In his paper “Neolithic population and summed probability distribution of C-dates” Torfing opposes the widely held principle originally proposed by Rick (1987) that variation through time in the amount of archaeological material discovered in a region will reflect variation in the size of that local human population. His argument illustrates a persistent divide in archaeology between analytical...

Models accounting for social complexity on the Northwest Coast stress intensification of animal resources, especially salmon. Faunal records from the past 6,500 years on the southern Northwest Coast, however, indicate sustainable use, rather than intensification of salmon. Recent research demonstrating a significant role for, and cultivation of, plant resources, likewise challenges existing mod...

s of Papers to be Presented at USC, 2014 Process of the Appearance of the Standardized Tumuli (kofun) in Third Century Northern Kanto, Eastern Japan DOI Shohei, Ph.D. Candidate in History (Archaeology), Meiji U. This paper explores the process behind the appearance of the highly standardized tumuli or kofun in third century northern Kanto region, eastern Japan. It has previously been a well-acc...

The fats, protein and carbohydrates afforded by tree nuts fruits are key resources for communities from Southeast Asia, through Melanesia, Australia across Oceania. They important in long-distance marine trade networks, large-scale ceremonial gatherings, core a wide range of subsistence economies, including foraging systems, horticulture swidden agriculture. Recent archaeobotanical evidence has...

Adze quarries and sources are some of the most visible, unique well-preserved Polynesian archaeological sites where stone technology, intensification production, other aspects economy, social organisation ritual practices anchored together on landscape. The production exchange adzes associated with complex interaction networks connecting islands archipelagos up to 4000 km distant making amongst...

The archaeological use of images and data obtained through devices carried on mobile platforms (such as airplanes satellites) is already one century old. Today, aerial photography remote sensing are routinely used to capture, process analyse evidence present the surface earth, which reflected in a large body literature—see Bewley (1999), Corsi et al. (2013), Palmer Cox (1993), Piccarreta Ceraud...

While rice is one of the world’s most important and productive staple foods, it is highly diversified in uses and varieties, including East and Southeast Asian sticky (or glutinous) forms. While stickiness to some degree can be achieved by cooking methods, true sticky (or waxy) rice is the result of a genetic mutation that causes a loss of amylose starch in favour of high amylopectin content. T...

While the study and interpretation of mortuary practices have long been important parts of archaeological analyses, rarely has residential burial – the practice of burying the deceased in and around houses – been a specific focus of investigation. Here, we examine some of the global contexts in which residential burial has occurred and discuss the different ways that archaeologists have interpr...

Laura Bennett, Wichita State University Determining Burn Patterns Various studies and experiments were carried out to examine to what extent the skeletal remains of a burned body can provide information regarding the origin of a fire and the travel pattern of a fire. A secondary objective of this research project addressed a common conclusion that the human cranium will explode, once subjected ...

There are more areas of overlap as well as distinction between the Reduction Sequence and Chaîne Opératoire methods of archaeological analysis than the current debate recognizes. While methodological differences have been acknowledged, high-level theory differs to a greater degree than is currently appreciated, partly due to the social practice of archaeology in different contexts. This paper c...