Showing papers in "Journal of Anthropological Archaeology in 2006"

TL;DR: In this article, a general, heuristic model of the spatial organization of band-level foraging groups is developed within which to situate this kind of non-utilitarian movement.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a large faunal sample (mainly reindeer) underlines the preponderance of hunting activities in the Middle Palaeolithic.

TL;DR: The authors explored historical evidence for mass collecting of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), assesses the potential impact of this technique on assumptions about rabbit returns, and sets forth methods for identifying mass collecting in zooarchaeological assemblages.

TL;DR: The idea that houses and territories can be alternative systems for structuring society is undermining the traditional belief that lineages, clans and other systems based on kinship ties were the only conceivable principle of social organization in traditional communities as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: In this article, the first analysis of Sr isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in dental enamel of human skeletons from prehistoric burials of the Fezzan (southwestern Libya) was performed.

TL;DR: Nadung'a 4 is one of the single carcass pachyderm sites recorded in East Africa during the Early Middle Pleistocene as mentioned in this paper, which has yielded an abundant lithic assemblage in close association with the partial carcass of an elephant.

TL;DR: The main features and principal aspects of contact and exchange among the later prehistoric hunter-gatherers (late Mesolithic and post-Mesolithic) in the Baltic Sea basin, which covers the southern and eastern reaches of Northern Europe, and summarise the main advances in current research are discussed in this paper.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the landscape approach as a means of supplementing existing information about Middle Paleolithic settlement patterns and discussed the problems inherent with established site typologies and some of the settlement models that have been proposed in the past.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reconstructed site function of Picareiro Cave based on the interpretation of the analytical results of different types of data (lithic artifacts, habitat structures, use of space, and fauna).

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the distribution of goods which circulated through the market system in the Aztec heartland, and predict distinct patterns of commodity distribution by examining how different types of market systems move goods through the regional system in different ways.

TL;DR: In this paper, a land evaluation model was applied to assess the productivity of sweet potato, taro, yam, sugar cane, and banana during the prehistoric period on Rapa Nui (1500-1700 AD).

TL;DR: This paper explored the process of boundary formation and maintenance in "tribal" societies by examining stylistic attributes in material culture during the transition from the Neolithic to the Copper Age in the eastern Carpathian Basin.

TL;DR: The core-periphery models of dependency and world system theories are so deeply embedded in archaeological interpretations of early states and empires that social scientists working inside, outside, and against these paradigms tend to frame their arguments, often implicitly, around a core-pariphery model of radiating lines that connect peripheral zones to the core as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the structure of early sedentary communities in northeast China and address such issues as their economic adaptation, the internal organization of households, economic activities and sharing strategies of household members, and mechanisms of community integration.

TL;DR: The excavation of Tunel VII, a Yamana site dating to the indigenous/European contact period was part of a long term research project based on the north coast of the Beagle channel (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: In this article, it is shown that in mid and high latitude forested environments mobile hunter-gatherers (a) use large areas on a seasonal basis and (b) engage in long distance logistic mobility.

TL;DR: In the southern Levant, sedentary and mobile groups enjoyed a close and persistent relationship, which stimulated a flexible approach to occupation strategies, and allowed for fluctuations in levels of permanence among the same social groups through time as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: The interpretation of site function (e.g., multi-purpose residential site, specialized logistical camp, or transit bivouac) is a matter of pragmatic, interdisciplinary, situation-specific analyses, and parsimony.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined alternative models for the interpretation of Lower Paleolithic Multiple Carcass Sites based on analysis of the site of Holon, Israel and found that the nature of the lithic and faunal assemblages found at Holon are most consistent with a palimpsest site that represents repeated occupations of a marsh edge location by both hominids and carnivores, the remains of which have been moderated by natural agencies.

TL;DR: In this article, it is suggested that concentrated production of blades on aggregation sites during the Magdalenian may facilitate the spread of skills needed for consistent blade production, while a wider variety of solutions to the problem of producing blanks for microlith production might flourish under conditions of highly dispersed toolmaking in the Early Mesolithic.

TL;DR: In this paper, a study of a selection of activity areas at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump confirms that these concepts do enhance our understanding of site activity areas and that an examination of boundaries can allow an assessment of activity area contemporaneity.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored Mesolithic mobility across the region including the Sudety and Carpathian Mountains through several lines of evidence, including site seasonality as recorded primarily from sites in peat deposits, limited numbers of documented dwelling structures, mortuary behavior, and the regional distribution of lithic raw materials.

TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of the management of fish species in subsistence and ceremonial-artistic activities in the Beagle Channel area is presented, with the aim of discussing the existence of a dietary avoidance of certain potentially high-yield species, possibly as a result of ceremonial activities.

TL;DR: A suite of options are considered to explain these indicated shifts in foraging efficiency, including: (1) issues surrounding the calculation of AI values in instances where the encounter rates of less highly ranked taxa are changing; (2) aspects of beluga whale behaviour, demographics, and distribution, including adaptations to environmental change and human predation; and (3) issues relating to the social, demographic, economic, and territorial organization of the Inuit groups occupying the East Channel.

TL;DR: The Cuetlaxtlan (Cotaxtla) province, at the eastern edge of the Aztec empire, provides an interesting case for examining imperial administrative strategies and their material implications as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: A great deal of congruence is seen among the papers contributed to the special issue of the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology on Mesolithic mobility, exchange, and interaction as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: In this paper, a site typology is developed based on assemblage size and patterned differences in site location, assemblages contents, and raw material use are explored.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate a complex system of procurement at the Mesolithic open air sites of Siebenlinden, showing that complete nodules of Jurassic chert were transported from campsite to campsite and if needed, local material from different geographical subregions was also added to the inventory of raw materials used.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the Indus and Mesopotamian archaeological records and conclude that Fairservis' model is a gross oversimplification and cannot explain many of the perceived differences between these two societies.