And Wendrich, Cotsen (Ucla), Nicholas Tripcevich

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Armchair Archaeology

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

Interviewed for an article in The Economist about the use of satellite imagery in Andean archaeology at the Chivay source.

Quarries, Caravans, And Routes To Complexity: Prehispanic Obsidian In The South-Central Andes (Ph.D. Dissertation, Uc Santa Barbara Anthropology), Nicholas Tripcevich

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

Production And Exchange Of Obsidian From The Colca Valley, Arequipa Perú, Nicholas Tripcevich

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

In Andean archaeology, it is stylistic evidence that form the basis for many investigations of long-distance relationships

and evidence of regional interaction. From hunter-gatherer projectile point type distributions to evidence of expansive

states like Wari and Tiwanaku, the basis of much of the inference regarding prehistory in the Andes is stylistic

relationships in workmanship, architecture, or iconography. In the past fifty years chemical characterization studies have

permitted a second basic form of regional evidence to emerge: provenancing studies.

Provenancing studies complement stylistic evidence because chemical provenance provides unqualified evidence of

contact between two regions. With provenancing studies: We know that …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In Stone Raw Material Provisioning Around The Chivay Obsidian Source., Nicholas Tripcevich, Alex Mackay

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

Research into the prehistoric procurement of widely circulated raw materials provides an opportunity to investigate changes in the mechanisms of exchange through time and the impacts of regional demand on local provisioning systems. Raw material sources are often exploited to meet local and regional demands, and relationships between artefacts at raw material source workshops and local sites can inform archaeologists about the nature of the exploitation of the source on the whole. In this talk we will focus on flaked stone artefacts found at an obsidian source workshop and those found in sites within a day’s travel of the source …

Mobile Gis And Archaeological Survey, Nicholas Tripcevich

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

This paper will describe archaeological research recently conducted in southern Peru where archaeological features were recorded entirely within a mobile Geographical Information System (or GIS). I will present an overview of the technology, and then briefly demonstrate our implementation of the system that was used while camping at high altitude at an obsidian source, and then I’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks of mobile GIS. Ultimately we must ask if it will contribute to better archaeology, or does mobile GIS merely add finer spatial resolution and more delicate technology to existing field methods?

Interfaces: Mobile Gis In Archaeological Survey, Nicholas Tripcevich

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

Research needs dictate whether mobile GIS data recording be expedient or thorough, and data acquisition can allow for flexibility with varied or unpredictable field conditions. By giving researchers access to large digital datasets and spatial analysis tools while in the field, mobile GIS facilitates the data acquisition process and can contribute to the quality and the efficiency of fieldwork. In this study, the implementation of ESRI Arcpad 6 in a high-altitude archaeological survey project in Peru presented challenges to the mobile GIS system that are common to many mobile GIS-based scientific fieldwork projects. The paper discusses the benefits and the …

Viewshed Analysis Of The Ilave River Valley (M.A. Data Paper, Uc Santa Barbara Anthropology), Nicholas Tripcevich

Nicholas Tripcevich, Ph.D.

This paper explores the potential for using viewshed analysis methods with settlement survey data in a grassland environment. Innovations in geographical positioning and spatial analysis technology permits archaeological surveyors to rapidly gather greater quantities and better quality spatial data than was formerly possible. A variety of statistical analyses and agent-based models are made possible with the more exhaustive and statistically robust data. Site location criteria are considered with respect to both the visibility from high viewshed locations, and the sheltering potential from wind, weather, and other humans and animals, afforded by low viewshed locations.

The point locations of several hundred …