Crossing the Borders

by Hofman, Corinne L.; Hoogland, Menno L. P.; Gijn, Annelou L. Van; Curet, L. Antonio

• ISBN13: 9780817315856
• ISBN10: 0817315853
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-19
• Publisher: Univ of Alabama Pr

Summary

During the past few decades, Caribbean scholars on both sides of the Atlantic have increasingly developed and employed new methods and techniques for the study of archaeological materials. The aim of earlier research in the Caribbean was mainly to define typologies on the basis of pottery and lithic assemblages leading to the establishment of chronological charts for the region, and it was not until the 1980s that the use of technological and functional analyses of artifacts became widespread. The 1990s saw a veritable boom in this field, introducing innovative methods and techniques for analyzing artifacts and human skeletal remains. Innovative approaches included microscopic use-wear analysis, starch residue and phytolith analysis, stable isotope analysis, experimental research, ethnoarchaeological studies, geochemical analyses, and DNA studies. The purpose of this volume is to describe new methods and techniques in the study of archaeological materials from the Caribbean and to assess possible avenues of mutual benefit and integration. Exploring the advantages and disadvantages in the application of a selected number of newly emerging methods and techniques, each of these approaches is illustrated by a case study. These studies benefited from a diverse array of experience and the international background of the researchers from Canada, the Netherlands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Italy, Mexico, Dominican Republic, England, and the United States who are integral members of the archaeological community of the Caribbean. A background to the study of archaeological materials in the Caribbean since the 1930s is provided in order to contextualize the latest developments in this field. Contributors: Benoît Bérard, Mathijs Booden, Iris Briels, Jago Cooper, Alfredo Coppa, Andrea Cucina, Gareth Davies ,Hylke de Jong, Christy de Mille, Corinne L. Hofman, Menno L. P. Hoogland, Charlene Dixon Hutcheson, Daan Isendoorn, Loe Jacobs, William F. Keegan, Harold J. Kelly, Sebastiaan Knippenberg, Yvonne M. J. Lammers-Keijsers,Fernando Luna Calderón, Marcos Martinón-Torres, Lee A. Newsom, Channah Nieuwenhuis José R. Oliver,Jaime R. Pagán Jiménez, Raphaël G. A. M. Panhuysen, Roberto Rodríguez Suárez, Glenis Tavarez María, Michael Turney, Roberto Valcárcel Rojas, Annelou L. van Gijn,Rita Vargiu,Tamara Varney, Johannes Zijlstra

Table of Contents

Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries and National Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeological Materials from the Caribbean	p. 1
Provenance Studies
In Tuneful Threefold: Combining Conventional Archaeological Methods, Archaeometric Techniques, and Ethnoarchaeological Research in the Study of Precolonial Pottery of the Caribbean	p. 21
American Gold and European Brass: Metal Objects and Indigenous Values in the Cemetery of El Chorro de Malta, Cuba	p. 34
Chert Sourcing in the Northern Lesser Antilles: The Use of Geochemical Techniques in Discriminating Chert Materials	p. 43
Functional Studies of Artifacts
A New Material to View the Past: Dental Alginate Molds of Friable Artifacts	p. 69
Saladoid Lapidary Technology: New Methods for Investigating Stone Bead Drilling Techniques	p. 78
Lithic Technology: A Way to More Complex Diversity in Caribbean Archaeology	p. 90
Tool Use and Technological Choices: An Integral Approach toward Functional Analysis of Caribbean Tool Assemblages	p. 101
Understanding the Function of Coral Tools from Anse a la Gourde: An Experimental Approach	p. 115
The Significance of Wear and Residue Studies: An Example from Plum Piece, Saba	p. 125
Starch Residues on Lithic Artifacts from Two Contrasting Contexts in Northwestern Puerto Rico: Los Muertos Cave and Vega de Nelo Vargas Farmstead	p. 137
The Buren in Precolonial Cuban Archaeology: New Information Regarding the Use of Plants and Ceramic Griddles during the Late Ceramic Age of Eastern Cuba Gathered through Starch Analysis	p. 159
New Trends in Paleobotanical and Paleo-Osteological Research
Caribbean Paleoethnobotany: Present Status and New Horizons (Understanding the Evolution of an Indigenous Ethnobotany)	p. 173
New Evidence of Two Different Migratory Waves in the Circum-Caribbean Area during the Pre-Columbian Period from the Analysis of Dental Morphological Traits	p. 195
Tracing Human Mobility with [superscript 87]Sr/[superscript 86]Sr at Anse a la Gourde, Guadeloupe	p. 214
Epilogue: The Correct Answer Requires the Right Question (and the Technology to Back It Up)	p. 226
References Cited	p. 233
Contributors	p. 285
Index	p. 291
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