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Trampling the Archaeological Record: An Experimental Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Axel E. Nielsen
Axel E. Nielsen*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Traditional Technology, Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, and Cátedra de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Escuela de Historia, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina
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Abstract

This paper reports on several experiments carried out to explore the transformations of the archaeological record affected by trampling. These transformations include changes in artifact distributions and formal alterations that should be taken into account when carrying out studies of activity areas. The experiments were made on dry, hard-packed surfaces and in the same sediments after a rain. The materials used were bones, obsidian flakes, sherds, and fragments of brick and wood. The analysis focuses on vertical displacement, horizontal displacement, and damage (breakage, microflaking, and abrasion), paying special attention to the response of the trodden substrate and its implications for the whole process. The interaction of trampling with other formation processes (e.g., maintenance) also is considered. The main patterns observed in the trampled materials are vertical and horizontal size sorting, and characteristic size distributions in sherds. These empirical generalizations are then integrated in a model that can help to identify trampled contexts and assess their potential for behavioral inference.

Résumé

Résumé

El presente artículo describe varios experiments realizados con el propósito de explorar las transformaciones producidas por pisoteo en el registro arqueológico. Tales transformaciones incluyen cambios en la distribución de artefactos y alteraciones formales que deben tenerse en cuenta al realizar estudios de áreas de actividad. Los experiments fueron efectuados sobre superficies muy compactas, secas y luego de una lluvia. Se utilizaron huesos, lascas de obsidiana, tiestos y fragmentos de ladrillo y madera. Los aspectos que se analizan son desplazamiento vertical, desplazamiento horizontal y daño (fractura, microlascado y abrasión), prestando especial atención a la respuesta del substrato pisoteado y sus implicancias para el proceso en su conjunto. También se considera la interacción del pisoteo con otros procesos de formación (p.e., mantenimiento). Los principales patrones observados en los materiales pisoteados incluyen ordenamiento vertical y horizontal por tamaño y distribuciones características en la dimensión de los tiestos. Estas generalizaciones empíricas son luego integradas en un modelo que puede contribuir a identificar contextos pisoteados, así como a evaluar su potencial para establecer inferencias de carácter conductual.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 56 , Issue 3 , July 1991 , pp. 483 - 503
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1991

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