No description available.

This study examines subsistence-settlement systems and residential mobility of prehistoric Jomon hunter-gatherers in Japan. Raw data were collected from Moroiso Phase (ca. 5000 B.P.) sites of the Early Jomon Period in the Kanto and Chubu regions. Many archaeologists have assumed that the Jomon people were sedentary inhabitants of large villages, occupied throughout the year. However, recent developments in Jomon studies suggest that we must reevaluate the assumption of Jomon sedentism. In this study, Moroiso Phase settlement patterns, including intersite lithic assemblage variability, site size and site location, are examined in the context of an ethnographic model of hunter-gatherer subsistence-settlement systems. The results indicate that the Moroiso Phase settlement patterns correspond very closely to those of hunter-gatherers who are relatively sedentary but move their residential bases seasonally. Changes of settlement patterns over time within the Moroiso Phase are also examined, and the results are explained in relation to changes in the natural environment.

No description available.

An assemblage of prehistoric Huron chipped stone tools has been analyzed in terms of its inherently dynamic properties. It is hypothesized that the series of measurements and ratios that has been developed is more efficient than existing systems for gauging the changing nature of these implements over time. The statistical evaluation of the data revealed strong linear relationships between various pairs of variables, such as projectile point length and tip angle and end scraper bit edge angles and bit height. It was found that comparing these data to other attributes of these tools, such as use-wear traces and reduction techniques, can be very informative about how each category of tools changed through manufacture, use, and maintenance. The results of this analysis were then compared to those of a more traditional study of a contemporaneous collection of Huron stone tools (Poulton, 1985), demonstrating the utility of the techniques developed.

Ceramic material culture recovered from archaeological sites has more to offer the researcher than placing the site or strata into a cultural historic timeline. By examining the characteristics of ceramics manufactured during the Woodland Period in southern Kentucky, this thesis answers questions related to the behavior of the potters who lived and worked there. Using the theoretical basis of ceramic ecology and technological choice, this thesis examines the choices made by the potters of two sites, the Long (15Ru17) and Rowena (15Ru10) sites, located along the Cumberland River in Russell County, Kentucky. The two sites are also compared to one another and similar assemblages in the Upper Cumberland River Valley, in terms of temporal occupation and utilization of tempering resources. Ultimately, the potters who occupied the Long and Rowena sites during the Woodland Period used locally available materials to temper their clay, even as they emulated other ceramic types. In terms of the two sites themselves, it appears that while they were not occupied by the same population of potters, they did employ similar tempering agents and stylistic types. Examining the behavior of potters who occupied these two sites informs the researcher about the behavior of the larger region of the Upper Cumberland Valley.

Fire-cracked rock is often overlooked in archaeology. This study attempted to determine whether or not fire-cracked rock from the surface of an archaeological site located in a cultivated field can be differentiated from other cracked rocks. A study sample of 67 rocks from the surface of a prehistoric site located in a cultivated field and another study sample of 58 rocks from an adjacent area that was sterile of prehistoric human activities was collected. A third sample of 70 fire-cracked rocks excavated from features below the plowzone in a prehistoric site served as a control sample. The fracture surface morphologies of the control sample were examined for distinguishing characteristics, which were then compared to the study samples. Those cracked rocks from the study samples which exhibited similar characteristics were identified as fire-cracked rock. Ten fire-cracked rocks were thus observed within the on-site sample and the offsite sample included only one. / Department of Anthropology

This project was a reanalysis of the prehistoric ceramic collections from two important archaeolegical sites in east central Indiana: Mounds State Park (12-M-2) and the New Castle Site (12-Hn-1). Brief summaries of the two sites and their excavation histories are provided as well as summaries of the various pottery types involved. Specific attention is given to the New Castle Incised type.Previous interpretations regarding the ceramics from the two sties are given, and research from this project has provided new interpretations and information. Specifically, a statistical analysis was conducted, and the results show that the pottery from the two sites was made by peoples of the same culture. However, subtle changes were taking place in the manufacture of the pottery, primarily in the plain sherds.Future research goals are provided and include further excavations at both sites, thermoluminescence dating of sherds and additional study of the plain sherds. / Department of Anthropology

This thesis reexamines the adoption of the bow and arrow in the Eastern Woodlands. Archaeologists have usually relied on the size and shape of projectile points to help them determine when the bow and arrow was adopted, since the other parts of this complex system (e.g., the wooden bows and arrow shafts) do not survive well in the Eastern Woodlands. The current belief is that the bow and arrow was introduced during the Late Woodland period (AD 500) in the Eastern Woodlands. This is based on the wide spread use of small stone projectile points and on their continued use up to European contact. However, this small point technology was actually established during the Late Archaic period (2000 BC). A wide range of evidence is presented in this thesis that shows that the bow and arrow may have been adopted during the Late Archaic period and was well established during the Middle Woodland period (AD 100) in several Eastern Woodland states. / Department of Anthropology

In archaeology, most studies of artifacts focus on lithics and ceramics, while bone artifacts are often neglected in our intense study of the past. This thesis takes a step in the opposite direction by focusing on a bone tool known as the beamer. This thesis tests the hypothesis that the beamer, used for processing animal hides, is only used during the Late Woodland and Mississippian time periods. If the hypothesis is supported, the beamer would be unique among bone artifacts, acting as a chronological marker similar to projectile points. The thesis also studies how the hypothesized appearance of the beamer at the beginning of the Late Woodland affected the use of lithic scrapers, another tool used for hide processing. Information gathered for this thesis was used to create a large database of Midwestern prehistoric archaeological sites. While the original hypothesis did not hold up, a new hypothesis was created based on the data. / Department of Anthropology

The transition from a hunter-gatherer way of life to sedentary food-producing societies was a pivotal shift in human prehistory, affecting social, political, economic and ideological structures. The Epipalaeolithic in the Levant precedes the "origins of agriculture" and is the key to understanding the beginnings of social and economic phenomena seen in the later periods. Excavations at the site `Uyun al-Hammâm, located in northern Jordan, has uncovered a large amount of lithic material, faunal remains, and several human burials suggesting this site was a place of importance on the Epipalaeolithic landscape. This thesis explores the lithic debitage from `Uyun al-Hammâm to determine the stages of reduction that are represented in the assemblage. Debitage analysis, in conjunction with other site data, contributes to a robust understanding of the site's unique function during the Epipalaeolithic.