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xx, 463 p. : ill., maps. Two print copies of this title are available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT E61 .W72 1989 / Western Clovis and Western Stemmed cultural traditions, archaeologically indexed by fluted (Clovis) and stemmed projectile point complexes, represent the earliest human occupation documented in Far Western North America. The temporal closeness of Western Clovis, dated roughly from 11,500 to 11,000 B.P., to Western Stemmed complexes known as early as 11,140 to 10,800 B.P., has generated debate over the age and historical relationship of these cultures. The frequent co-occurrence of fluted and stemmed points along the lowest strandlines in pluvial lake basins has also led scholars to hypothesize an early development of the characteristically "Archaic" lake-marsh adaptations known from later periods. Geoarchaeological research in the northern Alkali Lake Basin of south-central Oregon has addressed these issues of cultural chronology and economy by seeking data to test a paleoecological model of human land use in the basin from 11,500 to 7,000 B.P. The model posits a late Pleistocene Western Clovis settlement oriented to a small, shallow lake or pond, followed by an early Holocene Western Stemmed occupation around a much larger lake and marsh fringe. Data gathered through basin-wide site survey, stratigraphic studies, and high-resolution mapping of lake features and artifacts, support the model as proposed, and reveal a settlement pattern indicative of a "tethered" focus on local lake-marsh habitats. Research also verifies the horizontal separation of fluted and stemmed artifacts on different, sequent shorelines, indicating that Western Clovis occupation precedes Western Stemmed, although the two are close in time. Data from Alkali Basin, and elsewhere, support the notion that Far Western cultures developed broad-spectrum adaptations much earlier than was once thought. This implies that the foundations of the Western Archaic were already in place by 11,000 B.P. In keeping with the adaptive flexibility embodied within the Desert Culture concept, environmental data further suggest that this "paleo-Archaic" lifeway developed quickly, not gradually, in response to punctuated climatic change and the emerging mosaic of regional habitats which characterized the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, at a time when the desert as we know it was just coming into being. / Adviser: Aikens, C. Melvin

xv, 275 p. : ill., maps. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call numbers: KNIGHT E78.O6 W55 1993 / This study addresses the problem of prehistoric culture change in interior southwest Oregon as reflected in subsistence/settlement patterns. Eighty-three sites, excavated during cultural resource management projects, constitute the database. This study also demonstrates the applicability of cultural resource management data to questions of regional interest and of general importance to anthropology. Two contrasting subsistence/settlement regimes are modeled based on regional ethnographic and archaeological studies. One pattern is that of a mobile subsistence regime; the other is that of a more sedentary regime associated with permanent villages and the collection and processing of foods for over-winter storage. The first is reflected in the archaeological record by a settlement system consisting of seasonal camps and short-term task sites; the second is represented by a settlement system consisting of villages, seasonal camps, and task sites. To test these models against available data, sites were first placed in functional categories (village, seasonal camp, task site) based on qualitative and quantitative assessments of their archaeological assemblages. This analysis represents the first quantitative assessment of a large database of archaeological sites in this region, and also provide a means of testing previous archaeologists' intuitive judgments about site type. Quantitative measures distinguishing sites, based on the density and diversity of stone tools present in their assemblages include: (a) density measures for chipped stone artifacts; (b) a multidimensional scaling exercise which distinguishes sites based on assemblage diversity (richness and evenness); and (c) cobble and groundstone density measures compared with excavated feature data. The quantitative analysis also offers a methodological contribution for avoiding problems associated with comparison of archaeological samples of greatly varying sizes. Next, sites were assigned to the Middle Archaic (6,000-2,000 BP) or Late Archaic (2,000-150 BP) period. Finally, a comparison of site types manifest in the two periods shows that the predominant settlement pattern during the Middle Archaic consisted of seasonal camps and task sites, indicating a more mobile subsistence/settlement regime. A more sedentary, village-centered regime, appeared along major waterways at the end of the Middle Archaic, and spread throughout the region during the Late Archaic. / Committee in charge: D. Melvin Aikens, Chair; Don E. Dumond; Ann Simonds; Patricia F. McDowell

abstract: This dissertation explores how practices and interactions of actors at different scales structure social networks and lead to the emergence of social complexity in middle range societies. To investigate this process, I apply a complex adaptive systems approach and a methodology that combines network science with analytical tools from economics to the three sub-periods of the Prehistoric Bronze Age (The Philia Phase, PreBA 1 and PreBA 2) on Cyprus, a transformational period marked by social and economic changes evident in the material record. Using proxy data representative of three kinds of social interactions or facets of social complexity, the control of labor, participation in trade networks, and access to resources, at three scales, the community, region and whole island, my analysis demonstrates the variability in and non-linear trajectory for the emergence of social complexity in middle range society. The results of this research indicate that complexity emerges at different scales, and times in different places, and only in some facets of complexity. Cycles of emergence are apparent within the sub-periods of the PreBA, but a linear trajectory of increasing social complexity is not evident through the period. Further, this research challenges the long-held notion that Cyprus' involvement in the international metal trade lead to the emergence of complexity. Instead, I argue based on the results presented here, that the emergence of complexity is heavily influenced by endogenous processes, particularly the social interactions that limited participation in an on-island exchange system that flourished on the island during the Philia Phase, disintegrated along the North Coast during the PreBA 1 and was rebuilt across the island by the end of the period. Thus, the variation seen in the emergence of social complexity on Cyprus during the PreBA occurred as the result of a bottom-up process in which the complex and unequal interactions and relationships between social actors structured and restructured social networks across scales differently over time and space. These results speak more broadly about the variability of middle range societies and the varying conditions under which social complexity can emerge and add to our understanding of this phenomenon. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2017

abstract: Prehistoric farmers in the semi-arid American Southwest were challenged by marked spatial and temporal variation in, and overall low levels of, precipitation with which to grow their crops. One strategy they employed was to modify their landscape with rock alignments in order to concentrate surface water flow on their fields. A second challenge that has been less focused on by archaeologists is the need to maintain soil fertility by replenishing nutrients removed from the soil by agricultural crops. Numerous studies have shown that rock alignments can result in long-lasting impacts on soil properties and fertility. However, the direction and magnitude of change is highly variable. While previous work has emphasized the importance of overland flow in replenishing soil nutrient pools, none have investigated the influence of eolian deposition as a contributor of mineral-derived nutrients. This thesis explores the effects of the construction of rock alignments, agricultural harvest, and eolian deposition on soil properties and fertility on Perry Mesa within the Agua Fria National Monument. This site experienced dramatic population increase in the late 1200s and marked depopulation in the early 1400s. Since that time, although agriculture ceased, the rock alignments have remains, continuing to influence runoff and sediment deposition. In the summer of 2009, I investigated deep soil properties and mineral-derived nutrients on fields near Pueblo La Plata, one of the largest pueblos on Perry Mesa. To examine the effects of rock alignments and agricultural harvest independent of one another, I sampled soils from replicated plots behind alignments paired with nearby plots that are not bordered by an alignment in both areas of high and low prehistoric agricultural intensity. I investigated soil provenance and the influence of deposition on mineral-derived nutrients through analysis of the chemical composition of the soil, bedrock and dust. Agricultural rock alignments were significantly associated with differences in soil texture, but neither rock alignments nor agricultural history were associated with significant differences in mineral-derived nutrients. Instead, eolian deposition may explain why nutrient pools are similar across agricultural history and rock alignment presence. Eolian deposition homogenized the surface soil, reducing the spatial heterogeneity of soils. Dust is important both as a parent material to the soils on Perry Mesa, and also a source of mineral-derived nutrients. This investigation suggests that prehistoric agriculture on Perry Mesa was not likely limited by long term soil fertility, but instead could have been sustained by eolian inputs. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Biology 2012

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Is there more we can learn about the movement of prehistoric Puebloan people during the A.D. 900–1400 time period? In those moments of time when small groups of people dispersed across the landscape and formed aggregated communities. Some of the answers lie in the generally understudied landscape of the federally protected Cibola National Forest in west-central New Mexico. This area is on the eastern periphery of a well-documented Zuni region, and preliminary archaeological site data revealed the potential to further that knowledge. During a 10-day pedestrian survey, 42 archaeological sites containing a variety of traditional Zuni and local Lion Mountain pottery types were recorded. The presence of these Puebloan peoples was confirmed through analysis of the ceramics using the accepted Stanley South Mean Ceramic Dating techniques. Patterns of site locations dating from the Pueblo II to Pueblo IV time period were evaluated using ESRI ArcGIS mapping software. Specific data analysis including nearest neighbor, euclidean distance, and least cost analysis were used to relate the archaeological sites to each other and to the Pueblo communities in the southwest. This recently discovered settlement area near Lion Mountain revealed remnants of past Zuni populations and is further evidence of the expansion of these prehistoric peoples. The pottery shreds discovered at those sites, along with the architecture and specific kiva types, links the distinctive aggregated Zuni and Lion Mountain Communities together and allows for further investigations to explore settlement organization, exchange networks, and a facet of other archaeological questions.

The people of ancient Peru produced textiles four thousand years before the Spanish Conquest in 1532 A.D.. They used almost every known technique and created some of the world's most outstanding handwoven textiles. One of the most visually exciting groups are the finely woven interlocking tapestry tunics that served as the official garments of the Wari (Huari) culture (c.700-1000 A.D.). The Wari maintained a highly organized social and economic state and its rigidity is manifested in the formal iconography and artistic conventions of their textiles. With sophisticated design principles and the masterful use of colour, however, the Wari counteracted the problems of monotony and repetition inherent in the strictly prescribed design of the garments. Few of the existing Wari tunics have accompanying scientific provenience or grave associations and therefore little is known of their cultural role. An art historical approach, however, utilizing stylistic analysis breaks the barrier created by the sparse scientific documentation and facilitates the deciphering of design conventions. Very little has been written specifically on Wari textiles. To date, the most important work is a brief article by Alan Sawyer. (Sawyer, 1963:27-38) In it he examines some of the complex design conventions and suggests a methodology for establishing a relative chronology. His methodology will be used in this study. This thesis begins with an examination of the Wari culture based on well documented ceramic evidence and continues with a discussion of provenience (when known), distribution, technology and iconography of the textiles. The focus of this study is the use of design conventions. Examination of three major design conventions - lateral distortion, symmetry and colour usage - is followed by a comparative analysis and a discussion of relevant ceramic evidence. Sawyer has divided Wari official garments into the following three types: 1. Type 1 - Paired elements 2. Type 2 - Composite motifs 3. Type 3 - Staff bearing anthropomorphic figures. This thesis is primarily concerned with the first type. The sample for this study consists of 47 representative examples ranging from fragments to complete tunics of Type 1. Through the examination of lateral distortion and the comparative analysis of relevant ceramic evidence and known textile provenience, a relative chronology can be proposed. It will be shown that it is possible to evaluate the design conventions of symmetry and colour usage to determine the rules governing their application. This in turn permits the identification of regional and temporal traits. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

In skeletal studies of prehistoric populations of Chile’s semiarid north, it is common practice for physical anthropologists to visually categorize crania as dolichophallic and brachycephalic which are then attributed to cultures or time periods based on the observed shape. The validity of this classification is still debated and poses several questions regarding the prehistory of Chile. The goal of this study is to investigate the craniofacial variation in populations representing the Archaic period and Intermediate-Late periods of Chile’s semiarid north using morphometric analysis. The samples comprise two collections from the Museo Arqueologico de La Serena in La Serena, Chile. The Archaic period dates from 10,000 BC to 300 AC. The Intermediate-Late period dates from 900 AC to 1500 AC. The Archaic period included 87 crania, while the Intermediate-Late period included 78 crania. Cranial vault modification was practiced in all prehistoric populations, and modified individuals comprise ~4.6% of the Archaic period sample and ~74.4% of the Intermediate-Late period sample. Individuals observed to be dolichocephalic are associated with the Archaic period, while brachycephalic individuals are associated with the Intermediate-Late period. Previous studies have shown that individuals with intentional cranial modification, annular and tabular, exhibit predictable changes in the craniofacial complex due to compensatory growth and shape changes related to peripheral structures of the cranial vault. A form of tabular modification is seen in both periods included in this sample, with the Intermediate-Late period sample being dominated by this modification. All craniometric landmarks were recorded using a Microscribe™ 3D digitizer, with exclusion of mandibular landmarks. MorphoJ was utilized to analyze the geometric morphometric data. Coordinates using the Microscribe were recorded in order to investigate the differences in shape of the craniofacial complex between the two samples. Two separate analyses were performed, one with all landmarks recorded and one excluding landmarks prosthion, alveolon, ectomolare and zygion. The results of both Canonical Variate analyses and associated Mahalanobis Distance values (2.699 and 2.9316) indicates statistically significant differences (p<0.001) between the two samples. It is also evident that shape changes along CV1, increases in minimum frontal breadth, upper facial breadth, and nasal height, correspond with characteristics associated with brachycephalism and tabular cranial vault modification. The large range of variation of the Intermediate-Late period sample is speculated to be a result of multiple small populations moving toward the coast possibly due to a change in climate. These small populations exhibited various morphologies which were influenced by nonrandom environmental factors. The Mahalanobis distances of the different cultural groups also indicate statistically significant differences. This method has the potential to be used in conjunction with others to identify cultural context and significance of remains in archaeological contexts in Chile. In the event of repatriation acts this method could also be used to attribute individuals to corresponding cultures and be donated to the appropriate community or facility.