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Themes in Southwest Prehistory

Edited by George J. Gumerman

Two dozen leading archaeologists isolate a number of themes that were central to the process of increasing complexity in prehistoric Southwestern society, including increased food production, a greater degree of sedentism, and a dramatically increasing population.

1994. 350 pp., 35 black-and-white illustrations, 8 tables, notes, references, index, 6 x 9

Contributors: E. Charles Adams, Linda S. Cordell, Patricia L. Crown, Jeffrey S. Dean, William H. Doelle, David E. Doyel, Paul R. Fish, Suzanne K. Fish, Murray Gell-Mann, George J. Gumerman, Jonathan Haas, Bruce Huckell, Keith W. Kintigh, Debra L. Martin, Randall H. McGuire, Ben A. Nelson, Janet D. Orcutt, Fred Plog, Stephen Plog, J. Jefferson Reid, Katherine A. Spielmann, Joseph A. Tainter, Steadman Upham, David R. Wilcox, W. H. Wills

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“This book is a very valuable contribution to Southwestern prehistory, and its analyses of cultural evolution and patterns has importance well beyond the Southwest. All of the chapters give a comprehensive treatment to the issues at hand, and a diverse number of significant themes are examined. The book is highly recommended reading for all serious students of the Southwest. Indeed, professors who wish to teach Southwest prehistory from a thematic perspective, instead of the traditional culture history approach, will find this book refreshing.”
—Todd W. Bostwick, Bulletin of the History of Archaeology Vol. 5, no. 2 (November 1995)


“I recommend [this book] to all southwestern archaeologists, as well as to professionals working in other regions who want to understand the current thoughts on major themes coming from the Southwest.”
—Patricia A. Gilman, American Anthropologist Vol. 97, no. 4 (December 1995)

 

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface

  1. Patterns and Perturbations in Southwest Prehistory
    George J. Gumerman
  2. Cultural Evolution in the Prehistoric Southwest
    George J. Gumerman and Murray Gell-Mann
  3. Economic Implications of Changing Land-Use Patterns in the Late Archaic
    W. H. Wills and Bruce Huckell
  4. Adaptive Stress: Environment and Demography
    Jeffrey S. Dean, William H. Doelle, and Janet D. Orcutt
  5. Patterns of Health and Disease: Stress Profiles for the Prehistoric Southwest
    Debra L. Martin
  6. Processes of Aggregation in the Prehistoric Southwest
    Linda S. Cordell, Suzanne K. Fish, George J. Gumerman, and J. Jefferson Reid
  7. Toward an Explanation for Southwestern “Abandonments”
    Paul R. Fish, Suzanne K. Fish, George J. Gumerman, and J. Jefferson Reid
  8. Structure and Patterning: The Formation of Puebloan Archaeology
    Joseph A. Tainter and Fred Plog
  9. Alliance Formation and Cultural Identity in the American Southwest
    Steadman Upham, Patricia L. Crown, and Stephen Plog
  10. The Scream of the Butterfly: Competition and Conflict in the Prehistoric Southwest
    David R. Wilcox and Jonathan Haas
  11. Drawing the Southwest to Scale: Perspectives on Macroregional Relations
    Randall H. McGuire, E. Charles Adams, Ben A. Nelson, and Katherine Spielmann
There are no working papers for this book at the present time.