This dissertation research presents the elemental and technological analyses of basalt adze quarries from the Samoan Island of Tutuila. Both Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) were utilized in the chemical characterization of basalt samples and artifacts. Elemental concentration data derived from both INAA and EDXRF successfully differentiated between multiple Tutuilan basalt adze quarries, and these data were utilized to determine the most efficacious elemental analysis technique for Tutuilan basalt adze provenance study. Elemental concentration data from the Lau’agae quarry were utilized with technological attribute analysis of artifacts recovered from that archaeological site to investigate the potential for economic specialization in the manufacture of basalt adzes. Analysis of both the technological attribute data and the elemental concentration data provided evidence for potential specialization at the Lau’agae quarry. When these data were compared to similar data from other Polynesian archaeological sites it further supported the potential for specialized production at Lau’agae. Ultimately, it was determined that multiple skilled producers created various types of basalt adzes at Lau’agae with the intent to export and exchange their products.

This research seeks to elucidate the role of relatively large-scale ceramic productionindustries located at the Classic period center of Matacapan in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, SouthernVeracruz, Mexico. Arnold et al. (1993) have suggested that the specialized production atComoapan, the largest production locality at Matacapan, was oriented toward supplying theregion with ceramics. This production locality overwhelmingly specialized in manufacturingone standardized ware, Coarse Orange, into necked and neckless jars, which are found in manyparts of the region.The compositional techniques of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) andpetrography were employed to investigate the distribution of this ware. Control groups weresampled from known production loci at Matacapan. The data does reveal strong evidence thatCoarse Orange was traded from Matacapan to other sites in the Tuxtlas. Comoapan was themost likely producer for this trade. Equally as important, this research yielded several differentcompositional groups, which indicates sites that either did not interact with Matacapan to procurethis ware, or who produced their own varieties of Coarse Orange. While Matacapan seems tohave had economic influence over parts of the Tuxtlas, the distribution of non-Matacapancompositional groups is useful to delineate areas of the Tuxtlas who display minimal economicinteraction with this regional center.

abstract: This project examines the social and economic factors that contributed to the development of a specialist-based economy among the Phoenix Basin Hohokam. In the Hohokam case, widespread dependence on the products of a few concentrated pottery producers developed in the absence of political centralization or hierarchical social arrangements. The factors that promoted intensified pottery production, therefore, are the keys to addressing how economic systems can expand in small-scale and middle-range societies. This dissertation constructs a multi-factor model that explores changes to the organization of decorated pottery production during a substantial portion of the pre-Classic period (AD 700 - AD 1020). The analysis is designed to examine simultaneously several variables that may have encouraged demand for ceramic vessels made by specialists. This study evaluates the role of four factors in the development of supply and demand for specialist produced red-on-buff pottery in Hohokam settlements. The factors include 1) agricultural intensification in the form of irrigation agriculture, 2) increases in population density, 3) ritual or social obligations that require the production of particular craft items, and 4) reduced transport costs. Supply and demand for specialist-produced pottery is estimated through a sourcing analysis of non-local pottery at 13 Phoenix Basin settlements. Through a series of statistical analyses, the study measures changes in the influence of each factor on demand for specialist-produced pottery through four temporal phases of the Hohokam pre-Classic period. The analysis results indicate that specialized red-on-buff production was initially spurred by demand for light-colored, shiny, decorated pottery, but then by comparative advantages to specialized production in particular areas of the Phoenix Basin. Specialists concentrated on the Snaketown canal system were able to generate light-colored, mica-dense wares that Phoenix Basin consumers desired while lowering transport costs in the distribution of red-on-buff pottery. The circulation of decorated wares was accompanied by the production of plainware pottery in other areas of the Phoenix Basin. Economic growth in the region was based on complementary and coordinated economic activities between the Salt and the Gila River valleys. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Anthropology 2013

This thesis undertakes detailed analysis of a sample of 229 small chert tools from a single locus at the Maya site of Caracol, Belize. Emphasis is placed on determining the function of these tools and on the nature of their use in the broader Caracol economic system. Analysis sought to determine whether they were used for day-to-day household tasks or for specialized craft activity within the specified household locus and/or if they were prepared for broader distribution at Caracol. By focusing detailed analysis on artifacts from a single locus, greater insight is provided into the impact of household production on the overall Caracol economy. The thesis draws on traditional techniques of lithic analysis, while assessing tool morphology and chert reduction techniques; however, it is different from previous analyses in the Maya area in that it develops and applies specific quantifiable statistical methods (e.g., Chi-square and Coefficient of Variable) for particular tool type(s) used in the production and modification of crafts. Application of quantifiable methods and a detailed level of analysis helps to differentiate and determine chert tool variation or standardization, thus establishing ideal tool types within a craft production locus. The determination of the presence of standardization and ideal tool types elucidates that craft production was indeed taking place just outside the epicenter at Caracol and therefore suggests that not only were elites controlling the distribution of crafts via markets located at and along causeway and termini, but may have controlled the production of crafts as well. Future research aims to reanalyze tools from previously excavated craft production areas and also plans to test for the presence of additional crafting areas at or near the site's epicenter. A detailed analysis of a craft production locus and small chert flake tools reveals insight into the nature of the ancient Maya economy and into models of control over resources.

Domestic Variability and the Emergence of Complexity at TiwanakuThe character of the ancient settlement of Tiwanaku has been a subject of debate for the past half century. Despite general acknowledgement that Tiwanaku influenced vast regions of the south-central Andes for several hundred years, the problem of whether or not Tiwanaku was an "empty" pilgrimage site or a densely populated urban center, and if urban, the constitution of its resident populations, remain compelling questions. This paper addresses these questions by presenting the results of extensive excavations in several residential sectors of the Tiwanaku site. Discussion of comparative spatial architectural and artifactual data emphasizes several intersecting patterns in the changing nature of residential organization during the Tiwanaku IV phase (AD 500-800), during which the site expanded into a major political and religious center. Comparative evidence indicates that during this phase Tiwanaku expanded into a densely populated urban center. This evidence emphasizes notable patterns of spatial order and stylistic uniformity across the site, pointing to the creation and dissemination of a common "state culture". Residential patterns were also characterized by traditional markers of social complexity, including marked status differentiation and specialized craft production. At the same time, these residential areas remained mutually differentiated in local social affiliations with group identity, indicating that the urban center developed out of and remained grounded in a fundamental segmentary social order. These results offer a unique perspective into the distinctive nature of pristine Andean urbanism and social complexity. / Las características del antiguo asentamiento de Tiwanaku han suscitado discusiones desde hace más de medio siglo. Pese a aceptar, por lo general, que Tiwanaku ejerció una gran influencia sobre vastas regiones de los Andes surcentrales durante varios siglos, se mantiene el problema de decidir si Tiwanaku fue un lugar de peregrinaje "vacío" o un centro urbano densamente poblado y, aun al aceptar la condición urbana, quedan preguntas difíciles. El presente trabajo trata de estos temas por medio de la presentación de los resultados de excavaciones intensivas en varios sectores residenciales del sitio de Tiwanaku. Se discuten y se comparan los datos espaciales, arquitectónicos y de artefactos, así como se enfatizan varios patrones cruzados en la naturaleza cambiante de la organización residencial durante la fase Tiwanaku IV (500-800 d.C.), en la cual el sitio se convirtió en un gran centro político y religioso. Evidencias comparativas muestran que Tiwanaku fue un centro urbano densamente poblado durante esta misma fase. Estas evidencias subrayan la presencia de notables patrones de orden espacial y de uniformidad estilística a través del sitio, lo cual apunta hacia la creación y difusión de una "cultura estatal" compartida. Los patrones residenciales también se caracterizan por marcadores tradicionales de complejidad social, que incluyen una marcada diferenciación de status y producción artesanal especializada. Al mismo tiempo, estas mismas áreas residenciales mantenían sus diferencias en cuanto a filiaciones sociales locales y la identidad de grupo. Lo que indica que el centro urbano se desarrolló sobre la base de un orden social segmentado. Estos resultados ofrecen una perspectiva única hacia la naturaleza distintiva del urbanismo andino prístino y la complejidad social.

La civilisation de l’Indus marque les esprits par une apparente uniformité de la culture matérielle sur la totalité de son territoire (environ 1 million de km carré) durant sa période d’apogée (2600-1900 av. J.-C.). Cette étude cherche à tester deux hypothèses qui pourraient expliquer cette homogénéité : 1) Un pouvoir centralisateur contrôlant la production artisanale; et 2) Un vaste réseau d’échanges et de distribution de la production. Dans ce but, la grande majorité des publications accessibles portant sur la production artisanale d’objets en céramique, en pierres semi-précieuses, en coquillage et en métal ont été inventoriées et analysées. Axée sur la spécialisation du travail artisanal, l’étude a identifié quelques objets dits de prestige (perles classiques harappéennes, bracelets en grès cérame) très probablement liés à une élite. La nature de cette élite est ensuite examinée et un nouveau modèle d’organisation sociopolitique de cette civilisation est proposé. / The Indus civilization puzzles archaeologists in that it shows a seeming uniformity in its material culture during the period from 2600 to 1900 BC and over its huge geographical extent (approximately 1 million square km). In this study two hypotheses are tested: 1) This uniformity in material culture is due to a central political force monitoring craft production; or 2) This uniformity results from an extensive trade and distribution network of craft production. In order to assess these, all available data concerning the craft production of ceramic, lapidary, shell-working and metal artefacts were inventoried and analyzed. A study of craft specialization identified a few wealth items (long carnelian beads, stoneware bangles), which were most probably related to an elite. After reassessing the nature of this elite, a new model of sociopolitical organization for this civilization is proposed.