Book•
The Archaeology of Ethnicity: Constructing Identities in the Past and Present
01 Jan 1997-
TL;DR: Sian Jones as mentioned in this paper argues for a fundamentally different view of ethnicity, as a complex dynamic form of identification, requiring radical changes in archaeological analysis and interpretation, and presents a comprehensive and critical synthesis of recent theories of ethnicity in the human sciences.
Abstract: The question of ethnicity is highly controversial in contemporary archaeology. Indigenous and nationalist claims to territory, often rely on reconstructions of the past based on the traditional identification of 'cultures' from archaeological remains. Sian Jones responds to the need for a reassessment of the ways in which social groups are identified in the archaeological record, with a comprehensive and critical synthesis of recent theories of ethnicity in the human sciences. In doing so, she argues for a fundamentally different view of ethnicity, as a complex dynamic form of identification, requiring radical changes in archaeological analysis and interpretation.
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01 Dec 2015
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply the results of use-wear analysis to create robust indicators of the rise and fall of political and commercial networks in the Bronze Age in Europe and beyond.
Abstract: The Bronze Age was the first epoch in which societies became irreversibly linked in their co-dependence on ores and metallurgical skills that were unevenly distributed in geographical space. Access to these critical resources was secured not only via long-distance physical trade routes, making use of landscape features such as river networks, as well as built roads, but also by creating immaterial social networks, consisting of interpersonal relations and diplomatic alliances, established and maintained through the exchange of extraordinary objects (gifts). In this article, we reason about Bronze Age communication networks and apply the results of use-wear analysis to create robust indicators of the rise and fall of political and commercial networks. In conclusion, we discuss some of the historical forces behind the phenomena and processes observable in the archaeological record of the Bronze Age in Europe and beyond.
56 citations
09 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, a broad range of factors that make up identity, including ethnicity, age, gender, and social, political, and religious constructions, are examined in North, Central, and South American mortuary remains from AD 500 to the Colonial period.
Abstract: "Bioarchaeology and Identity in the Americas" represents an important shift in the interpretation of skeletal remains in the Americas. Until recently, bioarchaeology has focused on interpreting and analyzing populations. The contributors here look to examine how individuals fit into those larger populations. The overall aim is to demonstrate how bioarchaeologists can uniquely contribute to our understanding of the formation, representation, and repercussions of identity. The contributors combine historical and archaeological data with population genetic analyses, biogeochemical analyses of human tooth enamel and bones, mortuary patterns, and body modifications. With case studies drawn from North, Central, and South American mortuary remains from AD 500 to the Colonial period, they examine a wide range of factors that make up identity, including ethnicity, age, gender, and social, political, and religious constructions. By adding a valuable biological element to the study of culture - a topic traditionally associated with social theorists, ethnographers, and historical archaeologies - this volume highlights the importance of skeletal evidence in helping us better understand our past.
55 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2005
54 citations
01 Nov 2006
TL;DR: The use of the termine "Poenus" in the context of identità autoattribuita is discussed in this paper, where it is shown that it is problematic to use it in the sense that it can be seen as associating a termine with a large number of stereotipi.
Abstract: Il termine ‘punico’ (o equivalenti), derivato dal latino ‘Poenus’, e un luogo comune. Il suo uso in ogni caso e frequentemente poco chiaro e contraddittorio. Questo articolo ha due finalita principali: in primo luogo vuole chiarificare Papplicazione del termine ‘punico’, sia nell'uso antico, sia in quello moderno, insieme con termini affini e associati; in secondo luogo intende dimostrare che nell'evidenza sopravvissuta, il termine ‘poenus’ non fu usato prima del I secolo d.C. come etichetta di identita autoattribuita. Una parte cruciale di questa dimostrazione e costituita dall'esame dell'evidenza epigrafica circa l'attribuzione di identita nell'antico Mediterraneo. Si prova che una simile evidenza e in genere sottostimata in rapporto all'uso che si fa delle fonti letterarie per lo studio dell'identita nel mondo classico. L'utilizzo di ‘Poenus’ e quasi interamente letterario; per cui esso e strettamente associato ad una gran quantita di stereotipi (generalmente negativi). Cio rende il termine problematico nell'uso come un termine descrittivo culturale nella letteratura moderna.
53 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of ancient DNA data on our models of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in central Europe is discussed, and the potential and remaining problems of this kind of evidence are outlined.
Abstract: This paper is concerned with the impact of ancient DNA data on our models of the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in central Europe. Beginning with a brief overview of how genetic data have been received by archaeologists working in this area, it outlines the potential and remaining problems of this kind of evidence. As a migration around the beginning of the Neolithic now seems certain, new research foci are then suggested. One is renewed attention to the motivations and modalities of the migration process. The second is a fundamental change in attitude towards the capabilities of immigrant Neolithic populations to behave in novel and creative ways, abilities which in our transition models were long exclusively associated with hunter-gatherers.
52 citations