Towards a Chronology of Brownware Pottery in the Western Great Basin: A Case Study from Owens Valley

Eerkens, Jelmer W.

doi:10.2190/uh2w-muxh-59ga-8vn7

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In SOV this was a direct-rimmed pot, with relatively thick and smoothed walls and more organic temper and mica (Eerkens, 2003b). In Death Valley these pots were bowled with a recurved and relatively thick rim.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional technological analyses of the direct-rim sherds before and after AD 1650, as well as additional luminescence dating, may help resolve this issue. In particular, this may indicate the shift from thicker to more thin-walled pots (Eerkens, 2003b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, there appears to be experimentation and innovation in pot form throughout the late prehistoric period. For example, Eerkens (2003b) showed that the earliest pots in southern Owens Valley, those dating older than 450 BP, are generally over 7.0 mm thick, often contain mica, more frequently have organic temper, and are usually smoothed on their exterior surfaces. Between 300 and 450 BP pots become somewhat thinner (ca.…”

Section: Western Great Basin Potterymentioning

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: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Western Great Basin Potterymentioning

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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“…Others have not previously used this ratio due to the known fact that the rate of degradation is correlated to the degree of saturation. Many researchers (deMan, 1992;Eerkens, 2003aEerkens, ,b, 2005 have mentioned that the rate of oxidation between C18:0 and C18:2 varies by 1:1200 at 100 C and thus might provide misleading evidence. Due to this reason this ratio is usually not considered in ratio studies.…”

Section: Discussion/conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of prehistoric artifacts via fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) techniques using modern environmental stewardship

Koirala

Rosentreter

2009

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Both forms have relatively open mouths that allow heat to escape through the mouth and provide easy access to the contents. Also, both display thin walls between 5 and 7 mm that facilitate transfer of heat, although pots get thinner through time (Eerkens 2003a). These characteristics, along with the presence of rough exterior surfaces that increase the surface area, and mineral temper that facilitates heat transfer, suggest that pots were designed to withstand repeated cycles of heating and cooling.…”

Section: Great Basin Pots and Previous Functional Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gc–ms Analysis and Fatty Acid Ratios of Archaeological Potsherds From the Western Great Basin of North America*

Eerkens

2005

Archaeometry

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The study of organic residues in archaeological pottery has focused on fatty acids due to their relative stability and longevity. However, even these compounds are subject to degradation, which makes assignment of residues to original foods problematic. This paper suggests that the use of ratios of fatty acids that degrade at roughly the same rate can be useful to identify very general categories of foods. It compares independent information on pot function based on ethnography and engineering/technological studies to that reconstructed based on extracted fatty acid ratios. The results support the notion that Great Basin pots were used primarily to boil seeds and that pot shape and pot function were related.

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Towards a Chronology of Brownware Pottery in the Western Great Basin: A Case Study from Owens Valley

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 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

Examination of prehistoric artifacts via fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) techniques using modern environmental stewardship

Gc–ms Analysis and Fatty Acid Ratios of Archaeological Potsherds From the Western Great Basin of North America*

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