Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Advance in Archaeological Method and Theory 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
Contributors 10
Contents of Previous Volumes 12
Chapter 1. The Antiquity of Man and the Development of American Archaeology 16
Introduction 16
The Prologue to Early Man: 1860-1890 18
The Great Paleolithic Controversy: 1889-1900 26
Early Man in America: What Have the Bones to Say? 40

49 
Archaeology's Flat Past and Some Conclusions 53
References 56
Chapter 2. Investigating the Diffusion of Stylistic Innovations 68
Introduction 68
The Field of Study 69
Historical Background of Contemporary Diffusion Research 71
A General Framework for Investigation of Stylistic Diffusion 75
Donors and Potential Adopters of Innovations 80
The Social Context of Stylistic Diffusion 85
Implications for Stylistic Diffusion Rates 91
Implications for the Spatial Structure of Stylistic Trait Distributions 94
Concluding Remarks 98
References 99
Chapter 3. Breaking Down Cultural Complexity: Inequality and Heterogeneity 106
Introduction 106
Stair Steps to Complexity: A Typological Approach to Cultural Evolution 108
Cultural Complexity as a Variable: The Hologeistic Method and Systems Theory 110
The Layer-Cake Model of Stratification 114
Breaking Down Cultural Complexity into Constituent Variables: Inequality and Heterogeneity 115
Cultural Complexity: The Interaction of Inequality and Heterogeneity 120
The Interaction of Heterogeneity and Inequality: The Pyramids of Egypt 125
The Integration of Societies: The Interaction of Heterogeneity and Inequality 129
Measuring Change in Cultural Complexity 137
Measuring Cultural Evolution: The Southwest 140
Conclusion 146
References 147
Chapter 4. Subsistence and Complex Societies: The Case of the Maya 158
Introduction 158
Modeling Lowland Maya Agriculture 161
Testing Ground of the Dialectic: The Subsistence Evidence 173
Testing of the Dialectic 187
The State of the Lowland School 191
Note on New Publications 195
References 196
Chapter 5. The Role of Palynology in Archaeology 206
Introduction 206
Data Base 209
Data Analysis 217
Pollen Analysis: The Archaeological Perspective 225
Summary 232
References 234
Chapter 6. Plant Opal Phytolith Analysis: Major Advances in Archaeobotanical Research 240
Introduction 240
Phytolith Production in Plants 241
Taxonomy of Phytoliths 243
Taphonomy of Phytoliths 249
Phytolith Extraction from Plants 252
Phytolith Extraction from Soil 255
Phytoliths as Paleoclimatic Indices 257
Phytoliths and the Paleoecology of Archaeological Sites 262
Phytolith Studies in Prehistoric Agriculture 264
Phytolith Studies of Diet 268
Phytoliths and Prehistoric Plant Use 269
Phytolith Study of Tool Function 270
Phytoliths and Dating Methods 271
Phytolith Analysis and Archaeology: A Prospectus 272
References 274
Chapter 7. The Siteless Survey: A Regional Scale Data Collection Strategy 282
Introduction 282
Excavation and Surface Survey 283
The Concept of Site 286
A Regional Data Acquisition Strategy 290
Summary 295
Postscript 296
References 298
Chapter 8. Regional Sampling in Archaeological Survey: The Statistical Perspective 304
Introduction 304
Operational Models in Archaeological Survey 305
Fundamental Concepts 308
Estimating Regional Parameters 315
Recovery of Information about Archaeological Sites 346
Conclusion 363
References 366
Index 372