Understanding Pottery Function

Understanding Pottery Function
Author: James M. Skibo
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2012-08-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1461441994

The 1992 publication of Pottery Function brought together the ethnographic study of the Kalinga and developed a method and theory for how pottery was actually used. Since then, there have been considerable advances in understanding how pottery was actually used, particularly in the area of residue analysis, abrasion, and sooting/carbonization. At the 20th anniversary of the book, it is time to assess what has been done and learned. One of the concerns of those working in pottery analysis is that they are unsure how to “do” use-alteration analysis on their collection. Another common concern is understanding intended pottery function—the connections between technical choices and function. This book is designed to answer these questions using case studies from the author and his colleagues for applying use-alteration analysis to infer actual pottery function. The focus of Understanding Pottery Function is on how practicing archaeologists can infer function from their ceramic collection.

Landscape, Process and Power

Landscape, Process and Power
Author: Serena Heckler
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2009
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781845455491

Argues that to accurately and appropriately describe TEK, the historical and political forces that have shaped it, as well as people's day-to-day engagement with the landscape around them must be taken into account.

Landscape Ethnoecology

Landscape Ethnoecology
Author: Leslie Main Johnson
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2012
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0857456326

Although anthropologists and cultural geographers have explored "place" in various senses, little cross-cultural examination of "kinds of place," or ecotopes, has been presented from an ethno-ecological perspective. In this volume, indigenous and local understandings of landscape are investigated in order to better understand how human communities relate to their terrestrial and aquatic resources. The contributors go beyond the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) literature and offer valuable insights on ecology and on land and resources management, emphasizing the perception of landscape above the level of species and their folk classification. Focusing on the ways traditional people perceive and manage land and biotic resources within diverse regional and cultural settings, the contributors address theoretical issues and present case studies from North America, Mexico, Amazonia, tropical Asia, Africa and Europe.

People, Plants, and Landscapes

People, Plants, and Landscapes
Author: Kristen J. Gremillion
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Total Pages: 293
Release: 1997-01-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 081730827X

People, Plants, and Landscapes showcases the potential of modern paleoethnobotany, an interdisciplinary field that explores the interactions between human beings and plants by examining archaeological evidence. Using different methods and theoretical approaches, the essays in this work apply botanical knowledge to studies of archaeological plant remains and apply paleoethnobotany to nonarchaeological sources of evidence. The resulting techniques often lie beyond the traditional boundaries of either archaeology or botany. With this ground-breaking work, the technically and methodologically enhanced paleoethnobotany of the 1990s has joined forces with ecological and evolutionary theory to forge explanations of changing relationships between human and plant populations. Contents and Contributors: The Shaping of Modern Paleoethnobotany, Patty Jo Watson New Perspectives on the Paleoethnobotany of the Newt Kash Shelter, Kristen J. Gremillion A 3,000-Year-Old Cache of Crop Seeds from Marble Bluff, Arkansas, Gayle J. Fritz Evolutionary Changes Associated with the Domestication of Cucurbita pepo: Evidence from Eastern Kentucky, C. Wesley Cowan Anthropogenesis in Prehistoric Northeastern Japan, Gary W. Crawford Between Farmstead and Center: The Natural and Social Landscape of Moundville, C. Margaret Scarry and Vincas P. Steponaitis An Evolutionary Ecology Perspective on Diet Choice, Risk, and Plant Domestication, Bruce Winterhalder and Carol Goland The Ecological Structure and Behavioral Implications of Mast Exploitation Strategies, Paul S. Gardner Changing Strategies of Indian Field Location in the Early Historic Southeast, Gregory A. Waselkov Interregional Patterns of Land Use and Plant Management in Native North America, Julia E. Hammett

Techniques and Methods of Ethnobotany

Techniques and Methods of Ethnobotany
Author: Warwick Harris
Publisher: Timber Press
Total Pages: 148
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780850924053

This manual presents information which defines ethnobotany, discusses the philosophy and principles that relate to the subject, and considers the relationship between ethnobotany and the conservation of biodiversity. Planning procedures, techniques used and practical tips are provided along with examples and resources.

Exploring Biological Diversity, Environment, and Local People's Perspectives in Forest Landscapes: Methods for a Multidisciplinary Landscape Assessment

Exploring Biological Diversity, Environment, and Local People's Perspectives in Forest Landscapes: Methods for a Multidisciplinary Landscape Assessment
Author: Douglas Sheil
Publisher: CIFOR
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Biodiversity
ISBN: 9798764889

Operational overview. Villages and communities. Field sample selection. Village-based activities. First community meeting. Community landscape mapping. Selecting local informants. Community-based data collections. Field-based activities. Site, vegetation and trees. Plants and site - ethnoecological data. Soil assessment. Data control and management. Plant taxonomy and verification. Database. Conclusiones.