Thesis
Inferring the interaction of two Chaco-era communities through painted ceramic design analyses
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2010
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100088
Abstract
Artifacts constitute the majority of the archaeological record and are the largest contributor to our ability to understand extinct cultural systems. Of these material remains, ceramics are among the most abundant and the most informative, especially in terms of their variability, both functionally and stylistically (Binford 1964:430). Stylistic analysis of ceramics has been the foundation for ceramic seriation and much of the chronology in the American Southwest, and may also be utilized to understand behavior. Design elements are the individual design units painted on the ceramics, which are analyzed and recorded for intra- and inter-site comparisons of Cox Ranch Pueblo and Cerro Pomo, two Pueblo II (A.D. 1050-1130) communities located 8 km apart in west-central New Mexico. Similarities and differences that result from various living and learning environments can lead to the identification of interaction both within and between contemporaneous sites. Based on the analysis of painted ceramics excavated from middens and Great House deposits at both sites, it is possible to infer behavioral trends and levels of interaction within and between these two communities. Through the analysis of painted designs on the sherds from Cox Ranch Pueblo and Cerro Pomo, I address the question: “Did people living and working in close proximity influence each other’s painted design choices on an intra-site and inter-site level?” While this question will not be definitively answered in this study, evidence supporting learning and preference patterns based on residence proximity are presented indicating that those who lived near each other may have influenced the ceramic painted design choices of their neighbors. The data collection and analyses also indicate that Cerro Pomo and Cox Ranch Pueblo became more homogenous in their painted design element choices over time. Additionally, the Great Houses in these two communities appear to have been integrative and specialized use locations for the whole community, much like the role of the Great Houses in Chaco Canyon (Cameron and Toll 2001:12).
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Details
- Title
- Inferring the interaction of two Chaco-era communities through painted ceramic design analyses
- Creators
- Lindsey Renee Clark
- Contributors
- Andrew I. Duff (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525095201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis