Obsidian Across the Americas

Obsidian Across the Americas

Author: Gary M. Feinman

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd

Published: 2022-12-08

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1803273615

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This volume draws attention to recent obsidian studies in the Americas and acts as a reference for archaeologists and scholars interested in material culture and exchange. Moreover, it provides a wide range of case studies in obsidian characterization, material application, and theoretical interpretations in the Americas.


Book Synopsis Obsidian Across the Americas by : Gary M. Feinman

Download or read book Obsidian Across the Americas written by Gary M. Feinman and published by Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2022-12-08 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume draws attention to recent obsidian studies in the Americas and acts as a reference for archaeologists and scholars interested in material culture and exchange. Moreover, it provides a wide range of case studies in obsidian characterization, material application, and theoretical interpretations in the Americas.


Obsidian

Obsidian

Author: M. Steven Shackley

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 2022-07-12

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 0816550034

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Obsidian was long valued by ancient peoples as a raw material for producing stone tools, and archaeologists have increasingly come to view obsidian studies as a crucial aid in understanding the past. Steven Shackley now shows how the geochemical and contextual analyses of archaeological obsidian can be applied to the interpretation of social and economic organization in the ancient Southwest. This book, the capstone of decades of investigation, integrates a wealth of obsidian research in one volume. It covers advances in analytical chemistry and field petrology that have enhanced our understanding of obsidian source heterogeneity, presents the most recent data on and interpretations of archaeological obsidian sources in the Southwest, and explores the ethnohistorical and contemporary background for obsidian use in indigenous societies. Shackley provides a thorough examination of the geological origin of obsidian in the region and the methods used to collect raw material and determine its chemical composition, and descriptions of obsidian sources throughout the Southwest. He then describes the occurrence of obsidian artifacts and shows how their geochemical fingerprints allow archaeologists to make conclusions regarding the procurement of obsidian. The book presents three groundbreaking applications of obsidian source studies. It first discusses an application to early Preceramic groups, showing how obsidian sources can reflect the range they inhabited over time as well as their social relationships during the Archaic period. It then offers an examination of the Late Classic Salado in Arizona’s Tonto Basin, where obsidian data, along with ceramic and architectural evidence, suggest that Mogollon migrants lived in economic and social harmony with the Hohokam, all the while maintaining relationships with their homeland. Finally, it provides an intensive look at social identity and gender differences in the Preclassic Hohokam of central Arizona, where obsidian source provenance and projectile point styles suggest that male Hohokam sought to create a stylistically defined identity in at least three areas of the Hohokam core area. These male “sodalities” were organized quite differently from female ceramic production groups. Today, obsidian research in the American Southwest enjoys an equal standing with ceramic, faunal, and floral studies as a method of revealing social process and change in prehistory. Shackley’s book discusses the ways in which archaeologists should approach obsidian research, no matter what the region, offering a thorough survey of archaeological obsidian studies that will have methodological and theoretical applications worldwide. The volume includes an extensive glossary created specifically for archaeologists.


Book Synopsis Obsidian by : M. Steven Shackley

Download or read book Obsidian written by M. Steven Shackley and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2022-07-12 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Obsidian was long valued by ancient peoples as a raw material for producing stone tools, and archaeologists have increasingly come to view obsidian studies as a crucial aid in understanding the past. Steven Shackley now shows how the geochemical and contextual analyses of archaeological obsidian can be applied to the interpretation of social and economic organization in the ancient Southwest. This book, the capstone of decades of investigation, integrates a wealth of obsidian research in one volume. It covers advances in analytical chemistry and field petrology that have enhanced our understanding of obsidian source heterogeneity, presents the most recent data on and interpretations of archaeological obsidian sources in the Southwest, and explores the ethnohistorical and contemporary background for obsidian use in indigenous societies. Shackley provides a thorough examination of the geological origin of obsidian in the region and the methods used to collect raw material and determine its chemical composition, and descriptions of obsidian sources throughout the Southwest. He then describes the occurrence of obsidian artifacts and shows how their geochemical fingerprints allow archaeologists to make conclusions regarding the procurement of obsidian. The book presents three groundbreaking applications of obsidian source studies. It first discusses an application to early Preceramic groups, showing how obsidian sources can reflect the range they inhabited over time as well as their social relationships during the Archaic period. It then offers an examination of the Late Classic Salado in Arizona’s Tonto Basin, where obsidian data, along with ceramic and architectural evidence, suggest that Mogollon migrants lived in economic and social harmony with the Hohokam, all the while maintaining relationships with their homeland. Finally, it provides an intensive look at social identity and gender differences in the Preclassic Hohokam of central Arizona, where obsidian source provenance and projectile point styles suggest that male Hohokam sought to create a stylistically defined identity in at least three areas of the Hohokam core area. These male “sodalities” were organized quite differently from female ceramic production groups. Today, obsidian research in the American Southwest enjoys an equal standing with ceramic, faunal, and floral studies as a method of revealing social process and change in prehistory. Shackley’s book discusses the ways in which archaeologists should approach obsidian research, no matter what the region, offering a thorough survey of archaeological obsidian studies that will have methodological and theoretical applications worldwide. The volume includes an extensive glossary created specifically for archaeologists.


Obsidian Ancient Glass Artifacts from Western North America

Obsidian Ancient Glass Artifacts from Western North America

Author: F. Scott Crawford

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2018-12-28

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 9781731489401

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When ancient people around the world discovered the volcanic natural glass which we know as obsidian, they immediately began to make their hunting weapons and food processing tools from this beautiful and useful stone. Obsidian is brittle so it breaks easily into manageable size. It breaks to a sharp edge ... down to the molecular level. No man-made material provides a sharper edge. So, it cuts and slices, it shreds and dices. Obsidian is tough enough to use as projectile points for hunting purposes. Whether on the business end of a hand-held lance or a throwing javelin or on the tip of a smaller throwing dart propelled powerfully by an "atlatl" or on the "pointy end" of a smaller stick or reed as an arrow shot from a bow. In the pages of "OBSIDIAN ~ Ancient Glass Artifacts From Western North America ~ " you will see dozens of different style natural glass projectile points, knives and hunting tools made from many forms and colors of obsidian. All of these are ancient, authentic artifacts collected over many decades across the western regions of North America. The finders, locations and times when these were discovered is provided, as much as is known. Some of these obsidian artifacts are thousands of years old, made during the Paleo Period, at the end of the last "Ice Age" and some were used as recently as 150 to 200 years ago during the late Historic Phase, which lasted up until the mid-1800's in the Great Basin and the Pacific Northwest. Full color photography throughout. 280 pages. "OBSIDIAN ~ Ancient Glass Artifacts From Western North America ~ "


Book Synopsis Obsidian Ancient Glass Artifacts from Western North America by : F. Scott Crawford

Download or read book Obsidian Ancient Glass Artifacts from Western North America written by F. Scott Crawford and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-12-28 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When ancient people around the world discovered the volcanic natural glass which we know as obsidian, they immediately began to make their hunting weapons and food processing tools from this beautiful and useful stone. Obsidian is brittle so it breaks easily into manageable size. It breaks to a sharp edge ... down to the molecular level. No man-made material provides a sharper edge. So, it cuts and slices, it shreds and dices. Obsidian is tough enough to use as projectile points for hunting purposes. Whether on the business end of a hand-held lance or a throwing javelin or on the tip of a smaller throwing dart propelled powerfully by an "atlatl" or on the "pointy end" of a smaller stick or reed as an arrow shot from a bow. In the pages of "OBSIDIAN ~ Ancient Glass Artifacts From Western North America ~ " you will see dozens of different style natural glass projectile points, knives and hunting tools made from many forms and colors of obsidian. All of these are ancient, authentic artifacts collected over many decades across the western regions of North America. The finders, locations and times when these were discovered is provided, as much as is known. Some of these obsidian artifacts are thousands of years old, made during the Paleo Period, at the end of the last "Ice Age" and some were used as recently as 150 to 200 years ago during the late Historic Phase, which lasted up until the mid-1800's in the Great Basin and the Pacific Northwest. Full color photography throughout. 280 pages. "OBSIDIAN ~ Ancient Glass Artifacts From Western North America ~ "


Obsidian Projectile Point Conveyance Patterns in the Lower Humboldt Valley, Nevada

Obsidian Projectile Point Conveyance Patterns in the Lower Humboldt Valley, Nevada

Author: Richard Edward Hughes

Publisher:

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Despite their ubiquity, surface occurrences of obsidian artifacts at archaeological sites throughout western North America have traditionally been viewed as unworthy of serious attention because of the difficulty in dating them. In the past 40 years, the time sensitivity of certain Great Basin projectile point types has been established, which brings the importance of surface collections more center stage. With the coming of age and refinement of geochemical methods, obsidian artifacts from these surface sites can now be analyzed using nondestructive instrumental methods and matched to their geological eruptive origin on the basis of congruence in trace and rare earth element chemistry. Many of these surface assemblages in the Great Basin contain considerable numbers of obsidian projectile points that, when matched to their chemical source of origin, open up entirely new ways to investigate change and continuity in past land use and social relations. The present study was conducted in the lower Humboldt Valley of western Nevada, where large numbers of obsidian projectile points have been collected by professional archaeologists over the past century and housed in academic institutions and museums. In this study, more than 900 obsidian projectile points and bifaces were analyzed from 24 sites and localities within the lower Humboldt Valley using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) to bring data to bear on the question of whether changes in obsidian source use occurred there over the past 5000 years (as determined by time-sensitive projectile points). Significant changes were identified in the direction and distance-to-source of arrow points vs. dart points, and in the source and direction of Humboldt series points and of Humboldt Basal-notched bifaces, which implicate directional shifts through time in social relations among peoples using--and during some periods living at sites in--the lower Humboldt Valley. These results provide independent data to evaluate current views about land use, artifact conveyance, social relations, and technological change in the western Great Basin and beyond--


Book Synopsis Obsidian Projectile Point Conveyance Patterns in the Lower Humboldt Valley, Nevada by : Richard Edward Hughes

Download or read book Obsidian Projectile Point Conveyance Patterns in the Lower Humboldt Valley, Nevada written by Richard Edward Hughes and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite their ubiquity, surface occurrences of obsidian artifacts at archaeological sites throughout western North America have traditionally been viewed as unworthy of serious attention because of the difficulty in dating them. In the past 40 years, the time sensitivity of certain Great Basin projectile point types has been established, which brings the importance of surface collections more center stage. With the coming of age and refinement of geochemical methods, obsidian artifacts from these surface sites can now be analyzed using nondestructive instrumental methods and matched to their geological eruptive origin on the basis of congruence in trace and rare earth element chemistry. Many of these surface assemblages in the Great Basin contain considerable numbers of obsidian projectile points that, when matched to their chemical source of origin, open up entirely new ways to investigate change and continuity in past land use and social relations. The present study was conducted in the lower Humboldt Valley of western Nevada, where large numbers of obsidian projectile points have been collected by professional archaeologists over the past century and housed in academic institutions and museums. In this study, more than 900 obsidian projectile points and bifaces were analyzed from 24 sites and localities within the lower Humboldt Valley using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) to bring data to bear on the question of whether changes in obsidian source use occurred there over the past 5000 years (as determined by time-sensitive projectile points). Significant changes were identified in the direction and distance-to-source of arrow points vs. dart points, and in the source and direction of Humboldt series points and of Humboldt Basal-notched bifaces, which implicate directional shifts through time in social relations among peoples using--and during some periods living at sites in--the lower Humboldt Valley. These results provide independent data to evaluate current views about land use, artifact conveyance, social relations, and technological change in the western Great Basin and beyond--


Crossing the Straits

Crossing the Straits

Author: Yaroslav V. Kuzmin

Publisher: British Archaeological Reports Limited

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 9781407306940

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Proceedings of a symposium held in 2005 during the 70th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Salt Lake City, Utah.


Book Synopsis Crossing the Straits by : Yaroslav V. Kuzmin

Download or read book Crossing the Straits written by Yaroslav V. Kuzmin and published by British Archaeological Reports Limited. This book was released on 2010 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proceedings of a symposium held in 2005 during the 70th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Salt Lake City, Utah.


Mesoamerican Lithic Technology

Mesoamerican Lithic Technology

Author: Kenn Hirth

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 378

ISBN-13:

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Any overview of prehispanic society in the Americas would identify its obsidian core-blade production as a unique and highly inventive technology. Normally termed prismatic blades, these long, parallel-sided flakes are among the sharpest cutting tools ever produced by humans. Their standardized form permitted interchangeable use, and such blades became the cutting tool of choice throughout Mesoamerica between 600-800 B.C. Because considerable production skill is required, increased demand may have stimulated the appearance of craft specialists who played an integral role in Mesoamerican society. Some investigators have argued that control over obsidian also had a significant effect on the development and organization of chiefdom and state-level societies. While researchers have long recognized the potential of obsidian studies, recent work has focused primarily on compositional analysis to reconstruct trade and distribution networks. Study of blade production has received much less attention, and many aspects of this highly evolved craft are still lost. This volume seeks to identify current research questions in Mesoamerican lithic technology and to demonstrate that replication studies coupled with experimental research design are valuable analytical approaches to such questions.


Book Synopsis Mesoamerican Lithic Technology by : Kenn Hirth

Download or read book Mesoamerican Lithic Technology written by Kenn Hirth and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Any overview of prehispanic society in the Americas would identify its obsidian core-blade production as a unique and highly inventive technology. Normally termed prismatic blades, these long, parallel-sided flakes are among the sharpest cutting tools ever produced by humans. Their standardized form permitted interchangeable use, and such blades became the cutting tool of choice throughout Mesoamerica between 600-800 B.C. Because considerable production skill is required, increased demand may have stimulated the appearance of craft specialists who played an integral role in Mesoamerican society. Some investigators have argued that control over obsidian also had a significant effect on the development and organization of chiefdom and state-level societies. While researchers have long recognized the potential of obsidian studies, recent work has focused primarily on compositional analysis to reconstruct trade and distribution networks. Study of blade production has received much less attention, and many aspects of this highly evolved craft are still lost. This volume seeks to identify current research questions in Mesoamerican lithic technology and to demonstrate that replication studies coupled with experimental research design are valuable analytical approaches to such questions.


The Archaeology of Obsidian Occurrence in Stone Tool Manufacture and Use Along the Mid-Columbia River, Washington

The Archaeology of Obsidian Occurrence in Stone Tool Manufacture and Use Along the Mid-Columbia River, Washington

Author: Sonja C. Kassa

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis The Archaeology of Obsidian Occurrence in Stone Tool Manufacture and Use Along the Mid-Columbia River, Washington by : Sonja C. Kassa

Download or read book The Archaeology of Obsidian Occurrence in Stone Tool Manufacture and Use Along the Mid-Columbia River, Washington written by Sonja C. Kassa and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin

Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin

Author: Richard Edward Hughes

Publisher:

Published: 1984

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin by : Richard Edward Hughes

Download or read book Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin written by Richard Edward Hughes and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Pathways to Prismatic Blades

Pathways to Prismatic Blades

Author: Bradford Andrews

Publisher: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press

Published: 2002-12-01

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 193877079X

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This volume explores the social and economic processes involved in the manufacture of obsidian prismatic blades, one of the sharpest cutting instruments ever produced in the prehistoric world. Focusing on ancient Mesoamerica, contributors examine the variation in the way the blades were manufactured and the causes behind their variation.


Book Synopsis Pathways to Prismatic Blades by : Bradford Andrews

Download or read book Pathways to Prismatic Blades written by Bradford Andrews and published by Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press. This book was released on 2002-12-01 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the social and economic processes involved in the manufacture of obsidian prismatic blades, one of the sharpest cutting instruments ever produced in the prehistoric world. Focusing on ancient Mesoamerica, contributors examine the variation in the way the blades were manufactured and the causes behind their variation.


Prehistoric Exchange Systems in North America

Prehistoric Exchange Systems in North America

Author: Timothy G. Baugh

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 1475762313

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In this unique volume, archaeologists examine the changing economic structure of trade in North America over a period of 6,000 years. Organined by geographical and chronological divisions, each chapter focuses on trade in one of nine regions from the Arachiac through the late prehistoric period. Each contribution explores neighboring areas to llustrate the complexity of North American exchange. By charting the econmic structure of these regions, archaeologists, economic anthropologists, and economic geographers gain greater insight into the dynamics of North American trade and exchange on a continental wide basis.


Book Synopsis Prehistoric Exchange Systems in North America by : Timothy G. Baugh

Download or read book Prehistoric Exchange Systems in North America written by Timothy G. Baugh and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this unique volume, archaeologists examine the changing economic structure of trade in North America over a period of 6,000 years. Organined by geographical and chronological divisions, each chapter focuses on trade in one of nine regions from the Arachiac through the late prehistoric period. Each contribution explores neighboring areas to llustrate the complexity of North American exchange. By charting the econmic structure of these regions, archaeologists, economic anthropologists, and economic geographers gain greater insight into the dynamics of North American trade and exchange on a continental wide basis.