Archaeological Variability and Interpretation in Global Perspective

In Archaeological Variability and Interpretation in Global Perspective, contributors illustrate the virtues of various ecological, experimental, statistical, typological, technological, and cognitive/social approaches for understanding the origins, formation histories, and inferential potential of a wide range of archaeological phenomena. As archaeologists worldwide create theoretically inspired and methodologically robust narratives of the cultural past, their research pivots on the principle that determining the origins and histories of archaeological phenomena is essential in understanding their relevance for a variety of anthropological problems. The chapters explore how the analysis of artifact, assemblage, and site distributions at different spatial and temporal scales provides new insights into how mobility strategies affect lithic assemblage composition, what causes unstable interaction patterns in complex societies, and which factors promote a sense of "place" in landscapes of abandoned structures. In addition, several chapters illustrate how new theoretical approaches and innovative methods promote reinterpretations of the regional significance of historically important archaeological sites such as Myrtos-Pyrgos (Crete, Greece), Aztalan (Wisconsin, USA), Tabun Cave (Israel), and Casas Grandes (Chihuahua, Mexico). The studies presented in Archaeological Variability and Interpretation in Global Perspective challenge orthodoxy, raise research-worthy controversies, and develop strong inferences about the diverse evolutionary pathways of humankind using theoretical perspectives that consider both new information and preexisting archaeological data. Contributors : C. Michael Barton, Brian F. Byrd, Gerald Cadogan, Philip G. Chase, Harold L. Dibble, Matthew J. Douglass, Patricia C. Fanning, Lynne Goldstein, Simon J. Holdaway, Kathryn A. Kamp, Sam Lin, Emilia Oddo, Zeljko Rezek, Julien Riel-Salvatore, Gary O. Rollefson, Jeffrey Rosenthal, Barbara J. Roth, Sissel Schroeder, Justin I. Shiner, John C. Whittaker, David R. Wilcox Contributors Illustrate The Virtues Of Various Ecological, Experimental, Statistical, And Cognitive/social Approaches For Understanding The Origins, Formation Histories, And Inferential Potential Of A Wide Range Of Archaeological Phenomena--provided By Publisher. Working With Archaeological Variability In The 21st Century, Thinking About Materiality, Epistemology, And Ontology / By Alan P. Sullivan Iii And Deborah I. Olszewski -- A Lithic Perspective On Ecological Dynamics In The Upper Pleistocene Of Western Eurasia / By C. Michael Barton And Julien Riel-salvatore -- The Significance Of Persistent Places In Shaping Regional Settlement History : The Case Of The Mimbres Mogollon / By Barbara J. Roth -- Reductive Technology And The Epipaleolithic Of The Middle East And North Africa / By Deborah I. Olszewski -- Context And Complexity On The Arid Margins Of Australia : Assessing Human Reponses To An Unpredictable Environment / By Simon J. Holdaway, Justin I. Shiner, Patricia C. Fanning And Matthew J. Douglass -- Theoretical Implications Of Artifact-scatter Lithic Assemblage Variability For Mobility-based Models Of Technological Organization / By Alan P. Sullivan Iii -- Timelessness And The Legacy Of Archaeological Cartography / By Sissel Schroeder And Lynne Goldstein -- Sherd Cross-joins, Ceramic Use-wear, And Depositional History : Rethinking The Sociopolitical Aftermath Of A Collapsed Bronze Age Cistern At Myrtos-pyrgos, Crete / By Emilia Oddo And Gerald Cadogan -- Estimating The Population Size Of Casas Grandes: Empirical Issues And Theoretical Consequences / By David R. Wilcox -- Biface Production At Tabun : Manufacture, Maintenance, And Morphological Variability / By Gary O. Rollefson -- Celebrating The Dead And Recrafting Social Identity : Placing Prehistoric Mortuary Practices In Broader Social Context / By Brian F. Byrd And Jeffrey Rosenthal -- Flint From The Ancestors : Ritualized Use Of Stone Tools In The Prehistoric Southwest / By John C. Whittaker And Kathryn A. Kamp -- Form, Function, And Mental Templates In Paleolithic Archaeology / By Philip G. Chase -- The Role Of Controlled Experiments In Understanding Variation In Flake Production / By Zeljko Rezek, Sam Lin, And Harold L. Dibble. Edited By Alan P. Sullivan Iii And Deborah I. Olszewski. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter One -- Section I -- Chapter Two -- Chapter Three -- Chapter Four -- Chapter Five -- Chapter Six -- Section II -- Chapter Seven -- Chapter Eight -- Chapter Nine -- Chapter Ten -- Section III -- Chapter Eleven -- Chapter Twelve -- Chapter Thirteen -- Chapter Fourteen -- List of Contributors -- Index