ABSTRACT Jeffrey Parsons was a pioneer who expanded the scope of settlement pattern analysis in archaeology. He conducted extensive surveys in Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. Here I discuss Parsons' contributions to ethnographic research with archaeological goals (ethnoarchaeology). His major contributions to the field dealt with Mesoamerican subsistence activities in three broad areas: maguey (Agave

(2021). The Prehispanic Ethnobotany of Paquimé and its Neighbors. Ethnoarchaeology. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT This article explores the materiality of the Orthodox Christian cult of the Epitaphios on Good Friday of 2020 when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and isolation were deemed the most effective means of protecting societies from exposure to the virus. Epitaphios is a metonym that references a venerated object, a decorated cloth or wooden icon bearing the image of Christ prepared

(2020). Sugarcane and Rum: The Bittersweet History of Labor and Life on the Yucatán Peninsula. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 148-149.

(2020). Ruins, Caves, Gods, and Incense Burners: Northern Lacandon, Maya Myths, and Rituals. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 149-151.

(2020). EXARC Journal. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 156-157.

(2020). Ancient West Mexico in the Mesoamerican Ecumene. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 151-154.

ABSTRACT This article presents a pilot experiment conducted to better understand how Middle Pleistocene hominins might have processed and exploited elephants using simple stone and bone tools. The experiment was conducted in three phases: (1) production of small, flake-based stone tools, (2) butchery of the lower hind-leg of an Indian elephant, and (3) manufacture of bone tools from the tibia. The

(2020). Experimental Archaeology: Making, Understanding, Story-telling. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 154-156.

(2020). Archaeology and Ethnography along the Loango Coast in the South West of the Republic of Congo. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 75-77.

reader is sometimes irritated by spelling mistakes that taint the reading. To sum up, this volume poses a valuable contribution in describing heritage management efforts in the southern Republic of the Congo and displaying the primary data uncovered. Unfortunately, a synthesis between the archaeological and ethnographical observations is hard to find within the text. While the text is accompanied by

The monograph, Tarascan Pottery Production in Michoacan, Mexico by Eduardo Williams offers a synthesis of fieldwork among “traditional” potters practicing their craft in Tarascan (Purepecha) commun...

multi-disciplinary team, anthropology (in the broadest sense of its multiple sub-disciplines), which has long-standing holistic and universalistic ambitions, is as well positioned as any discipline for the task. The point is nicely illustrated by these two authors. Kim is an anthropological archaeologist, Kissel a paleoanthropologist, and together they have put together a survey of war and its origins

(2020). Pottery Archaeology in the Michoacan Sierra. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 68-70.

more useful in frequency seriations for chronology. He also concludes that interpretations of activity patterns (e.g. estimates of where cooking occurred) are complicated by the fact that they “are the product of differences in [pottery] type use lives as much as they are the product of ancient pot-using behavior” (p 173). This is a very detailed study of an important issue in archaeology, but I suspect

Bourdieu, P. 1977. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dietler, M., and I. Herbich. 1989. “TichMatek: The Technology of Luo Pottery Production and the Definition of Ceramic Style.” World Archaeology 21 (1): 148–164. Dobres, M.A., and J. E. Robb. 2000. Agency in Archaeology. New York: Routledge. Knappett, C., and L. Malafouris. 2008.Material Agency: Towards a Non-Anthropocentric

ABSTRACT Eight decades of ethnographic research provide a rich dataset for studying the changing organization of labor in households involved in specialized pottery production in the Purépecha region of Michoacán, Mexico. Relevant ethnographies are examined to identify the contributions of household members who might be considered “the potter” and the “hidden producers” who are integral to production

ABSTRACT Long-term ethnographic research in the region of Tiznit in Morocco enabled us to reconstruct the different stages of manufacture of children's clay toys, from the selection of the raw material to shaping, firing, use and discard. Making toys and playing with them are two inseparable activities, essential for learning everyday tasks. From this perspective, we consider Neolithic figurines and

(2020). EARTH: The Dynamics of Non-Industrial Agriculture: 8,000 Years of Resilience and Innovation. Ethnoarchaeology: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 64-66.

ABSTRACT Archaeological approaches to “finding the individual” have been applied through various material avenues. Pottery production has been considered an effective avenue to identify idiosyncratic variation, but there has been little work to evaluate fundamental assumptions of attribution studies. This paper addresses how differences in decorative techniques can influence our ability to identify

Kathryn Weedman Arthur has produced a fantastic and delightful book. The Lives of Stone Tools is an ethnographic account of stone tool production and use in late twentieth century Ethiopia. It is a valuable cautionary tale on all of the potential cultural and symbolic meaning prehistoric stone tools may have possessed and manifested, which would be invisible to archaeologists if indeed this meaning

ABSTRACT The adoption of pottery in the Upper Great Lakes region occurs quite late compared to the greater Eastern Woodlands. Recent organic residue analyses suggest that the earliest pottery in the Upper Great Lakes region was likely used to process acorns. Through experimental means using temperature as a proxy, this paper evaluates the efficacy of leaching tannins from acorns by comparing two regionally

ABSTRACT In 2016 Olivier Gosselain published a paper in Archaeological Dialogues suggesting that ethnoarchaeology should “go to hell”. His provocation misrepresents the ethnoarchaeology of the past quarter century, as is evident in a literature of which he appears largely unaware. Here we refute his charges, showing, for example, that ethnoarchaeologists neither regard the societies with which we work

ABSTRACT In 2014–2015 we combined questionnaires with direct observation to study the architectural transition of a remote Iranian village in order to assess the relationship between the layout and architecture of the settlement and the cemetery, and to assess the ways the characteristics of the settlement were or were not reflected in the cemetery. The architecture of the settlement site in Makhunik

ABSTRACT This ethnoarchaeological study examines contemporary salt and earthenware pottery production in Alburquerque, Bohol, Central Philippines. It highlights the intersection of these two craft industries through the use of locally made earthenware pots for salt making, serving both as brine boiling containers, as well as standard units of measurement for trade. It examines the spatial distribution

ABSTRACT Obsidian flake tools are an important component of Early Horizon (ca. 800–400 B.C.) lithic assemblages in highland Peru. However, the functions of these tools have not been ascertained. In this paper, we present the results of an experimental project that tests the hypothesis that flake tools were used for shearing domesticated camelids (alpacas and llamas). A collection of 10 replicated flake

Although Ed Wilmsen has made crucial contributions to ethoarchaeology, he does not identify himself as an ethnoarchaeologist, and so his important work in this field is often overlooked. He is not mentioned, for example, in the monumental history of ethnoarchaeology by David and Kramer (2000). When I recorded an on-camera interview with him in 2015, he described himself as a four-field anthropologist

ABSTRACT In northwestern Ethiopia, hide working is a skilled practice that involves turning raw hides into processed leather products using iron blades in wooden hafts for scraping and hammer stones with plant oils for hair removal, softening, and coloring the hides. This study among Amhara hide workers living in the East Gojjam Zone focuses on the specialized use of iron scrapers, which establishes

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to cast light on how the red glossy slipped pottery of the Urartian Kingdom (9th–6th century BC) was manufactured. Ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology, as well as more traditional archaeological research methods, are used to discern the processes involved. First, the pottery was categorized based on surface treatment. Next, ethnoarchaeological research

In an era of fake news and alternative facts, archaeologists need to think carefully about what it takes to make an effective argument and how best to train students to do so. While the unfettered enthusiasm for positivism and science evinced by some in the 1960s and 70s is rare in the wake of post-processual critiques, archaeological interpretations of the past are and must still be evidence-based

our knowledge of the nature of the Aztatlán system. Each of the contributing authors to this volume is either retired or emeritus. As such, the book represents the work of mature scholars carefully and thoughtfully presenting their results to support the legacy of the Marismas Nacionales project and to facilitate future studies in the region. In this sense, the volume is an unambiguous success and

ABSTRACT This article addresses aspects of earth-oven baking, as reported in ethnohistoric and ethnographic accounts from western North America and via a series of actualistic experiments. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric accounts attest to far more variability in oven morphologies, baking times, and food types than has been identified archaeologically. Toward mitigation of this data-discrepancy, we

Although fire is ubiquitous among humans and it appears to have been so for at least hundreds of thousands of years, its study as an artifact is relatively recent due to its sedimentary nature. Archaeologists are only now beginning to properly document and sample combustion residues for their study as artifacts and to realize their potential as sinks of behavioral information, with clues concealed

ABSTRACT This paper presents a synthetic overview of the results of a multidisciplinary approach –archaeological, experimental and ethnographic – that provides new insights into the fire-related management strategies (from firewood procurement to fire use and cleaning activities) adopted by Yamana groups. We bring to the fore the significance of recent results from a chemical, GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS analysis

ABSTRACT Prehistoric fuel management and hearth functions are key research issues that have benefitted from the development of experimental and ethnoarchaeogical approaches aimed at providing interpretative models for archaeological fire and fuel studies. In this paper, we present a selection of ethnographic, ethnoarchaeological and ethnohistorical data mostly collected among Evenks and Athabascans

ABSTRACT Livestock fecal remains provide an important source of information on past animal husbandry systems and dung use. A combined micromorphological and biomolecular investigation of dung deposits brings new perspectives into past landscape land use and animal husbandry strategies by providing seasonal-scale information on livestock dietary intake as well as intensity of dung deposition in penning

ABSTRACT Geoarchaeology focusing on microscopic and chemical remains has contributed greatly to the study of archaeological fire. One of the methodological approaches geoarchaeologists have adopted in the last two decades is the use of ethnoarchaeology to collect reference materials and construct models for how fire residues are formed and preserve or deteriorate in the archaeological record. Geo-ethnoarchaeology

similarly organized, making cross-cultural comparisons relatively easy, limited only by the quality of the original data (for which these authors are not to be faulted). Some of the most significant insights from these cases include examples where yarn quality estimates derived from spindle whorl weight do not match well with suggested tensions estimated from preserved loom weights, thus supporting

ABSTRACT The consumption of alcohol in the past is a much-studied subject, largely because alcoholic beverages play an important role in numerous sociopolitical institutions. While alcoholic beverages have been widely acknowledged to be an important component of society, the ability to recognize alcohol intake in ancient contexts has proven difficult. As a result, many authors investigating ancient

The name of J. D. Lewis-Williams has been linked for decades to his ground-breaking theory relating shamanism and Southern African rock art, and the interpretation of San paintings in the light of ...

ABSTRACT Archaeologists commonly encounter the occupation surfaces of ephemeral prehistoric houses. Within those spaces, artifacts can exhibit considerable spatial structure raising the question of what that structure can tell us about human behavior. We explore a simple site-formation model in which household occupancy, defined here as the average number of individuals who simultaneously occupy a

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the cultivation, harvesting and consumption of anchote and examines the social and environmental factors that frame the practice. Anchote, an indigenous tuber crop propagated by seed, is primarily cultivated for its edible tubers. In addition to forming part of the dietary staple of the Wallaga Oromo, the tuber is central to the culture and identity of the people. The

ABSTRACT Ethnoarchaeological research was conducted on traditional agriculture and use of noog (Guizotia abyssinica (L.) Cass.) as well as its wild progenitor, mech (Guizotia scabra (Vis.) Chiov) in present day Ethiopia. The study revealed technological and social aspects of this oil crop. Various traditional processing methods (field and household), division of labor, and economical and cultural values

ABSTRACT For many years, archaeologists in Southern Africa have equated pottery “style” with archaeological “cultures” and modern ethno-linguistic groups. In order to investigate this association, we undertook an ethnoarchaeological study of 41 contemporary potters in south-eastern Botswana to observe what social groupings of potters correlate with their preferences for a particular style of making

ABSTRACT The field of macrolithic use-wear analysis has developed dramatically in recent years, but the morphological evolution of surfaces resulting from use has not received much attention. To a large extent, this neglect is due to the substantial amount of time that experiments exploring this aspect would require. This article presents a time-saving experimental program that involves rock salt and

ABSTRACT Building on recent work by Braun [2012. “Petrography as a Technique for Investigating Iroquoian Ceramic Production and Smoking Rituals.” Journal of Archaeological Science 39: 1–10, 2015. “Ritual, Materiality, and Memory in an Iroquoian Village.” PhD diss., University of Toronto] and Smith and Major [2010. Ceramic Smoking Pipes.” In Report on the Salvage Excavation of the Antrex Site (AjGv-38):

ABSTRACT This ethnoarchaeological study, carried out in the Upper Ganga Plains of North India, contributes to our understanding of the variation that exists in the organization of household ceramic production. The paper describes techniques, tools and facilities; division of work/tasks; location of production; range of products; differences in the scale and intensity of production between rural and

Brian Hayden is a scholar extraordinaire. When he joined the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in the fall of 1976, he was already a widely travelled and experienced archaeologist, having worked on projects in Colorado, Tunisia, Lebanon, France, and Guatemala, and conducted graduate research in Australia and Canada. In his academic career at SFU Brian produced well over 100

ABSTRACT The direct historical approach, which draws cultural links between the historic and prehistoric past at specific locations, has a longstanding, and at times controversial, history in archaeological interpretation. Evidence from this and related approaches, such as ethnohistorical reconstruction, historical linguistics, oral tradition, and native folklore, is widely employed today by North

Jay Cunningham has served ably the last 3 years as book review editor, and we wish to thank him. He now needs to do other things, and we are looking for volunteers. There are perks: you get to hear about interesting current work, and some publishers will actually send you free books, which you can review, or mostly offer to others. Ah, the power and patronage possibilities! Almost makes us think of

ABSTRACT The Río Negro is the most important inner fluvial course of the Uruguay Republic. Along its basin, the archaeological record is characterized by flaked stone tools of remarkable workmanship. As part of a long-term experimental program to explore and understand diverse aspects of lithic technologies from the Americas, this paper reports an experiment devoted to reproducing carefully reduced

This book is an important contribution to multiethnic history and development of the Jicarilla enclave structure that ultimately contributes to a better understanding of the Rio Grande area in Nort...

I think that I have always been intrigued by the worlds behind fossils and other ancient things found in the earth—even rocks, how they were formed and what kinds of environments produced them. To be sure, the objects themselves were a source of mystery, things that existed hundreds of millions of years ago, cultures that knew no metals or plastics or glass. However, what sparked my interest in ethnoarchaeology

Firing practices yield insights into the technological skill, knowledge, and behavior of potters. Skill and time, clays, fuels, and intended vessel use are significant for potters' decisions about heating rates, firing temperature and atmosphere. Firing is one stage in ceramic production that, when considered with the vessel's life history, reveals strategies of craftspersons and technological changes

Ancient rock quarries in the surroundings of the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka provide evidence of quarrying by splitting stone blocks. Bedrock outcrops with natural foliations or weathering fractures were preferred starting points for stone quarrying. Additionally, fractures were created artificially, removing bedrock material by channeling or heating the bedrock surface and imposing pressure

For many years, intuition and common sense often guided the transference of patterning ostensibly evident in experimental flintknapping results to interpretations of the archaeological record, with little emphasis placed on hypothesis testing, experimental variables, experimental design, or statistical analysis of data. Today, archaeologists routinely take steps to address these issues. We build on

Throughout the history of potting in Botswana, from about CE200 to the present, potters have used a variety of clays. Alluvial clays are favored by most potters today, but petrographic analyses show that prehistoric potters preferred primary clays directly derived from granite and basalt. Fortunately, a few potters in the region today still use granite-derived clays. We trace the processes by which

The rock carvings of the Valle Camonica (Brescia, Alps, Northern Italy) are one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world, spanning from the Epipalaeolithic to the Middle Ages. Notably, they represent the first World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO in Italy. Beside the hundred of thousands rock carvings counted so far, the area hosts a relevant archaeological and ethnographic heritage

Since the early twentieth century, the archaeology of dental modification has received significant attention, as modified teeth are especially important for interpreting past human culture in the archaeological record. Despite the existence of the practice in Ethiopia, to date no archaeological or ethnoarchaeological research has been conducted to examine the antiquity of the tradition. This ethnoarchaeological

I came to know Bob Ascher quite well over a span of 46 years and yet I am somewhat at a loss when it comes to conveying an adequate sense of his persona and a remarkable career characterized by highly innovative, multidisciplinary, and thoughtprovoking explorations of the human experience. Genuinely genius-level intelligence, combined with some unique talents, boundless curiosity, creativity and energy