Thesis (M.A.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 191-204.

Thesis (doctoral) - Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 2001. / This book is a slightly revised version of the doctoral dissertation the author completed in June 2001 and defended at the Faculty of Arts of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in October 2001. Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-285) and index.

The variability of prehistoric settlements and settlement systems (settlement variability) is a result of the kinds of activities conducted (functional variability) and how long and intensively settlements were occupied (occupational variability). Previous studies of settlement variability, especially in the American Southwest, have emphasized primarily functional variability. This study explores the implications of both functional and occupational variability in contributing to settlement variability and how these factors in turn influence our ability to reconstruct past settlement systems. In investigating the effects of functional and occupational variability on settlement variability, an attempt was made to control the effects of other variables that might possibly contribute to settlement variability. Accordingly, the experimental design for this study required that a sufficient number of archaeological sites of the same developmental stage and cultural affiliation occurring in the same homogeneous environment be located. These design requirements were fulfilled by the discovery of the Pitiful Flats locality located midway between Grasshopper and Cibecue in east-central Arizona. The surface material of 34 archaeological sites (12 lithic sites, 22 ceramic sites) on Pitiful Flats was systematically collected to ensure data comparability. To control further for the effects of functional variability, interpretation-free units of analysis were developed for the lithic and ceramic assemblages by means of taxonomically based typologies. Typological and metric variation in these units of analysis, as well as variation in non-assemblage measurements (site size, density, and distribution of occupational debris), is used as evidence to support conclusions about site-type differences in lithic technology and settlement function, and to develop an occupational history of each Pitiful Flats site. These site-specific inferences provide a basis for reconstructing the structure of an extinct settlement system in the Grasshopper area. This reconstruction suggests that prior to the appearance of masonry architecture in the Grasshopper area, the basic regional settlement system consisted of a small number of "home bases" (permanently occupied habitations) and numerous sporadically occupied "work camps." The home base and work camps were spatially exclusive; the work camps were tethered to a particular home base. The tether settlement system explains many of the facts of the regional archaeological record. It also provides a basis for advancing the hypothesis that a modified form of swidden agriculture (non-slash and burn as opposed to slash and burn) was practiced. This form of cultivation was a non-labor-intensive technique for transforming a marginally productive environment for agricultural purposes. The demographic and social implications of the tether settlement model and the non-slash swidden hypothesis for understanding regional Grasshopper prehistory are also discussed.

Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), locational analysis was performed for prehistoric sites recorded during a 1985 surface survey conducted in Henry County, Indiana. Two sensitivity models were developed to identify areas more likely to contain substantial archaeological resources. Both models were based on environmental data derived largely from soil survey information. An intuitive model was created and "blindly" applied to the study area. This model did not interpret the distribution of sites very well. During development of an alternative model, the 1985 survey data was more thoroughly investigated. Site locations were found to be correlated with Soil Conservation Service drainage categories. In upland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts clustered around pockets of very poorly drained Millgrove loam soils. In lowland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts exhibited a preference for well drained soils. Before and during analysis, the integrity of source data was investigated. A United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute digital elevation model was found to be unsuitable for analysis within the study area. Mapping errors were discovered within the 1985 survey data. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which can increase the spatial integrity of survey data, was demonstrated and used to register and adjust source data. A mapping-grade GPS base station was established at Ball State University. / Department of Anthropology

The Upper Wabash Drainage over the last few years has become an area which has provided archaeologists with vital data concerning prehistoric settlement patterns. One time period which has not been well represented is the Archaic Period. Many questions have been unanswered about Archaic settlement patterns within the region. This study examines data from archaeological survey and presents a model for both Early and Late Archaic settlement within the Upper Wabash drainage. The information generated by this analysis will provide a better understanding of the Archaic period within this region. The study will also prove to be useful as a reference for future research as well as an important mechanism for resource management. / Department of Anthropology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-235). Issued in print and online. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

The major factors which influenced the settlement system of the late prehistoric Nuxalk of the Bella Coola valley are examined in this study. Detailed data on settlement, subsistence, environment and the socio-political and socio-economic worlds of the Nuxalk are presented. Ethnographic, ethnohistoric, archaeological and environmental data have been compiled for this purpose. The theoretical approach applied in this thesis differs from other comparable studies on the Northwest Coast. Many studies are concerned only with the relationship between energy gains and settlement. In this study the potential determinants of settlement patterns are compiled from both the natural and cultural environment of the Nuxalk. Each determinant is examined within a cultural framework that would have been relevant to the Bella Coola valley Nuxalk. The nature of the analyses and methodology employed here also sets this study apart from other settlement studies. Salmon-settlement studies investigate the importance of a single species at several sites, while site catchment studies concentrate on the relative importance of several resources at a single site. Here, several different sites are compared according to eight different determinants (the presence of salmon, other aquatic resources, plant resource, animal resources, mineral resources, trade, shelter from the elements and protection from raiding); each determinant is measured in a different manner according to the nature of the data set. A rank order of each village location is produced according to its accessibility to each determinant analysed. From this, an overall ranking of settlements which combines all the determinants is generated. The Nuxalk results are then compared to the settlement systems of other Northwest Coast groups, as a means of identifying more general statements concerning the pre-contact settlement systems of Northwest Coast Native peoples. Results indicate that the presence of a range of food resources, especially plants and fish, was among the most important criteria for a preferred settlement location in the Bella Cool a valley. The presence of a variety of other resources and cultural attributes was the minimum requirement of a suitable Nuxalk village location. Among other coastal groups, preferred village sites were those which offered the greatest number of resources from a single location. In the instances where primary villages were situated in areas that did not offer a range of resources, other (cultural) factors seem to have influenced the decision to settle in a specific location. Additionally, it is hoped that this study contributes to the field of ecological anthropology by offering new methods for quantifying economically important plants. Previously uncollected information from Nuxalk elders adds to the body of knowledge concerning land use among the Nuxalk people specifically and the peoples of the Northwest Coast in general. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Theoretical and methodological issues of disposal behavior are examined at the village site of Murcielago. Ethnoarchaeological, archaeological, and modern material culture studies of discard practices are discussed. The generalizations and conclusions contained therein are incorporated into a synthesis of the emerging body of disposal theory. The method used for the analysis of Murcielago, which is drawn from traditional geographic models of land use, is described. The model allows description of the conventions governing the regulation of space and the delineation of disposal patterns. Analysis of artifact distributions illuminated the organization of household activities and the definition of activity differences.

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