Sites/Regional Culture Groups/Discoveries Arch. Final

SIgnificance of Each

Watoro Ex Slave Settlements

Freed slaves escaped slavery and formed their own communities. Evidence of long distance trade networks/craft specialization and alliances. Significant because it reflects that Material Culture is the biggest method of detecting slave settlements.

The Oval Site

Chesapeake Village site where archaeolgists found evidence of creolization and the blending of African and European cultures via large-scale food wastage analysis. Significant due to evidence of creolization/blended culture

NYC African Burial Ground

Significant due to evidence of slave resistance. Mass burial outisde of city walls that showed slaves buried in coffins with precious goods via Mortuaray Archaeology and Osteoarchaeology. Archaelogists wanted to understand modes and methods of enslavement/slave resistance.

Killkenny Union Workhouse

Using Mortuary and Osteoarchaeology, scientists analyzed the remains of people in mass burial sites to understand the condtions of the poor in Ireland during the Great Famine. Evidence of chronic malnutrition and other illnesses, and mulitple burials in the same coffin done by the British. Reflects themes of famine and inequality.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Original Ecocide Hypothesis (The idea that the over-exploitation of an environment by humans leads to collapse) was later disproven and attributed to rats. Complex agricultural soceity was formed with over 1000 Moai heads in 1200. By 1870, the society had “collapsed”. Jared Diamond argued on the basis of Ecocide and mass deforestation due to humans, but again the deforestation was due to rats.

Panga ya Saidi, Kenya

Significant due to usage of Paleo Malacology (Study of Mollusk Fossils) for environmental and ecological reconstruction. This site provides insights into ancient human-environment interactions and coastal resource management.

Sanyangzhuang (SYZ).

Massive archaeological site preserved by flooding due to the Yellow River. Known as “China’s Pompeii”. Massive agricultural expansion and levy construction during the Han Dynasty led to increasing flloods and citizen uprisings out of anger. Significant because the Yellow River Floods were an important case study in human adaptation to the enviromenemnt and Enviromenmental Archaeology.

Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC)

Bronze Aged civilizations that developed in the arid regions of South Asia. Developed massive water systems to channel water long distancs and feed into water networks. Significant because it reflected human adaptations to their environment and organizational/socital complexity that came with managing these networks

Hohokam

Native American Culture in Arizona that developed one of the single most complex water systems in history. This led to an extremley prospurous culture, with artisans/craft specialization. There was also no overall leader, but rather different groups that worked together. Water system is reflected today in low pH, low salt, and highly fertile soil in the region today. Significant because it showed human adapting to their envrionments and environmental modification.

Ayawiri

Peruvian Civilization that was established on top of a large terrace/mound hill both as a defensive and agricultural strategy. This civilization is known for its sophisticated agricultural practices and urban layout. Limited regional trade, and overall society was very contained to the terraces. Significant because terrace isolation can reflect both environmental factors/stresses but also protections aganist millitary.

Jemez Villages

A group of Native American settlements located in New Mexico, known for their Pueblo architecture and agricultural practices, adapting to the high desert environment. They are significant for their themes of Dendrochonology, Human Impact, and role of Trees as beneficial to society. A high number of trees were established during this period

Otzi the Iceman

Remains of an indivudal recovered in 1991 in the Alps from over 5000 years ago. So well preserved that archaeologists were able to reconstruction his diet, migration patterns, and daily life from materials culture and physical composition.

Kennewick Man

Human Skeleton found by the Army Corp in Washington State. Over 9000 years old and was adjacent next to federally recognized land, causing legal issues over tribe retriabution. Archaeologists argued it was “too old” to be associated with any tribes, but DNA analysis disproved that. Significant because it shows rules/regulations of NAGPRA on Archaeology.

Atari Video Game Burial Site

A notable archaeological site in New Mexico where over 1,000 unsold video game cartridges were buried in the 1980s, now illustrating the cultural impact of video gaming, Video Game Archaeology, and consumer waste.

Benin Bronzes

Collection of artistic crafts that were seized by the British in 1897 from their home country’s palace. Extreme public pressure resulted in the UK sending them back as part of Repatriation Efforts. Significant because it reflected increasing trends/pressure of Repatriation in the modern age, as well as the influence of bargining power in the home country demanding said repatriation (in this case Nigeria).

Fort Center, Florida

An archaeological site known for its Pre-Columbian Native American wooden structures occupied by hunter gatherers. Due to flooding, these wooden effigies were preserved. Significant because it shows the role of culture context in determining the past. A purely typological analysis failed at showing how indigenous people categorized these structures, but historical context showed that these animal statues were viewed as community members (not just animals), and were important in funerals.

Kakapel Rockshelter

Important example of Community Archaeology. Collaboration with these people in Western Kenya in research projects to document their cultural heritage and archaeological history. Archaeologists and community members working together.

Cahokia

Chiefdom Mississippian society with clear cities but no overarching leader. Sat atop a central mound with clear site hiearchy with lesser satellite mounds around this mound. Largest city in North Amercia until 1790. Significant due to influence of site hierarchy between parts of the cheifdom

Jenne Jeno

An ancient urban settlement located in present-day Mali, It played a crucial role in trade, agriculture, and culture, featuring complex social structures and iron production. Significant because it was a Heterarchy, rules/laws were in place, but no overaching ruler or leader. Heterarchy reflects different groups of organization/power, each shared among segments of society and creating law. Multiple groups had individual people with greater authority, but these people worked with other indivudals to share power equally.

Coastal Salish

Indigenous peoples of the Vancouver region. Significant because they had an Anarchic model of rule. No major overall ruler/hierarchy. Leadership is not inherited and does not have absolute power, instead being dependent entirely on community support. Multiple villages without any sole permanent rule above them, instead with each village working together. Anarchic organization refers to social practices working to minimize indiviudals gaining absolute power.

Catalhoyuk

Early farming society in Turkey that showed emergence of the first major urban cities. All the buildings/houses were interconnected in one massive complex (no streets/roads), while still being semi private with storage areas. Signicant alongside first major urban city in that it was extremely egalitarian, everyone worked equally to engage in long distance trade to help fuel the economy, showing emergnece of craft speicalists.

Inca Empire

Extremely economically and ecologically diverse empire spanning much of Western South America. Known for its advanced infrastructure/hiearchy, including roads and bridges, which facilitated trade and communication across its vast territory, as well as its centralized government and agricultural innovations. Significant because it represents a complex, coercive state that allows people with authority to tell other people what to do, in order to maintain the structure of the empire.