Miriam T. Stark

James Bayman

This collection of readings on anthropological archaeology draws from academic and popular venues to introduce university students to the rapidly changing character of this dynamic field. Selections represent the broad array of methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives of archaeology as it enters the 21st century. Exploring the Past is divided into topical sections that define archaeology, identify its goals and purpose, trace its origins, and discuss the relevance of archaeology to contemporary society as it seeks to interpret humanity's past. Bayman and Stark illustrate how archaeological concepts and methods are practically applied, from site discovery through excavation, artifact analysis, and publication. Each major section of readings is prefaced with discussion that orients students to the issue at hand, and each section is followed by an inclusive, synthetic commentary. These commentaries critically evaluate the merits of differing viewpoints and seek to forecast upcoming developments in the field in light of current trends. Exploring the Past addresses the current controversy over cultural patrimony and alerts the student of archaeology to the acceleration of site destruction in the wake of economic development. Lavishly illustrated, Exploring the Past presents the student with several case studies to illustrate key methods and theoretical perspectives employed by archaeologists to document and explain past lifeways.

Readings in Archaeology

Exploring the Past

Alan P. Sullivan

Hinterlands and Regional Dynamics in the Ancient Southwest is the first volume dedicated to understanding the nature of and changes in regional social autonomy, political hegemony, and organizational complexity across the entire prehistoric American Southwest. With geographic coverage extending from the Great Plains to the Colorado River, and from Mesa Verde to the international border, the volumeÕs ten case studies synthesize research that enhances our understanding of the ancient SouthwestÕs highly variable demographic, land use, and economic histories. For this volume, ÒhinterlandsÓ are those areas whose archaeological records do not disclose the ceramic, architectural, and network evidence that initially led to the establishment of the Hohokam, Chaco, and Casas Grandes regional systems. Employing a variety of perspectives, such as the cultural landscapes approach, heterarchy, and the common-pool resource model, as well as technical methods, such as petrographic and stylistic-attribute analyses, the volumeÕs contributors explore variation in hinterland identities, subsistence ecology, and sociopolitical organization as regional systems expanded and contracted between the 9th and 14th centuries AD. The hinterlands of the prehistoric Southwest were home to a substantial number of people and were often used as resource catchments by the inhabitants of regional systems. Importantly, hinterlands also influenced developments of nearby regional systems, under whose footprint they managed to retain considerable autonomy. By considering the dynamics between hinterlands and regional systems, the volume reveals unappreciated aspects of the ancient SouthwestÕs peoples and their lives, thereby deepening our awareness of the regionÕs rich and complicated cultural past.

James Bayman

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