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The Archaeology of Interaction: Views from Artifact Style and Material Exchange in Dorset Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Daniel Odess
Daniel Odess*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Brown University, 128 Hope Street, Box 1921, Providence, RI 02912
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Abstract

This paper discusses the role of interaction in prehistory, and the ways archaeologists have traditionally approached its study. Using two distinct data sets—artifact style and material exchange—derived from analysis of 11 Dorset (late Paleoeskimo) collections from Frobisher Bay in the Canadian Arctic, it explores the strengths and weaknesses of these methodologically distinct investigatory techniques. Each appears inadequate when used separately and in isolation, but when used in tandem they demonstrate considerable potential to yield epistemologically grounded insights into prehistoric interaction and, perhaps, changing dimensions in the symbolic use of style over time.

Résumé

Résumé

Este trabajo discute el papel de interacción en la prehistoria, y las maneras tradicionales en que arqueólogos han abarcado su estudio. Usando dos conjuntos de datos distintos—el estilo de artifacto e intercambio de material—derivados del análisis de once colecciones Paleoesquimales (Dorset) de la Bahía de Frobisher en el Artico canadiense, este estudio explora las fortalezas y debilidades de estas metodologicamente distintas técnicas investigativas. Cada una parece inadecuada cuando se usa separada o en aislamiento, pero cuando son usadas juntas y combinadas con información sobre factores relacionados como la densidad de población, la mobilidad, y la necesidad de adquirir materiales no disponibles localmente, éstas demuestran un potencial considerable para obtener ideas epistemologicamente sólidas sobre la interacción prehistórica.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 63 , Issue 3 , July 1998 , pp. 417 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1998

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References

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