Exploring World Prehistory

Exploring World preHistory

First Edition

Edited By Nicole Weigel State University of New York–Oneonta Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions Jamie Giganti, Senior Managing Editor Jess Busch, Senior Graphic Designer Lara Braff, Acquisitions Editor Michelle Piehl, Project Editor Alexa Lucido, Licensing Coordinator Claire Yee, Interior Designer

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First published in the United States of America in 2016 by Cognella, Inc.

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Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-63189-813-6 (pbk)/ 978-1-63189-814-3 (br) Contents

Introduction 1

Section One: Varied Approaches to Archaeology

Introduction 3

1. The Importance of the Past for the Present 5 Jeremy A. Sabloff Discussion Questions 13

2. Lithics and Landscape Archaeology 15 Chris Clarkson Discussion Questions 30

3. Bones of Work at the Origins of Labour 31 Theya Molleson Discussion Questions 43

4. Mayan Mortuary Deposits in the Cenotes of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, Mexico 45 Carmen Rojas Sandoval, Arturo H. González González, Alejandro Terrazas Mata, and Martha Benavente Sanvicente Discussion Questions 55 5. Perspectives on Traditional Agriculture from Rapa Nui 57 Geertrui Louwagie and Roger Langohr Discussion Questions 74

Section Two: Perspectives on Food Production

Introduction 75

6. Farming, Herding, and the Transformation of Human Landscapes in Southwestern Asia 77 Ofer Bar-Yosef Discussion Questions 95

7. Shrines of the Land and Places of Power 97 Chris Scarre Discussion Questions 111

8. Horsemeat 113 Robert Drews Discussion Questions 130

9. Chronicling Indigenous Accounts of the ‘Rise of Agriculture’ in the Americas 131 Matthew P Sayre Discussion Questions 141

Section Three: Old World Prehistory

Introduction 143

10. Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic Europe 145 Sharon R. Steadman Discussion Questions 157

11. From Africa to Mehrgarh 159 Burjor Avari Discussion Questions 173

12. The Origins of the Civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia 175 L. de Blois and R.J. van der Spek Discussion Questions 180

13. Along the Banks of the Yellow River 181 Patrick E. McGovern Discussion Questions 204

14. Empty Cups and Empty Jugs 205 James C. Wright Discussion Questions 227

Section Four: Prehistory of the New World

Introduction 229

15. Hunting in the Late Paleoindian Period 231 Renee B. Walker Discussion Questions 243

16. Rock Art, Modes of Production, and Social Identities during the Early Formative Period in the Atacama Desert 245 Francisco Gollardo and Patricio De Souza Translated by Joan Donaghey Discussion Questions 261

17. The Roles of Ballgames in Mesoamerican Ritual Economy 263 Barbara W. Fash and William L. Fash Discussion Questions 277

18. America’s First Nations and Archaeology 279 Alice Beck Kehoe Discussion Questions 296 Introduction

he field of archaeology captures the interest and imagination of many. The mere men- T tion of the word “archaeologist” often evokes images of high adventure and intrigue. Thanks to the myriad pop culture representations of the field and its practitioners, this image also frequently involves pith helmets, fedoras, and of course the occasional bull whip. Actual students of archaeology quickly learn that while real archaeological pursuits are rarely as glamorous as they appear on the big screen, what they study and how they collect information about the past—allowing us to write the story of our human history—is as every bit as fascinating as they imagined. This collection of readings is intended to provide a taste of how archaeology can be used in the quest to better understand our world’s prehistory. This book may be used on its own or as a supplement to accompany any standard text for introductory courses in archaeology, world prehistory, or ancient world cultures. The readings selected present the student with an introduction to the field of archaeology, and more specifically, allows the reader to see how archaeological concepts, theories, and methods are used in the analysis of specific sites around the world. These readings will challenge students to understand how archaeology works on a deeper level, and provide them with a richer understanding of the varied approaches used in the field today. The eighteen readings included in Exploring World Archaeology are organized into four sections, and have been chosen to reflect recent trends and some of the most significant themes in contemporary archaeology. The readings are grouped so that they may be used to correspond with specific units or be assigned individually. Following each reading are a few questions that can be used to test comprehension of the reading and to encourage discussion.

Section one, Varied Approaches to Archaeology, provides students with a survey of different theoretical and methodological approaches to archaeological fieldwork. It allows students to think about why we study archaeology in the first place, and how we go about it. Different subdisciplines are also explored in a number of different regional contexts. Lithic analysis,

1 2 | Exploring World Prehistory landscape archaeology, mortuary analysis, biological approaches, and experimental techniques are all presented through fascinating cases from around the world.

Section two, Perspectives on Food Production, presents readings on one of the most frequently studied and debated topics in the field of archaeology. This section examines a number of fascinating approaches to the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How involved in the shift from hunting and gath- ering to food production by different people across both time and space in prehistory. These readings provide explanations that go beyond the classic push-versus-pull model for domestication, and examine more deeply both the process and the people involved in this epic transition.

Section three, Old World Prehistory, provides a survey of approaches to the archaeology of Afro- Eurasia. The readings in this section focus not only on some of the classic Old World sites and civilizations, but also thoroughly cover a number of fascinating civilizations and cultural advances that do not always receive much attention in classic introductory texts. These selections look at the social impact of ancient trade, the development and significance of some of the earliest ancient fermented beverages, early transitions in settlement patterns, and the importance of understanding how contact between early civilizations helped to shape the development of prehistoric cultures.

Section four, Prehistory of the New World, focuses on a number of archaeological sites, discoveries, and issues set in North, Central, and South America. The readings in this section provide students with the opportunity to look at current approaches to a number of popular New World cultures. They will explore new approaches to classic questions about paleoindian subsistence strategies, the role of ritual in ancient culture, and the prehistoric use of art. Additionally, this section includes an exploration of some of the controversy that exists in relation to the practice of archaeology in the unique colonial context that exists in the Americas. section ONe

Varied Approaches to Archaeology

rchaeological inquiry can be influenced by a number of different fac- A tors. Different approaches to archaeological questions have unlimited potential to provide new and exciting ways of learning from and understanding our ancient human past. The readings selected for this section were chosen to illustrate what kind of information can be unlocked through the use of varied approaches to the field. Sabloff’s article, “The Importance of the Past for the Present,” provides us with a number of examples that illustrate how the approach of “action archaeology” can be used not only to answer important research questions about our human past, but also to help solve problems that are relevant to many humans in the present. Sabloff discusses how this type of approach has been used in the Garbage Project to help us learn about the impact of our material culture of con- sumption, and how current research on prehistoric agricultural techniques in the Lake Titicaca region has the potential to provide better economic circumstances for the modern-day inhabitants of the region. Another approach presented in this section combines the archaeological sub disciplines of lithic analysis and landscape archaeology. In Clarkson’s article, “Lithics and Landscape Archaeology,” the author provides evidence from the analysis of the transportation, accumulation, association, and alteration of lithic materials from a northern Australian site to illustrate the different ways ancient

3 4 | Exploring World Prehistory populations used their landscape to efficiently exploit their environment and available resources. Through this approach, the author is able to gain a deeper understanding of what we can learn about the relation- ship between populations and the various interactions they had with their surroundings. Bioarchaeological theory and method are discussed in Molleson’s article, “Bones of Work at the Origins of Labour.” She presents an analysis of skeletal remains at several Neolithic sites, to understand how changes in subsistence strategies that evolved during this period may have affected gender divisions of labor and specialization. By incorporating both a gendered approach and bioarchaeological analysis to her work, Molleson is able to uncover a link between gender and the development of certain craft skills evident in at least one Neolithic site. In the article, “Mayan Mortuary Deposits in the Cenotes of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, Mexico,” Sandoval, González, and Mata provide us with a look at how mortuary analysis can shed light on different prehistoric behaviors related to burial practices and sacrifice. The authors use a systematic approach of analyzing human remains from burial contexts to determine the differences between routine funerary deposits and sacrifices, which are commonly associated with remains found in cenotes. This analysis illustrates that thorough research and analysis, rather than a reliance on analogy alone, is crucial to advancing the field. Occasionally, archaeologists may face obstacles in their pursuit of understanding prehistoric cultures. Whether the obstacles are a result of poor preservation or an absence of data directly related to their research question, archaeologists do possess a number of tools that may help them overcome such dif- ficulties. In their article, “Perspectives on Traditional Agriculture from Rapa Nui”,Louwagie and Langohr detail how they combined ethnographic techniques with archaeological investigations, biophysical data, and survey-based questionnaires to perform a paleoland evaluation of prehistoric Rapa Nui.