Ethnoarchaeological Study Research Articles

Lejja archaeological site, Southeastern Nigeria and its potential for archaeological science research

In 2017/2018, two seasons of archaeological surveys were undertaken in Lejja, southeastern Nigeria. The aim of the archaeological field work was to systematically sample the area to locate archaeological sites, scatters of artefacts, features; and to characterize and record these findings. A particular objective was to identify sites with different typological or chronological characteristics and to then select representative examples for further investigation and excavations. This paper thus focuses for the first time; on the general knowledge of the archaeological signatures in addition to iron working that abound at the Lejja site from an archaeological perspective. We aimed to identify sites with evidence of iron production and sites with other characteristics of human habitation to compare inter-site variation. Using ethnoarchaeological studies, archaeological surveys and excavations, sixteen new sites were identified stretching from iron smelting sites to domestic/habitation sites and ancestral sites. We utilized both a systematic transect and an opportunistic approach to locate and map the archaeological sites encountered. The focus of the study was on thirteen key villages in Lejja southeastern Nigeria. Analysis of data shows that there seem to be distinct areas on the landscape for habitation and metal working respectively. However, it is unclear as yet what this distinction represents in terms of social organization, particularly whether they represent one community with different activity sites or two communities with distinct identities or indeed a more complex temporal and spatial patterning.

Mobility, site maintenance and archaeological formation processes: An ethnoarchaeological perspective

Mobility is considered to play an important role in the way people use their habitual space. Highly mobile societies present a particular challenge to archaeologists as a direct relation is assumed between the duration of occupation and the intensity of its archaeological signature. Here, we present a cross-cultural, ethnoarchaeological study carried out among three contemporary societies that, while showing different patterns of mobility, all live in humid tropical forests—in Thailand, the Congo Basin, and India—and share many social notions and values. The aim of this study was to observe how differences in patterns of mobility affect the formation of archaeological signatures. Our study demonstrates that when a site is occupied for only a few days to a couple of weeks, activity residues tend to be deposited in situ. This could potentially preserve the original spatial pattern of material distribution that directly reflects the activity areas and people’s use of space. However, when a site is occupied for more than a week or two, maintenance practices such as sweeping begin to take place, which result in almost complete removal of activity residues from their primary location and the formation of waste areas at the edge of the dwelling sites.

Ethnoarchaeological examination of workspaces for rural producers of market-oriented wares

Communities of traditional female potters produced thousands of utilitarian market-oriented wares from local clays on the islands of Cyprus and Luzon in the 1980s. They worked inside and outside their homes, together with members of their nuclear family, or in a communal workspace. Although the physical evidence of production tends to be sparse, the two ethnoarchaeological studies of craft specialists discussed here provide clues to identify ancient potters who worked in their household courtyards. In Cyprus, a partial move to a dedicated village workspace, away from home courtyards, initiated the use of a communal kiln and a shift from reliance on help from spouses and children. At the same time, continuity prevailed for independent potters who continued to work at home. The household production of market-oriented pottery, by male and female craftspeople in Cyprus and the Philippines, supported their family and village while meeting the needs of customers in villages and towns.

Identifying Past Beer Production: Contributions from an Ethnoarchaeological Study in Bedik Villages, Senegal

ABSTRACT The identification of beer production in past societies remains a challenge as very few studies have discussed its material evidence. Our investigation in Senegal aimed at filling this gap. We documented 14 beer houses and several beer cooking areas in five Bedik villages and excavated a beer house and associated cooking area in a recently abandoned village. We recorded the architectural attributes of the beer-making structures (location, shape, size, materials, techniques, internal layouts). We also analyzed associated pottery combining typometry and use-wear. Such an integrated study revealed that the pottery types (large vessels, small bottles) and use-alteration (inner non-abrasive attrition), are the most distinctive features for identifying beer production, besides the beer houses’ internal layouts (wedge holes of large pottery, altar) and the beer cooking areas’ location outside the compound. Exploration of the same criteria in other cultural contexts in Africa lends support to the broader significance of these findings.

Mobility, Seasonal Encampments, and Temporary Dwellings of Charcoal Burners: New Insights from an Ethnoarchaeological Study in Morocco

ABSTRACT Pre-industrial economic activities related to the seasonal exploitation of forest resources, including charcoal production, are associated with temporary settlements and mobility in European and Mediterranean outlands. Because they have left few, ephemeral traces in the archaeological record, these temporary dwellings and the itinerant lifestyles associated with them are largely unknown. To better detect and interpret such remains, we conducted an ethnoarchaeological study in Morocco, where some charcoal burners still maintain an itinerant lifestyle. We first examine the types of seasonal temporary encampments of contemporary charcoal burners in two regional contrasting regions, Gharb and Middle Atlas. We then address three archaeological issues: 1) the individual variation and the skills and dispositions of charcoal burners in adapting the architecture and organization of their encampments, 2) the impact of natural and anthropogenic post-depositional processes on site formation, and 3) the difficulty of associating a temporary dwelling with a particular economic activity.

The Ethnoarchaeology of Restaurants in Southern Vietnam: Fish Stew Culinary Practices and Organic Residues in Earthenware Cooking Pots

ABSTRACT Ethnoarchaeological studies of food and culinary practices are typically conducted in communities and households that still practice traditional ways of food preparation and consumption. This article presents ethnoarchaeological research in small, contemporary restaurants in Vietnam that serve cá kho tộ, a braised caramelized fish stew prepared in earthenware cooking pots. Comparative reference samples of pottery were collected from the restaurants for organic residue analysis, and the results were compared with residue analysis of pottery sherds recovered from archaeological sites in Southern Vietnam. The results contribute novel insights to both ancient and present-day culinary practices in the region and to the study of open earthenware pots and pottery sherds with interior surface charred residues.

구석기시대 가죽 가공 기술행위

Hide, one of the various work materials used by the people from the Paleolithic onwards, is an essential material for making cloths and tents for survival. The technology and methods of hide processing and use, however, might be understood based on archaeological data and ethnoarchaeological studies because there aren’t many direct hide-related evidences in Paleolithic sites.
 Researchers from Korea and abroad have undertaken studies on the use-wear analysis of the end-scraper, and they have found that different work materials, including wood, bone, antler, and hide, leave different traces behind. Of them, the trace formed by hide occupies the majority. Therefore, it can be known that the end-scraper was a specialized tool for processing hide. Ethnoarchaeological studies on this subject show the various stages of hide processing and usage: hunting animals; several stages of processing hide; and use. End-scrapers have been recovered from a lot of sites in the Paleolithic. This fact indicates that hide processing and use were essential for surviving in that era. Depending on the period, region, environment, animal species, purpose of hide use, type of end-scraper, its use method, and hide processing method, they are slightly different. These led to the establishment of the local technological tradition. These facts shed light on the different aspects of the hide processing method at the local level.

Ethnoarchaeological Study on Salt-Fermented Fish in the Upper Mun River Valley, Northeast Thailand

Salt-fermented fish is a staple food item in the traditional diets of Northeast Thailand. Rural households make fermented fish by using local salt resources to preserve seasonal fish supplies, allowing them to ferment and store surplus fish for the dry season. Evidence suggests that this food preservation strategy predates modern dietary practices, and was important in the prehistoric foodways of Northeast Thailand. Using ethnoarchaeological methods, we examine and compare contemporary fermented-fish production, which relies heavily on locally made salt, with archaeological data for these same prehistoric food items and industries. Ethnographic data is compared to archaeological data from the site of Ban Non Wat and the greater Upper Mun River Valley of Northeast Thailand during the Iron Age, which demonstrates a significant increase in the procurement and production of fish and salt resources, and rice cultivation, during the 1st millennium AD. It was also a period of significant social and environmental change, with a marked climatic shift towards distinct wet and dry seasons favoring the exploitation of and reliance on seasonal supplies of fish and salt, as is done today. From this evidence, we establish a correlation between ancient and modern fish and salt production, procurement, preparation, preservation, and consumption practices.

Ethnoarchaeological Study of the Artifacts Discovered from Pind Kahoot Mound, District Chakwal, Punjab, Pakistan

Chakwal is located in Potohar Plateau of the Punjab Province. Town Bhoun of District Chakwal has historic significance as it is famous for carding archaeological sites and monuments. A rich archaeological mound of Pind Kahoot is located on the periphery of town Bhoun in District Chakwal. The site is occupied for agricultural activities. Whenever the farmers plough their fields and stones stuck the plough, they put them aside. So, the borders of the mound are over laid by stones of various sizes and debris. The mound is spanning over a vast area and its surface is covered with potsherds of different wares, textures, and sizes. The findings from the site include pottery, terracotta figurines and pipes, grinding stones, game discs, metallic jewelry, terracotta, steatite and carnelian beads, and bones. The current paper focuses on an analytical and comparative study of artifacts. It will also trace occupancy of different cultures and their relative chronological sequence. Besides, it will also elaborate the ethnoarchaeological study by establishing a link between the recovered artifacts and contemporary traditional practices in terms of materials and techniques.

The distribution of the ancient Malay Kingdoms in Indochina from the first century to the fourteenth century from the context of the spatial and ethnoarchaeology

The demographics of the Malayo-Polynesian people are not only spread within the Malay Archipelago but also into the Indochina Peninsula. The arrival of Hindu-Buddhist influence has led to the emergence of a system of kingship in the mainland of Southeast Asia, witnessing the emergence of several early kingdoms based on agrarian and maritime activities. Among these kingdoms were the Funan and Champa. These kingdoms were the earliest Malayo-Polynesian kingdoms to exist in the region, where both appeared at about the same time as early as the first century AD. These kingdoms dominated the Southeast Asian mainland for almost 1,500 years from their founding period in the first century AD until their demise in the 15 th century. Following the collapse, their existence was forgotten by history until it was rediscovered by French scholars at the turn of the 20 th century. However, efforts to rebuild knowledge about these two kingdoms still have many aspects that can be implemented such as from the perspective of spatial and ethnoarchaeological studies. This article will briefly discuss the history of Funan and Champa before discussing the impact of Indianization and its correlations with the artifacts and monumental remains, and the sociocultural practices of the Cham community today that have been passed down from the two early kingdoms through the lenses of spatial and ethnoarchaeology. Keywords: Champa, Ethnoarchaeology, Funan, Indochina, Malayo-Polynesia, Spatial archaeology

Göçer Kültürün Oluşumunda Çevresel ve Kültürel Dinamikler

Many cultural assets unearthed in archaeological excavations, elements that make up the culture of the settled communities such as technology, art, economy and, if any, can be revealed through written sources. However, in the case of nomadic communities, there is a prejudice that temporary shelters made of lightweight materials are “invisible communities” defined by only a small number of material items available for transportation. As a result of these prejudices, the nomadic culture has been tried to be understood either through negative elements in the settlements, written sources written by the settlers, or through ethnoarchaeological research. In the Archeology Department of Atatürk University Social Sciences Institute, under the supervision of Proffesor Dr Mehmet Işıklı, the "Archaeological Evidence of Nomadic Culture in the Southeast Anatolian Region: An Ethnoarchaeological Study" one of the important questions encountered during the studies carried out within the scope of the doctoral thesis titled " to what extent modern nomadic communities will reflect the cultures of the ancient period" has been.
 In this article, the question "what is culture" was chosen as the first step to start looking for answers to all these unknowns and questions, within the framework of the great transformations of humanity in the transition to a production economy, the elements that make up the culture were examined, and the elements of culture were discussed through the answers given by different scientists to this question.

The Life History of Coffee-Related Pottery Traditions in Ethiopia: Ethnoarchaeology and Formation Processes of the Archaeological Record

ABSTRACT Coffea arabica, the most widely consumed variety of coffee globally, is the Ethiopian domesticate par excellence. Ironically, archaeological research on the early cultivation and consumption of this plant in its place of origin is sparse. This ethnoarchaeological study among Kafecho, Majangir, and Oromo coffee-producing communities in southwest Ethiopia examines the processes by which coffee-related pottery moves from systemic to archaeological contexts. Two traditions of brewing coffee are associated with two different pottery assemblages. Variation in the life history of coffee-related pottery across households is attributed to (1) differences in breakage patterns that either enable or inhibit secondary use and (2) household economic status, which determines when pottery is replaced. The use, reuse, and discard of coffee-related pottery is high in coffee-producing communities, and the possibility of recovering such remains archaeologically is high in midden sites where secondary refuse is discarded and in abandoned settlements as primary refuse where breakage occurs.

An ethnoarchaeological study of styles of dental modification in the Karrayyu Oromo and the Issa Somali, Central Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Modified human dentition could help archaeologists interpret past human culture for its potentials of surviving better than bone in archaeological records. It is also an essential source for the study of inter and intra-societal differentiation and the nature of a given society’s belief system. Dental modification in Ethiopia is known to be a cultural norm among the Karrayyu Oromo and Issa Somali ethnicities. Albeit its widespread occurrence in these ethic groups, its scientific exposition is yet to be explored. This ethnoarchaeological study targets the unraveling of the technical styles, procedures, motives and implications of dental modification from a social identity perspective, with special focuses on Karrayyu Oromo and Issa Somali. The study reveals that both adult males and females in Karrayyu and Issa undergo dental modification for aesthetics, rites of passage, and as emblems of identity. It also showed that variations in technical styles currently seen among aforementioned ethno-linguistic groups would also show variations in the archeological records, which will help to highlight the potential in dental archaeology for identity indicators and cultural markers of past human behavior in archeological dental remains. This exploration is important for developing a model that addresses social identity in archeological assemblages based on specific dental modification style.

Desert Insurgency: Archaeology, T. E. Lawrence, and the Arab Revolt

Desert Insurgency: Archaeology, T. E. Lawrence, and the Arab Revolt

How to Keep the Home Fires Burning: A Comparative Study of Cooking Hearths for Ceramic Vessels

ABSTRACT A hearth is the location of an intentional fire, commonly fueled with organic matter such as wood, charcoal, crop waste, or dried animal dung (biomass, or biofuel). Hearths also implicate gender, regional ecologies, and complex, symbolically rich technologies. This article is about household cooking hearths—specifically, biomass hearths used with ceramic cooking vessels. Insights are drawn from international development projects, ethnoarchaeology, archaeology, and related fields to define types of hearths. We identify associations between hearth construction and other key attributes of archaeological relevance, including cooking vessel shape, food preparation methods, fuel choice, labor allocation, methods and materials of house construction, and use of indoor and outdoor spaces. Additionally, we discuss these associations based on our ethnoarchaeological study of development in contemporary Rajasthan, India. We argue that broadening the scope of ethnoarchaeology to consider international development efforts that promote change reveals the complicated ways that cooking hearths are embedded within households.

Occupation and mobility in high-mountain agropastoral societies: a proposal for an ethnoarchaeological study in the Jbel Sirwa (Anti-Atlas, Morocco)

Since the first days of domestication, high mountain agropastoral societies have provided an exceptional example of adaptation and resilience to inhospitable territories, as the maintenance of population groups requires a delicate balance between transhumance and cultivation activities. Archaeological research into these societies has left numerous questions about the relationship between humans and the mountain environment unresolved. These questions have motivated the authors to explore the materiality of the daily life of the agropastoral populations of the Jbel Sirwa. Thus, with this proposal, the ARCHEOMOBAS project outlines an interdisciplinary methodological approach intended to carry out ethnoarchaeological studies of this kind of community in mountainous territories.

Megalithic monuments and ancestral sites: An ethnoarchaeological investigation of continuity of tradition among Austroasiatic communities of Jharkhand

Over the years, several megalithic sites have been reported from different regions of Jharkhand. The initial investigations were conducted during the second half of the 19th century and the early phase of the 20th century by colonial ethnographers and anthropologists. An excavation was conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India in the year 1965-66 at the site of Khuntitoli, where evidence of cremated bones of multiple individuals was found separately under a stone slab, indicating evidence of a secondary family burial. Recent investigations are carried out by the members of INTACH, Hazaribagh. The author has recently conducted an ethnoarchaeological study as part of the doctoral research, studying the continuing tradition and culture of raising megalithic monuments, comparing them with the archaeological parallels in light of evidence found through the survey of ancient sites and ethnographic analogy. This paper briefs the research of the present tradition of Austroasiatic communities; Mundas, Bhumij, and Hos in light of present monuments and ancestral sites, which indicate the distribution of megaliths on their possible route of the movement in Chotanagpur plateau throughout the past and existence of old and recent burial monuments over different ancestral sites.

Ethnoarchaeology of funeral practices: aspects of the management of current dolmens and collective tombs in the tribal societies of Sumba Island (Indonesia)—abridged version

This article presents an ethnoarchaeological study which aims to identify the main characteristics of the practice of collective burial among traditional societies on the island of Sumba (Indonesia). The results also show how the data collected can lead us to modify our understanding of Neolithic collective tombs in European records. These societies are the last in the world to build megalithic monuments intended to be used as collective tombs. Knowledge of the social and religious background and of the subjective experience of the individuals involved is, in this case, the main asset of the ethnoarchaeological approach. Within the systematic study of a village a large number of “biographies” of dolmens were established. The main results are the following: first, the simultaneous use of several collective burials by the same reference group (in the case of Sumba the lineage) could be identified, which led us to propose the notion of a dolmen “pool”; second, a reflection on the causes of the interruptions (temporal hiatus) observed in the use of Neolithic collective tombs could be proposed; third, an initial assessment of the potential contribution of the Sumbanian reference system with regard to the interpretation of the results of paleogenomic studies (those oriented towards the analysis of kinship links) of Neolithic tombs could be established.

Corpos que emergem

Com base em um estudo etnoarqueológico sobre a tecnologia dos trançados dos povos do rio Mapuera (noroeste do Pará), este artigo discute materiais e o conceito moderno de cultura material, submetendo-os a cosmovisões e ontologias ameríndias. Articulando conceitos de cosmopolítica, ecologia das práticas, transdução e individuação, argumentar-se-á que trançar não é um saber-fazer exclusivamente humano. Trançados são corpos feitos basicamente de vegetais metamorfoseados e suas vidas emergem de operações técnicas permeadas de negociações. A agência dos trançados vincula-se às suas respectivas corporalidades e às subjetividades e potências de parte dos vegetais que compõe seus corpos. Embora perecíveis, trançados são persistentes na vida dos povos ameríndios do rio Mapuera.

Precolonial soundscapes of Swahili coastal towns in East Africa

ABSTRACT This paper aims to open the discussion on the characteristics of the acoustic landscapes in precolonial Swahili towns on the East African coast, where this theme to date remains unstudied. The paper focuses on assessing some aspects of the acoustic experience in the precolonial period of AD 1200–1600 respective to the towns and to coral-rag houses, which represent one type of building recorded on Swahili archaeological sites. Due to the limited preservation of buildings on the East African coast, and the fact that many of them have been deserted under the growing influence of Omani and European colonialism, both experimental and ethnoarchaeological studies could provide only limited information on any aspect of past sensory experience in these towns. Therefore, this paper defines some major characteristics of soundscapes in this region using analyses of the acoustic capacities and spatial dimensions of the Swahili built environment, while reflecting on selected themes that played a strong part in Swahili social environment, such as trade and Islam. The presented case study from sub-Saharan Africa aims to contribute to the global discussions on sensory experience in urban societies, where examples from coastal tropics are acutely needed.