Archaeological Approaches to Technology

321 Pages·2006·6.34 MB·English

by  Heather Margaret-Louise Miller

Archaeological Approaches
to Technology
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Archaeological Approaches
to Technology
HEATHER M.-L. MILLER
Anthropology, University of Toronto
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Copyright©2007,ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
Allillustrations©HeatherM.-L.Miller,exceptthefollowing,approved
foruseinthisvolume:Figure2.3©PatrickLubinski;Figures3.3,3.7,4.13
and4.14©LisaFerin;Figures3.22,3.24and3.25©RogerIvarLohmann;
ExtractedtranslationtextinChapter3©RogerIvarLohmann.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Miller,HeatherM.L.
Archeologicalapproachestotechnology/HeatherM.L.Miller.
p. cm.
ISBN0-12-496951-8
1. Socialarchaeology.2. Technology–Socialaspects–History.
3. Prehistoricpeoples.4. Materialculture–History.
5. Archaeology–Methodology.6. Archaeology–Fieldwork.
7. Antiquities–Collectionandpreservation. I. Title
CC72.4.M5542007
930.1028–dc22
2006036457
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ISBN13:978-0-12-496951-3
ISBN10:0-12-496951-8
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CONTENTS
ListofFigures ix
Dedication xiii
PrefaceandAcknowledgements xv
1 Introduction: Archaeological Approaches to Technology 1
Terminology 3
Archaeology and Technology Studies 7
Overview of Volume 9
2 Methodology: Archaeological Approaches to the Study
of Technology 13
Archaeological Field Techniques: Discovery/Recovery 16
Survey 17
Excavation 19
The Examination of Archaeological Remains 21
SimpleVisualExaminationandMeasurement 22
ComplexExaminationofPhysicalStructureandComposition 25
Ordering and Analyzing Data 27
ReconstructingProductionProcesses;ChaîneOpératoire 29
Analogy and Sociocultural Interpretation 30
ExperimentalArchaeology 34
Ethnography,Ethnoarchaeology,andHistoricalAccounts 36
3 Extractive-Reductive Crafts 41
Classification of Crafts 43
Stone/Lithics 46
CollectionandPreliminaryProcessing 47
v
vi Contents
ShapingandFinishingMethods 54
Knapping 54
Cutting(Sawing,Drilling,Groove-and-Snapping) 57
Pulverizing(Pecking) 58
Abrading(Grinding,Smoothing,Polishing,Drilling) 59
ProductionStages 59
OrganizationofProduction;Consumption 61
Fibers: Cordage, Basketry, Textiles 65
CollectionandPreliminaryProcessingofFibers 68
ProductionofStrandsandCordage 72
FabricProduction 75
OrnamentationandJoining 81
OrganizationofProductionandSchedulingDemands 85
Wood, Bone, and Other Sculpted Organics (Antler, Horn,
Ivory, Shell) 89
CollectionandPreliminaryProcessing 91
ShapingandFinishingMethods 94
OrganizationofProduction;UseandReuseofHard
OrganicObjects 98
4 Transformative Crafts 101
Fired Clay 103
CollectionandPreliminaryProcessing;Formationof
theClayBody 109
ShapingMethods 113
DryingandSurfaceTreatments 118
Firing 121
Post-FiringSurfaceTreatmentsandSecondFirings 128
Vitreous Silicates: Glazes, Faiences and Glass 128
CollectionandPreliminaryProcessing 130
CreatingtheVitreousSilicateMixtures;Fritting;Melting
ofGlass(GlassMaking) 135
ShapingofFaienceandGlassObjects 138
ApplicationofGlazestoFaienceandOtherMaterials 141
FiringofFaienceandGlazedObjects;AnnealingofGlass 143
Post-FiringSurfaceTreatments 144
Metals: Copper and Iron 144
Collection,IncludingMining 147
ProcessingofOresandNativeCopper;FuelandFluxes 150
Smelting 152
RefiningandAlloying 156
ShapingandFinishingMethods:CastingandFabrication
(IncludingForging) 159
Casting 159
Fabrication 162
Contents vii
5 Thematic Studies in Technology 167
Technological Systems: Reed Boat Production and Use 168
ReconstructingReedBoatsandExchangeNetworks
intheArabianSea 169
ReconstructingReedandPlankBoatsandExchange
NetworksinCoastalSouthernCalifornia 173
Innovation and the Organization of Labor 180
TheCaseoftheGrainHarvestingMachine 181
DivisionsofLabor,Women’sRoles,Specialization,and
MassProductionofPottery 185
Technological Style 191
StyleandTechnologicalStyle 191
TechnologicalTraditions:MetalandBoneWorkingin
NorthAmerica 195
6 Thematic Studies in Technology (Continued) 203
Value, Status, and Social Relations: The Role of New Artificial
Materials in the Indus Valley Tradition 203
UsesofArtificialMaterials 204
StatusDifferentiationandtheDevelopmentofVitreous
Materials 206
DeterminingRelativeValue 212
SocialRelationsandtheRelativeValueofIndus
Talc-FaienceMaterials 217
ArtificialMaterialsandCulturalValueSystems 225
Technologies of Religious Ritual in the American Southwest 226
ReligiousMuralConstruction,Use,andDiscard 228
ArchaeologicalIdentificationofReligiousRitual 232
7 The Analysis of Multiple Technologies 237
Cross-Craft Perspectives 237
Technological Style and Cross-Craft Interactions 239
Bibliography 247
Index 283
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LIST OF FIGURES
Additionalinformationabouttheillustrationsisprovidedinthislist,whichisnot
provided in the figure captions.
2.1 Sorted fired clay fragments at the Indus urban site of Harappa.
The only fragments indicative of high-temperature firing are in
the small pile to the far right. 14
2.2 Surface survey, with flags used to mark objects until they are
mapped, recorded, and/or collected. (Heather M.-L. Miller and
Sayeed Ahmed Haderi at Harappa, Punjab, Pakistan) 18
2.3 Excavation; shovel-skimming the base of a trench in a plowed
field. (Patrick Lubinski, American Midwest) Photo courtesy of
Patrick Lubinski. 20
2.4 Fired clay object types from Harappa, including debris from
high-temperature production, nodules, and lower-fired clay
cakes and balls. 24
2.5 (a) Pottery kiln remains from Mohenjo-daro, in relation to
(b) number and distribution of drips. (Redrawn after Pracchia
1987.) 25
2.6 Example of a generalized production process diagram for copper
and iron (greatly simplified). Explained further in Chapter 4. 29
2.7 Example of an idealized site with hearths between buildings. 31
3.1 Generalized production process diagram for stone (greatly
simplified). 48
3.2 Products and some debris from stages of production for
agate/carnelian beads produced in Khambhat, India; progression
of production stages is from left to right. Materials courtesy
of J. Mark Kenoyer. 51
ix