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The Emergence of Large Villages and Large Residential Corporate Group Structures among Complex Hunter-Gatherers at Keatley Creek

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Brian Hayden*
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6

Abstract

Prentiss et al. (2003) have argued for a relatively recent, short (1600–1100 B.P.), and noncontinuous occupation of large villages and large housepits on the British Columbian Plateau. They argue that these developments resulted from climatically induced resource impoverishment in the region. I maintain that their database is inadequate for such conclusions and that their interpretations are in conflict with dates that I obtained from large housepits as well as with the distribution of early point styles (dating from 1200–4800 B.P.) that concentrate in the rim middens of large and medium-sized housepits. These data indicate that large villages and housepits that emerged by 2600 B.P., or earlier, were continuously occupied and corresponded more to the development of collector-based technologies rather than any climatic deteriorations or the introduction of the bow and arrow.

Résumé

Résumé

Prentiss et al. (2003) han argumentado que la ocupación de grandes aldeas y grandes estructuras semi-subterráneas en el altiplano de la Columbia Británica es relativamente reciente y corta (1600–1100 a. de P.). Arguyen que estos desarrollos fueron el resultado de un empobrecimiento climáticamente inducido de recursos en la región. Yo sostengo que su base de datos es inadecuada para llegar a tales conclusiones y que sus interpretaciones entran en conflicto con las fechas que he obtenido de grandes estructuras semi-subterráneas, y también con la distribución de estilos de puntas tempranos (que datan de 1200–4800 a.de.P), los cuales se concentran en las depósitos de basura de las estructuras semi-subterráneas grandes y medianas. Estos datos indican que las grandes aldeas y estructuras semi-subterráneas que surgieron hacia 2600 a.de.P. o más temprano, fueron usadas continuamente, y corresponden más bien al desarrollo de tecnologías basadas en la recolección que a cualquier deterioro climático o a la introducción del arco y la flecha.

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Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2005

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References

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