Search

Worldwide applications of ochre analysis continue to develop at a rapid pace, highlighting a number of analytical and interpretative issues. As regional source databases continue to grow, researchers have turned to the thornier issues of source allocation. In this study, we utilize LA–ICP–MS and NAA to examine archaeological pigments, ceramic paints and experimental tiles from geological sources and Hohokam ceramics in central Arizona. Archaeological pigments and paint on sherds are successfully source matched based on trace element content, with implications for understanding paint production, sociocultural relations governing trade in pigment and the use of different resource landscapes over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the status of men and women of the Hohokam society of southern Arizona. History of Hohokam's culture and sexual stratification; Cross-cultural consideration of the division of labor by sex; Differences in the distribution of materials with male and female burial.

Irragric anthrosols form as a result of prolonged deposition of fine sediments from irrigation water. Ancient irragric soils centuries to millennia old occur in several world regions, especially in arid environments of Asia and the Americas. This article presents evidence for an ancient irragric anthrosol in the North American Southwest, along the Snaketown Canal System in the Middle Gila River Valley, Arizona. This pedostratigraphic unit was formed as a result of a millennium of irrigation by Hohokam farmers from A.D. 450 to 1450. The irragric soil consists of a mantle of silty-to-loamy textures with minimal soil formation overlying a natural argillic horizon on a Pleistocene stream terrace. A soil mapped independently by the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service with these horizons corresponds closely with the canal system. Soil within the canal system tends to be lower in salt, sodium, and pH compared with external soils. This suggests that the irragric process improved soil for crop production through long-term leaching and additions of fresh sediments with the irrigation water. This anthropogenic process of canal sedimentation has had a long-lasting impact on the sedimentary record and soils in this arid environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines settlement-to-landscape and settlement-to-settlement relationships to describe the influence of landscape and culture on Hohokam settlement location choice in an area of the Tucson Basin in Arizona. Where the study centers; Three types of settlements in the study area; Geomorphic influences on the settlement; Cultural influences on the settlement; Culture and nature in settlement change.

For over a century, archaeologists have investigated the vast network of prehistoric Hohokam canal irrigation systems in the lower Salt River and middle Gila River valleys, as well as in other areas of southern Arizona. However, documentation of the agricultural fields in which prehistoric farmers irrigated their crops generally was lacking until the last 25 years. This is largely a result of the difficulty in identifying ancient fields, since they are not visible on the surface and have been obscured or destroyed by natural landscape processes as well as historic and modern disturbances. More recent archaeological investigations have revealed ancient irrigated fields through innovative methods and excavation techniques. The fields were constructed both by Hohokam irrigators (450–1450 CE) as well as by farmers from preceding cultural traditions during the Early Agricultural period (2100 BCE–50 CE). These discoveries occurred during projects conducted in compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. In this chapter, I highlight these important studies that have expanded the view of ancient agricultural landscapes in southern Arizona. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of mineralogical variation characterizes the prehistoric pottery in the uplands of central Arizona. Virtually all of the ceramics in that region were tempered with phyllite, which has previously precluded provenance analyses and the investigation of pottery production and distribution in the upland zone. As shown with assays with an electron microprobe, however, both the clay fraction and the temper fragments are chemically diverse and geographically distinct, allowing many of the phyllite-tempered wares to be sourced, thereby leading to models about the organization of ceramic production and exchange in the upland zone north of the Phoenix Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change is inevitable, but some changes and transformations are more dramatic and fraught with suffering than others. Resilience theory suggests the concept of a “rigidity trap” as an explanation for these differences. In rigidity traps, a high degree of connectivity and the suppression of innovation prolong an increasingly rigid state, with the result that the eventual transformation is harsh. Three archaeological cases from the U.S. Southwest (Mimbres, Mesa Verde, and Hohokam) and new methods for assessing transformations and rigidity are used to evaluate this concept. They reveal the expected association between the severity of transformation and degree of rigidity, suggesting that a rigidity trap contributed to the Hohokam decline, which included significant human suffering. Possible causes of rigidity, with implications for today's world, are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A positive correlation between wealth and biodiversity within cities is a commonly documented phenomenon in urban ecology that has come to be labeled as the "luxury effect." We contend that both this language and this framing restrict our understanding of how sociopolitical power dynamics influence biodiversity within and across cities. We describe how the term "luxury" is not appropriately applied to describe patterns of biodiversity and how the pattern depends on the form(s) of biodiversity investigated. While we recognize examples where there is a positive relationship between socioeconomic status and biodiversity, we describe numerous examples where either opposite patterns or no clear relationship between wealth and biodiversity is found. We propose an alternate framework, the POSE framework, that examines the Power, Objectives, mediating Socio‐ecological context, and Effort of specific actors and how those may influence biodiversity. The mediating socio‐ecological context includes everything from biophysical limitations to historical context and the actions of other actors. Further, it is important to understand how and to what degree we expect the actor's actions to influence biodiversity in order to design studies that are able to detect these shifts in biodiversity. We contend that complicating our analysis to focus more on power generally, rather than socioeconomic status specifically, as well as the specific objectives of actors of interest within their socio‐ecological context offers a more flexible approach that can be applied in a wider range of socio‐ecological contexts and allows for more directed policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain sizes of Martian sand dunes are critical sedimentological data on sand provenance and transport pathways. Thermal inertia values are used to characterize the grain sizes of dune sand. Most early characterizations involved single dune fields. Recent work based on global data sets has provided more wide‐spread dune sand locations, though these data sets include the non‐sandy interdune areas. To provide a more accurate grain size characterization, we leverage a global thermal inertia data set, a global dune database and a global imaging mosaic to develop a freeware‐based methodology for deriving grain sizes. This methodology involves delineation of sand‐only areas within dune fields and collection of thermal inertia values from those areas. We consider a unimodal histogram of values with a mode <∼350 thermal inertia units (J m−2 K−1 s−1/2) to imply an effective exclusion of non‐sand surfaces. Application of this methodology to dune fields for which thermal inertia values have been previous derived shows our results fall within the envelope of those values. We apply our methodology to tropical dune fields on Mars for which Dust Cover Index data imply dust‐free surfaces. Conversion of these thermal inertia values to sand grain sizes yields a range of sand classifications of fine sand to granules. Comparison of sand size classifications with geographic location shows grain size ranges that are distinctive by location, consistent with local sourcing. This work points toward geographically diverse sand formation mechanisms yielding diverse grain sizes, while providing a freeware‐based and thus widely accessible method for expanding the derivation of these critical data. Plain Language Summary: Knowing the sizes of sand grains on Mars provides information on the history of that sand, such as where it came from and how far it has traveled to where it is now. Sand grains of different sizes respond to heat differently, with larger sand grains heating up and cooling down more slowly than smaller grains or dust. This response to heating—termed "thermal inertia"—has been used for decades to estimate the grain sizes of dune sand on Mars. However, previous methods have been focused on only a few dune fields at a time. To increase the amount of grain size data we can collect from sand dunes on Mars, we have developed a freeware‐based approach using global data sets and software that are accessible to anyone. Applying our approach to all the dunes for which grains sizes based on thermal inertia were previously derived, we show that our values are similar to those from the previous work. Applying our approach to 75 dune fields on Mars, we see different dune fields have different grain sizes, which suggests different sand formation mechanisms in these different locations. Thus, our freeware‐based approach provides an accessible opportunity to learn about sand characteristics and sand histories across Mars. Key Points: We develop and test a fully freeware‐based method for estimating grain sizes of Martian dune sand and apply it to tropical dune fieldsOur grain size values fit within the envelope of grain size values from decades of previous work, indicating the validity of our methodOur results also reveal geographic variability in grain sizes, indicating geospatial variability in sand‐forming mechanisms on Mars [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of sociopolitical complexity, including heightened relations of cooperation and competition among large nonkin groups, has long been a central focus of anthropological research. Anthropologists suggest any number of variables that affect the waxing and waning of complexity and define the precise trajectories that groups take, including population density, subsistence strategies, warfare, the distribution of resources, and trade relationships. Changes in weaponry, here the introduction of the bow and arrow, can have profound implications for population aggregation and density, subsistence and settlement strategies, and access to resources, trade, and warfare.Bingham and Souza provide a general conceptual model for the relationship between complexity and the bow and arrow, arguing that this compound weapon system, whereby smaller projectiles travel at higher speed and are capable of hitting targets more accurately and at greater distances than hand-thrown darts, fundamentally favors the formation of larger groups because it allows for cost-effective means of dealing with conflicts of interest through social coercion, thereby dramatically transforming kin-based social relations. Here we consider the impacts the introduction of the bow and arrow had on sociopolitical complexity in the North American Southwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeology provides a compelling perspective on the evolution of property rights and macroeconomy in precapitalist societies that lacked systems of writing. Most interpretations of macroeconomy in the Prehispanic Southwest have focused on interaction networks that emanated from “heartlands” where intensive agriculturalists were aggregated in towns along major streams. Although archaeologists are aware of communities in “hinterland” territories, they rarely consider their political economies. As a remedy, we apply common-pool-resource (CPR) theory to investigate hypothesized linkages between property rights and social identity in two hinterlands in Arizona: the Papagueria and the Grand Canyon. Our analyses indicate, first, that from circa C.E. 850 to C.E. 1350, local communities negotiated their social identities in a macroeconomy of fluctuating resource values and, second, that incentives for privatizing peripheral territories intensified in some areas during periods of economic competition. These findings underscore the critical role of archaeology in modeling property rights in precapitalist societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the mitochondrial DNA diversity of the proposed descendants of the multi-ethnic Hohokam and Anasazi cultural traditions, as well as Uto-Aztecan and Southern-Athapaskan groups in Southwest U.S. Hypothesized migrations associated with the Southwest region; Analysis of pertinent topics and relevant issues; Implications on the study of physical anthropology.

Aim: Climate is usually regarded as the main determinant of plant species distributions. However, past human use of species for food might also have influenced distributions. We hypothesized that human‐mediated dispersal has resulted in food plants occupying more of their potential geographical range. We also hypothesized that key ecological traits could predispose a species to occupy more of its potential climatic geographical range and be selected by humans for food. Location: The Sonoran Desert of south‐western North America. Time period: Present day. Major taxa studied: Food plants. Methods: We used ethnobotanical data and data from large botanical ecoinformatics databases to estimate realized (dispersal‐ and climate‐constrained) and potential (climate‐constrained) ranges for food plants and their used and unused congeners. Results: We found that food plants fill more of their potential geographical ranges than their unused congeners. We also found that succulence and annual growth interacted with food usage to increase range filling. Main conclusions: Human food use has expanded the distribution of many plant species in the Sonoran Desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale of warfare and alliance in the ancient American Southwest is hotly debated for the interval from A.D. 1100 to 1450. Some archaeologists posit conflict persistently waged in central Arizona, which thereby promoted the emergence of region-sized polities, including the so-called Verde Confederacy. Relying largely on settlement-pattern data, these theorists have hypothesized warfare and alliance practiced at a regional scale, apparently larger than anywhere else in the prehistoric American Southwest. Other evidence, however, has challenged the Verde Confederacy model and the level at which hostilities raged in central Arizona. It calls into question the organizational capabilities of hostile tribal groups and their strategic goals. In this paper, we add a new line of complementary information based on the compositional analysis of phyllite-tempered plain ware ceramics. By reconstructing the pottery's movement and exchange across the region, we outline patterns of interaction useful for evaluating the scale of alliance and warfare in central Arizona. We find, contrary to the expectations of regional scale alliances, that the ceramic exchange networks segregated some populations previously proposed to have been aligned, while integrating groups thought previously to have been enemies. The ceramic data indicate alliances and hostilities at a relatively local scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, the academic discipline of the New Archaeology has largely thought of the people of the American Southwest in small-scale, regional, ahistorical, and cross-cultural terms.1 Changes in contemporary historiography, especially the rise of a new world or global history (and world-system analyses), are now affecting archaeological (and anthropological) thinking, and the result is a historically-oriented sociology and archaeology of the indigenous Southwest that views regional groups in continental, and even, hemispheric terms. Thus the impact of Mesoamerica in general, and western Mexico in particular, on the American Southwest is becoming a common topic of current archaeological studies. The concern of this essay will be first, to summarize briefly these historiographical trends, then argue generally for the Mesoamerican (and western Mexican) connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agronomy Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Recently, Berg and Kenyhercz (2017) developed a free web‐based software package, (hu)MANid, that classifies mandibles by ancestry and sex based on either linear or mixture discriminant analysis of 11 osteometric and six morphoscopic variables. The metric and morphoscopic variables assessed using (hu)MANid have been determined to be highly replicable, however, few external validation studies have been conducted. Materials and Methods: This article provides a test of the (hu)MANid analytical software using an independent sample (n = 52) of Native American mandibles from the Great Lakes region to investigate the accuracy of the program for identifying this important demographic group. Results: When processed using linear discriminant analysis in (hu)MANid, 82.7% of the mandibles (43/52) were correctly classified as Native American. When processed using mixture discriminant analysis in (hu)MANid, 67.3% of the mandibles (35/52) were correctly classified as Native American. The difference in accuracy between the methods is not statistically significant. Discussion: Our results suggest (hu)MANid is an accurate tool for anthropologists attempting to determine whether skeletal remains are Native American when establishing forensic significance, creating a biological profile, and conducting work associated with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Research Highlights: This article examines the ability of the (hu)MANid statistical platform to accurately determine the ancestry of Native American mandibles using a sample of 52 mandibles from archeological sites in eastern Wisconsin.(hu)MANid correctly classified 82.7% of mandibles using linear discriminant analysis and 67.3% of mandibles using mixture discriminant analysis.These results suggest the method is useful for osteologists working to comply with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act as well as in forensic science applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers condition natural and human ecosystems, providing fertile soils and water for irrigation and consumption in rural and urban uses. However, the intensification of human activities and inherent environmental conditions (e.g., topography, slope or climate) are changing the sustainability of fluvial soil ecosystems. This is problematic, especially in the Mediterranean belt, because of a lack of studies at the regional scale that evaluates soils traditionally associated with rivers such as the "Fluvisols" (IUSS‐WRB). Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to understand the current status of fluvial soils in the Málaga province (Southern Spain) within the Mediterranean belt considering: (1) different thematic maps; (2) soil profiles; and (3) a soil quality index. Fluvisols of the region were assessed using fieldwork, extensive soil data sources and soil profiles including specific information on soil physicochemical properties and crossing environmental conditions. A total of 195.22 km2 of fluvisols can be found in Málaga. About 42.5% of the fluvisols are used for human activities such as agriculture (rainfed and irrigation fields, or woody crops such as olives or vineyards), mining, industries and services, urban areas or reservoirs. More than 58% of the fluvisols are located in the warmest territories registering the highest evapotranspiration rates and lowest rainfall amount. The soil quality index reaches lower scores for the fluvisols having mean values of 0.58 (1 = maximum possible score). We conclude that the characterization from a regional scale shed light on the current status of the fluvisols and possible responses against human impacts and river evolution dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oldest macaw specimen in Pre‐Hispanic Mexico and the southwestern United States was recovered in Cueva de Avendaños, Chihuahua, Mexico, at the base of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It dates to the Late Archaic/Early Agricultural period (1929–2057 cal BP). The head is the only preserved element of the macaw and it was mummified through natural causes. Research on this specimen examines its sex identification and its geographical range, questioning whether this specimen belongs to a local population living in the vicinity of the cave. A species distribution model over the last 2000 years was elaborated to ascertain the presence of military macaw in the study area. Our results show that the macaw was non‐local, sustaining the idea that the practice of early animal husbandry existed in the early stages of the Pre‐Hispanic world, and also suggest that a significant and rapid climate changes characterized the Holocene, affecting the military macaw's distributional range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the Han dynasty's imperial expansion to the west, Xinjiang became a frontier region for political negotiation, military conflict, and cultural contact. The recent excavation at Shichengzi military fort has rendered an opportunity to examine animal exploitation in the empire's frontiers. The results of our zooarchaeological analysis suggest that meat production primarily relied on caprines and cattle. Horses, donkeys, and camels were exploited for labor. Pig husbandry was a novel addition to the local agropastoral regime, and pork became a signature food particular to the identity of the garrison community. A "meat‐not‐milk" dietary preference also underscores this cultural identity. Animal exploitation was a combined result of subsistence adaptation and military reinforcement. Our work further highlights the tension between the flexible husbandry strategy adapted to the new environment and the conservative culinary attitude held by immigrants toward certain new foods. This case study helps contextualize the interaction and integration of different ways of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Andes, there are several pre‐Hispanic irrigation networks with structures destined for water storage. However, it has not been widely discussed in archaeological research. This is probably due to their being difficult to identify. The aim of this study is to explore the use of diatom assemblage analysis as a methodological tool suitable to help in the identification and characterization of these ancient hydraulic structures. We analyzed two archaeological structures interpreted as water reservoirs from north‐western Argentina (EH1 in Antofagasta de la Sierra and U‐88R1 in Yocavil) and compared them to current reservoirs. The diatom species composition and the changes in the dominant ecological groups in the studied structures highlight different periods of hydraulic behavior. EH1 contained and stored water, but there were periods of time in which there was a lack of use or abandonment of the structure. However, the U88‐R1 structure does not have diatom evidence of containing standing water for a prolonged time but presence of wet soils. Thus, the structure could have been used for other water management strategies. The results show that diatom analysis is a methodological tool with a high potential to study ancestral hydrotechnologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare system is the bearer of treating the wounded and the victims of earthquakes. The functional integrity of the healthcare system is critical to the process of postearthquake medical rescue. Thus, the requirements for seismic resilience of the medical functions of the healthcare systems are increasing. Many studies have applied resilience research to address critical issues in the medical rescue of postearthquake casualties, such as medical diagnosis, emergency surgery, and intensive care. However, systematic construction is still lacking. System resilience is one of the most promising systemic management theories with great potential to address the abovementioned challenges. This article puts forward a scientific concept that system resilience can improve the efficiency of earthquake relief in medical rescue. Firstly, a scientific review of medical demand and medical resilience was conducted, summarizing resilience and resilience of healthcare system concepts. In addition, the postearthquake medical demand was reviewed, and the classification and distribution probability of postearthquake injuries were summarized. Furthermore, by reviewing the postearthquake medical rescue process, the weak points of each medical link were summarized. Combined with the key points in the medical rescue process, the application of resilience studies in the medical system is reviewed, and the progress of medical resilience is illustrated. In summary, combined with medical demand, the article provides some guidance for the deep integration between medical rescue processes and medical resilience and identifies the challenges of system resilience to reduce the waiting time of the injured future medical rescue in the earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT What was it like to live during a time of social transformation? To live during the culture changes and depopulation at the end of the Classic Mimbres period, ca. 1130 C.E.? As part of the Archaeology of the Human Experience we address these questions with an evidence-based account of what people did and how the changes affected their lives. Where possible and reasonable, we make people the subjects of our sentences. This approach leads to the conclusions that most changes-such as the end of a land tenure system-affected different people in different ways. The approach also raises questions about what happened to the artists when their artistic tradition ended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]