Challenging the Village Concept: Bayesian Analysis and Chemical Characterization in the Mogollon Early Pithouse Period of the US Southwest
Summary
The traditional view of the Mogollon Early Pithouse period (AD 200–700) in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona is that the introduction of ceramics, an increase in maize use, and pithouses equaled sedentary village formation. More recent research, however, has argued that mobility and foraging remained important strategies throughout the Early Pithouse period. Thus, there are many questions and debates regarding cultural changes that occurred during the Mogollon Early Pithouse period. My research uses ceramics, obsidian, and radiocarbon dates to challenge the traditional village concept and revaluates some of the cultural changes that occurred during the Mogollon Early Pithouse period.
I use the circulation of pottery, analyzed by technological style and neutron activation analysis, as well as obsidian procurement, analyzed by X-ray fluorescence, to infer social interaction and mobility. In addition, I use Bayesian chronological modeling to re-evaluate the Mogollon Pithouse chronology and landform use as well as determine pithouse contemporaneity. My results suggest that there was considerable social interaction and likely mobility with and between regions, sites, and even households. Furthermore, there does not appear to be a major shift in landform use around AD 550 and few pithouses were occupied contemporaneously at any given time. These findings challenge the village concept and suggest that Mogollon Early Pithouse sites are likely palimpsests of asynchronous households with different social histories.
Cite this Record
Challenging the Village Concept: Bayesian Analysis and Chemical Characterization in the Mogollon Early Pithouse Period of the US Southwest. ( tDAR id: 459864) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8459864
URL: https://www-proquest-com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/dissertations-theses/challenging...
Keywords
Culture
Mogollon
Material
Ceramic
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Dating Sample
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Obsidian
Site Name
McAnally (LA 12110)
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Mesa Top [AZ CC:4:12 (ASM)]
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Mogollon Village (LA 11568)
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SU (LA 64931)
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Thompson (LA 14476)
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Two Boots [AZ CC:4:32 (ASM)]
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Winn Canyon (LA 34813)
Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview
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Architectural Documentation
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Collections Research
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Data Recovery / Excavation
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Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis
General
Bayesian Chronological Modelling
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Mogollon
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Neutron Activation Analysis
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Pithouse
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Plain Brown ware
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Radiocarbon Dating
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Red-slipped ceramics
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X-Ray Flourescence
Geographic Keywords
Arizona
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Mimbres Valley
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Mogollon
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New Mexico
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Reserve
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Upper Gila
Temporal Keywords
Early Pithouse Period
Temporal Coverage
Calendar Date: 200 to 700 (Mogollon Early Pithouse Period)
Spatial Coverage
min long: -109.402; min lat: 32.097 ; max long: -107.227; max lat: 34.195 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Lori Barkwill Love
Source Collections
Center for Archaeological Research, University of Texas at San Antonio
Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
New Mexico State University Museum
U.S. Forest Service - Gila National Forest
Resource Inside this Project (Viewing 1-1 of 1)
- Dataset (1)
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Mogollon Early Pithouse NAA Data (2020)
DATASET
These data represent all of the new NAA ceramic compositional data and group assignments from Barkwill Love (2020) and Barkwill Love et al. 2022. Barkwill Love, Lori (2020) Challenging the Village Concept: Bayesian Analysis and Chemical Composition Characterization in the Mogollon Early Pithouse Period of the US Southwest. PhD Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio. Barkwill Love, Lori, Jeffrey R. Ferguson, and Darrell Creel (2022) Movement of Pots (and...