Tucson, Ariz. (August 1, 2015)—A new monograph by flaked stone expert Jane Sliva of cultural resources management firm Desert Archaeology, Inc., presents the first comprehensive study of Early Agricultural period projectile points in the greater Southwest United States, including typological and behavioral interpretations. Archaeology Southwest, a private 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, has published the volume through its own imprint in partnership with Desert Archaeology, Inc.
“This is a monumental piece of work,” notes Bradley Vierra of Statistical Research, Inc. “One of the biggest challenges archaeologists have is the consistent identification of projectile point types, and the need for consistency in point type identification is a critical starting point for any higher-level analysis. Sliva provides a clear set of implications in the case of diffusion/migration and how they relate to projectile point design.”
This book presents a comprehensive typology of the projectile points that were made by the earliest farmers in the Greater Southwest during the last two millennia B.C. Textual descriptions are accompanied by photographs and diagrams showing how key attributes are discerned and combined into diagnostic sets that are used for type identifications. Case studies drawn from cultural resources management projects stretching from northern Sonora to the Four Corners are presented to demonstrate how projectile point typological data may be combined with anthropological and sociological theory to investigate issues of migration, social identity, and social relations in the archaeological record.
Sliva has worked with lithic (flaked stone tool) assemblages from a variety of regions and time periods in Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Since 1994, she has focused on the flaked stone technology of the U.S. Southwest and Northwest Mexico. In addition to refining projectile point typologies, she has developed techniques for using the patterns apparent within debitage assemblages to address questions of temporal affiliation and spatial organization within archaeological sites in Arizona.
Projectile Points of the Early Agricultural Southwest: Typology, Migration, and Social Dynamics from the Sonoran Desert to the Colorado Plateau
By R. Jane Sliva
222 pages, 101 figures, 8 tables
To order online, go to https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/product/ppeas-sliva/, or call 520-882-6946.
About Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Desert Archaeology is an Arizona small business offering cultural resources research and consulting services through offices in Tucson and Phoenix. The company has been in the forefront of cultural resources management since 1982, serving a diverse set of clients—from government agencies to private firms. Desert Archaeology has successfully completed over 2,000 projects in the Greater Southwest, ranging from small surveys to large excavations. We have established a record of work that is timely, cost effective, and of the highest professional quality. Client service in an open, team-based environment is our hallmark. We have been very successful in serving the interests of our clients while preserving cultural resource values. Learn more at desert.com.
About Archaeology Southwest
Archaeology Southwest is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Tucson, Arizona, that explores and protects the places of our past across the American Southwest and Mexican Northwest. For three decades, Archaeology Southwest has practiced a holistic, conservation-based approach known as Preservation Archaeology. By exploring what makes a place special, sharing this knowledge in innovative ways, and enacting flexible site protection strategies, we foster meaningful connections to the past and respectfully safeguard its irreplaceable resources. Learn more at www.archaeologysouthwest.org.