Beyond the Borders of Archaeological Taxonomy: A Ceramic Case Study from the Central Plains

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New and Ongoing Research on the North American Plains and Rocky Mountains" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper presents a problematic ceramic taxonomy for the Late Woodland period (AD 500–1000) in the Central plains. The focus is on two archaeological taxonomic designation units: the Sterns Creek phase and the Grasshopper Falls phase. Through the lens of literature review, archival site records, and analysis of material collections curated at the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) and the University of Kansas (KU), I present documentation discrepancies, problematic taxonomic units, and identical ceramic assemblages designated as Sterns Creek Ware and Grasshopper Falls Ware. After presenting the evidence, I propose that the two ceramic wares should be consolidated under one name—Sterns Creek Ware—and further comparative analysis is necessary to identify other wares present in Grasshopper Falls phase assemblages. Archaeological taxonomic designation units and artifact typologies are important analytical tools. However, when archaeologists define taxonomic units confined within modern state borders, without adequate reference to existing data and literature, they construct flawed manifestations. In our attempts to make inferences about peoples past activities, especially complex social practices/interactions through material culture, we need to look beyond the borders of archaeological taxonomy and towards comparative syntheses.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• New and Ongoing Research on the North American Plains and Rocky Mountains

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24383