Matthew Peeples | Arizona State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Matthew Peeples

This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibl... more This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibliometric analysis of the full corpus of publications on the topic between 1965 and 2016. It illustrates we can begin identifying the outlines of a new sub-discipline within archaeology with its distinct traditions, including a diversity of research approaches, dedicated events and preferred publication venues. This sub-discipline is at a similar stage of development as historical network research, and we argue that archaeologists and historians alike interested in establishing network research as a key tool for exploring social change will have a greater chance for success to the extent that we actively collaborate, pool resources, engage in common community activities and publications, and learn from each other's mistakes.

Advances in Archaeological Practice

Addressing archaeology's most compelling substantive challenges requires synthetic research t... more Addressing archaeology's most compelling substantive challenges requires synthetic research that exploits the large and rapidly expanding corpus of systematically collected archaeological data. That, in turn, requires a means of combining datasets that employ different systematics in their recording while at the same time preserving the semantics of the data. To that end, we have developed a general procedure that we call query-driven, on-the-fly data integration that is deployed within the Digital Archaeological Record digital repository. The integration procedure employs ontologies that are mapped to the original datasets. Integration of the ontology-based dataset representations is done at the time the query is executed, based on the specific content of the query. In this way, the original data are preserved, and data are aggregated only to the extent necessary to obtain semantic comparability. Our presentation draws examples from the largest application to date: an effort by...

Ecology and Society, 2006

The interdisciplinary framework known as resilience theory used by ecologists, social scientists,... more The interdisciplinary framework known as resilience theory used by ecologists, social scientists, as well as policy makers, is primarily concerned with the sources of transformation and stability in complex socioecological systems. The laboratory of the long and diverse archaeological record is uniquely suited to testing some of the implications of this theoretical perspective. In this paper, we consider the history of land use and landscape change across the transition from foraging to agricultural subsistence economies in the Middle Chevelon Creek region of northern Arizona. Through this discussion, we highlight the potential roles of diversity and flexibility at multiple spatial and temporal scales in the resilience of human land use practices from the prehistoric past. Expressing the long-term history of this region in a more general theoretical language that bridges the social and natural sciences promotes the collaboration of scientists with expertise deriving from different t...

Archaeologists have regarded social networks as both the links through which people transmitted i... more Archaeologists have regarded social networks as both the links through which people transmitted information and goods as well as a form of social storage creating relationships that could be drawn upon in times of subsistence shortfalls or other deleterious environmental conditions. In this article, formal social network analytical (SNA) methods are applied to archaeological data from the late pre-Hispanic North American Southwest to look at what kinds of social networks characterized those regions that were the most enduring versus those that were depopulated over a 250-year period (A.D. 1200–1450). In that time, large areas of the Southwest were no longer used for residential purposes, some of which corresponds with well-documented region-wide drought. Past research has demonstrated that some population levels could have been maintained in these regions, yet regional scale depopulation occurred. We look at the degree to which the network level property of embeddedness, along with ...

Archaeological Spatial Analysis: A Methodological Guide, 2020

The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences, 2018

PLOS ONE, 2018

Archaeologists and other scholars have long studied the causes of collapse and other major social... more Archaeologists and other scholars have long studied the causes of collapse and other major social transformations and debated how they can be understood. This article instead focuses on the human experience of living through those transformations, analyzing 18 transformation cases from the US Southwest and the North Atlantic. The transformations, including changes in human securities, were coded based on expert knowledge and data analyzed using Qualitative Comparative Analysis techniques. Results point to the following conclusions: Major transformations, including collapses, generally have a strong and negative impact on human security; flexible strategies that facilitate smaller scale changes may ameliorate those difficulties. Community security is strongly implicated in these changes; strong community security may minimize other negative changes. The relationships among the variables are complex and multi-causal; while social transformation may lead to declines in human securities, declining conditions of life can also push people to transform their societies in negative ways. Results show that some societies are better able to deal with difficulties than others. One important policy implication is that community security and local conditions can be instrumental both in helping people to cope with difficulties and in staving off some of those difficulties. A multi-scalar approach is essential as we face the increasing problems of climate change in the decades ahead.

Journal of Archaeological Research, 2019

Formal network analyses have a long history in archaeology but have recently seen a rapid floresc... more Formal network analyses have a long history in archaeology but have recently seen a rapid florescence. Network models drawing on approaches from graph theory, social network analysis, and complexity science have been used to address a broad array of questions about the relationships among network structure, positions, and the attributes and outcomes for individuals and larger groups at a range of social scales. Current archaeological network research is both methodologically and theoretically diverse, but there are still many daunting challenges ahead for the formal exploration of social networks using archaeological data. If we can face these challenges, archaeologists are well positioned to contribute to long-standing debates in the broader sphere of network research on the nature of network theory, the relationships between networks and culture, and dynamics of social networks over the long term.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019

Antiquity, 2018

Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 8... more Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 800 and 1200. Dynamic social network analysis allows for evaluation of several migration scenarios, and demonstrates that Chaco's earliest ninth-century networks show interaction with areas to the west and south, rather than migration to the Canyon from the Northern San Juan. By the late eleventh century, Chaco Canyon was tied strongly to the Middle and Northern San Juan, while a twelfth-century retraction of networks separated the Northern and Southern San Juan areas prior to regional depopulation. Understanding Chaco migration is important for comprehending both its uniqueness in U.S. Southwest archaeology and for comparison with other case studies worldwide.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2018

Public or religious architecture in non-state societies has traditionally been interpreted as int... more Public or religious architecture in non-state societies has traditionally been interpreted as integrative, an assumption that has limited the ability of archaeologists to study religious change in these settings. We argue that considering such structures within their local historical contexts offers a better approach to understanding diversity in religious architecture. This study examines great kivas, large public or religious buildings in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest, as potential performance spaces, using structure size to estimate audience capacity relative to community size. We compare circular great kivas present along the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau with rectangular great kivas used in the Transition Zone to the south between the 11th and 14th centuries CE. The two traditions share certain similarities, and some great kivas in the area where the two traditions meet appear to be “hybrids.” However, examining great kivas as potential performance venues in relationship to the surrounding settlements suggests that the social roles played by rectangular and circular great kivas followed notably different historical trajectories. Although settlement size increased in both areas, circular great kivas became less restricted and more accessible through time, while the latest rectangular great kivas were probably less accessible and more exclusive than their forebears.

This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibl... more This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibliometric analysis of a large corpus of publications on the topic between 1965 and 2016. This review is an effort to begin identifying the outlines of a burgeoning sub-discipline with its distinct traditions, including the diversity of research approaches and preferred publication venues. Network research in archaeology is at a similar stage of development to historical network research. We argue that archaeologists and historians alike interested in establishing network research as a key tool for exploring social change will have a greater chance for success to the extent that we actively collaborate, pool resources, engage in common community activities and publications, and learn from each other's successes and mistakes.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014

ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, ceramic provenance research has seen the increased use of bot... more ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, ceramic provenance research has seen the increased use of both chemical and mineralogical analyses. However, the success of each method is dependent both on the geological environment and the behavioral processes that created the pottery under study. The combination of bulk chemical and petrographic datasets may assist in overcoming the shortcomings of each method and improve the assignment of ceramics to specific production locations. Our research uses a mixed mode approach based on dissimilarity matrices and multidimensional scaling. The resulting combined dataset helps us assess the geographic extent of production and distribution of Maverick Mountain Series and Roosevelt Red Ware pottery found in the Upper Gila and Mimbres valleys of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. These pottery types have been connected to northern migrants arriving in these areas during the 13th century AD and subsequent regional scale social changes. This research provides a case study in the advantages of using complementary analytical techniques and combining their results to answer behavioral questions.

Soon after the National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law in 1966, the Section 106 pr... more Soon after the National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law in 1966, the Section 106 process and compliance based archaeology quickly became the primary mechanisms through which new data were generated across the United States. Heritage management projects facilitated explorations of regions and categories of archaeological sites that had seldom been the focus of academic research and also provided data essential for addressing "big picture" questions at scales not previously possible. In this article, we explore the importance of syntheses and regional databases for both research and preservation. First, we demonstrate the role that compliance archaeology data have played in recent research focused on the late pre-contact period (A.D.1200-1500) in the U.S. Southwest using an example from the Southwest Social Networks Project. We explore how our interpretations of several important regional-scale processes might differ if data generated through work mandated by the NHPA were not available. Next, we demonstrate the utility of synthetic databases for preservation planning by outlining a systematic approach toward identifying and characterizing site/landscape protection priorities. We argue that this approach offers opportunities to go beyond site-by-site evaluations of significance to develop landscape-scale perspectives on the relative importance of cultural resources.

Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals... more Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals (EWS), may occur before significant transformations, both critical and non-critical, in complex systems. Up to this point, research on EWS has largely focused on simple models and controlled experiments in ecology and climate science. When humans are considered in these arenas they are invariably seen as external sources of disturbance or management. In this article we explore ways to include societal components of socio-ecological systems directly in EWS analysis. Given the growing archaeological literature on 'col-lapses,' or transformations, in social systems, we investigate whether any early warning signals are apparent in the archaeological records of the build-up to two contemporaneous cases of social transformation in the prehistoric US Southwest, Mesa Verde and Zuni. The social transformations in these two cases differ in scope and severity, thus allowing us to explore the contexts under which warning signals may (or may not) emerge. In both cases our results show increasing variance in settlement size before the transformation, but increasing variance in social institutions only before the critical transformation in Mesa Verde. In the Zuni case, social institutions appear to have managed the process of significant social change. We conclude that variance is of broad relevance in anticipating social change, and the capacity of social institutions to mitigate transformation is critical to consider in EWS research on socio-ecological systems.

Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals... more Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals (EWS), may occur before significant transformations, both critical and non-critical, in complex systems. Up to this point, research on EWS has largely focused on simple models and controlled experiments in ecology and climate science. When humans are considered in these arenas they are invariably seen as external sources of disturbance or management. In this article we explore ways to include societal components of socio-ecological systems directly in EWS analysis. Given the growing archaeological literature on 'col-lapses,' or transformations, in social systems, we investigate whether any early warning signals are apparent in the archaeological records of the build-up to two contemporaneous cases of social transformation in the prehistoric US Southwest, Mesa Verde and Zuni. The social transformations in these two cases differ in scope and severity, thus allowing us to explore the contexts under which warning signals may (or may not) emerge. In both cases our results show increasing variance in settlement size before the transformation, but increasing variance in social institutions only before the critical transformation in Mesa Verde. In the Zuni case, social institutions appear to have managed the process of significant social change. We conclude that variance is of broad relevance in anticipating social change, and the capacity of social institutions to mitigate transformation is critical to consider in EWS research on socio-ecological systems.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

American Antiquity, Jan 2015

Abstract: Analyzing historical trajectories of social interactions at varying scales can lead to... more Abstract:
Analyzing historical trajectories of social interactions at varying scales can lead to complementary interpretations of relationships among archaeological settlements. We use social network analysis combined with geographic information systems at three spatial scales over time in the western U.S. Southwest to show how the same social processes affected network dynamics at each scale. The period we address, A.D. 1200–1450, was characterized by migration and demographic upheaval. The tumultuous late thirteenth-century interval was followed by population coalescence and the development of widespread religious movements in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the southern Southwest these processes resulted in a highly connected network that drew in members of different settlements within and between different valleys that had previously been distinct. In the northern Southwest networks were initially highly connected followed by a more fragmented social landscape. We examine how different network textures emerged at each scale through 50-year snapshots. The results demonstrate the usefulness of applying a multiscalar approach to complex historical trajectories and the potential for social network analysis as applied to archaeological data.

Spanish
El análisis multi-escalar de interacciones sociales y sus trayectorias históricas pueden producir interpretaciones complementarias acerca de las relaciones entre asentamientos arqueológicos. Utilizamos el análisis de redes sociales en combinación con sistemas de información geográfica mediante tres escalas espaciales a través del tiempo en el oeste de la región del Suroeste Norteamericano para demonstrar cómo procesos sociales similares afectaron la dinámica de redes en cada escala. El período de interés, A.D. 1200–1450, se caracterizó por la migración y el desorden demográfico. El tumultuoso siglo trece fue seguido por la coalescencia de poblaciones diversas y por el desarrollo de extensos movimientos religiosos en los siglos catorce y quince. En el Suroeste meridional estos procesos resultaron en una red altamente conectada que atrajo miembros de diferentes asentamientos dentro y entre diferentes valles que habían sido previamente diferenciados. En el Suroeste septentrional las redes inicialmente estuvieron muy conectadas pero fueron sucedidas por un paisaje social fragmentario. Finalmente, examinamos cómo diferentes texturas de redes emergieron en cada escala en períodos de 50 años. Los resultados demuestran la utilidad del análisis multi-escalar para investigar trayectorias históricas complejas y el potencial del análisis de redes sociales para el estudio de datos arqueológicos.

American Anthropologist 115(2):232-247

In social network analysis, brokerage refers to the processes through which individuals or larger... more In social network analysis, brokerage refers to the processes through which individuals or larger groups mediate interactions between actors that would otherwise not be directly connected. Brokers occupy key intermediate positions that have alternately been interpreted as sources of social capital or potential disadvantages. Recent empirical studies suggest that the relationship between brokerage and rewards or risks varies considerably depending on the nature of interactions in a given setting. In this study, we use a large settlement and ceramic database including sites across the western U.S. Southwest (C.E. 1200¬–1400) to identify settlements that filled brokerage roles in ceramic networks. We develop a new structural measure of brokerage and compare long-term outcomes for settlements characterized by varying degrees of brokerage. We argue that brokerage was not a major source of social capital in our study area as interactions instead favored the formation of discrete groups over such intermediate positions.

This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibl... more This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibliometric analysis of the full corpus of publications on the topic between 1965 and 2016. It illustrates we can begin identifying the outlines of a new sub-discipline within archaeology with its distinct traditions, including a diversity of research approaches, dedicated events and preferred publication venues. This sub-discipline is at a similar stage of development as historical network research, and we argue that archaeologists and historians alike interested in establishing network research as a key tool for exploring social change will have a greater chance for success to the extent that we actively collaborate, pool resources, engage in common community activities and publications, and learn from each other's mistakes.

Advances in Archaeological Practice

Addressing archaeology's most compelling substantive challenges requires synthetic research t... more Addressing archaeology's most compelling substantive challenges requires synthetic research that exploits the large and rapidly expanding corpus of systematically collected archaeological data. That, in turn, requires a means of combining datasets that employ different systematics in their recording while at the same time preserving the semantics of the data. To that end, we have developed a general procedure that we call query-driven, on-the-fly data integration that is deployed within the Digital Archaeological Record digital repository. The integration procedure employs ontologies that are mapped to the original datasets. Integration of the ontology-based dataset representations is done at the time the query is executed, based on the specific content of the query. In this way, the original data are preserved, and data are aggregated only to the extent necessary to obtain semantic comparability. Our presentation draws examples from the largest application to date: an effort by...

Ecology and Society, 2006

The interdisciplinary framework known as resilience theory used by ecologists, social scientists,... more The interdisciplinary framework known as resilience theory used by ecologists, social scientists, as well as policy makers, is primarily concerned with the sources of transformation and stability in complex socioecological systems. The laboratory of the long and diverse archaeological record is uniquely suited to testing some of the implications of this theoretical perspective. In this paper, we consider the history of land use and landscape change across the transition from foraging to agricultural subsistence economies in the Middle Chevelon Creek region of northern Arizona. Through this discussion, we highlight the potential roles of diversity and flexibility at multiple spatial and temporal scales in the resilience of human land use practices from the prehistoric past. Expressing the long-term history of this region in a more general theoretical language that bridges the social and natural sciences promotes the collaboration of scientists with expertise deriving from different t...

Archaeologists have regarded social networks as both the links through which people transmitted i... more Archaeologists have regarded social networks as both the links through which people transmitted information and goods as well as a form of social storage creating relationships that could be drawn upon in times of subsistence shortfalls or other deleterious environmental conditions. In this article, formal social network analytical (SNA) methods are applied to archaeological data from the late pre-Hispanic North American Southwest to look at what kinds of social networks characterized those regions that were the most enduring versus those that were depopulated over a 250-year period (A.D. 1200–1450). In that time, large areas of the Southwest were no longer used for residential purposes, some of which corresponds with well-documented region-wide drought. Past research has demonstrated that some population levels could have been maintained in these regions, yet regional scale depopulation occurred. We look at the degree to which the network level property of embeddedness, along with ...

Archaeological Spatial Analysis: A Methodological Guide, 2020

The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences, 2018

PLOS ONE, 2018

Archaeologists and other scholars have long studied the causes of collapse and other major social... more Archaeologists and other scholars have long studied the causes of collapse and other major social transformations and debated how they can be understood. This article instead focuses on the human experience of living through those transformations, analyzing 18 transformation cases from the US Southwest and the North Atlantic. The transformations, including changes in human securities, were coded based on expert knowledge and data analyzed using Qualitative Comparative Analysis techniques. Results point to the following conclusions: Major transformations, including collapses, generally have a strong and negative impact on human security; flexible strategies that facilitate smaller scale changes may ameliorate those difficulties. Community security is strongly implicated in these changes; strong community security may minimize other negative changes. The relationships among the variables are complex and multi-causal; while social transformation may lead to declines in human securities, declining conditions of life can also push people to transform their societies in negative ways. Results show that some societies are better able to deal with difficulties than others. One important policy implication is that community security and local conditions can be instrumental both in helping people to cope with difficulties and in staving off some of those difficulties. A multi-scalar approach is essential as we face the increasing problems of climate change in the decades ahead.

Journal of Archaeological Research, 2019

Formal network analyses have a long history in archaeology but have recently seen a rapid floresc... more Formal network analyses have a long history in archaeology but have recently seen a rapid florescence. Network models drawing on approaches from graph theory, social network analysis, and complexity science have been used to address a broad array of questions about the relationships among network structure, positions, and the attributes and outcomes for individuals and larger groups at a range of social scales. Current archaeological network research is both methodologically and theoretically diverse, but there are still many daunting challenges ahead for the formal exploration of social networks using archaeological data. If we can face these challenges, archaeologists are well positioned to contribute to long-standing debates in the broader sphere of network research on the nature of network theory, the relationships between networks and culture, and dynamics of social networks over the long term.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2019

Antiquity, 2018

Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 8... more Migration was a key social process contributing to the creation of the 'Chaco World' between AD 800 and 1200. Dynamic social network analysis allows for evaluation of several migration scenarios, and demonstrates that Chaco's earliest ninth-century networks show interaction with areas to the west and south, rather than migration to the Canyon from the Northern San Juan. By the late eleventh century, Chaco Canyon was tied strongly to the Middle and Northern San Juan, while a twelfth-century retraction of networks separated the Northern and Southern San Juan areas prior to regional depopulation. Understanding Chaco migration is important for comprehending both its uniqueness in U.S. Southwest archaeology and for comparison with other case studies worldwide.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2018

Public or religious architecture in non-state societies has traditionally been interpreted as int... more Public or religious architecture in non-state societies has traditionally been interpreted as integrative, an assumption that has limited the ability of archaeologists to study religious change in these settings. We argue that considering such structures within their local historical contexts offers a better approach to understanding diversity in religious architecture. This study examines great kivas, large public or religious buildings in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest, as potential performance spaces, using structure size to estimate audience capacity relative to community size. We compare circular great kivas present along the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau with rectangular great kivas used in the Transition Zone to the south between the 11th and 14th centuries CE. The two traditions share certain similarities, and some great kivas in the area where the two traditions meet appear to be “hybrids.” However, examining great kivas as potential performance venues in relationship to the surrounding settlements suggests that the social roles played by rectangular and circular great kivas followed notably different historical trajectories. Although settlement size increased in both areas, circular great kivas became less restricted and more accessible through time, while the latest rectangular great kivas were probably less accessible and more exclusive than their forebears.

This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibl... more This paper presents an overview of major trends in archaeological network research through a bibliometric analysis of a large corpus of publications on the topic between 1965 and 2016. This review is an effort to begin identifying the outlines of a burgeoning sub-discipline with its distinct traditions, including the diversity of research approaches and preferred publication venues. Network research in archaeology is at a similar stage of development to historical network research. We argue that archaeologists and historians alike interested in establishing network research as a key tool for exploring social change will have a greater chance for success to the extent that we actively collaborate, pool resources, engage in common community activities and publications, and learn from each other's successes and mistakes.

Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014

ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, ceramic provenance research has seen the increased use of bot... more ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, ceramic provenance research has seen the increased use of both chemical and mineralogical analyses. However, the success of each method is dependent both on the geological environment and the behavioral processes that created the pottery under study. The combination of bulk chemical and petrographic datasets may assist in overcoming the shortcomings of each method and improve the assignment of ceramics to specific production locations. Our research uses a mixed mode approach based on dissimilarity matrices and multidimensional scaling. The resulting combined dataset helps us assess the geographic extent of production and distribution of Maverick Mountain Series and Roosevelt Red Ware pottery found in the Upper Gila and Mimbres valleys of southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. These pottery types have been connected to northern migrants arriving in these areas during the 13th century AD and subsequent regional scale social changes. This research provides a case study in the advantages of using complementary analytical techniques and combining their results to answer behavioral questions.

Soon after the National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law in 1966, the Section 106 pr... more Soon after the National Historic Preservation Act was signed into law in 1966, the Section 106 process and compliance based archaeology quickly became the primary mechanisms through which new data were generated across the United States. Heritage management projects facilitated explorations of regions and categories of archaeological sites that had seldom been the focus of academic research and also provided data essential for addressing "big picture" questions at scales not previously possible. In this article, we explore the importance of syntheses and regional databases for both research and preservation. First, we demonstrate the role that compliance archaeology data have played in recent research focused on the late pre-contact period (A.D.1200-1500) in the U.S. Southwest using an example from the Southwest Social Networks Project. We explore how our interpretations of several important regional-scale processes might differ if data generated through work mandated by the NHPA were not available. Next, we demonstrate the utility of synthetic databases for preservation planning by outlining a systematic approach toward identifying and characterizing site/landscape protection priorities. We argue that this approach offers opportunities to go beyond site-by-site evaluations of significance to develop landscape-scale perspectives on the relative importance of cultural resources.

Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals... more Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals (EWS), may occur before significant transformations, both critical and non-critical, in complex systems. Up to this point, research on EWS has largely focused on simple models and controlled experiments in ecology and climate science. When humans are considered in these arenas they are invariably seen as external sources of disturbance or management. In this article we explore ways to include societal components of socio-ecological systems directly in EWS analysis. Given the growing archaeological literature on 'col-lapses,' or transformations, in social systems, we investigate whether any early warning signals are apparent in the archaeological records of the build-up to two contemporaneous cases of social transformation in the prehistoric US Southwest, Mesa Verde and Zuni. The social transformations in these two cases differ in scope and severity, thus allowing us to explore the contexts under which warning signals may (or may not) emerge. In both cases our results show increasing variance in settlement size before the transformation, but increasing variance in social institutions only before the critical transformation in Mesa Verde. In the Zuni case, social institutions appear to have managed the process of significant social change. We conclude that variance is of broad relevance in anticipating social change, and the capacity of social institutions to mitigate transformation is critical to consider in EWS research on socio-ecological systems.

Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals... more Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals (EWS), may occur before significant transformations, both critical and non-critical, in complex systems. Up to this point, research on EWS has largely focused on simple models and controlled experiments in ecology and climate science. When humans are considered in these arenas they are invariably seen as external sources of disturbance or management. In this article we explore ways to include societal components of socio-ecological systems directly in EWS analysis. Given the growing archaeological literature on 'col-lapses,' or transformations, in social systems, we investigate whether any early warning signals are apparent in the archaeological records of the build-up to two contemporaneous cases of social transformation in the prehistoric US Southwest, Mesa Verde and Zuni. The social transformations in these two cases differ in scope and severity, thus allowing us to explore the contexts under which warning signals may (or may not) emerge. In both cases our results show increasing variance in settlement size before the transformation, but increasing variance in social institutions only before the critical transformation in Mesa Verde. In the Zuni case, social institutions appear to have managed the process of significant social change. We conclude that variance is of broad relevance in anticipating social change, and the capacity of social institutions to mitigate transformation is critical to consider in EWS research on socio-ecological systems.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

American Antiquity, Jan 2015

Abstract: Analyzing historical trajectories of social interactions at varying scales can lead to... more Abstract:
Analyzing historical trajectories of social interactions at varying scales can lead to complementary interpretations of relationships among archaeological settlements. We use social network analysis combined with geographic information systems at three spatial scales over time in the western U.S. Southwest to show how the same social processes affected network dynamics at each scale. The period we address, A.D. 1200–1450, was characterized by migration and demographic upheaval. The tumultuous late thirteenth-century interval was followed by population coalescence and the development of widespread religious movements in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the southern Southwest these processes resulted in a highly connected network that drew in members of different settlements within and between different valleys that had previously been distinct. In the northern Southwest networks were initially highly connected followed by a more fragmented social landscape. We examine how different network textures emerged at each scale through 50-year snapshots. The results demonstrate the usefulness of applying a multiscalar approach to complex historical trajectories and the potential for social network analysis as applied to archaeological data.

Spanish
El análisis multi-escalar de interacciones sociales y sus trayectorias históricas pueden producir interpretaciones complementarias acerca de las relaciones entre asentamientos arqueológicos. Utilizamos el análisis de redes sociales en combinación con sistemas de información geográfica mediante tres escalas espaciales a través del tiempo en el oeste de la región del Suroeste Norteamericano para demonstrar cómo procesos sociales similares afectaron la dinámica de redes en cada escala. El período de interés, A.D. 1200–1450, se caracterizó por la migración y el desorden demográfico. El tumultuoso siglo trece fue seguido por la coalescencia de poblaciones diversas y por el desarrollo de extensos movimientos religiosos en los siglos catorce y quince. En el Suroeste meridional estos procesos resultaron en una red altamente conectada que atrajo miembros de diferentes asentamientos dentro y entre diferentes valles que habían sido previamente diferenciados. En el Suroeste septentrional las redes inicialmente estuvieron muy conectadas pero fueron sucedidas por un paisaje social fragmentario. Finalmente, examinamos cómo diferentes texturas de redes emergieron en cada escala en períodos de 50 años. Los resultados demuestran la utilidad del análisis multi-escalar para investigar trayectorias históricas complejas y el potencial del análisis de redes sociales para el estudio de datos arqueológicos.

American Anthropologist 115(2):232-247

In social network analysis, brokerage refers to the processes through which individuals or larger... more In social network analysis, brokerage refers to the processes through which individuals or larger groups mediate interactions between actors that would otherwise not be directly connected. Brokers occupy key intermediate positions that have alternately been interpreted as sources of social capital or potential disadvantages. Recent empirical studies suggest that the relationship between brokerage and rewards or risks varies considerably depending on the nature of interactions in a given setting. In this study, we use a large settlement and ceramic database including sites across the western U.S. Southwest (C.E. 1200¬–1400) to identify settlements that filled brokerage roles in ceramic networks. We develop a new structural measure of brokerage and compare long-term outcomes for settlements characterized by varying degrees of brokerage. We argue that brokerage was not a major source of social capital in our study area as interactions instead favored the formation of discrete groups over such intermediate positions.

Two large nucleated villages occupied ca. AD 1250-1325 in the Quemado region of west-central New ... more Two large nucleated villages occupied ca. AD 1250-1325 in the Quemado region of west-central New Mexico, are believed to have been destroyed by people from the Zuni region, possibly in a single campaign. We use Solometo’s dimensions of warfare to evaluate the nature of conflict in relation to evidence for social connections between these regions. Ceramic compositional and technological analyses suggest that interaction between these two areas did occur, but that it may have taken place in a limited number of social contexts. The brutal violence seen in this case is unexpected given the frequent social interaction between the regions.

En la región Quemado del oeste-central de Nuevo Mexico se encuentran dos pueblos que fueron ocupados alrededor del 1250-1325 d.C. que se presume fueron destruidos por los pobladores del región Zuni quizás en una compaña singular. Usamos las dimensiones de guerra escrito por Solometo para evaluar el conflicto en relación a la evidencia por conexiones sociales entre estas dos regiones. Los resultados de estudios de composición y tecnología de cerámica indican que la interacción entre los dos grupos si existía pero en contextos sociales específicos. La violencia de este caso está fuera de lo que se esperaría si existía tanta interacción normalmente entre las dos regiones.

Beyond Collapse: Archaeological Perspectives on Resilience, Revitalization, and Transformation in Complex Societies, Dec 7, 2015

Archaeologists now recognize that many societies undergo major transformations that do not fit th... more Archaeologists now recognize that many societies undergo major transformations that do not fit the classic model of collapse. Our comparative study of cases in the US Southwest and northern Mexico has identified various kinds of transformations, including reorganizations that allow a transformed society to continue (e.g., continuity with change and transformative relocation) as well as complete social upheavals (i.e., “collapse”). We are also investigating underlying factors, especially those contributing to reorganization and continuity. Recent work found a general association between social conformity – indicated by a lack of material culture diversity – and severe transformations. This finding suggests that the converse – that is, diversity in various social realms – may contribute to less severe, non-collapse transformations. This paper evaluates that hypothesis through the comparison of two cases and the kinds of diversity involved in each. Specifically, we examine cooking technology, household organization, subsistence practices, local ceramic production and interregional interaction as distinct social realms. Our cases include the Pueblo III to Pueblo IV transition in the Zuni region (ca. AD 1275) as continuity with change and the Classic to Postclassic transition in the Mimbres region (ca. AD 1130) as transformative relocation. Our results allow us to clarify the influence social diversity may have on the type of transformation(s) to which a society is vulnerable. The analysis has implications for modern society by determining the vulnerabilities associated with social diversity, while acknowledging the trade-offs that accompany such decisions.

The Cibola region on the Arizona–New Mexico border has fascinated archaeologists for more than a ... more The Cibola region on the Arizona–New Mexico border has fascinated archaeologists for more than a century. The region’s core is recognized as the ancestral homeland of the contemporary Zuni people, and the area also spans boundaries between the Ancestral Puebloan and Mogollon culture areas. The complexity of cross-cutting regional and cultural designations makes this an ideal context within which to explore the relationship between identity and social change at broad regional scales.

In Connected Communities, Matthew A. Peeples examines a period of dramatic social and political transformation in the ancient Cibola region (ca. A.D. 1150–1325). He analyzes archaeological data generated during a century of research through the lens of new and original social theories and methods focused on exploring identity, social networks, and social transformation. In so doing, he demonstrates the value of comparative, synthetic analysis.

The book addresses some of the oldest enduring questions in archaeology: How do large-scale social identities form? How do they change? How can we study such processes using material remains? Peeples approaches these questions using a new set of methods and models from the broader comparative social sciences (relational sociology and social networks) to track the trajectories of social groups in terms of both networks of interactions (relations) and expressions of similarity or difference (categories). He argues that archaeological research has too often conflated these different kinds of social identity and that this has hindered efforts to understand the drivers of social change.

In his strikingly original approach, Peeples combines massive amounts of new data and comparative explorations of contemporary social movements to provide new insights into how social identities formed and changed during this key period.

by J. Heath Anderson, Ronald "Sonny" Faulseit, Gary Feinman, Tristram Kidder, Nicola Sharratt, Julie A Hoggarth, Christina Conlee, Jakob Sedig, Andrea Torvinen, Scott Hutson, Kari A. Zobler, Thomas E Emerson, Kristin Hedman, Maureen E Meyers, Chris Rodning, Jayur Mehta, Rebecca Storey, Matthew Peeples, Christopher Pool, Victor Thompson, and Richard Sutter

The last several decades have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scholarly and popu... more The last several decades have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scholarly and popular literature concerning the collapse of complex societies, yielding a fair amount of comparative data and hypotheses regarding this phenomenon. More recently, scholars have begun to challenge these works, rejecting the notion of collapse altogether in favor of focusing on concepts such as resilience and transformation. Driven by these developments, archaeologists have turned their attention to what occurs in the aftermath of sociopolitical decline, attempting to identify factors that contribute to the regeneration, transformation, or reorganization of complex sociopolitical institutions. Subsequent research has provided important data shedding light on political environments that were once characterized as “dark ages.” In that time, general theoretical approaches have transformed as well, and recent frameworks reconsider collapse and reorganization not as unrelated or sequential phenomena but as integral components in a cyclical understanding of the evolution of complex societies. The most recent of these approaches incorporates the tenets of Resilience Theory, as developed by environmental scientists.
In March 2013, an international conference held at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale brought together scholars with diverse theoretical perspectives to present and synthesize new data and approaches to understanding the collapse and reorganization of complex societies. No restrictions were imposed regarding chronological periods, geographical regions or material specialties, resulting in a wide-ranging potential for comparative analysis. This publication is the outcome of that meeting. It is not organized merely as a collection of diverse case studies, but rather a collaborative effort incorporating various data sets to evaluate and expand on theoretical approaches to this important subject. The works contained within this volume are organized into five sections: the first sets the stage with introductory papers by the editor and distinguished contributor, Joseph Tainter; the second contains works by distinguished scholars approaching collapse and reorganization from new theoretical perspectives; the third presents critical archaeological analyses of the effectiveness of Resilience Theory as a heuristic tool for modeling these phenomena; the fourth section presents long-term adaptive strategies employed by prehistoric societies to cope with stresses and avoid collapse; the final section highlights new research on post-decline contexts in a variety of temporal and geographic ranges and relates these data to the more comprehensive works on the subject.

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We are very happy to announce the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Historical Net... more We are very happy to announce the publication of the first issue of the Journal of Historical Network Research. Behind us lie two years of preparations. At this stage we would like to thank our reviewers and members of the Advisory Board for their support and guidance and the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History for its ongoing support. Finally, we are especially grateful to our authors who shared their research for this very first issue.

The next call for papers is just around the corner, and we look forward to preparing Issue #2.

The Editors
(Christian Rollinger, Robert Gramsch-Stehfest, Martin Stark, Marten Düring)

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