Archaeological and paleoenvironmental data are integrated in an investigation of culture change among the Anasazi of the American Southwest by a conceptual model of the interaction among environment, population, and behavior, the major determinants of human adaptive systems. Geological, palynological, and dendrochronological reconstructions of low and high frequency environmental variability coupled with population trends are used to specify periods of regional population-resource stress that should have elicited behavioral responses. Examination of these periods elucidates the range of responses employed and clarifies the adaptive contributions of mobility, shift of settlement location, subsistence mix, exchange, ceremonialism, agricultural intensification, and territoriality. These results help differentiate responses that are triggered by environmental variability from those stimulated primarily by demographic or sociocultural factors. These analyses also demonstrate the adaptive importance of amplitude, frequency, temporal, spatial, and durational aspects of environmental variability compared to the commonly invoked but simplistic contrast between “favorable” and “unfavorable” conditions.
Examination of coprolites excavated from archaeological sites in the Americas demonstrates excellent preservation of helminth eggs and, in some cases, larvae. To gain an understanding of helminth parasitism in prehistory on the Colorado Plateau of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, 319 coprolites from 5 archaeological sites were analyzed. Helminth eggs and larvae were recovered after the coprolites were rehydrated, screened, and sedimented. At a sixth site, soils excavated from 5 rooms used as latrine areas were processed with palynological techniques. The results indicate that all but 1 of the prehistoric populations examined were infected with intestinal worms. The helminths implicated are Enterobius vermicularis, Trichuris trichiura, cf. Ascaris lumbricoides, cf. Trichostrongylus sp., cf. Strongyloides sp., taeniid cestodes, and hymenolepidid cestodes. The study suggests that prehistoric hunter-gatherer peoples carried fewer helminth parasites than agriculturalists. At 1 site, it appears that increased helminth parasitism preceded abandonment of the village. In North America, some of the first analyses were done in the Great Basin of Nevada and northwestern Utah (Fig. 1) The report presented below, of analyses of coprolites from the Colorado Plateau, doubles the total number of coprolites that have been analyzed for helminth remains from the western states. The coprolite samples represent both prehistoric hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists. The analyses constitute a significant contribution to our knowledge of parasitism in the prehistory of the American Southwest. MATERIALS AND METHODSThree hundred nineteen coprolites, as well as soil samples, were examined from 6 sites ( For the purposes ofhelminthological study, only 0.5-g samples were rehydrated from each coprolite. Before the samples were taken, the coprolites were examined for evidence of bore holes through which nematodes from the surrounding environment may have entered the feces. All coprolites were rehydrated in a 0.5% trisodium phosphate solution. To ensure rehydration, the coprolites were completely immersed in the solution for a minimum of 48 hr and a maximum of 72 hr. After 24 hr, acetic formalin alcohol was added to each rehydrating coprolite to retard fungal and bacterial decomposition. Disaggregation of the rehydrated coprolites was usually accomplished by washing the material with a jet of distilled water. In many cases, high fiber content of the feces impaired disaggregation. In these cases, the feces were disaggregated with a magnetic stirrer. After disaggregation, the feces were screened with distilled water through 0.95-mm and 0.5-mm screens. The fluid that passed through the screens was centrifuged to concentrate microscopic remains containing helminth eggs. The microscopic remains were transferred to vials in acetic formalin alcohol and allowed to settle. After sedimentation, the upper levels of the remains were pipetted onto microscopic slides, mounted in glycerol, and scanned for the presence of eggs or larvae. Three prepara...
Convergent archeological, geological, palynological, dendrochronological, and radiometric data provide a paleoenvironmental record for the American Southwest at a level of detail and time resolution not previously achieved. Many prehistoric cultural and demographic changes on the Colorado Plateaus coincided with environmental fluctuations defined by precisely dated geoclimatic and bioclimatic indicators. These coincidences support the interpretation that socioeconomic changes and population displacements were commonly triggered by environmental stress.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.