Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 8... more Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 800 and 1200. Dynamic social network analysis allows for evaluation of several migration scenarios, and demonstrates that Chaco's earliest ninth-century networks show interaction with areas to the west and south, rather than migration to the Canyon from the Northern San Juan. By the late eleventh century, Chaco Canyon was tied strongly to the Middle and Northern San Juan, while a twelfth-century retraction of networks separated the Northern and Southern San Juan areas prior to regional depopulation. Understanding Chaco migration is important for comprehending both its uniqueness in U.S. Southwest archaeology and for comparison with other case studies worldwide.
This is the second of two chapters that discusses pottery and other fired clay artifacts recovere... more This is the second of two chapters that discusses pottery and other fired clay artifacts recovered during recent excavations at La Villa, AZ T:12:148 (ASM). A total of 14,366 sherds, representing a minimum of 2,555 vessels, were recovered from features located in inner and outer settlement areas in the Jackson Street and 9th Avenue project area in Phoenix, Arizona. Painted Hohokam ceramic types comprise 10.3 percent of the sherds, red ware 0.5 percent, and plain ware the remaining 89.2 percent. The earliest painted Hohokam type present is Estrella Red-on-gray, the latest is Middle Sacaton 1 Red-on-buff , and, with the exception of Early Sacaton Red-on-buff, every intervening ceramic type is represented in the La Villa 2 collection; all are well-illustrated. The La Villa 2 ceramic analysis focused on four issues: (1) feature and context dating; (2) change through time; (3) evidence of ceramic production and/or consumption; and (4) comparisons of features located close to the plaza and those further away (inner and outer settlement locations). The second and third issues are closely related and make extensive use of temper provenance and related data. Subsistence practices, as reflected in the metric and morphological vessel function data, relate to the second and fourth research issues.
Anthropologists, and increasingly archaeologists, are using the word 'ontology' with escalating f... more Anthropologists, and increasingly archaeologists, are using the word 'ontology' with escalating frequency. In Philosophy, where it originated, several subdivisions exist within the discipline, all of which deal with grouping things that exist into categories. What can archaeologists learn by taking this concept from philosophy and applying it to archaeology? Further, how do we recognize the ontologies of others, particularly those who did not leave a written record, in the archaeological record? The way that people categorize things plays a role in how they are disposed. Patterns in depositional practices emerge as visible traces in the archaeological record that allow us to recognize other people's ontologies. This is an important concept for archaeologists interested in addressing prehistoric value, since the value of a given object cannot be assessed without knowing how people in the past categorized things. In my work with anthropomorphic Hohokam figurines from the Phoenix Basin, I use an ontological approach to explore the life histories of figurines from their manufacture, through deposition in the archaeological record, and subsequent excavation in modern times. I then compare the figurine assemblage from recent excavations at La Villa (AZ T:12:148[ASM]) to see how it fits in the identified pattern.
STEINBERG, John M. 1, GONTZ, Allen M. 2, TRIGG, Heather 1, LAHEY, Anne 3, and ARAGON, Leslie 4,(1... more STEINBERG, John M. 1, GONTZ, Allen M. 2, TRIGG, Heather 1, LAHEY, Anne 3, and ARAGON, Leslie 4,(1) Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, UMass Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, john. steinberg@ umb. edu,(2) Environmental, Earth ...
Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 8... more Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 800 and 1200. Dynamic social network analysis allows for evaluation of several migration scenarios, and demonstrates that Chaco's earliest ninth-century networks show interaction with areas to the west and south, rather than migration to the Canyon from the Northern San Juan. By the late eleventh century, Chaco Canyon was tied strongly to the Middle and Northern San Juan, while a twelfth-century retraction of networks separated the Northern and Southern San Juan areas prior to regional depopulation. Understanding Chaco migration is important for comprehending both its uniqueness in U.S. Southwest archaeology and for comparison with other case studies worldwide.
This is the second of two chapters that discusses pottery and other fired clay artifacts recovere... more This is the second of two chapters that discusses pottery and other fired clay artifacts recovered during recent excavations at La Villa, AZ T:12:148 (ASM). A total of 14,366 sherds, representing a minimum of 2,555 vessels, were recovered from features located in inner and outer settlement areas in the Jackson Street and 9th Avenue project area in Phoenix, Arizona. Painted Hohokam ceramic types comprise 10.3 percent of the sherds, red ware 0.5 percent, and plain ware the remaining 89.2 percent. The earliest painted Hohokam type present is Estrella Red-on-gray, the latest is Middle Sacaton 1 Red-on-buff , and, with the exception of Early Sacaton Red-on-buff, every intervening ceramic type is represented in the La Villa 2 collection; all are well-illustrated. The La Villa 2 ceramic analysis focused on four issues: (1) feature and context dating; (2) change through time; (3) evidence of ceramic production and/or consumption; and (4) comparisons of features located close to the plaza and those further away (inner and outer settlement locations). The second and third issues are closely related and make extensive use of temper provenance and related data. Subsistence practices, as reflected in the metric and morphological vessel function data, relate to the second and fourth research issues.
Anthropologists, and increasingly archaeologists, are using the word 'ontology' with escalating f... more Anthropologists, and increasingly archaeologists, are using the word 'ontology' with escalating frequency. In Philosophy, where it originated, several subdivisions exist within the discipline, all of which deal with grouping things that exist into categories. What can archaeologists learn by taking this concept from philosophy and applying it to archaeology? Further, how do we recognize the ontologies of others, particularly those who did not leave a written record, in the archaeological record? The way that people categorize things plays a role in how they are disposed. Patterns in depositional practices emerge as visible traces in the archaeological record that allow us to recognize other people's ontologies. This is an important concept for archaeologists interested in addressing prehistoric value, since the value of a given object cannot be assessed without knowing how people in the past categorized things. In my work with anthropomorphic Hohokam figurines from the Phoenix Basin, I use an ontological approach to explore the life histories of figurines from their manufacture, through deposition in the archaeological record, and subsequent excavation in modern times. I then compare the figurine assemblage from recent excavations at La Villa (AZ T:12:148[ASM]) to see how it fits in the identified pattern.
STEINBERG, John M. 1, GONTZ, Allen M. 2, TRIGG, Heather 1, LAHEY, Anne 3, and ARAGON, Leslie 4,(1... more STEINBERG, John M. 1, GONTZ, Allen M. 2, TRIGG, Heather 1, LAHEY, Anne 3, and ARAGON, Leslie 4,(1) Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, UMass Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, john. steinberg@ umb. edu,(2) Environmental, Earth ...
Uploads
Papers by Leslie Aragon
The La Villa 2 ceramic analysis focused on four issues: (1) feature and context dating; (2) change through time; (3) evidence of ceramic production and/or consumption; and (4) comparisons of features located close to the plaza and those further away (inner and outer settlement locations). The second and third issues are closely related and make extensive use of temper provenance and related data. Subsistence practices, as reflected in the metric and morphological vessel function data, relate to the second and fourth research issues.
The La Villa 2 ceramic analysis focused on four issues: (1) feature and context dating; (2) change through time; (3) evidence of ceramic production and/or consumption; and (4) comparisons of features located close to the plaza and those further away (inner and outer settlement locations). The second and third issues are closely related and make extensive use of temper provenance and related data. Subsistence practices, as reflected in the metric and morphological vessel function data, relate to the second and fourth research issues.