Perishable Technology

Precolumbian archaeologists traditionally focus on periods of stability rather than change when constructing regional cultural chronologies. However, the advent of large databases of radiocarbon dates and the proliferation of open-source software environments such as R now allow archaeologists to understand technological transitions with greater chronological precision than has been historically possible. In this study, we employ Monte Carlo procedures, Bayes' Theorem, the R package Bchron, and IntCal13 to address three chronological topics. We calculate the minimum number of dates required on atlatl and bow technologies to robustly date this late Holocene transition in Subarctic northwestern Canada, analyze previously published dates on organic projectile diagnostics to determine whether bows and atlatls overlapped for an observable amount of time, and estimate the years of calendric time that they overlapped. Results indicate that minimum sample sizes of 29 atlatl and 19 bow dates are required to characterize this particular transition in our study area. Actual radiocarbon dates show that bow and atlatl technologies temporally co-occurred within this region for 174 ± 135 (1σ) actual calendar years. Quantitative analyses such as these open the door to testing hypotheses that explain why and how technological transitions occur within and between (pre)historic groups.

Tradicionalmente, la arqueología Pre-Colombina se ha focalizado en los periodos de estabilidad más que en los cambios al momento de construir cronologías culturales regionales. Sin embargo, el advenimiento de amplias bases de datos de fechados radiocarbónicos y la proliferación de software ambientales de código abierto tales como el R permite a los arqueólogos reconocer las transiciones tecnológicas con un mayor grado de precisión cronológica de lo que fue históricamente posible. En este estudio empleamos el procedimiento Monte Carlo, el Teorema de Bayes, el paquete R Bchron y las curvas de calibración de IntCal13 para abordar tres temas cronológicos. Calculamos el número mínimo de dataciones que son requeridas para las tecnologías de propulsión y arco que permitan datar robustamente su transición en el noroeste subártico de Canadá, analizamos dataciones previamente publicadas para arcos y propulsores diagnósticos con el fin de determinar si las dos tecnologías de proyectil se superponían por una cantidad observable de tiempo en la prehistoria y estimamos los años calendáricos que ambas tecnologías se superponían. Los resultados indican que un tamaño mínimo de muestra de 29 dataciones sobre propulsores y 19 sobre arcos es requerido para caracterizar esta transición cultural en nuestra área de estudio. Las dataciones radiocarbónicas reales muestran que las tecnologías de arco y propulsión co-ocurrieron temporalmente dentro de la región por 174 +/-135 (1σ) años calendáricos reales. Estos análisis cuantitativos abren la puerta al testeo de hipótesis que expliquen por qué y cómo las transiciones tecnológicas se producen dentro y entre grupos (pre) históricos.

A construção do presente dossiê surgiu a partir das discussões engendradas no simpósio temático "Tecnologias Perecíveis: abordagens arqueológicas e etnográficas", realizado em 2019 no XX Congresso da Sociedade de Arqueologia Brasileira (SAB), em Pelotas-RS. Durante o simpósio, destacou-se, de diferentes formas, que as tecnologias perecíveis costumam ser invisibilizadas na Arqueologia como um todo. Na ocasião, os trabalhos reunidos 1 realçaram o quão dispersas e presentes estão essas tecnologias nas sociedades humanas ao longo do tempo. Elas são fundamentais para a moradia, obtenção, armazenamento e produção alimentar, na significação da vida de modo geral e nos seus momentos marcantes, como nos funerais. Neste volume, os assuntos debatidos no referido simpósio estão amplificados e aprofundados com a reunião de 14 artigos e um resumo de tese, agregando pesquisas realizadas nas regiões Norte, Nordeste, Sul e Sudeste do Brasil, no centro da Argentina e na região circum-caribenha.

Abstract: Several objects produced by the Wai Wai, a Cariban speaking people from the northern Amazon, are currently kept in museums as part of ethnographic collections. Created by several persons at different periods and for different purposes, these collections can be studied as historical documents that testify to the Wai Wai relations with collectors and other peoples, as well as specific ways of making that are maintained or transformed over time. This article presents the diversity of plaitwork and ceramic objects in museums and their production techniques, so as to reflect on the interactions between these objects in museums and in Wai Wai lives and thought. Related to each other in different moments of their production sequence and use, both artefact categories make it possible to understand materiality in different social, cosmological, and ontological interaction spheres of the Wai Wai.

Fibers are the hair-like components of yarns, cordage, and textiles. Useful fibers are long, fine, strong, flexible, and resilient. Because this combination of properties is uncommon, past humans were alert to potential fiber sources in the environment. Several human-fiber relationships are associated with plant or animal domestication. In the archaeological record, conditions that retard microbial activity (e.g., low temperature, absence of water or oxygen) preserve perishable fibrous materials. Fiber analysis often begins with microscopic identification and may include spectroscopic characterization and analysis of isotopic ratios. Patterns of fiber use give insight into past ways of life, economic relationships, and group identity. 2018. From the entry, "Fibers." In The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences. Wiley.