A Comment on Ford's Review of Early Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador

1968 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon D. Muller
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
New World ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Culture Contact ◽  
Early Formative ◽  
Ceramic Decoration

AbstractFord"s conclusions that a substantial reevaluation of New World prehistory is required are not fully justified. In the first place, the Valdivia complex has not clearly been shown to be the source for all New World ceramics. Second, the comparisons of Valdivia and Jomon potsherds are not so tightly controlled as Ford indicates. Given the great variety of ceramic decoration in Japan, it is not surprising that many similarities should exist. In addition, the question of ceramic origins is confused with the origins of Neolithic and the question of long-range culture contact.

Crocodilians and Olmecs: Further Interpretations in Formative Period Iconography

1980 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Stocker ◽  
Sarah Meltzoff ◽  
Steve Armsey
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
World Religions ◽  
European Contact ◽  
Elite Status ◽  
Religious Importance ◽  
Middle Formative ◽  
Exchange Network ◽  
Early Formative

An ecological approach to religion is utilized to examine crocodilians represented in highland and lowland Mesoamerican art from the Early Formative to European contact. It is suggested for certain Formative New World religions, the Olmec in particular, that the crocodilian may have attained religious importance because it served as a major food source, is a predator of humans, and is an anomalous and striking animal. It is further proposed that crocodilian products (meat, skins, etc.) may have been lowland items used in an exchange network with highland groups, that the crocodilian motif and crocodilian products became elements of elite status regalia, and that Olmec ideology thereby gained a foothold in central Mexico. Subsequently, a decline in the supply of crocodilians due to overhunting or other causes may have undermined one basis of Olmec strength and hastened their downfall in the Middle Formative. Crocodilians remain in the art up to European contact, but their role seems to change as they transcend the secular-mundane, as the elite establish other status regalia, and as a greater variety of religious expressions develops.

Determining the Function of One of the New World's Earliest Pottery Assemblages: The Case of San Jacinto, Colombia

1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Ann F. Pratt
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
New World ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Social Value ◽  
South American ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Term Storage ◽  
Early Formative

AbstractOne of the earliest pottery assemblages in the New World (5900 B. P.) was manufactured by logistically mobile hunter-gatherers at San Jacinto I, in Colombia, South America. The vessels were constructed using fiber temper and were elaborately decorated. These characteristics along with the archaeological context of the pottery suggest that its use was unrelated to cooking or food processing. Visual and statistical analyses indicate the pottery had high economic and social value for this semisedentary group; it likely was utilized for feasting/serving activities and possibly for short-term storage. Comparative analyses indicate that the pottery from other early sites in northeast South American may have served similar functions during the early Formative period.

scholarly journals Reconsidering the Age and Typological Character of “Pox Pottery” from Guerrero, Mexico

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Kennett ◽  
Barbara Voorhies ◽  
Josue Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Isthmus Of Tehuantepec ◽  
Per Se ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Formative Ceramics ◽  
Early Formative

We revisit the age and typological character of “Pox Pottery” that was reported in the 1960s by Charles Brush who considered it to be uniquely early (~2440 BC). Investigating the same two sites in coastal Guerrero where Brush excavated, we recovered Early Formative ceramics, some with the “pox” attribute. Here, we report potsherd frequencies for these deposits at both sites according to regional ceramic typologies, as well as AMS 14C dates used to establish a Bayesian stratigraphic chronology for each site to better constrain the age of these Early Formative period deposits. We argue that “Pox Pottery” is not a ceramic type per se and that the “pox” attribute occurs in multiple Early Formative period ceramic types. The earliest pottery is similar to other Red-on-Buff ceramic traditions from the Central Mexican Highlands and west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Our chronological work demonstrates that these ceramics date between 1820 and 1400 cal BC, consistent with other recent studies indicating an early age of Red-on-Buff ceramics and suggesting shared cultural traditions distinct from the contemporary Locona interaction sphere that emerged in parallel.

Different Shades of Early Shamanism in the Upper Amazon

2020 ◽  
pp. 111-144
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
The Body ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Santa Ana ◽  
La Florida ◽  
East West ◽  
Important Site ◽  
Early Formative

Recent archaeological research in the upper Amazon region, on the frontier between Ecuador and Peru, has discovered a new pre-Columbian culture, now known as the Mayo Chinchipe-Marañón society. The most important site that has been studied until now is Santa Ana–La Florida (SALF), located in Palanda (Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador), where an Early Formative period ceremonial center has been studied for over a decade. This site has been occupied for over 5000 years. The ceremonial center has an architectural layout centered around a sunken plaza, with two platforms placed at each end on an east-west axis. The eastern platform served as the base of a round structure that contained evidence of ritual activities. Several tombs have been located in the body of the platform. One, however, stands out for its extraordinary paraphernalia, which suggests the presence of a very relevant individual: a shaman.

The Adoption of the Bow and Arrow: A Model Based on Experimental Performance Characteristics

2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve A. Tomka
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Long Range ◽  
New World ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Game Species ◽  
Experimental Performance ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Bow And Arrow ◽  
Game Hunting ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe timing of the arrival of the bow and arrow in the New World and reasons for its adoption have long been discussed by archaeologists. It typically has been assumed that the bow and arrow provided mechanical and physical advantages over the atlatl and dart, particularly in long-range killing power. This experimental study examines the effectiveness of traditional bows and arrows to deliver lethal wounds to prey species of different sizes. The results suggest that the bow and arrow was effective in hunting prey species such as antelope and deer but ineffective in bringing down larger animals unless changes in hunting strategies were adopted. In contrast, the atlatl and dart would have excelled in large game hunting. It is proposed that the adoption of the bow and arrow and the abandonment of the atlatl and dart were conditioned by their distinct performance advantages and changes in the game species targeted over time.

A SAN LORENZO PHASE HOUSEHOLD ASSEMBLAGE FROM EL REMOLINO, VERACRUZ

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Wendt
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Future Research ◽  
San Lorenzo ◽  
Preliminary Attempt ◽  
Gulf Coast Region ◽  
Coast Region ◽  
Early Formative

AbstractWhile scholars actively search for material and symbolic indications of Olmec influence outside the Gulf Coast, few have taken a close look at the variation and intricacies of Early Formative period material culture within the Gulf Coast region. The increasing body of data on houses in the Olmec heartland is beginning to allow comparisons and new kinds of analyses not previously possible in Olmec studies. Excavated materials from San Lorenzo phase (1200–900b.c., radiocarbon years; 1400–1000b.c.) households at El Remolino in the San Lorenzo region are analyzed in a preliminary attempt to evaluate the particulars of a San Lorenzo Olmec domestic assemblage in order to provide a baseline for future research. I compare quantities of different artifact classes, vessel forms, vessel orifice diameters, and pottery decoration to arrive at an understanding of a modest Olmec household inventory. Through this analysis, I argue that several of the San Lorenzo horizon markers cited as evidence of Olmec influence or migration elsewhere in Mesoamerica are quite rare in the Olmec heartland itself. Both Calzadas Carved and Limón Carved-Incised pottery decorations1occur only in minute quantities (<1%) in the Remolino (and San Lorenzo) assemblage, and hollow white-ware figurines are entirely absent at this nonelite context. Except for its location 5 km from San Lorenzo, El Remolino would not qualify as an Olmec site based on the lack of artifact markers emphasized by archaeologists working outside of the Gulf Coast. I argue that we need a better idea of the range of Gulf Coast Olmec variation before we delve too far into discussions of Gulf Coast influence.

Radiocarbon Evidence for Initial Early Formative Period Occupation in Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 437-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy David Hepp
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Human Bone ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Middle Formative ◽  
Early Formative

Seven AMS radiocarbon dates (1950–1525 cal BC) from controlled contexts demonstrate Early Formative period occupation in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. These dated elements from the site of La Consentida include hearths, occupational surfaces, carbon adhering to pottery from a midden, and human bone collagen processed with XAD purification. They were excavated from primary contexts and do not represent redeposited materials. An eighth sample, dated to the Middle Formative period, is considered postoccupational. The diversity of dated deposits and features, their distribution, and their overlapping calibrated ranges indicate settlement by an initial Early Formative period village.

Context, Cult, and Early Formative Period Public Ritual in the Mixteca Alta

1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Blomster
Keyword(s):  
Formative Period ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Social Ranking ◽  
Mixteca Alta ◽  
Middle Formative ◽  
Early Formative

AbstractFrom the Early and Middle Formative periods, hollow ceramic-baby figurines in the Olmec style—representing a suite of shared symbols and iconography—appear at sites throughout Mesoamerica. Hollow babies are usually reported without provenience, which has prevented a context-based analysis. The recent discovery of a hollow-baby figurine in a bell-shaped pit in the Mixteca Alta of Oaxaca provides the opportunity to examine the role and purported distribution of these objects across Mesoamenca. Based on consideration of the Etlatongo hollow-baby image, a semiotic analysis of contemporaneous solid figurines from Oaxaca, and the volume and nature of its bell-shaped-pit context, hollow babies are interpreted as ritual paraphernalia used in display and public ceremonies that reflect the emerging social ranking of this period. Moving beyond a socioeconomic interpretation, the interregional relationships expressed through hollow-baby figurines are suggested to evince participation in a regional cult.

Fictional Directions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Slusser
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
New World ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Creative Activity ◽  
Character Type ◽  
Single Character ◽  
Brave New World

This chapter considers how Gregory Benford became a scientist-writer by focusing on the two directions that his subsequent fiction will take. As a writer, Benford came up through the science fiction pathway. The goal from the outset was to write serious fiction about the new world that science offered to mankind, and to present, in fictional works, the role of scientists in shaping and understanding that brave new world. Benford published his first novel in 1970, to be followed by a formative period of intense creative activity from the early 1970s to the early 1980s. This chapter examines how the interweaving of fictional directions in Benford's career as a scientist-writer find their common focus in the defining of a single character type—the scientist, or person of scientific vision, at work doing science. To this end, the chapter analyzes two “bookend” novels: Deeper than the Darkness (1970) and Against Infinity (1983).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document