Crossing the Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeological Materials from the Caribbean

Contents

Contents List of Illustrations ix 1. Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries and National Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeological Materials from the Caribbean Corinne L. Hofman, Menno L. P. Hoogland, and Annelou L. van Gijn 1 PART I. PROVENANCE STUDIES 2. In Tuneful Threefold: Combining Conventional Archaeological Methods, Archaeometric Techniques, and Ethnoarchaeological Research in the Study of Precolonial Pottery of the Caribbean Corinne L. Hofman, A. J. Daan Isendoorn, Mathijs A. Booden, and Loe F. H. C. Jacobs 21 3. American Gold and European Brass: Metal Objects and Indigenous Values in the Cemetery of El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba Jago Cooper, Marcos Martinón-Torres, and Roberto Valcárcel Rojas 34 4. Chert Sourcing in the Northern Lesser Antilles: The Use of Geochemical Techniques in Discriminating Chert Materials Sebastiaan Knippenberg and Johannes J. P. Zijlstra 43 PART II. FUNCTIONAL STUDIES OF ARTIFACTS 5. A New Material to View the Past: Dental Alginate Molds of Friable Artifacts Charlene Dixon Hutcheson 69 6. Saladoid Lapidary Technology: New Methods for Investigating Stone Bead Drilling Techniques Christy de Mille, Tamara Varney, and Michael Turney 78 7. Lithic Technology: A Way to More Complex Diversity in Caribbean Archaeology Benoît Bérard 90 8. Tool Use and Technological Choices: An Integral Approach toward Functional Analysis of Caribbean Tool Assemblages Annelou L. van Gijn, Yvonne Lammers-Keijsers, and Iris Briels 101 9. Understanding the Function of Coral Tools from Anse à la Gourde: An Experimental Approach Harold J. Kelly and Annelou L. van Gijn 115 10. The Significance of Wear and Residue Studies: An Example from Plum Piece, Saba Channah J. Nieuwenhuis 125 11. Starch Residues on Lithic Artifacts from Two Contrasting Contexts in Northwestern Puerto Rico: Los Muertos Cave and Vega de Nelo Vargas Farmstead Jaime R. Pagán Jiménez and José R. Oliver 137 12. The Burén in Precolonial Cuban Archaeology: New Information Regarding the Use of Plants and Ceramic Griddles during the Late Ceramic Age of Eastern Cuba Gathered through Starch Analysis Roberto Rodríguez Suárez and Jaime R. Pagán Jiménez 159 PART III. NEW TRENDS IN PALEOBOTANICAL AND PALEO-OSTEOLOGICAL RESEARCH 13. Caribbean Paleoethnobotany: Present Status and New Horizons (Understanding the Evolution of an Indigenous Ethnobotany) Lee A. Newsom 173 14. New Evidence of Two Different Migratory Waves in the Circum-Caribbean Area during the Pre-Columbian Period from the Analysis of Dental Morphological Traits Alfredo Coppa, Andrea Cucina, Menno L. P. Hoogland, Michaela Lucci, Fernando Luna Calderón, Raphaël G. A. M. Panhuysen, Glenis Tavarez María, Roberto Valcárcel Rojas, and Rita Vargiu 195 15. Tracing Human Mobility with 87 Sr/86 Sr at Anse à la Gourde, Guadeloupe Mathijs A. Booden, Raphaël G. A. M. Panhuysen, Menno L. P. Hoogland, Hylke N. de Jong, Gareth R. Davies, and Corinne L. Hofman 214 16. Epilogue: The Correct Answer Requires the Right Question (and the Technology to Back It Up) William F. Keegan 226 vi / Contents References Cited 233 Contributors 285 Index 291 Contents / vii ...