Category: General

For the Director: Research Essays in Honor of James B. Griffin

Charles E. Cleland, ed.

AP 61

In 1975, James B. Griffin retired as director of the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology. During his three decades as director and professor, he had become one of the leading archaeologists in North America and had tremendous influence over the next generation of archaeological research. To honor the man and his work, nineteen scholars contributed essays to this volume.

An Investigation of Ethnographic and Archaeological Specimens of Mescalbeans in American Museums

William L. Merrill

T 6

Mescal beans were important for many North American tribes in Mexico and the southwestern U.S. Tribes used the beans primarily as decorations (seed beads) for clothing; some tribes consumed the beans for their psychotropic properties as part of ceremonies.

In this volume, the author examines the distribution of mescal bean use and compiles a description of archaeological and ethnographic specimens from dozens of tribes. Illustrated.

Digging for Gold: Papers on Archaeology for Profit

William K. Macdonald

T 5

Editor William K. Macdonald presents several essays on contract archaeology, or archaeological work done by companies or agencies on sites that typically are about to be destroyed by construction. Thomas J. Riley reports on contract archaeology and the academic world; James E. Fitting writes from the perspective of a state archaeologist; Macdonald and Alex H. Townsend report on problems in corporate archaeology; Townsend writes about how contracts are acquired; and Steven A. LeBlanc reports on the need for regions to have an overall research design and to follow best practices in hiring, technological improvements, and storage.

Data on the Abnormal Hemoglobins and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Human Populations, 1967–1973

Frank B. Livingstone

T 3

In this work, author Frank B. Livingstone has collected and interpreted data on abnormal hemoglobins and G6PD deficiency in humans around the globe. He reports on blood abnormalities by continent and ethnicity and relates these findings to the historic and prehistoric movements of populations.

Social Exchange and Interaction

Edwin N. Wilmsen, ed.

AP 46

Contributors in this volume are concerned with the role of exchange in maintaining social systems as diverse as aboriginal Australia, 1960s Madagascar, and prehistoric Mesopotamia. Contributions by Aram A. Yengoyan, George C. Frison, Richard I. Ford, Stuart Struever, Gail L. Houart, Peter Benedict, Henry T. Wright, Conrad P. Kottak, and Kent V. Flannery.

LONGTERM and PEAKSCAN: Neutron Activation Analysis Computer Programs

Thomas Meyers and Mark Denies

T 2

In this work, the authors present the history of efforts at the University of Michigan to develop specialized laboratory techniques suitable for measuring trace elements found in prehistoric artifacts. They explain how two early computer programs (PEAKSCAN and LONGTERM) analyzed specimens (particularly chert and obsidian) and how neutron activation analysis is used to identify quantities of certain chemical elements. Researchers then use this data to determine the sources of raw materials used by prehistoric people.

Miscellaneous Studies in Typology and Classification

Anta M. White, Lewis R. Binford, Mark L. Papworth

AP 19

This volume includes a report on excavations at three Late Archaic sites in Michigan: the Eastport site in Antrim County, the Hodges site in Saginaw County, and the Pomranky site in Midland County. White contributes a description of chipped stone from the Snyders site in Calhoun County, Illinois, and Binford provides a proposed attribute list for classifying projectile points.