In 1973, members of the Mountain and Plains Archaeological Organization published an article in P... more In 1973, members of the Mountain and Plains Archaeological Organization published an article in Plains Anthropologist containing a brief description of an excavated a rock shelter on the privately owned Cherokee Ranch in Douglas County, near Sedalia, dating its occupation to the Late Ceramic and Protohistoric periods. The collections were turned over to the property owners and no further descriptions or analyses was carried out. Four decades later the collections were encountered in the storage area on the ranch. This article provides a more thorough description of the remains from the shelter including materials dating from the Late Prehistoric (AD 150-1540) and Protohistoric (AD 1540-1680) stages and potentially the Late Archaic period (ca. 2000 BC-AD 150) and indicating a regionally extensive range of social contacts.
The relationship between agricultural systems and the development of complex societies in ancient... more The relationship between agricultural systems and the development of complex societies in ancient Hawai`i has been debated for decades. To contribute to this debate, we examine a terrace complex representing an extended family agricultural land plot in the Kula dryland field system of East Maui, Hawaiian Islands. Botanical, faunal, soil, and architectural analysis data reveal a variety of household labor practices related to agroforestry ca. A.D. 1400–1820. A pre-human open forest soil substrate was replaced with stone agricultural terracing which was in turn enclosed by upslope-downslope garden walls that parceled the terrace complex into distinct garden areas. These results lead us to conclude that a wide range of specialized upland activities were practiced, including food cultivation, forestry, pig husbandry, and bird-hunting. The net sum of these local activities helped underpin the formative process of larger regional-level agricultural systems which in turn can inform us about polity-level staple and wealth finance systems.
The City of Denver originated as a gold-mining town. Its geographic location and semi-arid enviro... more The City of Denver originated as a gold-mining town. Its geographic location and semi-arid environment posed unique challenges to the development of its water supply infrastructure. Multi-scalar historical and archaeological analyses, reveal how the city coped with the challenges of water scarcity and distribution over time, illustrating the evolution of water management practices, and the ways in which infrastructure and governance systems evolved to meet changing needs and priorities. Historical analysis maps the changes in urban water infrastructure (cisterns, ditches, sewers, artesian wells, reservoirs) using a systematic documentation review of the Denver newspaper citations between 1860 and 1929. This is corroborated through contextual investigation and archaeological excavations. Taken together, the research demonstrates how the residents of early Denver were forced to continually seek new water sources for distribution even after other provisional priorities such as sewage management and flood control were initiated.
In: Making cities Economies of production and urbanization in Mediterranean Europe, 1000–500 bc, 2021
This chapter considers the archaeological evidence for urbanization in western Sicily and focuses... more This chapter considers the archaeological evidence for urbanization in western Sicily and focuses upon the Iron Age and Archaic population centres of the Elymi. It uses a broad comparative approach of measuring long-standing Mediterranean urbanization signals (such as settlement aggregation, population density, production, exchange, and cult activity) combined with a close reading of the local contextual history of the Elymi peoples. Results indicate that the first millennium BC social transformations in western Sicily followed a general trajectory of mountaintop settlement formation, demographic consolidation, an intensified wealth-based trade economy, and the formalization of cult activity. They coincide with sustained interaction with Aegean and Levantine colonists and traders. While no single response might alone attest to a process of urbanization, the most distinctive facet of Elymian ethnicity/cultural identity seems to have been the rise of their urban centres by the late sixth century BC. The unique admixture of an indigenous culture with external Mediterranean cultures makes western Sicily an excellent area for studying factors that affect the development of urbanization.
Kēōkea Maui), a pre-European contact (c. 1650 C.E.) kauhale house complex, to a model of expected... more Kēōkea Maui), a pre-European contact (c. 1650 C.E.) kauhale house complex, to a model of expected findings derived from Hawaiian oral traditions and ethnohistoric accounts of household gender and status activities. Our goal is to critically analyze the relationship between the Hawaiian system of 'ai kapu (taboo) and the use of space within house sites to better understand the diversity of the daily lived experiences and the multiplicity of gender and status interactions that household members engaged in. Results indicate a distinct post-1650 C.E. intra-site distribution of faunal remains that is concomitant with status and potentially gender food consumption. This patterning, however, does not ideally match the model derived from ethnographic descriptions.
Trinacria, 'An Island Outside Time': International Archaeology in SicilyChapter: 13Publisher: Oxbow Books, 2021
Landscape archaeology conducted in the territory of Salemi presents a valuable example of the lon... more Landscape archaeology conducted in the territory of Salemi presents a valuable example of the longue durée approach of archaeological projects in Sicily that create a new, more up-to-date history of the island. By employing a nested survey/excavation methodology, the Salemi Survey Project has tracked long-term landscape change as well as identified overlapping networks of economic interaction at both local and regional levels. The agricultural and commercial role of interior western Sicily has always been of vital importance to foreign colonizers and indigenous communities alike, as the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age settlements, mainstays of indigenous development and political consolidation, gave way to Elymian, Roman, and medieval polities. The use of systematic nested survey, geomorphic analysis, and excavation serve to describe spatial arrays of material culture that span 3,000 years and illustrate the complex historical tapestry of colonization and conflict in the region.
In this paper, we demonstrate a multi-layered, methodologically integrated landscape approach to ... more In this paper, we demonstrate a multi-layered, methodologically integrated landscape approach to site-specific survey. This approach augments systematic field survey methods with geospatial techniques for tight spatial control over data. Our methods build upon traditional ones to systematically explore challenging forested environments seldom subject to controlled surface surveys. We present a contrast between two different survey methods used in the initial year of fieldwork, the results of each, and our reasoning for choosing to continue with one approach over the other. The result of this work is what we are referring to as the "pixelated survey," a combination of conventional methods and innovative, practical environment-specific techniques. This approach allows for relatively rapid spatial and quantitative analyses, facilitating a more holistic understanding of temporal changes to site boundaries and chronologically specific activity areas. Using the summit of Monte Bonifato, western Sicily, as a case study, we present preliminary results using this methodology in a wooded environment where surface visibility is limited, and occupation spanned from the Bronze Age to the post-medieval period.
Hawaiian ethnohistory has long been used to generate archaeological models of the past. However, ... more Hawaiian ethnohistory has long been used to generate archaeological models of the past. However, continued reliance on the direct historical method has molded our view of ancient Hawaiian society into one of an unchanging and "timeless" instituion. This paper develops a more heuristic approach to studying the past by critically analyzing both ethnohistoric and archaeological data. A descriptive model of labor mobilization is presented that identifies a three-tiered continuum of labor organization. This model then is used as a springboard to examine the ethnohistoric and archaeological landscapes of Waiohuli, a traditional Hawaiian community. A temporal analysis of Waiohuli architectural energetics illustrates how certain social relationships were enhanced and emphasized by the construction and manipulation of the community's built landscape over time. Results demonstrate that Waiohuli's pattern of social organization was not timeless at all, but shifted from a period of regional centralization and control over labor to one of community independence.
A comparison of the rich ethnohistoric record of prehistoric conflict in Hawai'i with evidenc... more A comparison of the rich ethnohistoric record of prehistoric conflict in Hawai'i with evidence of warfare in other culture areas suggests some basic similarities in cause and effect shared by many complex hegemonic polities. Three types of archaeological remains in Hawai'i indicate that human sacrifice and monumental-scale ritual construction were integral parts of pre-Contact (A.D. 1778) conquest warfare. The Hawaiians, however, invested much less labor in long-term responses to possible threats to civilian security than many cultures, suggesting that wartime expectations were very different even if the scale and intensity of combat was similar. These differences are perceived to be a reflection of distinct historical traditions of wartime ethics in Polynesia, unique rules of conflict adapted to the geographic isolation of the Hawaiian people and the environmental diversity that defines the archipelago.
The scientist only records what he has been able to establish as indisputable fact. In the same w... more The scientist only records what he has been able to establish as indisputable fact. In the same way, only what is unique to a person's experience is worth writing down as a guide and a warning to others. -Dag Hammarskjold FOR THE SCHOLAR INTERESTED in ancient Hawai'i, Dag Hammarskjold's observation (1964) about literary commentary possesses a dual meaning. The first is that literary accounts, such as Hawaiian genealogies, land records, and ancient testimonies, as well as modern archaeological excavations and anthropological analyses, are important for the information they contain. Secondly, these same literary accounts are also important for the information they do not contain. In the case of Hawaiian heiau, or ceremonial temples, both literary and archaeological data on heiau architecture tend to be fragmentary and incomplete. Thus the modern scholar interested in heiau must gather and interpret the entire range of available sources to gain some valid understanding of their past. The goal of this paper is to explore whether ancient Hawaiian heiau design varied systematically through time and space. Useful expectations about diachronic change of ceremonial architecture can be generated using historic and ethnographic sources; they can then be tested using archaeological data in order to obtain a basic understanding of heiau architecture and its relationship to the development of social complexity in Hawai'i. Hawaiian temples (heiau is both the singular and plural form) ranged in size from small stone uprights plactJd by individuals or family households to large temple enclosures constructed under the direction of high-ranking chiefs. Monumental architecture, such as the larger heiau temples, represents one of the most manifest aspects of human labor in the archaeological record (Service 1975; Trigger 1990).
Eggshell' type vases made at the pottery workshop at Karabournaki. Karabournaki settlement metal ... more Eggshell' type vases made at the pottery workshop at Karabournaki. Karabournaki settlement metal workshop. Weaving tools from the Karabournaki settlement. 3.10 Loom weight with stamp depicting a satyr, Karabournaki settlement. Map of Geometric Eretria. Plan of the Sanctuary of Apollo in the eighth century bc. Spindle whorl with dedication, from the Sanctuary of Apollo. Cruche à haut col C41 (tankard) from the Aire sacrificielle. Cruche à haut col C37 (tankard) from the Aire sacrificielle. Fragment of linen from Grave 10 in the Heroon Necropolis. Close-ups of wool weft-faced textiles from the Heroon Necropolis. View of Zagora promontory from the northeast. Plan of Zagora. Aerial view of Trench 11, partially excavated. Map of Crete showing sites mentioned in the text. 6.2
Trinacria, "an island outside time". International archaeology in Sicily., 2021
Landscape archaeology conducted in the territory of Salemi presents a valuable example of the lo... more Landscape archaeology conducted in the territory of Salemi presents a valuable example of the longue durée approach of archaeological projects in Sicily that create a new, more up-to-date history of the island. By employing a nested survey/excavation methodology, the Salemi Survey Project has tracked long-term landscape change as well as identified overlapping networks of economic interaction at both local and regional levels. The agricultural and commercial role of interior western Sicily has always been of vital importance to foreign colonizers and indigenous communities alike, as the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age settlements, mainstays of indigenous development and political consolidation, gave way to Elymian, Roman, and medieval polities. The use of systematic nested survey, geomorphic analysis, and excavation serve to describe spatial arrays of material culture that span 3,000 years and illustrate the complex historical tapestry of colonization and conflict in the region.
This research compares excavated material collected from Sites 50-50-10-2090 and -2091 (Kēōkea Ma... more This research compares excavated material collected from Sites 50-50-10-2090 and -2091 (Kēōkea Maui), a pre-European contact (c. 1650 C.E.) kauhale house complex, to a model of expected findings derived from Hawaiian oral traditions and ethnohistoric accounts of household gender and status activities. Our goal is to critically analyze the relationship between the Hawaiian system of ‘ai kapu (taboo) and the use of space within house sites to better understand the diversity of the daily lived experiences and the multiplicity of gender and status interactions that household members engaged in. Results indicate a distinct post-1650 C.E. intra-site distribution of faunal remains that is concomitant with status and potentially gender food consumption. This patterning, however, does not ideally match the model derived from ethnographic descriptions.
In: Architectural Energetics in Archaeology Analytical Expansions and Global Explorations, 2019
This study examines castle labor mobilization in order to identify changes in the medieval politi... more This study examines castle labor mobilization in order to identify changes in the medieval political economy of Sicily. We do so by employing a model of Sicilian labor investment that uses fine-grained construction data on a set of castles from western Sicily Our viewpoint is behaviorist, and we argue that castles are blunt expressions of supra-local social power that operate within the medieval social contexts and express changes in political hierarchy and economic control in Arab and Norman Sicily.
The purpose of this research is to examine the time, energy, and material that individual pharaoh... more The purpose of this research is to examine the time, energy, and material that individual pharaohs invested in the Karnak Temple Complex over the course of 2,000 years, from the rule of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom through Roman occupation. We compare the relative efforts of each leader who built at Karnak to reveal the relative social power of each pharaoh. Our research employs these three-dimensional data to calculate labor investment costs over time.
The Mediterranean islands are home to some of the world’s most impressive monuments. These includ... more The Mediterranean islands are home to some of the world’s most impressive monuments. These include the colossal tombs, temples, and palaces present on Menorca, Sardinia, Pantelleria, Malta/Gozo, Crete, and Cyprus. Although substantial differences exist in their chronology, construction style, and function, these monuments also share a number of key similarities. First, the origins of these monuments may be traced to two specific social fabrics of “place.” Second, those who built and used them made logical choices for negotiating social competition and consensus. Finally, environmental productive circumscription may also have served to stimulate a divergence in the way these monuments were utilized in the east versus the west.
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