Introduction: Archaeological approaches to cultural identity
20 May 2003-pp 29-60
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the phenomenon of cultural difference raises profound problems for archaeology at all levels of both theory and practice, and outline some of these problem areas, and the individual chapters examine various aspects of them from a variety of different viewpoints.
Abstract: The essence of the argument in this book is that the phenomenon of cultural
difference raises profound problems for archaeology at all levels of both theory
and practice. This introduction outlines some of these problem areas, and the
individual chapters examine various aspects of them from a variety of different
viewpoints.
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: In this paper, the spatial and contextual organization of thermal structures (hearths and ovens) on thirty excavated Neolithic sites from Macedonia and Western Thrace throughout the Neolithic period in Greece in diverse habitation environments (tells, flat-extended sites and lake-side sites).
Abstract: This dissertation analyses the spatial and contextual organisation of thermal structures (hearths and ovens) on thirty excavated Neolithic sites from Macedonia and Western Thrace throughout the Neolithic period in Greece in diverse habitation environments (tells, flat-extended sites and lake-side sites). Unpublished material from two settlements, Avgi and Dispilio in Kastoria, will also complement this study. This dissertation raises the question of how communities were organised and how different forms of habitus or different kinds of entanglements tell us something of daily life and the formation of social identities. My principal field of research lies in the social interfaces developed around consumption practices in diverse spatial contexts in the course of everyday life. Key questions of this study involve the overall emergence and dispersal of social and cultural traditions in time and in space through the examination of different spatial and material entanglements. My analysis clarifies that intra-site spatial organisation in the area studied does not directly correspond with settlement types. The examination of archaeological data showed that similar configurations of social space can be found in dissimilar settlement types. My study demonstrates that cultural ‘assemblages’ in prehistory do not correspond to geographically broad united community groups but instead they show local diversity and social complexity. Instead of being modelled as unified, monolithic ‘cultures’, people seem to have come together around a sequence of chronologically and geographically focused forms of local identities. A local-scale examination of intra-site spatial patterns from Neolithic Macedonia and Western Thrace demonstrated that, although different settlement types are recorded within particular geographical regions, comparable organisation of space among contemporary sites indicates the development of similar social structures.
16 citations
Dissertation•
06 Jul 2010
TL;DR: The Swantek Site near Genoa, Nebraska has been found to have a substantial settlement dating to the 13th and 14th centuries AD as discussed by the authors, which was not previously believed to have significant presence in the Central Plains.
Abstract: Excavations at the Swantek Site near Genoa, Nebraska reveal a substantial settlement dating to the 13 th and 14 th centuries AD. The materials at the site show clear influence from Oneota culture, which was not previously believed to have significant presence in the Central Plains. Investigation of the materials and information from other sites in the region suggest that Oneota people migrated into the region during the Developmental Horizon, displacing indigenous Central Plains tradition populations. Understanding this process requires an examination of tribal social boundaries and the limits of tribal flexibility. By delving into current models of tribal organization and ethnographic case studies, a two-part model of ethnogenesis--the processes by which entirely new tribal societies are formed--is constructed.
16 citations
TL;DR: The International Labour Organisation, United Nations and various indigenous Organisations have raised and/or objected to diverse criteria through which indigenous groups have been defined and the rights that should be accorded to them.
Abstract: The International Labour Organisation, the United Nations and various indigenous Organisations have raised and/or objected to diverse criteria through which indigenous groups have been defined and the rights that should be accorded to them. This paper discusses the implications of these issues in relation to archaeological research and heritage management and uses this to position the other papers in this volume. Specific themes that are addressed include: the impact of colonialism and nation-forming on indigenous groups; the continuing influence of 19th and early 20th century social evolutionary concepts on the representation of indigenous groups and the role of archival material from this period today; the contrasting processes of cultural continuity and assimilation within ‘dominant’ societies in which indigenous communities have participated, and the effects that this has had on more recent claims over land rights; the cultural differences that surround the concepts of individual and community...
16 citations
Cites background from "Introduction: Archaeological approa..."
...…degree to which indigenous societies were integrated or divided prior to colonization is difficult to assess as the processes of colonization and resistance were frequently an impetus for a restructuring of indigenous societies and a strengthening of ethnic identities (Smith, 1986; Shennan, 1989)....
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...It is widely recognized that attributing artefact groups or 'archaeological cultures' to specific peoples in the past, and then to their living descendents today, is extremely difficult and politically risky (Shennan, 1989: Jones, 1997)....
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Book•
15 Apr 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the provenance and technology of pottery during the earlier Prepalatial period (EM I-EM IIB) in West Crete, using an integrated approach involving stylistic examination and physico-chemical analysis.
Abstract: This thesis investigates the provenance and technology of pottery during the earlier Prepalatial period (EM I-EM IIB) in West Crete, using an integrated approach involving stylistic examination and physico-chemical analysis.
Although the stylistic particularities of the West Cretan Early Minoan assemblages have been acknowledged since the 1960's, there has been no attempt to assess and interpret the differences, and integrate this part of Crete into the broader picture of the Prepalatial period. Due to the lack of publications and analyses, West Crete remained away from the new developments that have changed the way the Prepalatial period is considered.
As part of the GEOPRO TMR Network, this project applies an integrated methodology to' the ceramic material from selected sites and investigates issues of pottery provenance and technology. The analytical techniques used comprise thin section petrography, neutron activation analysis and scanning electron microcopy with EDAX attachment. Possible locations of production for the various fabrics are suggested and technological issues, such as clay recipes, firing practices and pottery manufacturing traditions, are discussed in detail.
All pottery examined in the project appear to have been manufactured within West Crete and the majority of the fabrics are likely to have been manufactured close to their findspots. There are, however, markedly contrasting traditions of pottery manufacture, one producing relatively high-fired calcareous vessels and another non-calcareous, low-fired tradition. The stylistic correlates of these two very different forms of pottery technology are compared.
Issues concerning technological traditions, the identity and ethnicity of the producers and consumers of this pottery, and the organization of production are discussed. As the research revealed no imports from outside Crete, and this contrasts with Central and Eastern Crete, the position and role of West Crete in the Southern Aegean during the Early Bronze Age is re-assessed.
16 citations
Cites background from "Introduction: Archaeological approa..."
...The spatial distribution of the "diagnostic" material culture in a specific geographical area would demarcate the extent of the culture, whereas potential discontinuities in the distribution of the material would be considered as indicators of cultural boundaries (Barth 1969: 9; Shennan 1989)....
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TL;DR: In the last two decades the search for ethnicity through material culture has enjoyed a renewed boom in Archaeology as mentioned in this paper, which has led to a reconsideration of how the phenomenon itself is conceived as well as the possibilities of exploring it in groups from the past.
Abstract: In the last two decades the search for ethnicity through material culture has enjoyed a renewed boom in Archaeology. This process, which goes hand in hand with a reformulation of the concept in the Social Sciences, has led to a reconsideration of how the phenomenon itself is conceived as well as the possibilities of exploring it in groups from the past. This article attempts to make a contribution to the task of “rethinking” ethnicity in three steps: first a historiographic approach to the subject; second, a series of theoretical-methodological conclusions that will help in the ongoing task of constructing an “archaeology of ethnicity”; and, finally, a reflection on the period where these approaches have generated most interest: Protohistory.
15 citations