Showing papers on "Assemblage (archaeology) published in 2010"

Temporal turnover and the maintenance of diversity in ecological assemblages

Abstract: Temporal variation in species abundances occurs in all ecological communities. Here, we explore the role that this temporal turnover plays in maintaining assemblage diversity. We investigate a three-decade time series of estuarine fishes and show that the abundances of the individual species fluctuate asynchronously around their mean levels. We then use a time-series modelling approach to examine the consequences of different patterns of turnover, by asking how the correlation between the abundance of a species in a given year and its abundance in the previous year influences the structure of the overall assemblage. Classical diversity measures that ignore species identities reveal that the observed assemblage structure will persist under all but the most extreme conditions. However, metrics that track species identities indicate a narrower set of turnover scenarios under which the predicted assemblage resembles the natural one. Our study suggests that species diversity metrics are insensitive to change and that measures that track species ranks may provide better early warning that an assemblage is being perturbed. It also highlights the need to incorporate temporal turnover in investigations of assemblage structure and function.

Size-dependence in Assemblage Measures: Essentialism, Materialism, and 'SHE' Analysis in Archaeology

Abstract: "Assemblage" is a fundamental archaeological construct. By their composition, we interpret assemblages as expressions of activity or cultural identity. Yet they are not simple products of these factors alone but also of formation processes. Assemblages accumulated over varying spans, with varying combinations of tool types and discard rates. They are contexts for the playing out of complex relationships, not static types. This is a materialist view, against the essentialist view that assemblages are exemplars of ideal types (e.g., "base camps," "Quina Mousterian"). Materialism implies that their size and composition, fundamental assemblage characteristics, are correlated variables, not fixed properties, and that composition varies as size increases. I document size dependence consistent with materialism in Paleoindian and Paleolithic assemblages. Among ways to analyze size-dependent assemblage data, I apply "SHE analysis"—the joint study of assemblage richness, heterogeneity, and evenness—to gauge data’s fit to theoretical models. Archaeologists acknowledge size dependence, but we misapprehend it as a methodological bias of assemblage measures that must be suppressed when, in materialist perspective, it reveals meaningful relationships that an essentialist view cannot.

Small preys and plant exploitation by late pleistocene hunter–gatherers. A case study from the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explain the subsistence strategies of late hunter–gatherers from the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula on the basis of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical records. The study is based on the Moli del Salt archaeological site which has yielded an Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sequence. Each of the disciplines shows us a various type of assemblage to approach the same problem. Archaeobotanical materials, including charcoal and seeds provide data on the strategies related to firewood gathering and vegetal food supply, which was a basic subsistence resource for these groups. The archaeobotanical assemblage is mainly formed by conifers, but other species related to edible plants are also important. Bone assemblage, mainly formed by Oryctolagus cuniculus, show how hunting and meat processing is highly related. The environmental constraints as well as mobility are discussed in order to achieve an ampler knowledge on human activities.

The technological and typological behaviour of a neanderthal group from el sidrón cave (asturias, spain)

Abstract: Summary This paper presents the first detailed analysis of the lithic industry from El Sidron Cave. Previously we have published other works concerning Anthropology and Palaeogenetics. The lithic assemblage contains 415 artefacts coming from both unofficial and official excavations and is largely flake-based. The raw material derives from the immediate cave environment, and is mostly chert, with quartzite in a lesser proportion. To date, 67 artefacts have been refitted, including some tools and cores. The spatial distribution of the refitted lithic artefacts confirms, on the one hand, the unity of the assemblage and, on the other, its secondary context.

The archaeological potential of informal lithic technologies: a case study of assemblage variability in western New South Wales, Australia

Abstract: This thesis addresses the research potential of informal lithic technologies through a case study of surface deposits from western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The defining characteristic of the lithic remains of the region is a dearth of formalized patterning. As a consequence, researchers have historically equated these remains with a casual approach to lithic technology where it is often assumed that artefacts were produced on an as needed basis. This apparent simplicity is in marked contrast to the demanding environment of the region. Water and food resources are extremely limited and historic observations indicate that Aborigional populations coped with these conditions by employing strategies of land use based on short-term occupations and high mobility. It is therefore an anomaly that populations living under such conditions would be so unconcerned with the organization of their technology. An exploration of this anomaly guides the research presented in this thesis. Was the organization of Aboriginal lithic technology truly simple or instead is the perception of simplicity an artefact of previous interpretation? The goals of this thesis go beyond questioning the perception of simplicity to the larger question of how informal technologies can be used to understand past behavioural organization. To investigate these questions, this thesis makes use of an abundance of assemblage data gathered by the Western NSW Archaeological Programme. The results of this research indicate that while the vast surface record of the region may present what appears to be a largely undifferentiated record, contextualization shows that Aboriginal occupation of the region was anything but uniform. Chronologies developed through extensive radiocarbon dating demonstrate that periods of increased II aridity are correlated with decreased evidence of Aboriginal occupation, thus suggesting territorial reorganization in the face of environmental deterioration. The study of lithic technological organization and the curation concept provide a theoretical perspective with which to explore the possibility for similar dynamism in the largely informal lithic technologies of the study region. While current studies of stone artefact curation are largely based on retouched tools, the curation process may exist in the absence of retouch. A methodology based on the quantification of cortical surface area is presented as one means through which curation without retouch may be explored. This methodology is based on the principles of solid geometry and enables comparison between the quantities of cortex observed in lithic assemblages and that which should be present given the size and shape of the stone nodules from which artefacts were produced. Deviations between observed and expected values indicate the effects of artefact transport on assemblage formation. Application of the cortex methodology indicates that cortex is extensively underrepresented in the NSW assemblages, meaning artefacts were transported away from their place of production.…

Provenance and Technology of Lithic Artifacts from the Teouma Lapita Site, Vanuatu

Abstract: Fifty-six obsidian artifacts and 141 non-obsidian artifacts were excavated in three field seasons at Teouma, Efate Island, central Vanuatu. Using LA-ICP-MS the majority of the obsidian artifacts were provenienced to the obsidian subsource of Kutau/Bao on West New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. This study is the first geochemical analysis of a significant assemblage of West New Britain obsidian south of the Solomon Islands. Moreover, this finding represents only the second sizable assemblage of West New Britain obsidian in Remote Oceania beyond the Reefs–Santa Cruz Lapita sites and further establishes Vanuatu as a key area in understanding the initial Lapita settlement of Remote Oceania. Six obsidian artifacts were sourced to the Banks Islands, northern Vanuatu, supporting the hypothesis that sources there were known and utilized from the initial colonization of the Vanuatu Archipelago. A single artifact from the West New Britain subsource of Mopir was found. This is the only Lapita-period Mopir obsidian artifact found so far outside the Bismarck Archipelago. The geochemical analysis was accompanied by a quantitative attribute analysis investigating the reduction technology of the flaked assemblage.

Comparing Lithic Assemblage Edge Damage Distributions: Examples from the Late Pleistocene and Preliminary Experimental Results

Abstract: Drawing behavioral inferences from macroscopic edge damage observations on lithic assemblages relies on linking observed damage patterns to behavioral processes identified during experimentation. Such methods have proven useful. However, critics frequently cite equifinality between different processes and wear traces on individual artifacts as well as inconsistent inter-observer agreement as problems with a ‘low-powered approach’ to lithic use-wear. One potential source of information that has received less attention is the patterns of edge damage detectable at the assemblage scale. Such patterns are only discernable by quantification of the collective distribution and frequency of edge damage on individual specimens. Here we use GIS to digitize and spatially reference artifacts to standardize and quantify edge damage. We applied this method to an assemblage of Middle Stone Age convergent flakes from Pinnacle Point Cave 13B, South Africa (165 - 90 ka) and a series of experimental flakes recreated for several tasks including use in a calibrated crossbow experiment. Assemblage results indicate that archaeological patterns of edge damage are unlikely to have a taphonomic origin. Moreover, the patterning does not appear to result from use as hafted spear armatures. Our results demonstrate the statistical and interpretive power gained by assemblage analyses compared to individual artifacts. The additional benefit of including microwear and residue analysis using a single cohesive GIS recording framework will enable rapid dissemination of results between analysts and create a record of experimental and archaeological wear-traces available to other researchers.

Revealing Iberian woodcraft: conserved wooden artefacts from south-east Spain

Abstract: Six wells at Tossal de les Basses in Spain captured a large assemblage of Iberian woodworking debris. The authors' analysis distinguishes a wide variety of boxes, handles, staves, pegs and joinery made in different and appropriate types of wood, some�like cypress�imported from some distance away. We have here a glimpse of a sophisticated and little known industry of the fourth century BC.

Trade or Trash: an examination of the archaeobotanical remains from the Byzantine harbour at Caesarea Maritima, Israel

Abstract: A rich collection of waterlogged plant-remains was recovered from the harbour at Caesarea Maritima, Israel. These remains were identified and represent several varieties of fruit, nut, cereal crop, crop by-product and weed species. The two areas where remains were recovered provided assemblages that were different in composition. Trade or trash are the two interpretations discussed. In either case, however, the information derived from the assemblage is of archaeological importance, as the species present can aid in economic, dietary and trade reconstructions. © 2010 The Author

The creative assemblage : theorizing contemporary forms of arts-based collaboration

Abstract: This paper contributes to theorizing contemporary art collaborations in the context of the mediatory labour required of artists, and the complexity of the collaborative contexts in which aesthetic production is now enmeshed In order to account for this complexity without reducing its analysis to ‘structured fields’ or ‘systems’, we use elements of assemblage theory in a quite specific way: drawing on DeLanda's work on social and organizational forms; and Law's ‘method assemblage’ to analyse the specificity of working interfaces that craft new boundaries and working relations We develop a case study of C3West, an Australian initiative encompassing arts institutions, businesses, and communities The analysis traces assemblage processes that generate dispersed working arrangements (partnerships, intersectoral, and interdisciplinary working interfaces) across apparently incommensurable domains, yet without forming overarching structures or requiring common rationales for cooperation To demonstrate the work

Quilts of authorship: A literature review of multimodal assemblage in the field of literacy education

Abstract: This literature review and narrative vignette draw on Social Symbolic Mediation, Social Semiotics, and Discursive Positioning theories to explore a theoretical model I call Authorship as Assemblage. Specifically, this paper challenges linear pathways to meaning-making by comparing authorship to quilt-making. Quilts afford unique arrangements of assemblage, including the capacity to embed, layer, interweave, and hybridize material. Here, I argue educators need to re-evaluate linear notions of literacy paths in today’s participatory culture.

A Middle–Late Byzantine Pottery Assemblage from Sagalassos: Typo-Chronology and Sociocultural Interpretation

Abstract: A 12th-13th-century A.D. ceramic assemblage from Alexander's Hill at Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey provides new evidence for the typochronological study of Byzantine pottery. A functional analysis of the assemblage, along with textual and iconographic evidence, archaeozoological and palynological analyses, and chemical analysis of cooking-pot residues, contributes to the reconstruction of diet and cooking practices in Anatolia. While baked fish, vegetables, pulses, and bread are usually regarded as the staples of Byzantine peasant cuisine, diners at Sagalassos were enjoying beef stews before the Fourth Crusade, when the technique of stewing meat was allegedly introduced to the eastern Mediterranean from the West.

Settlement and Subsistence in Early Formative Soconusco: El Varal and the Problem of Inter-Site Assemblage Variation

Abstract: Author(s): Lesure, Richard G. | Abstract: The Soconusco region, a narrow strip of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Guatemala, is the location of some of the earliest pottery-using villages of ancient Mesoamerica. Mobile early inhabitants of the area harvested marsh clams in the estuaries, leaving behind vast mounds of shell. With the introduction of pottery and the establishment of permanent villages (from 1900 B.C.), use of the resource-rich estuary changed. The archaeological manifestation of that new estuary adaptation is a dramatic pattern of inter-site variability in pottery vessel forms. Vessels at sites within the estuary were about seventy percent neckless jars -- "tecomates" -- while vessels at contemporaneous sites a few kilometers inland were seventy percent open dishes. The pattern is well-known, but the the settlement arrangements or subsistence practices that produced it have remained unclear. Archaeological investigations at El Varal, a special-purpose estuary site of the later Early Formative (1250-1000 B.C.) expand possibilities for an anthropological understanding of the archaeological patterns. The goal of this volume is to describe excavations and finds at the site and to propose, based on a variety of analyses, a new understanding of Early Formative assemblage variability.Series: Monographs 65

Typologie des armatures lithiques gravettiennes de la grotte d'Isturitz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France)

Abstract: This volume uses the unrivalled archaeological assemblage from the Cave of Isturitz in the Pyrenees to determine a typological classification of lithic points, representing a reference database for the Gravettian of western Europe. French text.

Using ichnofossils to characterize chert tools: A preliminary study from Southern Iberia

Abstract: Characterizing raw material of stone tools used by Late Neolithic and Copper Age communities is important for interpreting access to available sources and establishing regional routes of distribution. Ichnological analysis may be used to help characterize lithic material and determine the source of artifacts. Here we report for the first time the existence of trace fossils in artifacts from the Late Neolithic and Copper Age of southern Spain. Ichnological analysis indicates a trace fossil assemblage consisting of relatively scarce small-sized Chondrites and abundant Phycosiphon. A regional survey of natural outcrops and chert quarries indicates the presence of discrete trace fossils only in the samples from geological formations that are part of the Campo de Gibraltar Complex. Ichnological composition in these samples is similar to that discerned in the artifacts and suggests that this was the probable source of the chert used in tool manufacture. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multi-dimensional artifact assemblage for infrastructure and other assets with interface node mediators

Abstract: A system and method to compile different types of data from different locations into one reliable assemblage is provided. The assemblage may include an index of information provided to a user. The assemblage may be in the form of a three dimensional (3D) representation of an object, where the 3D representation includes an index and links to more detailed information regarding the object. The 3D representation may be of any object, for example, a body part in the context of medical imaging, or a building in the context of architectural and engineering design. The assemblage may be comprised of 3D and 2D artifacts. The 2D artifact may include 2D vector and raster embellishment in a variety of forms, such as vector graphics, raster graphics from many sources included hand drawn graphics that are scanned, specification documents, texts, cost data from cost databases, data in tabular form, notes, text, dimensions, link icons (links to other media). The 3D artifact may include vector graphics (2D and 3D) including all data obtained through data conversion methods, and “Point clouds” (voxels).