The Archaeology and Historical Ecology of Small Scale Economies

Preface

Preface This book grew out of a symposium that Jamie Waggoner and I organized for the 74th annual Society for American Archaeology meetings in Atlanta, Georgia. Our goal with this symposium, originally entitled “Footprints on the Landscape: the Historical Ecology of Hunter-Gatherers,” was to bring together scholars working in different environments around the world to elicit a discourse on the nature of human-environmental interactions among groups practicing small scale economies (e.g., hunter-gatherers, fishers, and/or limited horticulturists). Both Jamie and I had had a keen interest in ecology and anthropology since our early undergraduate days at the University of Georgia, where we became lifelong friends. This symposium was a way for us to not only work on a project together as friends, but also a forum to engage colleagues working on similar issues and to explore the commonalities and differences among the various regions represented. Working on this with Jamie was truly exciting as we began to invite people to the symposium and decide what themes needed to be addressed by the participants. Unfortunately, that summer before the Society for American Archaeology meeting, I got a call from Jamie while I was in the field in central Florida. He informed me that he was at the hospital and the doctors had discovered a brain tumor. Due to Jamie’s illness, he was not able to write his paper for the symposium or a chapter subsequently for this book. Jamie’s condition did not improve, and he eventually succumbed to the cancer on September 23, 2009. He was 38 years old. I decided to carry on with our project, although at times I must admit I wanted to abandon it for emotional reasons. Although Jamie passed away before we could really begin work on this enterprise, he served as a driving force for me to finish the book. For me, this volume represents the last intellectual dialogue I had with my best friend. His memory continues to inspire me in my work, in my friendships with others, and simply to be a good human being. Victor D. Thompson This page intentionally left blank ...