Author : George H. Odell
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 42,69 MB
Release : 2013-11-11
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1489901736
Lithic analysts have been criticized for being atheoretical in their approach, or at least for not contributing to building archaeological theory. This volume redresses that balance. In Stone Tools, renowned lithic analysts employ explicitly theoretical constructs to explore the archaeological record and use the lithic database to establish its points. Chapters discuss curation, design theory, replacement of stone with metal, piece refitting, and projectile point style.
Author : Zachary X. Hruby
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 32,1 MB
Release : 2014-10-14
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1317544161
The ancient Maya shaped their world with stone tools. Lithic artifacts helped create the cityscape and were central to warfare and hunting, craft activities, cooking, and ritual performance. 'The Technology of Maya Civilization' examines Maya lithic artefacts made of chert, obsidian, silicified limestone, and jade to explore the relationship between ancient civilizations and natural resources. The volume presents case studies of archaeological sites in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. The analysis draws on innovative anthropological theory to argue that stone artefacts were not merely cultural products but tools that reproduced, modified, and created the fabric of society.
Author : Jonathon E. Ericson
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 310 pages
File Size : 41,82 MB
Release : 2013-11-11
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1489911499
Regional approaches to the study of prehistoric exchange have generated much new knowledge about intergroup and regional interaction. The American South west and Mesoamerica: Systems of Prehistoric Exchange is the first of two volumes that seek to provide current information regarding regional exchange on a conti nental basis. From a theoretical perspective, these volumes provide important data for the comparative analysis of regional systems relative to sociopolitical organization from simple hunter-gatherers to those of complex sociopolitical entities like the state. Although individual regional exchange systems are unique for each region and time period, general patterns emerge relative to sOciopolitical organization. Of significant interest to us are the dynamic processes of change, stability, rate of growth, and collapse of regional exchange systems relative to sociopolitical complexity. These volumes provide basic data to further our under standing of prehistoric exchange systems. The volume presents our current state of knowledge about regional exchange systems in the American Southwest and Mesoamerica. Each chapter synthesizes the research findings of a number of other researchers in order to provide a synchronic view of regional interaction for a specific chronological period. A diachronic view is also prOvided for regional interaction in the context of the developments in regional SOciopolitical organization. Most authors go beyond description by proposing alternative models within which to understand regional interaction. The book is organized by geographical and chronological divisions to pro vide units of the broader mosaic of prehistoric exchange systems.
Author : P. Nick Kardulias
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 32,77 MB
Release : 2003
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780739105368
Written in Stone: The Multiple Dimensions of Lithic Analysis demonstrates the vitality of contemporary lithics analysis by examining material from a variety of geographical locations. This edited collection is primarily concerned with the link between craft production and social complexity, the nature of trade, and the delineation of settlement patterns and manipulation of landscape. While deconstructing the present to reconstruct the past, each chapter incorporates a technological dimension shaped by the type of analysis utilized. Methods include microwear analysis, which adds significant understanding of stone tool function, to the identification of obsidian sources, which illustrates the potential of lithic provenance studies for reconstructing trade. This book verifies and expands on the notion that lithics play an integral role in our understanding of past societies at all levels of complexity, from Paleolithic hunter-gatherers to archaic states.
Author : Arthur Andrew Demarest
Publisher :
Page : 700 pages
File Size : 31,56 MB
Release : 2005
Category : History
ISBN :
The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands revisits one of the great problems in Mayan archaeology - the apparent collapse of Classic Maya civilization from roughly A.D. 830 to 950. During this period the Maya abandoned their power centers in the southern lowlands and rather abruptly ceased the distinctive cultural practices that marked their apogee in the Classic period. Archaeological fieldwork during the past three decades, however, has uncovered enormous regional variability in the ways the Maya experienced the shift from Classic to Postclassic society, revealing a period of cultural change more complex than acknowledged by traditional models. Featuring an impressive roster of scholars, The Terminal Classic presents the most recent data and interpretations pertaining to this perplexing period of cultural transformation in the Maya lowlands. Although the research reveals clear interregional patterns, the contributors resist a single overarching explanation. Rather, this volume's diverse and nuanced interpretations provide a new, more properly grounded beginning for continued debate on the nature of lowland Terminal Classic Maya civilization.
Author : Hattula Moholy-Nagy
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 16,42 MB
Release : 2011-01-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1934536210
Tikal Report 27 presents artifacts and associated unworked materials recovered by the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Tikal Project of 1956-1969.
Author : Kenn Hirth
Publisher :
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 13,69 MB
Release : 2003
Category : History
ISBN :
Any overview of prehispanic society in the Americas would identify its obsidian core-blade production as a unique and highly inventive technology. Normally termed prismatic blades, these long, parallel-sided flakes are among the sharpest cutting tools ever produced by humans. Their standardized form permitted interchangeable use, and such blades became the cutting tool of choice throughout Mesoamerica between 600-800 B.C. Because considerable production skill is required, increased demand may have stimulated the appearance of craft specialists who played an integral role in Mesoamerican society. Some investigators have argued that control over obsidian also had a significant effect on the development and organization of chiefdom and state-level societies. While researchers have long recognized the potential of obsidian studies, recent work has focused primarily on compositional analysis to reconstruct trade and distribution networks. Study of blade production has received much less attention, and many aspects of this highly evolved craft are still lost. This volume seeks to identify current research questions in Mesoamerican lithic technology and to demonstrate that replication studies coupled with experimental research design are valuable analytical approaches to such questions.
Author : Kazuo Aoyama
Publisher : Center for Comparative Arch
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 27,85 MB
Release : 1999
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781877812545
An exhaustive analysis of political and economic change right through the sequence of Maya civilization, based on the direct evidence of chipped stone assemblages from a wide variety of contexts in two regions. The acquisition of raw materials, the production of tools, and the use of tools are all fully considered for what they can tell us about long-distance political and economic relations and local economic organization. An unexpected bonus of the study was information on the use of chipped stone in warfare. The full dataset is provided electronically. Complete text in English and Spanish.
Author :
Publisher :
Page : 636 pages
File Size : 37,57 MB
Release : 1995
Category : Dissertations, Academic
ISBN :
Author : John S. Henderson
Publisher : Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection
Page : 504 pages
File Size : 31,38 MB
Release : 1993
Category : History
ISBN :
