The experimental study of refitting individual bones by osteoscopic approach includes 20 bilaterally symmetrical pairs and 14 contiguous articulations. More than 800 tests, each one based upon 70 bones, were done. The occurrence of three hierarchies was established: the first implies the type of refitting (bilaterally symmetrical bones are much better recognised than contiguity articulations); the second demonstrates that the performance of recognising refitted bones depends on the type of bones involved; the last relates to the degree of osteological knowledge. These results will provide a strategy to follow during future digging excavations when referencing topographic data. The accuracy of studies applied to metrical, morphometrical and chromatic approaches is also evaluated. The implications brought by refitting single bones in the counting of individuals buried are analysed: new formulae are proposed that allow us to estimate errors in the refitting of individual bones.

Papers from the First Iberoamerican Conference on Spatial Archaeology held in 2013 at the University of Cantabria, Spain. The subjects include theoretical contexts of spatial archaeology, relationship between archaeological and ethnographical research, micro-site studies and the interpretation of the environment from archaeo-historical contextualization.

This is a publication of the conference proceedings from a workshop on Open Source, Free Software and Open Format in the field of archaeological research which took place in Genova, 11 May 2007.

An in-depth study of lesions of muscle insertion sites on bone (enthesopathies) in recent and fossilised human skeletons. The work contributes to the field of anthropology in three ways. The author presents a new method of scoring enthesopathies that takes into account variation in muscle attachment site histology and morphology with a system that may well become the new standard for studying enthesopathies in prehistoric and recent populations. Second, the author provides an exhaustive analysis of enthesopathies in three large skeletal series (from Portugal, England and Italy) of individuals of known occupation. This section provides the first controlled comparative documentation of the relationship between activity and enthesopathies, and contributes greatly to the understanding of which muscle attachment sites best reflect activity levels and patterns in individuals, and which types of activity are most likely to contribute to variation in the severity of enthesopathies. Finally, the study describes the results when the new methods are applied to European Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene fossil humans. French text.

These papers arose from a workshop at the 15th uispp congress which aimed to provide an opportunity for researchers from a number of institutions to compare ideas and to seek to develop a standardised system for recording rock art, or a family of interconnecting systems, based on information technology. The papers present various cataloguing systems, and explore issues of conservation, accessibility, and of intellectual rights.

A new study of 'The Fair Stone', defining jade, its nature, virtues, deposits and carving techniques according to ancient Chinese texts. Analysis of ancient sources with a critical mind may supplement archaeological finds and modern scientific studies, but others still present scholars with quite a few riddles, such as metal jade carving implements. This study attempts to provide an analysis of the multifaceted meanings, connotations and echoes of a single word, concept and symbol. It also allows a better grasp of matters of concern for mineralogists and gemmologists: jade's origin and deposits, mining and carving technology. Two appendices include a chart of jade producing places according to the Shanhaijing (Books of mountains and seas) and a full translation of Song Yingxing' chapter on jade in the Tiangong kaiwu (Exploitation of the works of Nature). Illustrations draw on reproductions of old Chinese books from the Yuan (1279-1368) to the Republic. Maps in late commentaries to the Classics, geographical monographs on Xinjiang or drawn by the author show jade and abrasive deposits and the jade road from Khotan to Xi'an.

Contents: Preface (Chris Scarre); 1) Stony Ground: outcrops, rocks and quarries in the creation of megalithic monuments (Chris Scarre); 3) The Megalithic Building Site (Torben Dehn); 4) Hunebedden and Huenengraber: the construction of megalithic tombs west of the River Elbe (Jan Albert Bakker); 5) The Gallery Graves of Hesse and Westphalia, Germany: extracting and working the stones ( Kerstin Schierhold); 6) Beyond Stonehenge: seeking the start of the bluestone trail (Timothy Darvill); 7) Architectonique et esthetique des alignements de menhirs du sud de la Vendee (France) (Gerard Beneteau-Douillard); 8) Technologie des megalithes dans lOuest de la France: la carriere du Rocher Mouton a Besne (Loire-Atlantique, France) (Emmanuel Mens); 9) Exploitation de la pierre et mise en uvre des materiaux sur le site neolithique du Souch en Plouhinec (Finistere, France) (Michel Le Goffic); 10) Transforming Stone: ethnoarchaeological perspectives on megalith form in Eastern Indonesia (Ron L. Adams).

Tools of the Trade: Methods, Techniques and Innovative Approaches in Archaeology presents a collection of academic papers from the 2005 Chacmool archaeological conference, which includes a wide range of contributions from international archaeologists, senior professors, and students alike. Each chapter focuses on the discussion and application of unique and innovative 'tools' for archaeological analysis and interpretation, including micro- and macro-botanical analysis, experimental study, off-site survey, lithic use-wear, ceramic petrography, DNA analysis, chaA (R)ne opA (c)ratoire, space syntax, and Geographic Information Systems. As a collective volume, Tools of the Trade: Methods, Techniques and Innovative Approaches in Archaeology also covers an impressive diversity of geographic regions and time periods, such as Precolumbian Mesoamerica, Plio-Pleistocene Africa, prehistoric and historic North America, and ancient Polynesia. Finally, this volume provides a somewhat introspective look at the origins of tool use, technological development, and the means by which we have become the only species to ask the questions: What does it mean to be us and how can we find out? With contributions by: Kristen Anderson Tobin C. Bottman Ryan T. Brady Susan Cachel Leslie G. Cecil Ruth Conroy Dalton Eugene M.Gryba Leslie Main Johnson Ciler Kirsan Purple Kumai E.G. Langemann Amber E. MacKenzie Go Matsumoto Maria Victoria Monsalve Jose Roberto Pellini Meaghan M. Peuramaki-Brown Jason W. Roe Michael J. Shott Nicholas Waber Joshua J. Wells Jayne Wilkins Pamela R. Willoughby D.Y. Yang Tobin C. Bottman Ryan T. Brady Susan Cachel Leslie G. Cecil Ruth Conroy Dalton Eugene M. Gryba Leslie Main Johnson Ciler Kirsan Purple Kumai E. Gwyn Langemann Amber E. MacKenzie Go Matsumoto Maria Victoria Monsalve Jose Roberto Pellini Meaghan M. Peuramaki-Brown Jason Roe Michael J. Shott Nicholas Waber Joshua J. Wells Pamela R. Willoughby Dongya Y. Yang

This book traces the history of the development of 'community archaeology', identifying both its advantages and disadvantages by describing how and why tensions have arisen between archaeological and community understandings of the past, and the various uses that interpretations of the past are put to. The focus of the book is the conceptual disjunction between heritage and data and the problems this poses for both archaeologists and communities in communicating and engaging with each other. In order to explain the extent of the miscommunication that can occur between archaeologists and communities, the book examines the ways in which a range of community groups, including communities of expertise, define and negotiate memory and identity. Critical attention has been paid to the assertion of the 'local' in response to globalization processes, and this book examines how local communities and communities of shared cultural and social experiences mediate collective memory and identity. Importantly, the book explores the ways in which these expressions are used, or are taken up, in struggles over cultural recognition - and ultimately, the practical, ethical, political and theoretical implications this has for archaeologists engaging in community work. Finally, it argues that there are very real advantages for archaeological research, theory and practice to be gained from engaging with communities.

This book offers a valuable contribution to the development of a methodology to address the study of archaeological quartz artifacts, combining various analytical tools to study these objects so that we might better understand the technological strategies of hunting societies who made use of this raw material. | La meta de este libro es aportar al desarrollo de una metodologia para abordar el estudio de artefactos arqueologicos de cuarzo, focalizandose en la combinacion de diversas herramientas analiticas que permitan estudiar estos utensilios y contribuir asi a una mejor comprension de las estrategias tecnologicas de las sociedades cazadoras recolectoras que hicieron uso de esta materia prima. Ello implica, por un lado, evaluar el potencial de dicha roca para la produccion de instrumentos liticos, considerando las distintas tecnicas de talla, asi como analizar las propiedades y cualidades de los filos para la realizacion de diversas actividades de incidencia sobre la materia en general, considerando a las de corte y raspado, en particular. Con el fin de someter a prueba esta propuesta, es que se abordaran como caso de estudio las estrategias tecnologicas implementadas por los grupos cazadores-recolectores que habitaron en el Valle de Calamuchita (provincia de Cordoba) durante el Holoceno medio y tardio, estudiando alli el rol cumplido por el cuarzo como materia prima, asi como el uso y manufactura de artefactos de cuarzo en dicho contexto particular. Consta de tres partes principales: la primera de ellas aborda el enfoque metodologico y consta de cinco capitulos; la segunda parte comprende los resultados obtenidos luego de la aplicacion de estos desarrollos metodologicos a traves de programas experimentales tanto de manufactura como de uso de instrumentos sobre cuarzo ; por ultimo, la tercer parte incluye la aplicacion de los resultados obtenidos en el analisis de un caso de estudio en sitios arqueologicos de Calamuchita.

Lithic refitting has been around for well over a century now. While the mechanics of conjoining artifacts have remained unchanged, despite some recent attempts to automate at least part of the process, the questions that have been addressed with refitting data changed dramatically over time and probably will continue to do so in the future. This volume reflects both well-established uses of refitting as well as some novel approaches.

This volume was first delivered at a conference organised by the Association for Industrial Archaeology in Nottingham in June 2004, and formerly constituted a special issue of Industrial Archaeology Review. The papers have the explicit intention of formulating a research framework for industrial archaeology in the 21st century and demonstrating how far industrial archaeology is now a fully recognised element of mainstream archaeology.

This handbook gathers original, authoritative articles from leading archaeologists to compile in a single place the latest thinking about archaeological methods. Topics range from theoretical models undergirding research to concrete strategies for field work and laboratory analysis. Public archaeology topics such as curation, collaboration, funding, and publication are also included among the 34 chapters in the book. Chapters are authored by well-known scholars on both sides of the Atlantic including Fagan, Hodder, Chippindale, Kvamme, McManamon, and many others. An extensive bibliography accompanies each chapter. As a single reference for current information on contemporary archaeological field methods, this volume is unmatched.

Most archaeologists and bioarchaeologists receive little or no training in the recognition of skeletal remains of fetuses, infants, and children. Yet many research sites may contain such materials. Without a framework for identifying the bones or the excavation techniques suited to their recovery, archaeologists may often overlook sub adult skeletal remains or even confuse them with animal bones. ""The Osteology of Infants and Children"" fills the need for a field and lab manual on this important topic and provides a supplemental textbook for human osteology courses. Focusing on juvenile skeletons, their recovery and identification, and siding in both field and lab settings, the volume provides basic descriptions and careful illustrations of each skeletal element at varying stages of development, along with sections on differentiation from other bones and siding tips. The book offers detailed treatment of the skull and teeth, including the cranial vault and facial bones, and examines the infra cranial skeleton: vertebrae, pelvis, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet. A quick reference guide explains age estimation and identification templates. The illustrations are enhanced by photographs from two recent archaeology projects in Egypt, at Abydos and Dakhleh Oasis. The extensive collection of fetal and child remains from these sites provides new reference material unavailable in previous publications, making this manual an unparalleled resource in the field of physical anthropology.

These twenty-seven papers result from a conference held in Rome in 2002, organised by the American Academy in Rome and the Ecole Francaise de Rome. The conference brought together prehistorians, classical archaeologists and medievalists with the aim of discussing the archaeological methodology behind the analysis of industry and commerce in ancient Italy. Arranged thematically, the papers discuss: textile production, the supply of foodstuffs, commercial systems, the production and exchange of pottery, the production of glass and metal, the organisation of the building industry and historiographic studies. The temporal scope of the volume is large, covering the 2nd millennium BC to the medieval period. The case studies are well-illustrated and all begin with an English abstract. One paper in English, six in French, the rest in Italian. The introduction is in English.

This study addresses some of the gaps in our knowledge concerning early human occupation in the Vercours mountains to the south-west of Grenoble in southern France. Based on archaeological evidence, Barnard-Guelle's interpretation of the sites and lithic assemblages from the area promotes a clearer understanding of different types of settlements and camps, and human activities, notably the exploitation of local resources.

Detailed and wide-ranging study of experimental studies in lithic technology, with lots of practical illustrations.

Sixteen papers discuss the significance of early trade and exchange in obsidian in the Near and Middle East, new advances in methodology and in the identification of sources that are making such research possible. Includes papers on geology, methods of characterisation, dating, provenance studies of obsidian artefacts, and studies of the nature and distribution of artefacts.

"All archaeologists whose work deals even in part with the terminal Pleistocene-- early Holocene should read this book thoroughly; there simply is no better treatment of the geoarch-aeological record of that period. Interested amateurs also will enjoy it." -- Choice "This book will be of use for years to come as the key source for the early geoarchaeology of the region." -- Jack L. Hofman, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Kansas

The Southern High Plains of northwestern Texas and eastern New Mexico are rich in Paleoindian archaeological sites, including such well-known ones as Clovis, Lubbock Lake, Plainview, and Midland. These sites have been extensively researched over decades, not only by archaeologists but also by geoscientists, whose studies of soils and stratigraphy have yielded important information about cultural chronology and paleoenvironments across the region.

In this book, Vance T. Holliday synthesizes the data from these earlier studies with his own recent research to offer the most current and comprehensive overview of the geoarchaeology of the Southern High Plains during the earliest human occupation. He delves into twenty sites in depth, integrating new and old data on site geomorphology, stratigraphy, soils, geochronology, and paleoenvironments. He also compares the Southern High Plains sites with other sites across the Great Plains, for a broader chronological and paleoenvironmental perspective.

With over ninety photographs, maps, cross sections, diagrams, and artifact drawings, this book will be essential reading for geoarchaeologists, archaeologists, and Quaternary geoscientists, as well as avocational archaeologists who takepart in Paleoindian site study throughout the American West.

This book presents the results and discussion of archaeofaunal studies which took place in the northern San Matias Gulf (Rio Negro Province) during the last six years, focussing on terrestrial mammals and birds. The general objective of this research is to determine what was the mode of operation of terrestrial vertebrates (small and big), and the importance that they had in the survival of human populations that occupied the coastline during the late Holocene (last 3000 years).

Tree-ring dating, or dendrochronology, is the study of the chronological sequence of annual growth rings in trees. This book--a seminal study in its field--provides a simple yet eloquent introduction to the discipline, explaining what a dendrochronologist does both in the field and in the laboratory. Authors Stokes and Smiley first explain the basic principles of tree-ring dating, then describe details of the process, step by step, from the time a sample is collected until it is incorporated into a master chronology. The book focuses on coniferous evergreens of the Southwest, particularly pinons, because they have wide geographic distribution, constitute a large population, and show excellent growth response to certain controlling factors. The book is specifically concerned with the task of establishing a calendar date for a wood or charcoal specimen. This concise but thorough explication of an important discipline will make dendrochonology more meaningful to students and professionals in archaeology, forestry, hydrology, and global change.

Archaeology uses material data to study the past, but material remains are unable to speak for themselves. They need to be interpreted. All archaeology depends upon the logical framework used to understand data: the theory which underlies interpretation. Yet archaeological theory often seems inaccessible or even irrelevant, wrapped up in jargon and filled with obscure allusions. Written especially for those with no previous knowledge of theory, this book aims to introduce the subject in a way which is both readable and which shows its relevance, and without a specific theoretical stance. The range of theoretical views on some of the themes and problems most often encountered in archaeology is outlined, introducing a wide variety of concepts and approaches equally relevant to the professional or amateur archaeologist, student, or non-specialist reader of archaeological work.

Why are you digging it up? How did it get buried? How did you know it was there? In this simple guide to the basic elements of archaeology, Professor Branigan tackles the questions most commonly asked by visitors to archaeological sites. Drawing on examples from both the Old World and the New and from prehistoric to recent times, he shows the fascination of archaeology as a study in itself and the exciting part it plays in our general view of the past. 'The best explanation of archaeology for the layman that I have ever read. The writing is clear and concise, the illustrations are excellently selected to support the examples, and the style is so interesting that it will keep the reader fascinated to the end.' American Antiquity

In the Argentine Northwest, northeast of Catamarca, there are a set of shelters and caves located in the rainforest with rock art with virtually no background. Little is known about the occupants of these spaces and their past practices. In order to learn more about these, this book addresses the study and systematic analysis of the plastic-thematic-compositional repertoire of the rock art sites of 'Los Algarrobales' and their spatial and temporal distribution. In this way, it is possible to approach the understanding of the modalities of appropriation of the people of the inhabited area, the relationship that they would have maintained with the environment, as well as the distinction of various events and uses of different places and, in this way, contribute to the knowledge of the historical, social and cultural development of the area. Throughout the reading, we start to glimpse the archaeological landscapes related to rock art for this sector of the southern Andean area.