Archaeological Settlement Patterns Research Articles

Geoarchaeology and Archaeological Site Patterning on the Middle Gila River, Arizona

Archaeological surveys and prehistoric settlement patterns are best interpreted when placed on a geomorphic map that defines the distribution and age of physical landforms. Survey data can thus be used to address questions of archaeological site visibility and synchronic and diachronic site patterning on the Gila River Indian Reservation, Arizona. A chronological series of alluvial and eolian landforms are defined on the reservation. The age of the landforms and underlying sediments has affected the preservation and visibility of the archaeological record. Further, late prehistoric Hohokam settlements (A.D. 700–1500) and their associated agricultural lands show a clear landform zonation and that the intensity of use of these landforms has changed over time.

Environmental changes and hunter-gatherers in southern Patagonia

The aim of this work is to integrate archaeological and palaeoenvironmental information obtained for the last 5000 years in the areas of Lago Argentino and Cabo Virgenes, southern Patagonia.In the semi-desert conditions of southern Patagonia slight changes in the availability of moisture may have importance for the distribution of human populations. A number of archaeological settlement patterns are presented that are synchronous with variations in the availability of water. These patterns reflect the sensitivity of hunter-gatherers living in semi-desertic environments to slight, but critical changes in the distribution of resources. Exploratory research suggests that during periods of higher levels of moisture hunter-gatherers extended their home ranges to incorporate the area of Lago Argentino, and during drier phases the area was sparsely populated or abandoned. Future research at a supra-regional scale as well as more intensive archaeological sampling will be useful for the evaluation of the ideas and...

Identifying changing fluvial conditions in low gradient alluvial archaeological landscapes: can coleoptera provide insights into changing discharge rates and floodplain evolution?

Using examples from dated alluvial deposits in the Trent basin, UK, this paper suggests that the waterlogged remains of insects, mainly beetles, can be used to detect the occurrence of varying discharge and changing patterns of flood-plain evolution in low gradient alluvial landscapes of Holocene age. This approach may provide invaluable data where the finer-grained nature of sedimentation means that other types of information such as coarse boulder berms are lacking. Comparison of Coleoptera assemblages from three high-energy and two lower-energy deposits indicates that a number of distinctive characteristics can be identified and criteria can be set for the distinction of these two contrasting depositional environments. This approach is tested using Coleoptera remains recovered from a palaeochannel fill at Spalford Meadows in the Lower Trent Valley. The application of this methodology could contribute to the reconstruction of river histories, a key factor in understanding the distribution of valley floor archaeological settlement patterns.

Olmec to Aztec: Settlement Patterns in the Ancient Gulf Lowlands

Archaeological settlement patterns the ways in which ancient people distributed themselves across a natural and cultural landscape provide the central theme for this long-overdue update to our understanding of the Mexican Gulf lowlands Olmec to Aztec offers the only recent treatment of the region that considers its entire prehistory from the second millennium B.C. to A.D. 1519. The editors have assembled a distinguished group of international scholars, several of whom here provide the first widely available English-language account of ongoing research. Several studies present up-to-date syntheses of the archaeological record in their respective areas. Other chapters provide exciting new data and innovative insights into future directions in Gulf lowland archaeology. Olmec to Aztec is a crucial resource for archaeologists working in Mexico and other areas of Latin America. Its contributions help dispel long-standing misunderstandings about the prehistory of this region and also correct the sometimes overzealous manner in which cultural change within the Gulf lowlands has been attributed to external forces. This important book clearly demonstrates that the Gulf lowlands played a critical role in ancient Mesoamerica throughout the entirety of pre-Columbian history.

Rebuilding the State in Highland Peru: Herder-Cultivator Interaction during the Late Intermediate Period in the Tarama-Chinchaycocha Region

We address the general problem of sociopolitical evolution in highland Peru during the Late Intermediate period (ca. A.D. 1000-1470) from the perspective of changing relationships between herders and cultivators in the Tarama-Chinchaycocha region. First, we use ethnographic and ethnohistoric information to help model central Andean herder-cultivator interaction. Here we emphasize the ecological and sociological foundations for economic specialization, the ritually based integration of pastoral and agricultural groups in the absence of strong state organization, and how the ritually interactive units define and maintain their borders. Second, in the light of these perspectives, we examine archaeological settlement pattern data from our study area in the central highlands of Peru. We conclude that the Late Intermediate period was a time of significant organizational change that included new forms of ritually based local and regional integration of pastoral and agricultural economies. Third, we briefly consider the general implications of our findings for understanding organizational change throughout the central Andean highlands during the Late Intermediate period. We suggest that the largest and most complex Late Intermediate highland polities depended on the full integration of specialized pastoralists and agriculturalists in those regions where both economies could attain maximal combined productivity in the aftermath of the breakdown of large states at the end of the Middle Horizon (ca. A.D. 600-1000).

New Chronometric Dates for the Puquios of Nasca, Peru

Numeric age assessments of organic material encapsulated by rock varnish present on stone lintels of two “puquios” in the Nasca region of the south coast of Peru indicate a Precolumbian age. Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon analyses at the Isotrace Laboratory revealed ages of cal A. D. 560(620)650 and cal A. D. 600(640)660 (1 sigma). These calibrated measurements are considered to be appropriate in the context of the archaeological settlement pattern data for the region. As well, the written documents of the colonial period neither confirm nor deny the presence of the puquios. Three assumptions are inherent in the acceptance of these dates: (1) AMS14C dating and its application to rock varnish yield reliable results, (2) sample contamination can be recognized, and (3) determination of the age of the puquios rests upon testable available information; ex silentio arguments about the presence or absence of the puquios in the Nasca region before the Spanish conquest are inadequate for the resolution of the question.

Arheologija in GIS

V slovenski arheologiji je že od začetka osemdesetih let prisotna temeljna usmeritev v arheologijo pokrajine. Ta smer temelji na domeni, da je človek v preteklosti s svojim delovanjem pustil sledi v celotni pokrajini in da je zato potrebno v arheoloških raziskavah poselitve analizirati pokrajino in procese v njej kot enoti bivanja. Medtem ko je arheološka stroka že vrsto let razvijala različne tehnike terenskega arheološkega pregleda, vključujoč sistematičen terenski pregled pokrajine, geofizikalne in geokemične meritve, fotointerpretacijo letalskih in satelitskih posnetkov, hkrati pa na interpretativnem nivoju prevzemala teoretske pristope iz geogrefije, pa smo šele z razvojem GIS tehnologije dobili učinkovito orodje za ovrednotenje tovrstnih podatkov. Osnovna izhodišča za aplikacijo GIS tehnologije so bila podana že pred leti z raziskovalnim projektom Geneze kulturne pokrajine na Oddelku za arheologijo ljubljanske Univerze. Pri sprejemanju GIS tehnologije je bil zlasti pomemben Projekt Hvar, kjer smo v sodelovanju s številnimi sorodnimi organizacijami doma in v tujini opravili testno študijo. Raziskava je bila usmerjena predvsem na možnost aplikacij GIS tehnologije v širši arheološki raziskovalni sferi. Tu so zlasti pomembne raziskave o določanju ekonomskih meja preteklih družb, strategiji gospodarjenja in trgovanja, komunikacijah, upravljanju z naravnimi dobrinami in podobno. Primerjava s situacijo v drugih državah pa kaže, da je večinski delež aplikacij GIS tehnologije v arheologiji prav na področju upravljanja s kulturno dediščino. Prav zato so v toku kratke študije o poselitvi posameznih območij v preteklosti, ki pa nam bodo dale vpogled tudi v možnosti uporabe GIS tehnologije pri varovanju in upravljanju kulturne dediščine. Ključnega pomena je tu seveda kakovostna baza podatkov o arheoloških najdiščih Slovenije, ki sicer za sedaj le v pisni obliki obstaja pri Inštitutu za arheologijo ZRC SAZU. Kompjuterizacija te baze bo s primerno organizacijsko strukturo, uporabniškim vmesnikom in GIS nadgradnjo omogočala kakovostno integracijo arheoloških informacij v slovenski GIS.

Ritual geography, settlement patterns and the characterization of the provinces of the Inka heartland

Abstract This paper defines two zones of the Inka heartland around its capital, Cuzco, using both rituals and legendary history to describe boundaries and identify territories associated with the noble descent groups. The variability of archaeological settlement patterns in both zones is explained by this ritual geography. The most important sectors of both are associated with Chinchaysuyo and Hatun Ayllu in particular. Three basic patterns are described which have implications for the understanding of land tenure and succession to the throne.

Prehistoric Political Change on the Southeast Mesoamerican Periphery

AbstractRecent archaeological settlement pattern research in the 550 sq km Comayagua Valley in central Honduras has documented considerable variation in the political structure of one ranked society over a 2,500-year period of prehistory. Data presented suggest that this Lenca and proto-Lenca culture group underwent at least five major political restructurings during this time as a response to the local, regional, and interregional political climate on the southeast Mesoamerican periphery. Such variability calls into question traditional models postulating a lack of complexity or adaptive flexibility for indigenous cultures of lower Central America.

The Evolution of Complexity in the Valley of Oaxaca

This article is directed toward those interested in the comparative study of how complex societies develop-urban and historical geographers, urban historians and sociologists, social and economic historians, or anthropologists in or out of Mesoamerican archaeology. It concentrates on aspects of complexity that can be most readily compared cross-culturally. Specifically the article describes formal characteristics of settlement hierarchies in the Valley of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, from their beginnings at about 1500 BC until the Spanish Conquest 3000 years later. I omit the archaeological and analytical details and the intricate variations since a book-length review of the prehistory of the Valley and the adjacent Mixteca Alta and a technical monograph on the archaeological settlement patterns have recently been published (32, 45). Even without their details, the new archaeological studies of regions make it apparent that social science theories about state and urban evolution need to be upgraded to account for unexpected variation and unforeseen regularities. By complexity I mean the multiplicity of different parts in a social system (12; cf 52 for a formal approach to cultural complexity). To monitor complexity one must be able to identify parts, specify that they are different, be sure that one has all the parts, count them, and ascertain that they form a system. Meeting these five data requirements is not easy, with either historical or archaeological data. The realm of the social is complex in this sense with its

Quaternary climate, environment, and the human occupation of the south‐central Andes

AbstractThis paper reviews the paleoenvironmental context for Paleoindian and Early Archaic settlement of the south‐central Andes. I attempt to reconcile proposals for late‐glacial and early Holocene environmental changes that have originated in several Quaternary sciences. Most useful are the records of changing lake levels, geomorphological indicators of glacial advance and retreat, changes in vegetation as seen through pollen stratigraphy, the record of large mammal extinctions, and the archaeological settlement pattern itself.High lake stands in the central and south‐central Andes, c. 12,500 to 11,000 B.P., seem to correspond to glacial retreat. Palynological studies also suggest higher temperatures, coincident with greater summer precipitation from 11,500 B.P. to perhaps 10,000 B.P., followed by some reduction in temperatures and then widespread aridity from about 8500 to 5000 B.P. Environmental change at the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary was at least a major contributing factor to the extinction of horse and sloth around 10,000 B.P. Archaeology of the salt puna and Punta Negra region conforms well with the environmental record, showing human entry by the Early Archaic (11,000‐8000 B.P.), subsequent depopulation and perhaps abandonment, then readaptation to more localized resources in the Late Archaic (5500‐4000 B.P.).

Mixtec Landscape Perception and Archaeological Settlement Patterns

AbstractWe argue that a regional analysis which combines ethnohistoric, ethnographic, and archaeological Information can both discover and employ indigenous cultural ideals in a study of changing settlement Systems. Use of archaeological survey of the valleys of Tilantongo and Jaltepec in conjunction with the historical documentation in the Mixtec codices has allowed us to identify several ways in which ideals of landscape perception were encoded in the codices. This, in turn, allows an enhanced political and social discussion of both the changing patterns of settlement observed archaeologically and the purpose and meaning of the codices. We suggest that the codices, as a form of historical mapping, were produced to recount the common history of several closely interacting elite domains, the Postclassic Mixtec kingdoms of the southern Nochixtlan Valley and their neighbors.

Location Modeling: Perspective and Overview

Geographical AnalysisVolume 22, Issue 1 p. 1-3 Free Access Location Modeling: Perspective and Overview John R. Current, John R. Current John R. Current is associate professorSearch for more papers by this authorDavid A. Schilling, David A. Schilling David A. Schilling is professor of management science, Ohio State University.Search for more papers by this author John R. Current, John R. Current John R. Current is associate professorSearch for more papers by this authorDavid A. Schilling, David A. Schilling David A. Schilling is professor of management science, Ohio State University.Search for more papers by this author First published: January 1990 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1538-4632.1990.tb00192.xCitations: 3 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat LITERATURE CITED Bell, T., and R. Church (1985). “Location-Allocation Modeling in Archaeological Settlement Pattern Research: Some Preliminary Applications.” World Archaeology 16, 354– 71. Berry, B., and J. Parr (1988). Market Centers and Retail Location Theory and Applications. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Cornuejols, G., M. Fisher, and G. Nemhauser (1977). “Location of Bank Accounts to Optimize Float: An Analytic Study of Exact and Approximate Algorithms.” Management Science 23, 789– 810. Ghosh, A., and S. McLafferty (1987). Location Strategies for Retail and Service Firms. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books. Ghosh, A., and G. Rushton (1987). Spatial Analysis and Location-Allocation Models. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. Ginsberg, V., P. Pestieau, and J.-F. Thisse (1987). “A Spatial Model of Party Competition with Electoral and Ideological Objectives.” In Spatial Analysis and Location-Allocation Models, edited by A. Ghosh and G. Rushton, pp. 101– 17. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. Hotelling, H. (1929). “Stability in Competition.” Economic Journal 39, 41– 57. Hurter, A., and J. Martinich (1989). Facility Location and the Theory of Production. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Love, R., J. Morris, and G. Wesolowsky (1988). Facilities Location Models and Methods. New York: North-Holland. Pirkul, H. (1986). “An Integer Programming Model for the Allocation of Databases in a Distributed Computer System.” European Journal of Operational Research 26, 401– 11. Reggia, J., D. Nau, and P. Wang (1983). “Diagnostic Expert Systems Based on a Set Covering Model.” International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 19, 437– 60. ReVelle, C., and R. Swain (1970). “Central Facilities Location.” Geographical Analysis 2, 30– 42. Social Sciences Citation Index (19701988). Philadelphia: Institute for Scientific Information, Incorporated. Vasko, F., F. Wolf, and K. Stott (1988). “Optimal Selection of Ingot Sizes Via Set Covering.” Operations Research 35, 346– 53. Vasko, F., F. Wolf, and K. Stott (1989). “A Set Covering Approach to Metallurgical Grade Assignment.” European Journal of Operational Research 38, 27– 34. Citing Literature Volume22, Issue1January 1990Pages 1-3 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Location‐allocation modeling in archaeological settlement pattern research: Some preliminary applications

(1985). Location‐allocation modeling in archaeological settlement pattern research: Some preliminary applications. World Archaeology: Vol. 16, Water craft and water transport, pp. 354-371.

Archaeological Settlement Pattern Data from the Chalco, Xochimilco, Ixtapalapa, Texcoco and Zumpango Regions, Mexico. Jeffrey R. Parsons, Keith W. Kintigh, and Susan A. Gregg. Museum of Anthropology, The University of Michigan, Technical Reports, No. 14, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1983. vii + 222 pp., tables, maps, appendices, biblio. $14.00 (paper).

Archaeological Settlement Pattern Data from the Chalco, Xochimilco, Ixtapalapa, Texcoco and Zumpango Regions, Mexico. Jeffrey R. Parsons, Keith W. Kintigh, and Susan A. Gregg. Museum of Anthropology, The University of Michigan, Technical Reports, No. 14, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1983. vii + 222 pp., tables, maps, appendices, biblio. $14.00 (paper).

Patterns of Resource Distribution and Archaeological Settlement Patterns in the Piedmont Uplands of the Middle Atlantic Region

Varied patterns of subsistence resource distributions are found in the Piedmont Uplands throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Settlement patterns correlate with these resource distribution patterns through time. Paleo-Indian through Middle Archaic patterns are small scattered procurement sites that are part of a supra-local logistical system. Late Archaic through Middle Woodland patterns include large base camps in low relief settings forming the focal points for foraging systems, or a tethered nomadism. Late Woodland patterns are dependent upon intensive collecting and agriculture rather than specific subsistence resource distribution patterns.

God's Truth in Great Basin Archaeology?

I will reply briefly to Madsen's criticism in order to clarify some points raised about the specifics of my research in the Reese River Valley and elsewhere in the Great Basin. While Madsen's paper makes two worthwhile points, it suffers from four, more basic difficulties. Madsen is correct when he highlights the wide, uncritical acceptance by some readers of the archaeological literature. Despite the fact that I have repeatedly emphasized the tentative and unproven nature of the Reese River work (see Thomas 1971a:190, 1973:174; Williams et al. 1973:222), this research is still often cited without regard for this caution. Much of this problem stems, no doubt, from the silly reverence with which statistically based models and procedures are still regarded by the archaeological community in general; I have previously expressed my personal displeasure at this tendency (Thomas 1978a, 1980). Madsen also discusses my assumption regarding the distribution of the pinyon-juniper woodland. Of course Great Basin tree lines have fluctuated during the Holocene; in fact, some years ago, I studied precisely this problem with regard to Western Shoshoni cultural ecology during the historic period (Thomas 1971b). Unfortunately, we do not know the magnitude of such tree-line fluctuations with any certainty, and the real issue is whether we are going to allow this uncertainty to curtail further analysis of archaeological settlement patterns. In the Reese River sampling design, I took contemporary biotic communities as simply estimates of prehistoric distributions, as operational indicators of how best to distinguish one sampling domain from another (see Thomas 1975:65). I still contend that this was a reasonable estimate and approach. Since I do not think that Madsen wishes to argue against the use of assumptions in archaeology, I will stand by a point made earlier: all archaeologists agree that some assumptions are necessary, and most would concur that the more explicit these assumptions, the higher the quality of the resulting archaeological interpretations (Thomas 1978b:461). I trust that my assumptions are suitably explicit. Let us now examine some difficulties in the Madsen critique.

A Measure of Settlement Pattern Change and Stability

A counting index of the average degree of extreme settlement pattern change and stability is presented. Data from regional archaeological settlement pattern surveys in the Basin of Mexico are used to illustrate it.

Archaeological Settlement Patterns

Archaeological Settlement Patterns