Residential Mobility and Pottery Use in the Western Great Basin

Eerkens, Jelmer W.

doi:10.1086/379262

Cited by 64 publications

(53 citation statements)

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“…AD 1850 in the western Great Basin). Second, following contact, there was a general replacement of earthenware pots with metal containers, such as cast-iron pots (Eerkens, 2003a). Both of these factors then serve to confound the detection of laggards in our sample.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A tale of two technologies: Prehistoric diffusion of pottery innovations among hunter-gatherers

Eerkens

Lipo

2014

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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a b s t r a c tWe examine the diffusion of a successful and an unsuccessful innovation among hunter-gatherers in the western Great Basin, using a diffusion of innovation model. Modern and historical studies on the diffusion of innovations suggest that diffusion processes follow S-shaped curves, with small numbers of early adopters, followed by more rapid uptick in the rate of diffusion as the majority adopt a technology, concluding again with small numbers of late-adopting laggards. Distributions of luminescence dates on surface-collected pottery sherds show that the technology had a long period of experimentation. Beginning about AD 1000, direct-rimmed pots were introduced in Southern Owens Valley and were used in small numbers over hundreds of years. Likewise, around AD 1350 pots with recurved rims were introduced in Death Valley and were also used in small numbers. Around AD 1550 the direct-rimmed technology diffused to the east, to China Lake and Death Valley, where it was rapidly adopted. By contrast, recurved-rim technologies were abandoned, a failed innovation. Our data suggest that prehistoric pottery diffusions follow a similar S-shaped curve, but that diffusion among hunter-gatherers happens at a much slower rate, over centuries instead of decades.Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. IntroductionOne of the key components of human technology is information, and the means by which such information spreads among potential users. Anthropologists, especially archaeologists, have long made variation in technology a major focus of research. The archaeological record documents a remarkable and diverse range of technologies over time and across space. It is clear that technology, much more so than human biology, has been the major force in the spread of humans across the globe, promoting occupation of even the harshest of arctic, desert, and high altitude environments.One long-standing pursuit of archaeologists is the identification of the oldest instance of a particular technology (e.g., Kuttruff et al., 1998;Pinhasi et al., 2010) since it is assumed that these events mark important inventions in human evolution (e.g., oldest fire, oldest tools) and their recognition contributes to national pride (e.g., oldest noodle). However, documenting the oldest often erroneously treats technological innovation as a single instance of human ingenuity (i.e., the ''solitary genius''), rather than placing technology in a broader evolutionary context. A similar argument can be made regarding the youngest, or last, instance of a technology (i.e., its extinction). As Basalla (1988) has argued, changes in technology are contingent since technological innovation continually borrows ideas and materials from other domains. The evolution of technologies, then, focuses on issues such as the technological environment and context of innovation, recombination and inheritance, the production and winnowing of technological variation, and rates of technological change (Henrich, 2001).Such an approach is common among scholars of contem...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2) provide an opportunity to study such processes. Past work has documented the role of pottery in plant processing and cooking (Eerkens, 2003a(Eerkens, , 2004(Eerkens, , 2005, but less is known about the timing and development of pottery in this region.…”

Section: Western Great Basin Potterymentioning

confidence: 99%

A tale of two technologies: Prehistoric diffusion of pottery innovations among hunter-gatherers

Eerkens

Lipo

2014

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

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“…Hasta hace pocos años esta noción se mantuvo con leves modificaciones al definir el Período Prehispánico Tardío (ca. 1100-300 AP) por la presencia de "comunidades productoras de alimentos", "sociedades agrícolas a pequeña escala", "formativas" o con una "estrategia predominante agrícola", donde la caza y la recolección eran sólo actividades complementarias (Berberián 1999;Berberián y Roldán 2001, 2003Medina y Pastor 2006).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…En este sentido, se trata de objetos explotados por debajo de su potencial que comúnmente se abandonan en los campamentos-base para ser reutilizados nuevamente a lo largo de las sucesivas reocupaciones (Eerkens 2003;Graham 1994;Stevenson 1982).…”

Section: Categoría De Sitio Frecuencia De Ocupación Duración De La Ocunclassified

“Es gente fazil de moverse de una parte a otra”. Diversidad en las estrategias de subsistencia y movilidad prehispánicas tardías (Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina)

2014

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“…No es posible aventurar un número mínimo de vasijas; pero resulta poco probable que representen más de una. Las particularidades y estandarización de los fragmentos sugieren que en su diseño se priorizó su capacidad de transporte por sobre su capacidad volumétrica para el procesamiento de alimentos, como es esperable en un escenario de alta movilidad (Eerkens 2003).…”

Section: Alfareríaunclassified

Ocupaciones Humanas Del Holoceno Medio en Los Andes Del Norte Semiárido De Chile (31° S, Combarbalá): Función Del Sitio E Implicancias Para El Uso Regional Del Espacio

et al. 2016

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Presentamos los resultados de la investigación arqueológica de un sitio fechado hacia el Holoceno Medio en los Andes del Norte Semiárido de Chile. La escasez de este tipo de evidencias pone de relieve la importancia de dar cuenta cabal del contexto estudiado y los conjuntos ahí recuperados. Las características del sitio como una estación de tareas de tipo avistadero hacen que Techo Negro se integre de forma significativa al conjunto de información regional disponible y permite confrontarla con el actual estado de algunos modelos de ocupación que incluyen la distribución diferencial de sitios y los cambios ambientales a escala de milenios.Palabras claves: uso del espacio, ocupaciones de cordones montañosos, Holoceno Medio, Norte Semiárido de Chile. We present the results of the archaeological research of a site dated to the Mid Holocene in the Andes in a Northern

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Residential Mobility and Pottery Use in the Western Great Basin

Cited by 64 publications

References 10 publications

A tale of two technologies: Prehistoric diffusion of pottery innovations among hunter-gatherers

A tale of two technologies: Prehistoric diffusion of pottery innovations among hunter-gatherers

“Es gente fazil de moverse de una parte a otra”. Diversidad en las estrategias de subsistencia y movilidad prehispánicas tardías (Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina)

Ocupaciones Humanas Del Holoceno Medio en Los Andes Del Norte Semiárido De Chile (31° S, Combarbalá): Función Del Sitio E Implicancias Para El Uso Regional Del Espacio

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