The common assumption that Maya stelae record contemporaneity of carving, style, erection, and calendar date is challenged by evidence that shows instances in which (1) stylistic inconsistencies have been caused by alterations of a monument during different periods of time; (2) the latest recorded glyphic date is not the date of erection but rather the date of the latest completed alteration of the monument; (3) the practice of recarving and the associated innovations served as determinants of change in stylistic development. Physical evidence of the removal of carved elements and recarving is reviewed for carved wooden lintels at Tikal and stelae at Xultún, Yaxchilán, Uaxactún, Quiriguá Tikal, Naranjo, Piedras Negras, and Copán. Details of substela chambers, the placement of caches, the presence of multiple floors, and the condition of stela bases at Copán, Quiriguá, and Uaxactún indicate that stelae were raised in position as well as recarved. It is suggested that the period of the original erection of a monument is most closely related to the earliest date present, while the latest date present refers only to the latest completed alteration of the monument.

Excavations at Site PV62-63 (Cerrillos) uncovered a refuse accumulation several meters deep with two major stratigraphic units, the earlier termed the Cerrillos phase, the later termed the Isla phase. Cerrillos ceramics are of a style new to the Ica sequence and the earliest known in the valley; they represent an early development in the Paracas style, but also share various specific traits with Chavinoid ceramic styles in other areas. Ceramics of the Isla phase represent a local development out of Cerrillos but with many of the Chavinoid traits lacking. The Isla ceramic style had been previously recognized as the earliest known Paracas phase, although no refuse excavations had been made. Isla refuse is associated with a series of superimposed adobe structures, representing terraced habitations arranged in a complex apartment-house-like dwelling unit. The refuse of both stratigraphic units indicates very heavy dependence on agricultural produce, beans and a primitive type of maize being the staples. Various other artifact types were recovered, the Cerrillos textiles also showing similarities with early techniques in other areas.

Comparative study of both pottery and stone implements indicates that Mongolia, Manchuria, and eastern Siberia constitute a Siberian-Mongolian culture area of great antiquity. During the Neolithic this area was characterized by a small-tool tradition distinct from the microlithic tradition of the west, and unlike the tool-making developments of the Yang-shao and Lung-shan farmers to the south. The so-called “microlithic” character of the Siberian Neolithic is not demonstrated by archaeological collections from the area, and is demonstrated to be the historic result of early terminological confusions that have been perpetuated in the literature. A. A. Formozov's claims for a Eurasian steppe culture characterized by a microlithic tradition distinct from both the southern farmers and the forest culture of the taiga are rejected.

This paper attempts to establish the rules governing the recognition of names in the Maya script, particularly with regard to their glyphic context. These rules are applied to the Quiriguá inscriptions; glyph clauses pertaining to three rulers are established with some probability and two others are suggested more doubtfully. The founder of the Quiriguá dynasty was apparently related to an identified ruler at Copán, and it is shown that at least one and probably two later rulers at Copán share some names and titles with the Quiriguá rulers. It is suggested that the family name of the rulers of Copán and Quiriguá was caan, sky.

This site contains three major components. Mandeville I is a very Late Deptford culture, represented by sizable village deposits, the premound occupation under Mound A, the initial pyramidal mound building at Mound A, and most of the burial mound, Mound B. Significant contacts are seen with Copena and Ohio Valley Hopewell, and there are definite ties with the Crystal River complex. Mandeville II is a continuity with Mandeville I, but may be considered Early Swift Creek. New layers were added to Mound A, but there was little activity on Mound B. Village deposits of this component are extensive. Primary outside contact for the group is with the Crystal River complex, though some continuing Copena and Ohio Valley Hopewell influence is seen. Mandeville III, unrelated to the earlier components, is an expression of the Mississippian Rood focus 500 to 1000 years after Mandeville II. Village deposits of this component are not plentiful. Mound A was capped and presumably used for a temple base. Relationships lie with Macon Plateau and Lake Jackson, and ultimately to the northwest in the Tennessee and Mississippi valleys.

Plant remains from La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos consist mostly of cultivated plants, beans, corn, and cucurbits. The inhabitants also gathered acorns, pinon nuts, black walnuts, and opuntia fruits for food, and used yucca, agave, and possibly cotton for fibers. The beans are unusually abundant and diverse: three species and 12 types or varieties. A type of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) and two common beans (P. vulgaris), one of them similar to the cultivar Wells Red Kidney, are new to the Southwest and to northwestern Mexico. The lima bean is of interest because it belongs to the round-seeded Carib group with a center of diversification in the West Indies, whereas other lima beans from the prehistoric Southwest are mostly small-seeded and flat, probably derived from Central America. Five races of corn are represented: an ancient race called Chapalote; Cristalina de Chihuahua, the most numerous race in the collections; Onaveño, a race with medium-sized, hard-flint kernels; Pima-Papago, the common soft flour corn of the Arizona-Sonora border; and Toluca Pop, a central Mexican pyramidal, pointed popcorn. Cob fragments and grains show definite evidence of hybridization with Tripsacum or teosinte. Three species of cultivated Cucurbitaceae, a wild species of Cucurbita, and a species of Apodanthera were identified. Fragments of gourds, mostly Lagenaria siceraria, are relatively abundant. Seeds and peduncles of Cucurbita pepo occur in strata throughout the entire profile. Cucurbita mixta was found in the later strata, but remains of this species are meagre. Seeds of Apodanthera sp. may have been used for food. A single wood sample from near the base of the midden produced a radiocarbon date of A.D. 660 (1300 ± 100 B.P.).

Artifacts recovered during U.C.L.A. excavations in 1959 are described in terms of a new typological classification for Mesoamerican metal artifacts. In addition to a number of artifact types known elsewhere in Mesoamerica, the excavations yielded several new forms. Possible relationships of Amapa, and West Mexico in general, to other areas of Mesoamerica, suggested by similarities in metal artifacts, are discussed. Association of metals with Mazapan figurines suggests an initial date for appearance of metal artifacts at Amapa of roughly A.D. 900; terminal date for the Amapa occupation may be around 1200.

A prehistoric ceremonial cache in the Arizona State Museum was found in 1957 by S. R. Claridge of Safford, Arizona. In 1958 additional objects were collected on a subsequent visit to the cave. The ceremonial objects include wooden flowers and cones, strings of miniature baskets, terraced wooden objects, a wooden pendant, cotton cloth, and bows and arrows. Apparently most of these objects had been stored in a Maverick Mountain Polychrome jar which had been covered with a smudged brownware bowl. The cache dates from the closing years of the 13th century or the early years of the 14th century. It probably belonged to the group of migrants from the Kayenta area who moved into Point of Pines about A.D. 1280 only to be driven from there about 20 or 30 years later.

This apparently unfinished study of the still poorly described La Brea skull was written in 1914. Measurements by Kroeber and John C. Merriam and photos by Merriam are included. The skull is identified with the earliest of three racial subtypes of California Indians recognized by Kroeber. Robert F. Heizer provides data on a recent radiocarbon date at La Brea and explains that Kroeber's three subtypes were later verified by the detailed work of E. W. Gifford.

Human remains at a depth of 37 feet in Arlington Canyon are dated by radiocarbon at about 8000 B.C.

Examination of material in the Oregon State Museum of Anthropology reveals two apparent cores and several blades among surface finds from the Northern Great Basin. Collections from excavations at The Dalles, on the Columbia River, contain cores and blades from levels radiocarbon dated at about 5900 B.C., and possible examples from earlier levels.

Cogged stones from preceramic sites on the coasts of California and Chile may reflect a north-to-south diffusion during the Archaic period with greater elaboration of the trait in Chile.

Width frequencies plotted for 293 microblades and blades from the pre-Dorset Arnapik site on Mansel Island, Northwest Territories, produce a bimodal curve which suggests a maximum width of 11 mm. as a criterion for distinguishing microblades from blades.