Ceramic Production in the American Southwest ed. by Barbara J. Mills, Patricia L. Crown

Abstract

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews lAAl CeramicProduction in theAmerican Southwest. Edited by BarbaraJ. Mills and Patricia L. Crown. Tucson: University ofArizona Press, 1995. Pp. viii+312; maps, figures, tables, notes, bibliography, index. $45.00 (cloth). Lying between egalitarian bands of hunter-gatherers and com­ plex, stratified urban entities is a broad spectrum of middle range societies in which ceramic vessels are woven inextricably into the economic, social, and political fabric ofeveryday life. Elucidating the organizational diversity of pottery production across these realms in the American Southwest was the primary goal of the Society for American Archaeology symposium organizers who later compiled and edited the eleven papers appearing in this volume. Seven case studies drawn from Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon spheres run the temporal gamut from Basketmaker III (a.d. 575-725) to Protohistoric (post-1540) periods. Four additional chapters cover over­ arching issues by way of introductory comments; a critical analysis of efforts to monitor specialization; discussion of theoretical shifts underlying analyses; and a synthesis of results organized around the recurrent theme of household social interaction. Archaeological evidence for production facilities, pottery-making tools, and raw or unfinished materials (clay, unfired vessels, ground pigments, etc.) is relatively scarce, due largely to the dispersed and ephemeral nature of industries that were carried out by householdbased independent artisans. In light of that, chemical and mineral analyses have become important tools for assessing locales ofpottery production and the degree to which vessels moved around the pre­ historic landscape, albeit at the scale of “region/zone” more frequenfiy than “site” or “household.” The suite of analytical tech­ niques on display in this volume includes thin section petrography, instrumental neutron activation, x-ray fluorescence, inductively cou­ pled plasma emission spectroscopy, flame atomic absorption, and graphic furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Heterogeneous chemical signatures that pattern into discrete clusters are typically linked to locally organized production, and the degree to which site assemblages contain items from the different clusters is an indica­ tion of social interaction through exchange or population move­ ments. Several of the most satisfying studies make explicit links be­ tween the chemical and mineral signatures of the ceramics and either the bedrock geology or parent clay sources of an area. In conjunction with compositional analyses, data concerning ves­ sel shape, mechanical/technical attributes, and design styles are also widely used to explore the degree to which household potters be­ came craft specialists. Several ofthese essays make convincing cases for specialistproduc­ tion. The various authors often invoke increasingly sophisticated technological or manufacturing requirements as explanatory de­ 748 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE vices: more precise control of firing, and knowledge of complemen­ tary clay and paint combinations for white wares; the complex tech­ nological process and limited distribution of the lead resources required for making glaze ware vessels; or the unusual dexterity and skill needed to produce large polychrome vessels. But what forces motivated the production of increasingly special­ ized pottery in the absence ofelite political control or market forces? Increased territoriality, economic marginalization, and the growth of communal ritual activities are proposed, and it seems likely these factors are causally interconnected to differing degrees. With this in mind, the volume supplies plenty of detailed analyses and well-writ­ ten discussion central to furthering our understanding of these pro­ cesses. Jane Peterson Dr. Peterson is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Marquette Univer­ sity. The Social Dynamics ofPottery Style in the Early Puebloan Southwest. By Michelle Hegmon. Tucson, Ariz.: University of Arizona Press, 1995. Pp. xx+272; figures, tables, bibliography. $22.95 (paper). Michelle Hegmon’s goal in this work is to understand style and the use of style by both groups and individuals in the northern Southwest in the 9th century A.D. The assumptions under which she pursues this goal are: 1) that style is complex and multidimensional and 2) that material culture is not merelya by-product or a reflection of social relations but is actively manipulated and “meaningfully constituted” in a variety of ways. Thus she explores the concept of style as it is used in archaeology. This discussion is both elegant and comprehensive. Therefore, Hegmon’s book is ofinterest and consti­ tutes a significant contribution on at least two...