Lithic points are found throughout the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence in relatively large numbers at Sibudu Cave, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In this paper I report on the results of a ...technological and morphometric analysis of points from Sibudu with ages ranging from c. 70 ka to 38.6 ± 1.9 ka. There is temporal change in point morphology and technology in the MSA sequence of Sibudu; three distinct groups of points are observed. The first group is Still Bay points that differ markedly from points in the rest of the sequence. These points are thin and narrow, bifacially worked and have pointed or rounded butts. The second group comprises points from periods designated informally as post-Howieson's Poort and late MSA, which are mostly unifacial, are broad, thick and longer than points in the rest of the sequence and have faceted or plain butts. The last group comprises points from the final MSA which are mostly bifacial, are short and stout compared to the rest of the sequence, and include a rare form; hollow-based, which could be a marker of the final MSA in South Africa because they are also found at Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter and are known from central and southern parts of the Eastern Cape. This change in point morphology over time could suggest subtle changes in function and hafting approaches for the different point groups, especially when considered in the light of changing hunting strategies as indicated by the results of analyses of fauna from Sibudu. I also confirm a previous suggestion that the distal and proximal ends of Sibudu Still Bay points were not intended to be used reversibly, but that the pointed base was to facilitate a particular haft type. Lastly, I endorse suggestions based on use-trace analyses that Sibudu points were hafted. Morphologies of the point bases suggest different hafts throughout the MSA.
Morris et al. (2009) construe my review (Schrire 2009) of Julia Martin's Millimetre of Dust (Martin 2008) as an unattractive spectacle where I, a professional archaeologist, tell a sympathetic ...non-archaeologist to 'back off my turf '. They claim that I have mistaken Martin's book as a scientific enterprise when in reality it is a personal narrative of a journey into the past. They deprecate my ingratitude for Martin's affirmation of archaeology in a hostile world (Morris et al. 2009).
Examining the work of German prehistoric archaeologists during the Third Reich reveals the importance of international scholarship in understanding how and why professional academics collaborated ...with the Nazi regime. Hare's article focuses on a specific cohort of German prehistorians at the University of Kiel and the Schleswig-Holstein Museum of Antiquities whose work was especially valued by Nazi ideologues. Through a study of their correspondence with colleagues at home and abroad, it identifies four key ways in which the international academic sphere informed collaboration at home, including the demands of foreign networks, the politics of cross-border projects and conferences, concerns about the reputation of German academia and the involvement of German archaeologists in occupied countries during the Second World War. Ultimately, this case study of Kiel archaeologists working during the 1930s and 1940s shows that engagement on the international level led both German and foreign scholars to make accommodations with the regime, but also at times led away from Nazi goals and provided a foundation for rebuilding the discipline after 1945.
In this innovative study, Jun Kimura integrates historical data with archaeological findings to examine a wide array of eleventh- through nineteenth-century ships from China, Korea, and Japan. ...Chinese junks and Japanese sailing ships were known throughout the world, and this work illustrates why their innovative designs have survived the centuries.
Kimura presents an extensive dataset of excavated coastal and oceangoing ships that traveled the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea. Three detailed case studies include the Shinan and Quanzhou wrecks and the Takashima underwater site. Using travel documents, cargo manifests, iconographic paintings, and other descriptive resources, as well as the archaeological evidence of hull components, wooden timbers, and iron remains, Kimura sheds new light on East Asian shipbuilding traditions.
Marketing Archaeology Krieger, William H.
Ethical theory and moral practice,
11/2014, Volume:
17, Issue:
5
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In the 19th century, 'scientific archaeologists' split from their antiquarian colleagues over the role that provenience (context) plays in the value of an artifact. These archaeologists focus on ...documenting an artifact's context when they remove it from its original location. Archaeologists then use this contextual information to place these artifacts within a particular larger assemblage, in a particular time and space. Once analyzed, the artifacts found in a site or region can be used to document, to understand, and explain the past. Given the central place of context for archaeological excavation, archaeologists have done everything in their power to combat the black market. Hoping to stem the tide, archaeologists have leveled attacks on those who excavate these materials, those who traffic in them, and those who purchase them. Unfortunately, despite decades of argument and legal wrangling, archaeologists have been unable to stop the black market. The purpose of this paper is to analyze this failure from the supply side (what archaeologists call looting) and to suggest better ways to engage other stakeholders to the benefit of most, if not all.
