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.

Researchers studying the Colonial period in the Maya lowland area recently have used ethnohistorical and archaeological information to better understand the complexities of Maya-Spanish interactions and the Spanish impact on traditional Maya culture. But the material objects that the Maya used during this time rarely have been analyzed in any formal or systematic ways. In this study I present the results of an analysis of the formal chipped stone tools from Lamanai and Tipu, two southern lowland Maya sites in Belize. Small side-notched chert, chalcedony and obsidian arrow points are the predominant tool form found in Late- Terminal Postclassic and Early Spanish Colonial period deposits at both sites. Variability in tool forms and manufacturing strategies exists both within and between each of the lithic assemblages, and the study of this variability can provide insights into Late Postclassic-Spanish Colonial Period Maya stone tool technology and, to some extent, the nature of Maya-Spanish interact...

Introduction: Archaeological approaches to cultural identity

Late Postclassic-Spanish Colonial Period Stone Tool Technology in the Southern Maya Lowland Area: The View from Lamanai and Tipu, Belize

The possibility of exploring ethnic identities in past societies constitutes one of the most controversial fields of archaeological research. However, the reassessment of the conceptualization of ethnicity in the human sciences and the increasing transference of these theories to archaeological research is helping to develop new analytical frameworks for the study of this problematic subject. From this perspective, the aim of this paper is to attempt a theoretical and methodological approach to the complex relationships between ethnic identity and material remains from the standpoint of Iron Age studies, showing both the possibilities and difficulties of archaeological research on ethnicity. For this period, the incipient availability of written evidence allows the development of new interdisciplinary research strategies. Finally, an introduction to practical work in this field is presented, specifically focusing on two case studies: Ruiz Zapatero and Alvarez-Sanchis' approach to the identity of t...

Revisiting Iron Age Ethnicity

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Reconstruction of Paleoindian Social Organization in North Central Florida

This study examines the archaeological reflections of group identity and socio-economic networks in the region of Essex and London in the Anglo-Saxon period, between c.400 and 1066. Given its location in the south-east of England, Essex was a key zone of socio-political interaction during the early medieval period. This doctoral research has brought together the stray and excavated archaeological material from the region for the first time. The thesis presented here is centred on diachronic, quantified distributional analyses of three key material culture classes: dress accessories, pottery, and coinage. The discussion synthesises the results of these analyses, examining the observed patterns within their broader archaeological context.
The thesis reveals the emergence of a hybrid dress style in the 5th and 6th centuries. This appears to have been actively created in Essex to reflect a diverse cultural inheritance, but not a specific ethnic identity. However, from the mid-7th century these styles were rejected in favour of dynamic fashions, reflecting the maritime focus of the region, and especially links with the Merovingian/Carolingian Continent. From the later 9th century, Scandinavian dress and cultural practice are also apparent, particularly in north Essex
This Continental orientation reflects the emergence and transformation of the North Sea network. The engagement of Essex communities with this network is studied in detail in this thesis. The coinage and pottery analyses reveal the emergence of several exchange hubs along the North Sea coast, as well as a generalized engagement with long-distance exchange among coastal communities. This system was disrupted, but not destroyed, by the Vikings, who linked Essex with wider Scandinavian networks. However, the long-term pattern shows the decline of coastal sites in favour of urban centres from the later 9th century.

background

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Transformations of identity and society in Essex, c.AD 400-1066

The archaeological recognition of multiple and changing identities in the Gulf is difficult, perhaps more so than in many other parts of the world, as it was, and still is in many instances, fraught with political difficulties. Even the title of this paper is not neutral for the use of the term “Arabian Gulf” is one of two options, the other being “Persian Gulf,” both of which have ethnic, i.e. relating to Persians and Arabs, and by implication, political connotations, namely whose Gulf is being referred to; Persia (Iran) or Arabia? Here, the term Arabian Gulf will be used, not because this author is privileging one claim over another, but merely because much of the evidence considered originates, and is viewed, so to speak, from the Arabian shore. Such choices, petty as they might seem, are a reflection of the ambivalent status of identity in theGulf region, identity as expressed in religious, social, ethnic, or gender terms—depending from which perspective the construct of identity is viewed. The physical and ideological complexities of identity in the Gulf region

Introduction: Archaeological approaches to cultural identity

Citations

Late Postclassic-Spanish Colonial Period Stone Tool Technology in the Southern Maya Lowland Area: The View from Lamanai and Tipu, Belize

Revisiting Iron Age Ethnicity

Reconstruction of Paleoindian Social Organization in North Central Florida

Transformations of identity and society in Essex, c.AD 400-1066

Changing Identities in the Arabian Gulf: Archaeology, Religion, and Ethnicity in Context

Related Papers (5)

The Archaeology of Ethnicity: Constructing Identities in the Past and Present

Ethnic Identity in Greek Antiquity

Symbols in Action: Ethnoarchaeological Studies of Material Culture

Style and Social Information in Kalahari San Projectile Points

Outline of a Theory of Practice.