Showing papers on "Assemblage (archaeology) published in 2006"

A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity

Abstract: Introduction 1. Assemblages Against Totalities 2. Assemblages Against Essences 3. Persons and Networks 4. Organisations and Governments 5. Cities and Nations.

Child's play: Reflections on the invisibility of children in the paleolithic record

Abstract: Were there children in Early Paleolithic times? At first glance, this seems a stupid question. We are obviously descended from Paleolithic ancestors. Yet, in archeological models of Paleolithic stone tool variability and assemblage formation processes, children might as well be invisible. There have been some efforts to identify byproducts of children's activities in a few Late Paleolithic contexts, but their possible role in broader patterns of Paleolithic industrial variability remains largely unexplored.1 In this paper I argue that the reason we know so little about children's knapping behavior in prehistory is not that this behavior was genuinely absent, but rather that we have not looked hard enough or in the right way at the lithic record. This is a pity, because of all the behaviors we archeologists attempt to reconstruct in our research, child-rearing must certainly number among those with the most immediate and important evolutionary consequences.

A Note on Assemblage

Abstract: The concept of assemblage has emerged as one of a series of new concepts, alongside those of complexity, chaos, indeterminacy, fractals, string, turbulence, flow, multiplicity, emergence and so on, that now form the theoretical vocabulary for addressing the problem of determination, of process, and of stability and instability regarding social phenomena. As with the previous set of concepts in the social sciences, notably the notion of structure, they derive from developments in the natural sciences and mathematics. Their introduction signals an important shift at the level of theorization and methodology, opening analysis to the recognition of the complexity of cultural and social as well as ‘natural’ phenomena, for instance concerning sociality, the living organism, mind and elementary particles. Structure in the natural and social sciences grounds causal determination within a logic of stability and linear causality. It is a central epistemological element in the work of the grand theorists of social science such as Marx, Durkheim, Weber and Parsons. The notion of discrete and nomological determination, which positivism and various forms of structuralism support, has clear pay-offs from the point of view of homogenizing and predicting social phenomena, and thus for the possibility of intervention and rational governance. However, the limitations of approaches based on this notion of determination have been demonstrated in their failure to account adequately for change, resistance, agency and the event: that is, the irruption of the unexpected or unpredictable. The limitations relate also to their inadequacy from the point of view of co-relating phenomena across different fields, for example between the psychic and the social, the affective and the cognitive, and between matter and form. The problem for theory is that of thinking structure as well as multiplicity and indeterminacy within the same theoretical framework. The concept of assemblage has appeared in the wake of these critiques and questions. In the recent literature it is mostly associated with the work of Deleuze and Guattari (particularly A Thousand Plateaus, 1987) and clearly explained in DeLanda (2002). One can also retrace its emergence by reference to developments in the physics of small particles, in topology, in molecular biology and generally in the interface between the theorization of emergence and becoming (say in ontogeny and phylogeny), adaptation or autopoiesis and cybernetic systems (that is, open systems with feedback), and post-structuralist mathematics (e.g. chaos, complexity, string). They all emphasize adaptivity rather than fixity or essence, the formal properties of the system rather than the specific instance or individuation, the spatio-temporal dimension rather than quantities, co-articulation and compossibility rather than linear and discrete determination, multilinear time and the temporality of processes such that emergence and irreversibility are brought to the fore, for instance in embryonic development (Prigogine and Stengers, 1984; Bateson, 1980). Deleuze and Guattari translate these themes into a vocabulary that re-codes emergence and becoming, namely, (de/re)-territorialization (in relation to topology), the machinic (in relation to autopoiesis), multiplicity, ‘agencement machinique’ (in relation to differentiation, compossibility). In the light of the foregoing, assemblage can be seen as a relay concept, linking the problematic of structure with that of change and far-fromequilibrium systems. It focuses on process and on the dynamic character of the inter-relationships between the heterogeneous elements of the phenomenon. It recognizes both structurizing and indeterminate effects: that is, both flow and turbulence, produced in the interaction of open systems. It points to complex becoming and multiple determinations. It is sensitive to time and temporality in the emergence and mutation of the phenomenon; it thus directs attention to the longue durée. Whilst Deleuze and Guattari suggest desiring machines as exemplar, one could instead refer to weather formation and the genome, or, for that matter, to the formation of identity. Nevertheless, it is important to distinguish between the level of abstract general theory – say, the mathematics of string, topology – and the level of concrete material and social life, and the singular or individual entity. For human beings the meaning of social action and of existence adds a dimension to analysis that cannot be reduced to or derived from the general theory. In any case, intermediate concepts are needed for the analysis of concrete social and natural processes and mechanisms. Thus theory itself can be considered as an A Note on Assemblage

A Folsom Structure in the Colorado Mountains

Abstract: Recent block excavations at the Mountaineer site near Gunnison, Colorado, have yielded an unusual assemblage of Folsom artifacts and features, including a prehistoric structure. The stone assemblage from this excavation is composed of 35,478 pieces. The tools are typical Folsom style, but, like the debitage, they are mainly of local material. Faunal material shows some processing of large mammals, including bison. The findings at Mountaineer evince additional variability in early Paleoindian adaptations beyond that ascribed by the familiar model of Folsom settlement.

Experimental analysis of novelty responses in a bird assemblage inhabiting a suburban marsh

Abstract: Suburban areas in the Pampas region of Argentina are inhabited by several bird species that sharply differ in their ability to exploit human-modified, urban areas. This bird assemblage includes spe...

The flora of Mataschen - A unique plant assemblage from the Late Miocene of eastern Styria (Austria)

Abstract: A late Miocene (early Pannonian) leaf assemblage from the clay pit Mataschen, eastern Styria, Austria, is analysed. Thirty-eight species were determined, most of them by cuticular analysis. Among azonal taxa, only Myrica lignitum, Platanus leucophylla, and Ulmus carpinoides are abundant, while Glyptostrobus europaeus, Alnus, Acer tricuspidatum, and Nyssa occur in single or few specimens only. Zonal species diversity is distinctly higher (27 taxa) than the diversity of azonal ones, and 60% of the zonal taxa were probably evergreen. Among them, Gordonia emanuelii Kovar-Eder sp. n., Gordonia pannonica Kovar-Eder sp. n., Gordonia styriaca Kovar-Eder sp. n., Schima mataschensis Kovar-Eder sp. n., Dicotylophyllum uhudler Kovar-Eder sp. n. (Ericaceae), and “Quercus” rhenanasimilis Kovar-Eder sp. n., are described for the fi rst time. Symplocos rara Kovar-Eder sp. n. is introduced. Oleinites cf. liguricus and Smilax cf. protolanceaefolia are described from Austria for the fi rst time. Five species of Lauraceae, 4 Theaceae, 2 Hamamelidaceae (among these cf. Distylium), one of Symplocos, and Trigonobalanopsis rhamnoides indicate close relations of this oryctocoenosis to fl oras of the “Younger Mastixioid” type that fl ourished in large parts of Europe during the early to early middle Miocene. The peculiar mixture of evergreen and deciduous taxa furthermore indicates relations to late Miocene/early Pliocene fl oras of southern parts of Europe (Romania, northern Mediterranean). In comparison, the similarities to the rich late Miocene Central European plant record are rather poor. Based on the fl oristic composition, the evergreen broad-leaved forests at their ecotone towards the mixed mesophytic forests of south-east Asia constitute the most closely related modern zonal vegetation type. They thrive under a warm and humid Cfa-climate with the MAT range of approximately 15 to 19°C, the MAP range of 1280–1950 mm, and no average temperature of the coldest month below 0°C, although occasional frosts are possible.

Field and Technical Report A CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MSA STONE ARTEFACT ASSEMBLAGE FROM THE 1984 EXCAVATIONS AT KLEIN KLIPHUIS, WESTERN CAPE

Abstract: INTRODUCTION The primary objective of this paper is to present a characterization of the Middle Stone Age assemblage from the site of Klein Kliphuis (KKH) in the Western Cape (Fig. 1). KKH was excavated in 1984 by a team from the South African Museum (now part of Iziko Museums of Cape Town). The excavation was to form part of a larger regional project looking at the nature and distribution of Later Stone Age (LSA) huntergatherer and herder sites. During the course of the excavation a single 1 m × 1 m square was excavated below the perceived end of the LSA, into what were presumed to be Middle Stone Age (MSA) artefact-bearing layers. The excavator’s original division between the LSA and MSA layers of Klein Kliphuis is retained here as a useful distinction, though it is the contention of this paper that some of the artefacts excavated from below this division are of LSA association. Information pertaining to the LSA component of the site was published (van Rijssen 1992), but although the MSA component was sorted, it was neither analysed in depth nor published. Analysis conducted in 2005 and 2006 suggests the presence of a stratified sequence at Klein Kliphuis which appears to parallel part of the sequence at Diepkloof Rock Shelter some 50 km to the southwest. This paper discusses the layers at Klein Kliphuis in terms of their culture–historical affiliation, based on comparison with published data from better resolved MSA excavations elsewhere.

An Introduction to Stone Artifact Analysis

Abstract: Lithic analysis is a fundamental and often key component of contemporary archaeological practice of relevance to any region or time period where stone tools were employed in past technologies. For this reason, acquiring familiarity with the identification and analysis of stone artifacts is an important component of archaeological training and can be an important professional skill. Needless to say, there are numerous approaches to analyzing stone artifacts tailored to the vast range of topics being researched, and the one presented in this chapter may differ from those in use in some parts of the world or for particular time periods or assemblage types. Rather than review the huge diversity of approaches to lithic analysis, this chapter aims to arm the student of lithic technology with a set of principles to guide the construction of their research design, alert them to the philosophical underpinnings of various kinds of stone analysis, point to some simple but frequently overlooked issues of data management, provide an overview of some common laboratory techniques and analyses, and provide case studies and suggested readings that offer insight into both the process of actually doing stone analysis and drawing meaningful conclusions from the results. It takes a question-and-answer format in the hope that some frequently asked questions might be addressed in a straightforward manner.

The Development of ISIS: A Habitat-based Invertebrate Assemblage Classification System for Assessing Conservation Interest in England

Abstract: A database summarising the relationships between invertebrate species and habitat type could help inform the development of site management plans, the assessment of trends within the wider countryside and the evaluation of site quality. The requirements for such a habitat-based invertebrate assemblage classification system are discussed. For the purposes of nature conservation, it is clear that a system that details both type and quality of any given invertebrate assemblage would be very beneficial. Such a system would clarify biodiversity interest for both entomologists and conservation staff alike. English Nature’s approach to this system is detailed, the basic approach employing a series of broad assemblage types that are sensitive to changes in hydrology and disturbance regimes, and a series of specific assemblage types that can be used to assess changes in site quality. Examples of the current wetland assemblage types are given. This approach is tested using pairwise Bray–Curtis similarity indices. The results are promising, although it is clear that the system requires further work. Finally, the future of the project is outlined, with the expectancy that a fully operational prototype will be ready by 2006.

The Date of Kuntillet 'Ajrud

Abstract: Since the publication of the pottery assemblage of Kuntillet 'Ajrud by Ayalon (1995), several large pottery assemblages from central, well-stratified Judahite sites have been published or studied In this paper the Kuntillet 'Ajrud assemblage is re-examined in light of the newly-available material A detailed review of the pottery shows that (1) the assemblage is later than had originally been estimated and should be down-dated to the end of the 8th century BCE; and (2) the bulk of the assemblage consists of Judahite rather than Phoenician and/or northern forms as were defined earlier The circumstances and reasons for the establishment of the site in this remote location are re-evaluated with regard to this new evidence

Palynostratigraphy of Ordovician strata, Canning Basin, Western Australia. Part Two: chitinozoans and biostratigraphy

Abstract: This second and concluding part of a comprehensive palynological study of the Lower to Middle Ordovician succession of the central-northeastern Canning Basin completes the systematic documentation of the palynomorphs, i.e., chitinozoans, and formulates a palynostratigraphic zonation scheme embracing all three constituent formations of this investigation, viz., the Willara, Goldwyer, and Nita formations. A total of 21 species of chitinozoans (five genera), detailed systematically herein, are identified. Although chitinozoan recovery per sample proved variable, the following species occur fairly persistently in the productive samples: Belonechitina micracantha, Conochitina subcylindrica, C. poumoti, C. langei, Calpichitina windjana, and Rhabdochitina magna. Five, stratigraphically successive acritarch/prasinophyte assemblage zones, ranging in age from early Arenig through late Llanvirn, are proposed as follows (ascending order): Athabascaella rossii Assemblage Zone (corresponding to the lower Willara Formation; and dated as early-mid Arenig); Comasphaeridium setaricum Assemblage Zone (upper Willara and lowermost Goldwyer; late Arenig-earliest Llanvirn); Sacculidium aduncum Assemblage Zone (lower Goldwyer; early Llanvirn); Aremorica-nium solaris Assemblage Zone (middle and lower upper Goldwyer; mid Llanvirn); and Dactylofusa striatogranulata Assemblage Zone (upper Goldwyer and lower Nita; late Llanvirn). Four chitinozoan assemblage zones, stratigraphically coinciding (within the limits of sampling) with the acritarch/prasinophyte zones, comprise (in ascending order): Lagenochitina combazi Assemblage Zone (equivalent to the A. rossii and L. heterorhabda Assemblage Zones); Conochitina langei Assemblage Zone; Conocbitina subcylindrica Assemblage Zone; and Belonecbitina micracantha Assemblage Zone. Chronostratigraphic assignments are based principally on associated conodont and graptolite faunas. Whereas the acritarch/prasinophyte zones bear scant similarities to those established globally elsewhere, the chitinozoan zones show significant affiliations with those known from Laurentia.

Composition and temporal dynamics of a temperate rocky cryptobenthic fish assemblage

Abstract: Temporal variation in a temperate cryptobenthic fish assemblage at the Arrabida Marine Park (Portugal) was assessed by visual surveys during 2002 and 2003. A total of 9596 fish from 11 families and 30 species was recorded. There were no changes in structure or density at the assemblage level between years, whereas diversity changed significantly due to a higher number of abundant species in the second year. A similar seasonal trend was found between years, with a significant overall density increase in autumn. This is partially explained by the arrival of new recruits of some of the most abundant species in the assemblage. Assemblage diversity and structure also changed across seasons. A group of species encompassing Gobius xanthocephalus, Tripterygion delaisi, Parablennius pilicornis, Gobius paganellus, Lepadogaster candollii and Lepadogaster spp. were analysed in detail. The temporal patterns of two of the most abundant species, G. xanthocephalus and T. delaisi, mimicked the overall temporal patterns of the assemblage. We suggest that the inter-annual stability in density of this subtidal fish assemblage may be similar to what has been reported for the intertidal and that strong post-settlement processes are probably shaping this assemblage.

Use of underwater stereo-video to measure fish assemblage structure, spatial distribution of fishes and change in assemblages with protection from fishing

Abstract: Worldwide, the most common sampling technique used to assess the efficacy of marine protected areas is underwater visual census by SCUBA divers or snorkelers. The technique, however, suffers numerous biases, and limitations that have prompted researchers to question its ability to accurately assess fish assemblages and detect change. Justification for the establishment of marine protected areas is governed by the demonstrated ability of these areas to achieve their objectives of sustaining and rebuilding fisheries and preserving biodiversity. A new technique is therefore required that can accurately and precisely assess the structure of fish assemblages, ascertain and demonstrate whether the goals of marine protected areas are being achieved. This thesis investigates the use and ability of remote and diver-operated stereo-video systems to obtain accurate and precise measures of species richness, relative abundance and length

Sporopollen assemblages from the haojiagou and badaowan formations at the haojiagou section of rmqi,xinjiang and their stratigraphical significance

Abstract: The Haojiagou section is located at southern margin of the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, and about 50 km southwest of rumqi city. Abundant sporo-pollen of about 301 species referred to 98 genera were discovered from the Haojiagou and Badaowan Formations at the Haojiagou section. Based on the sporopollen contents and characteristics, five assemblages have been proposed in ascending order, namely 1.Concavisporites -Dictyophyllidites - Chasmatosporites - Cycadopites Assemblage, 2.Cyathidites - Deltoidospora - Chasmatosporites-Cycadopites Assemblage, 3.Cyathidites-Brevilaesuraspora-Chasmatosporites-Cycadopites-Perino-pollenites Assemblage, 4.Cyathidites-Osmundacidites-Pinuspollenites-Piceites-Perinopollenites Assemblage, 5. Cyathidites-Contignisporites Assemblage.

Stratigraphy, structure, and geochronology of the 3.0–2.7 Ga Wallace Lake greenstone belt, western Superior Province, southeast Manitoba, Canada

Abstract: In western Superior province, the North Caribou terrane (NCT) constitutes a Mesoarchean proto-continent heavily overprinted by Neoarchean magmatism and deformation resulting from the western Superior Province accretion. Locally, along the southern margin of the NCT, Mesoarchean (3.0 Ga) rift sequences are preserved. These sequences are of key importance to our understanding of the early tectonic evolution of continental crust. The Wallace Lake greenstone belt is located at the southern margin of the NCT and includes the Wallace Lake assemblage, the Big Island assemblage, the Siderock Lake assemblage, and the French Man Bay assemblage. The Wallace Lake assemblage exposes one of the best-preserved Mesoarchean rift sequences along the southern margin of the NCT. The volcano-sedimentary assemblage (3.0-2.92 Ga) exposes arkoses derived from the uplift of a tonalite basement in a subaqueous environment, capped by carbonate and iron formation. Mafic to ultramafic volcanic rocks exhibiting crustal contamination and de- rived from plume magmatism cap this rift sequence. The Wallace Lake assemblage exhibits D1 Mesoarchean deforma- tion. The Big Island assemblage comprises mafic volcanic rocks of oceanic affinity that were docked to the Wallace Lake assemblage along northwest-trending D2 shear zones. The timing of volcanism and docking of the Big Island as- semblage remain uncertain. The Siderock Lake and French Man Bay assemblages were deposited in strike-slip basins related to D3 and D4 stages of movement of the transcurrent Wanipigow fault (<2.709 Ga). Regionally, the Wallace Lake assemblage correlates with the Lewis-Story Rift assemblage observed in Lake Winnipeg, whereas the Big Island assemblage appears to correlate with the Black Island assemblage observed in the Lake Winnipeg area. Thus, the North Caribou terrane appears to preserve vestiges of a Mesoarchean rifted succession together with overlying Neoarchean allochthonous, juvenile, volcanic successions over a considerable distance along its present-day southern margin. 945

Effects of experimental mowing on species diversity and assemblage structure of butterflies in a coppice on Mt Mikusa, northern Osaka, central Japan

Abstract: We conducted transect ceunts of butterfiies in 1 999 and 2001 in a coppice on Mt Mikusa, northern Osaka Prefecture, central Japan, to elucidatc the effects of experimenta] mowing oii species diversity and asscmb]age structure of buLterfiics, At the study site, the forest fioor, which had been almost covered with dwarf barnboo in 1999, was mo-'n after the autumn of 2000 to produce alternating 25-m intcryals of mown and unmown strips of undergrowth on an expcrimcntal basis. Totals of 975 and 775 individuals belonging to 4] and 46 butterfly species werc obseri,ed respectively before (1999) and after (2001) completion of the strip rnowing, Three speeies ef multivoltine satyrids, Lethe diana, L. sicelis and Neope goschkevitschii, dependent on tree sap and dwarf bamboo for their adult and ]arva] food resources, respectively, were dominant in both survey years, although thcir densities were greatl.y decreased in 2001. In contrast, annual eounts of nectar-dependent and forest hetb feeding buttcrfiies, inc]uding two species of univoltine fritillaries,Arg}rnnis pclf)hia and Damora sagana, increased in 2001. Thus the stripe mowing of undergrowth enhanccd the species diversity of butterflies jn the study site coppice by suppressing densities of dorninant dwarf bamboo feeders and benefiting forest herb feeders.

Variations in phytoplankton assemblage in relation to environmental and climatic variation in a boreal lake

Abstract: Phytop1ankton species differ in to1erance and sensitivity to light conditions, water co1wnn stability and nutrient deficiency (REYNOLDS 1990). These variab1es are strongly affected both directly and via the catchrnent by shortand long-terrn variations in the local weather conditions and the regional climate (STRAILE et al. 2003). Accordingly, year-to-year variation in the phytoplankton biomass and species composition have been related to meteorological forcing. Recent studies have shown, for example, that the timing o f the spring bloom and the annual variations o f diatoms, cryptophytes, chlorophytes and cyanobacteria depend on the timing of ice break-up, water temperature, the onset o f therrnal stratification and mixing events, which all are generally closely related to the prevailing and/or antecedent weather conditions and the North Atlantic Oscillation (ADRIAN et al. 1999, WEYHENMEYER 2001, ARVOLA et al. 2002). This investigation studied the annual variation in the phytoplankton assemblage in relation to variations in the weather and to physical properties in a boreal lake in southern Finland. The analysis was mainly done at the phytoplankton class level, but the functional groups approach (REYNOLDS et al. 2002) was also applied.

A Novel Assemblage of Decapod Crustacea, from a Tithonian Coral Reef Olistolith, Purcãreni, Romania: Systematical Arrangement and Biogeographical Perspective

Abstract: A solitary exposure of limestone, in the southwestern section of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains in Romania near Purcăreni, is one of a series of Upper Jurassic limestone blocks contained within Cretaceous-age sediments. These blocks are interpreted to be olistoliths that were emplaced in their present position by gravity movements during the Albian. Movement occurred after underlying Mesozoic units were overthrust upon younger Cretaceous-age flysch deposits. In the area of Purcăreni, the Barremian – Aptian flysch deposits are represented by conglomerates, breccias, sandstones, and marls that make up the “Piscul cu Brazi” Formation. This formation includes several blocks of Tithonian coral reef limestone, the one under consideration having a volume of approximately 320 m3. The limestone is interpreted to be the result of shallow marine deposition during the retreat of the Tethys Sea. The olistolith at Purcăreni is particularly fossiliferous, and the rich coral reef assemblage yields the decapod crustacean families Prosopidae (one species), Pithonotidae (four species), Dynomenidae (seven species), and subfamily Galatheinae (seven species) within the family Galatheidae. The limestone blocks from Purcăreni have previously been studied (Murgeanu, Patrulius, and Contescu, 1959; Patrulius, 1959; 1964); however, the authors only mentioned that this locality has an abundance of fossils, including decapod crustaceans, and did not provide detailed descriptions or identifications of the contained