This thesis presents the study of the possibilities of functional analysis on shell implements. Shell tools from the pre-Columbian sites of Anse à la Gourde and Morel, Guadeloupe were studied and... Show moreThis thesis presents the study of the possibilities of functional analysis on shell implements. Shell tools from the pre-Columbian sites of Anse à la Gourde and Morel, Guadeloupe were studied and interpreted based on archaeological, ethnographical, ethnohistorical and experimental data. In addition, flint and stone tools of both sites were analysed. In this thesis functional analysis is approached from an integral point of view in order to be able to reconstruct the past technological system. The results of the functional analysis of all artefact categories are presented as well as a reconstruction of the technological system in the pre-Columbian period. It is demonstrated how this integral approach provides the possibilities to shed light on the choices made in the past on tool use and the utilisation of different raw materials. Show less
"Grounding the Past" addresses archaeological field praxis and its role in the political present of Santiago Tilantongo and Santiago Apoala, two communities in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca,... Show more"Grounding the Past" addresses archaeological field praxis and its role in the political present of Santiago Tilantongo and Santiago Apoala, two communities in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, Mexico. Efforts to involve local stakeholder communities in archaeology have become an important issue worldwide. In this study, Alexander Geurds argues that projects of participatory archaeology, many of which go under the heading of ‘community archaeology’, cannot dispense with reflexive analysis of field praxis, if they are to avoid idealized and thus untenable narratives of harmonious local collaboration. Past and present archaeological praxis often carries negative connotations in the Mixteca Alta, because archaeological projects have failed to recognize conflicting interests and issues of representation of local and non-local parties. Geurds reviews the constitutive elements of their partnerships, such as official meetings, public presentations and conferences, where the involved local and non-local parties produce conflicting agendas by creating and transforming power relations. He identifies and analyzes the attendant influences on participatory elements through the application of qualitative techniques derived from ethnography and social geography. The first part of the book follows an approach consistent with consistent with the regional archaeological tradition focused on materialist analysis of surface artefacts. Information derived from surface surveying and mapping receives special emphasis. The second part explores alternative means for embedding the production of historical knowledge into local perceptions of landscape and monuments. For this purpose, oral history and in particular knowledge of local placenames is focused on. Show less
Verhagen, Jacobus Wilhelmus Hermanus Philippus 2007
Dutch archaeology has experienced profound changes in recent years. This has led to an increasing use of archaeological predictive modelling, a technique that uses information about the location of... Show moreDutch archaeology has experienced profound changes in recent years. This has led to an increasing use of archaeological predictive modelling, a technique that uses information about the location of known early human settlements to predict where additional settlements may have been located. Case Studies in Archaeological Predictive Modelling is the product of a decade of work by Philip Verhagen as a specialist in geographical information systems at RAAP Archeologisch Adviesbureau BV, one of the leading organizations in the field; the case studies presented here provide an overview of the field and point to potential future areas of research. Show less
The author of this meticulously researched work surveys the possibilities of functional analysis of shell implements. Her study of shell tools, as well as flint and stone tools, from the pre... Show moreThe author of this meticulously researched work surveys the possibilities of functional analysis of shell implements. Her study of shell tools, as well as flint and stone tools, from the pre-Columbian sites of Anse à la Gourde and Morel, Guadeloupe draws on archaeological, ethnographical,ethnohistorical and experimental data.The results of the functional analysis of all artifact categories are presented, as well as a reconstruction of the technological system in the pre-Columbian period. She demonstrates the value of this integral approach in shedding light on the choices made in the past on tool use and the utilisation of different raw materials Show less
