Great House Communities across the Chacoan Landscape (Anthropological Papers) [Paperback]

John Kantner (Author), Nancy M. Mahoney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0816520720 | ISBN-13: 978-0816520725

Beginning in the tenth century, Chaco Canyon emerged as an important center whose influence shaped subsequent cultural developments throughout the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. Archaeologists investigating the prehistory of Chaco Canyon have long been impressed by its massive architecture, evidence of widespread trading activities, and ancient roadways that extended across the region. Research on Chaco Canyon today is focused on what the remains indicate about the social, political, and ideological organization of the Chacoan people. Communities with great houses located some distance away are of particular interest, because determining how and why peripheral areas became associated with the central canyon provides insight into the evolution of the Chacoan tradition. This volume brings together twelve chapters by archaeologists who suggest that the relationship between Chaco Canyon and outlying communities was not only complex but highly variable. Their new research reveals that the most distant groups may have simply appropriated Chacoan symbolism for influencing local social and political relationships, whereas many of the nearest communities appear to have interacted closely with the central canyon--perhaps even living there on a seasonal basis. The multifaceted approach taken by these authors provides different and refreshing perspectives on Chaco. Their contributions offer new insight into what a Chacoan community is and shed light on the nature of interactions among prehistoric communities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The multifaceted approach . . . provides different and sometimes refreshing perspectives on Chaco. Their contributions offer new insight into what a Chacoan community is, and they shed new light on the nature of interactions among prehistoric communities." —Traditional Dwellings & Settlements Review

About the Author

John Kantner is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Georgia State University in Atlanta. He has spent the past 12 years in southwestern archaeology, seven of them on Chaco research.

Nancy M. Mahoney is currently the Robert H. Lister Fellow in Anthropology at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816520720
• ISBN-13: 978-0816520725
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,585,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Kantner is the Vice President for Academic & Institutional Advancement at the School for Advanced Research and formerly an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Georgia State University. A native of New Mexico, he earned his B.A. from Colorado College and his Ph.D. from U.C. Santa Barbara. His early research was on Spanish Colonial ethnohistory of the Southwest, and he has also conducted archaeological investigations in Costa Rica, the U.S. Plains, and the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Over the past several years, Dr. Kantner's research has focused on the archaeology of the prehistoric Southwestern United States, with a particular interest in the development of sociopolitical complexity in and around Chaco Canyon.

Dr. Kantner currently directs the Lobo Mesa Archaeological Project, which focuses on prehistoric Anasazi groups who inhabited the Red Mesa Valley of northwestern New Mexico between A.D. 850 and 1200. The goal of this research, which is funded with a NSF CAREER grant, is to identify the processes by which complex social and political regional institutions emerge from communities of comparatively simple horticulturists. Principles of human behavioral ecology and evolutionary theory provide the theoretical foundation for these investigations, while the analysis of prehistoric ceramics and regional spatial patterning provides the methodologies needed to interpret the archaeological remains.

Publications by Dr. Kantner can be found in Human Nature, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Journal of Archaeological Research, Historical Archaeology, and Kiva, and he coedited the 2000 book Great House Communities Across the Chacoan Landscape, published by University of Arizona Press. His latest book, Ancient Puebloan Southwest, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2004. Dr. Kantner also continues his explorations of the use of new media both for enhancing public education and facilitating professional interaction, for which he has been invited to several international workshops.

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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Yet One Dimensional, April 23, 2001

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Don Hintz (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great House Communities across the Chacoan Landscape (Anthropological Papers) (Paperback)

The chapters of this publication are intently focused, it seems, on downplaying the role of a greater Chaco community across the San Juan Basin. Intra-valley development is the mantra of this volume. While there is no question that local development is significant an attempt at exploring the mechanics of interaction with neigboring groups, much less with a central canyon, is generally ignored. This creates a one-dimensional approach leading the reader to believe that people living within the basin were culturally confined, locally. The last chapter of this volume, which is authored by Steve Lekson is alone worth the price of the publication. Lekson is allowed to "Think Great" and encourages a broader view of the San Juan Basin, beyond local and regional boundaries.