Dissertation Research: Analysis of Prehistoric Southwestern Ceramics

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Under the direction of Dr. E. Charles Adams, Mr. Patrick Lyons will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct a ceramic analysis to reconstruct late prehistoric social organization in the Winslow, Arizona region and to determine points of origin of its inhabitants. Archaeologists have focused attention in the Winslow area because of the large number of ancestral Hopi villages present, their size, and the relative suddenness with which they appeared. Between 1,260 and 1,280 AD, after a 45 to 80 year hiatus, the region was apparently colonized by two populations, each building its own villages and bearing its own ceramic tradition. After initial contact, interaction seems to have increased, based on the presence of shared ceramic wares. Because a relatively high population density was achieved in this unpredictable desertic environment, and because groups developed integrating mechanisms across tightly defined cultural boundaries, they have been the subject of intensive archaeological interest. Abrupt clear cut appearances such as that postulated for the Winslow area are uncommon. The fact that in this case more than one group was involved offers the opportunity to study a well defined case of cultural interaction. Ceramics are usually well preserved and abundant in the archaeological record, and both their method of manufacture and decoration are determined by culture specific rules. Mr. Lyons will take advantage of this fact to compare ceramics from different villages around Winslow to determine the extent of differentiation at the time of supposed migration and the subsequent degree of stylistic intermingling. He will analyze whole ceramic vessels housed at the Field Museum in Chicago. He will also compare these to slightly earlier materials from neighboring regions in an attempt to determine points of origin. In collaboration of the University of Missouri nuclear reactor, he will conduct a trace element analysis of both potsherds and potential clay sources to match raw material source with finished product and reconstruct the extent of interaction among villages. This work will allow both cultural historical reconstruction as well as insight into the social and political organization of the region. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist. * - À- v- +- ±@ + _ Ûª▓ ÑOh ª' +'ª▒0 Ý + Õ $ H l + ¢ ╗ D h + R:\WWUSER\TEMPLATE\NORMAL.DOT