Showing papers on "Assemblage (archaeology) published in 1988"

Addressing Prehistoric Hunting Practices Through Stone Tool Analysis

Abstract: Although archeologists have approached prehistoric hunting practices by studying “projectile points,” use-wear analyses of nine components spanning 7,500 years of prehistory in the Lower Illinois Valley have shown that this approach is not accurate. The projectile point type is only one of several kinds of lithic artifacts, including other retouched types and debitage, employed in antiquity to tip projectiles. Assemblage comparisons indicate an earlier adoption of bow and arrow technology than most prehistorians have been willing to accept.

Measurement of Archaeological Diversity and the Sample-Size Effect

Abstract: Assemblage diversity is an important part of the structure of the archaeological record, but measuring this parameter often is difficult ifsamples of assemblages differ in size. Two methods, here called the sampling approach and regression approach, currently are used to assess the sample-size effect. The approaches differ in method and in results. The sampling approach is better suited to analysis of assemblage diversity among samples when the underlying population structure is well known, while the regression approach is more useful for examination of the sample-size effect when the underlying population structure is known poorly.

Temporal characteristics of fish assemblage structure in an Ohio stream

Abstract: We examined persistence (constancy of species composition) and stability (constancy of relative species abundances) of a fish assemblage at one site on a fourthorder stream in north-central Ohio. Thirty-eight quantitative samples taken over a 9 yr period indicate that the assemblage was both persistent and stable over that period. Analysis of trophic composition of the assemblage supports the same conclusion. Five groups of species were clearly identified based on clustering of persistence and numerical abundance patterns: permanent/high density, permanent/moderate density, frequent/moderate density, infrequent/low density, and transients. Although the assemblage has some degree of predictability, the mechanisms responsible must be evaluated through other than documentation of long-term pattern.

A phylogeny of the thirty-two genera in the Elaenia assemblage of tyrant flycatchers. American Museum novitates ; ; no. 2914.

Abstract: ..................................................................... Resumen ..................................................................... Introduction .................................................................. Methods .................................................................... Acknowledgments. Monophyly of the Assemblage .................................................. Phylogenetic Relationships Within the Assemblage ................................ The Phylloscartes Group ...................................................... The Stigmatura Group ....................................................... Euscarthmus ................................................................ The Pseudotriccus Group ..................................................... The Elaenia Group .......................................................... References Cited ............................................................... Appendix .....................................................................

The late Pleistocene early microlithic assemblages of southern Africa

Abstract: Results of a review of the early microlithic assemblages of southern Africa are discussed. Particular attention is given to the recognition of two geographic provinces, defined in terms of raw material availability and flaking technology, and to the palaeoecological implications of site distribution. Explanations are offered for the technological transitions between the Middle and Later Stone Ages, and between the Robberg and Albany Industries of the southern Cape. A brief description is included of the late Pleistocene early microlithic assemblage from Sehonghong, Lesotho.

Household Ceramic Assemblage Attributes in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract: Contemporary ceramic assemblage characteristics and pottery use-lives have important implications for archaeological research. The systematic collection of these data, however, has progressed slowly. This paper considers the factors affecting the size, composition, and use-life of ceramic assemblages within campesino households in the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. Data indicate that assemblage size and composition are conditioned by a community's access to pottery, while longevity is strongly related to use-frequency and replacement costs. Rates of pottery replacement are presented to compare the ethnographic assemblage with a projected archaeological assemblage. The apparent differences underscore the importance of fully appreciating the behavioral forces affecting the formation of the ceramic record.

Specialization in the Paleolithic

Abstract: >The reason for diversity of tool types increasing over time is a relatively important but neglected topic in lithic analysis. We review some of the more prominent and plausible suggestions and then explore one of the least dealt with contributing factors: tool specialization resulting from major increases in processing volumes. We draw on design theory and industrial data to show that increases in the volume of material being processed results in progressive tool differentiation and specialization, resulting in overall increases in assemblage complexity.

Petrography of the lower Palaeolithic tool assemblage of the Caune de l'Arago (France)

Abstract: The Middle Pleistocene deposits at the Caune de l'Arago have yielded a Lower Palaeolithic industry containing over 100,000 pieces. The raw material is very diverse. Many rock types were locally available, but some come from more distant sources: cherts from 30 kilometres NE of the site, an abundantly used quartzite from at least 16 km S, minor types from river terraces 35 km SW, etc. These exotic rocks make up a large proportion of the assemblage, varying by layer: a third or more of the flakes, for instance, and one‐half of the small tools. This shows both appreciation of good quality raw material, and great mobility. Despite its age the assemblage does not show an opportunistic exploitation of local resources to satisfy immediate needs. In fact, it is evidence of the exploitation of an entire region, with curation of tools and collection of raw material to serve long‐term ends.

The beached-bird assemblage of a highly saline lake and its relevance for reconstructing paleoenvironments

Abstract: --The b ached-bird eposits of saline (80-90•) Mono Lake, California, are dominated by Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) and California Gulls (Larus californicus), which together comprise 95% of the specimens. Nevertheless, the diversity of waterbirds in these deposits is high (31 species), because mortality is high among migratory species that are poorly adapted to saline environments. The composition ofthe Mono Lake assemblage differs markedly from local Pleistocene faunas that accumulated in fresh or slightly saline habitats. Received 4 August 1987, accepted 3 October 1987. STUDIES of paleofaunas are commonly used to reconstruct paleoenvironments. While the ecological preferences of paleospecies and their descendants are likely to be similar, the abundance and diversity in fossil faunas is not necessarily proportional to their abundance in life. Testing the degree to which the actual and preserved faunas vary is usually impossible. Here I suggest that studies of beached-bird deposits at lakes where the abundance and diversity of the extant fauna is known can provide clues to detecting differential mortality and preservation, and may therefore help in interpreting the fossil record. This paper is based on research at Mono Lake, California, a large (178 km2), highly saline (8090ø/•between 1980 and 1986), and alkaline (pH = 10) lake at the western edge of the Great Basin in central California. As at other highly saline lakes, the extant avifauna is dominated by very few species. Indeed, three migrants (Eared Grebe, Wilson's Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope; scientific names are given in Table 1) and one breeding species (California Gull) account for more than 98% of the biomass in the extant avifauna (Jehl unpubl. data). All occur by the tens or hundreds of thousands, and all but the Red-necked Phalarope remain continuously for weeks or months as part of their annual cycle (Jehl 1986, unpubl. data; see also Winkler 1977).

Ostracods from the Mesozoic Coal-Bearing Strata of Northern Shaanxi, China

Abstract: The Mesozoic coal-bearing strata of Northern Shaanxi contain very abundant non-marine ostracod fossils These ostracods are characterized by few genera, but a large quantity of individuals and can be divided into four assemblages Assemblage I Lutkevichinella—Darwinula assemblage occurs in the Middle Triassic Zhifang Formation It consists of 14 species belonging to the above two genera Among them Lutkevichinella minuta, L ansulca, L longovaia and L sp 1 are very common, Darwinula comparatively less and poorly preserved Assemblage II Tungchuania—Darwinula assemblage is found in the lower part of the Upper Triassic Tongchuan Formation There are 9 species assigned to 3 genera in this assemblage Among them species of Tungchuania are dominated by Tungchuania agrestata, T aurita and T perelegana Darwinula is less common Assemblage III Darwinula—Tungchuania assemblage occurs in the upper part of the Upper Triassic Wayaobu Formation It consists of 14 species of 3 genera, chiefly of Darwinula Among them Darwinula shensiensis, D bella, D liulingchuanensis and D medialis are very abundant Tungchuania aurita and T houae are also abundant Assemblage IV Darwinula—Metacypris assemblage is represented by large-sized species of Darwinula and simply ornamented species of Metacypris such as Darwinula magna, D sarytirmenensis, D sp 5 of the former and Metacypris shensiensis and M armeniacumiformis of the latter This assemblage contains 11 species belonging to 2 genera and occurs in the Middle Jurassic Anding Formation

Perishable Artifacts from Cave No. 5, Providence Mountains, California

Abstract: A small group of perishable artifacts was collected by members of the Archaeological Survey Association of Southern California (ASA) from a cave or rockshelter near Mitchell Caverns in the Providence Mountains, eastern San Bernardino County, California, some time about 1962. The cave was designated Cave No. 5 and the collection was stored at ASA offices, most recently at their offices in Redlands, California. The collection was rediscovered by one of us and a brief description of the assemblage was presented (Yobe 1984). This report documents the artifacts and their associations.

Quaternary planktonic foraminiferal paleoecolo gical models, northeastern gulf of mexico

Abstract: Faunal data from the Pleistocen section of the Ocean Drilling Programs's hole 625-B (leg 100) in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico have been subjected to vector analysis (a descendant of Q-mode factor analytic methods). Vector analysis explains a multi-dimensional data set (in this case 19 species) in terms of a smaller number of end-member assemblages. From this analysis, two Pleistocene paleoecological models are proposed. An eight-end-member assemblage model best fits the data set, and 7 of the 8 end-member assemblages are dominated by a single species. These seven species are also the most abundant taxa in the Pleistocen section, and each appears unique in its response to environmental factors. Maximum paleoecological information is extracted not from a subassemblage model, but from single-species frequency variation. Conscious of the fact that paleoenivronmental information is being lost, a three-end-member assemblage model is proposed that allows differentiation of the dominant paleoclimatic controlling factors. The end-member assemblages are (1) a background subtopical assemblage, (2) a glacial assemblage, and (3) an assemblage tolerant of broad changes in salinity. As would be expected from the global oxygen isotope records, the glacial assemblage shows high-frequency, high-amplitude oscillations during the Brunhes chronozone (biozones T through Z). The salinity-tolerant assemblage more » generally increases in abundance from the early Pleistocen to the Recent. Spikes in this assemblaged during the late Pleistocene are indicative of episodes of high glacial meltwater influx via the Mississippi River. « less