essay

Early and Middle Archaic settlement patterns and demography

early and middle archaic research in virginia : a synthesis (22)Published In 1990 • Pages: 99-117

By: Parker, Scott K..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Parker discusses other authors' ideas about settlement-subsistence patterns in the Middle Atlantic region during the Early and Middle Archaic. He also reviews some ethnographic exchange systems (!Kung San Bushmen, Aborigines of the Western Desert of Australia) as an analogy for Early and Middle Archaic peoples. Early and Middle Archaic sites in several areas of Virginia were examined for an analysis of settlement patterns. Site size (in square yards) and artifact diversity were used as measures of site size. Sites were considered to be located either in the floodplain or the uplands. Parker found that sites were mostly evenly distributed; what one would expect of egalitarian hunter-gatherers trying to reduce risk. Parker also tried to stress 'that social interaction through exchange networks provided an 'adaptive advantage' for Early and Middle Archaic populations' (page 114).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Reviews and critiques
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Organization and analysis of results of research
Settlement patterns
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Eastern Middle Archaic
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2001
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Eastern Woodlands
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry ; 2000
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
no date
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
Middle Archaic
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Middle Atlantic region; United States
NotesAdditional notes
Scott K. Parker
Papers from the second COVA Virginia Prehistoric Indian Symposium, held at James Madison University, Apr. 15, 1989
Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-117)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
91150151
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Indians of North America--Virginia--Antiquities