THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Gumbs, Vernice Pamela
Language:	English
Published:	University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK 2000
Subjects:	surface data formation processes replicated collection
Online Access:	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin975606147

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spelling	ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ucin9756061472021-08-03T06:16:02Z THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION Gumbs, Vernice Pamela surface data formation processes replicated collection Since the dawn of their discipline, archaeologists have used surface data to assess the information potential of archaeological sites. Excavation and surface assemblages are used as the foundation for the reconstruction of past histories. Given the importance of surface assemblages in archaeology, it is necessary to examine their reliability. One way of determining the reliability of inferences made by using surface assemblages is through repeated examinations of the same archaeological site over a period of time. The information gathered with each examination of MU 125, south of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, provides such an opportunity. Three years’ of surface ceramic data to was in order to determine if MU 125 was indeed a Kayenta Anasazi site. The final results of this analysis involve a comparison of four wares that were found within all three surface ceramic assemblages. Tusayan Grayware exhibited a higher number of sherds than all others. Of the 5,498 surface sherds located on MU 125, about 50 percent were assigned to Tusayan Grayware. In this case, the predominant of Tusayan Grayware at MU 125 associates it with the Kayenta Anasazi culture. To gain a better idea of surface data reliability, it is the task of archaeologists to understand the processes that affect the surface material and how they impact the archaeological record. Numerous agents transform artifacts from one state to another within the archaeological context. The formation processes themselves display patterns that can distort the archaeological record. It is important to understand these processes and their disturbances on the archaeological record. Without acknowledging these processes, poor inferences may be made in archaeological interpretations. However, in the case of MU 125 one can conclude that these processes did not affect the reliability of the surface ceramic data. Thus, inferences made from the data can be deemed reliable. 2000 English text University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin975606147 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin975606147 restricted--full text not available online This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection	NDLTD
language	English
sources	NDLTD
topic	surface data formation processes replicated collection
spellingShingle	surface data formation processes replicated collection Gumbs, Vernice Pamela THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
author	Gumbs, Vernice Pamela
author_facet	Gumbs, Vernice Pamela
author_sort	Gumbs, Vernice Pamela
title	THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
title_short	THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
title_full	THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
title_fullStr	THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
title_full_unstemmed	THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
title_sort	reliability of surface assemblages in archaeological interpretation
publisher	University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK
publishDate	2000
url	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin975606147
work_keys_str_mv	AT gumbsvernicepamela thereliabilityofsurfaceassemblagesinarchaeologicalinterpretation AT gumbsvernicepamela reliabilityofsurfaceassemblagesinarchaeologicalinterpretation
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THE RELIABILITY OF SURFACE ASSEMBLAGES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION

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