Nomads in Archaeology: A Response to Finkelstein and Perevolotsky.

In a recent paper, Finkelstein and Perevolotsky (1990) suggest that chronological gaps in the archaeological record from the Negev and Sinai are the result of nomadization and consequential decrease in archaeological visibility. They claim that archaeology as a discipline is ineffective in dealing with the ephemeral remains left by nomads. However, using appropriate field and analytic methods, often derived from prehistoric archaeology, the archaeological remains from nomadic cultures can be, and indeed have been, discovered and analyzed, especially in the Negev and Sinai. This suggests that the gaps reflect genuine demographic declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]