Synopses & Reviews
Studies of prehistoric exchange of goods provide information about the types of economic interaction, social organization, or political structures in which prehistoric peoples were engaged. Long-distance exchange is a special situation where the materials exchanged crossed significant boundaries, whether they were geographic, social, political, or otherwise. By examining the types and quantities of goods exchanged, along with the directions and distances they moved, archaeologists are able to examine the dynamic properties of exchange systems, i.e., how they operate and why they undergo change.
The purpose of this volume is to present a number of case studies of long-distance exchange from around the world which demonstrate the use of geochemical analysis of artifacts to find evidence of exchange. More important than the use of analytical technique employed or the types of artifacts studied are the interpretations themselves which illustrate that exchange studies are maturing and helping archaeologists to develop more accurate models of exchange.
Synopsis
Studies of long-distance exchange of goods are of interest to archaeologists because they provide information about economic interactions between different groups of geographically separated people. This volume presents a number of case studies of long-distance exchange from a variety of regions around the world based on evidence obtained by geochemical methods.
Synopsis
Presents case studies from around the world on long-distance exchange of different materials including obsidian, ceramics, and basalt, focusing on interpretation of the data to understand interactions between prehistoric groups.
About the Author
MICHAEL D. GLASCOCK, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader at the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Geochemical Evidence for Long-Distance Exchange by Michael D. Glascock
Indigena Ware: Spain to Valley of Mexico by Enrique Rodriquez-Alegria
The Emergence of market Economies in the Ancient Maya World: Obsidian Exchange in Terminal Classic Yucatan, Mexico by Geoffrey E. Braswell and Michael D. Glascock
More than Exchange: Pre-Ceramic through Ceramic Period Obsidian Studies in the Greater North American Southwest by M. Steven Shackley
Archaeological Evidence for the Long-Distance Exchange of Caddo Indian Ceramics in the Southern Plains, Midwest, and Southeastern United States by Timothy K. Perttula
Production and Long-Distance Movement of Chupadero Black-on-White Pottery in New Mexico and Texas by Darrell G. Creel, Tiffany C. Clark, and Hector Neff
Exploring the Landscapes of Long-Distance Exchange: Evidence from Obsidian Cliffs and Devils Tower, Wyoming by Brian Leigh Molyneaux
From Loess Plains to High Plains: The Westward Movement of Upper Republican Pots by Anne M. Cobry and Donna C. Roper
Long-Distance Obsidian Traffic in Northwestern Argentina by Hugo D. Yacobaccio, Patricia S. Escola, Marisa Lazzari, and Fernando X. Pereyra
A Geochemical Vector for Trade: Cyprus, Asia Minor, and the Roman East by Danielle A. Parks and Hector Neff
XRF Analysis of Pottery from Mutokolwe, a Khami Settlement from the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa by Leon Jacobson, Warren S. Fish, and Willem A. van der Westhuizen
Yapese Prestige Goods: The INAA Evidence for an Asian Dragon Jar by Christophe Descantes, Hector Neff, and Michael D. Glascock
Centrality and the Collapse of Long-Distance Voyaging in East Polynesia by Marshall I. Weisler
Index
About the Editor and Contributors