Jeff Rosenthal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Jeff Rosenthal
From the shores of the Pacific to the crest of the Sierra Nevada, California's diverse ecosystems... more From the shores of the Pacific to the crest of the Sierra Nevada, California's diverse ecosystems were paralleled by an impressive array of native inhabitants. The origins of this cultural mosaic can be traced to the regionally specific archaeological assemblages that mark the earliest of California's cultures. Unlike other areas of the continent however, California lacks a clearly definable "Paleoindian" record. Instead the earliest know cultures of Cismontane California are foragers who initiated the plant-intensive economies that came to characterize all subsequent periods of California prehistory.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2014
Pinus sabiniana Douglas ex D. Don (gray pine) is one of the dominant species in the ubiquitous Gr... more Pinus sabiniana Douglas ex D. Don (gray pine) is one of the dominant species in the ubiquitous Gray Pine-Blue Oak Woodland that rings the Great Central Valley of California. The species is absent, however, in a nearly 100 km section of the Sierra Nevada foothills between the Kings and Kaweah rivers. We test several previous explanations for this biogeographic gap, including prehistoric and historic anthropogenic burning, Early Holocene pluvial lakes as a migration barrier, and unique topography as a limiting factor. Through the examination of archaeobotanical and radiocarbon evidence, we find that gray pine distribution has been stable for the past 4,000 years and likely longer. Importantly, gray pine is absent in 44 of 45 individual samples from the Wahtoke Creek Site, the only archaeological site with archaeobotanical data within the modern distribution gap. This suggests that gray pine has been largely absent from the gap for over 6,000 years and refutes several previous explanations for the biogeographical gap. Instead, data support a topographical or ecological peculiarity of the gap rather than historic or prehistoric anthropogenic burning, or an Early Holocene migration of the species that was blocked by bodies of water in the Central Valley.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2013
This study explores the interrelationship between the genus Canis and hunteregatherers through a ... more This study explores the interrelationship between the genus Canis and hunteregatherers through a case study of prehistoric Native Americans in the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento Delta area. A distinctive aspect of the region's prehistoric record is the interment of canids, variously classified as coyotes, dogs, and wolves. Since these species are difficult to distinguish based solely on morphology, ancient DNA analysis was employed to distinguish species. The DNA study results, the first on canids from archaeological sites in California, are entirely represented by domesticated dogs (including both interments and disarticulated samples from midden deposits). These results, buttressed by stable isotope analyses, provide new insight into the complex interrelationship between humans and canids in both ritual and prosaic contexts, and reveal a more prominent role for dogs than previously envisioned.
In this chapter, we examine the earliest dietary and technological assemblages from western Calif... more In this chapter, we examine the earliest dietary and technological assemblages from western California to better understand why early foraging groups relied on what appear to be some of the most costly resources in what are assumed to be some of the least attractive environments. We begin with a brief overview of the biogeography and paleoenvironment of western California around the time of the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition.
Articles and book chapters by Jeff Rosenthal
Mortuary events were contexts in which ritual practices celebrated the dead and facilitated an ar... more Mortuary events were contexts in which ritual practices celebrated the dead and facilitated an array of social objectives. In the study of mortuary practices among prehistoric hunter-gatherers, much attention has been focused on political complexity and the identification of leaders and elites. Until recently, considerably less attention has been placed on aspects of social identity and discerning changes in social interaction as defined by attributes such as age, sex, and group membership. Diachronic developments in funerary rituals, as depicted in the archaeological record of mortuary events, provide a rare opportunity to gain insight into shifts in social interaction, intragroup dynamics, and ideology. We highlight this research orientation with two prehistoric examples where, based on other lines of evidence and general expectations, political complexity was increasing over time, yet mortuary practices suggest the opposite. These prehistoric case studies include the emergence of complex hunter-gatherers and then early agricultural village life in the southern Levant of the Near East, and the rise and persistence of complex hunter-gatherers in the San Francisco Bay area of western North America. Although widely separated in time and space, both took place in Mediterranean-type environmental settings, and both were correlated with larger populations, increased settlement permanence, resource intensification and storage, and rich ideological traditions. These examples were chosen because they share a number of contextual variables in common (both environmental and economic.), thereby facilitating comparative analysis. In both examples, unprecedented changes in socioeconomic strategies were correlated with a sudden, initial elaboration in mortuary practices. In each situation, a much larger segment of the society from a wider range of ages was buried with grave goods. Mortuary items were primarily personal adornment, and these practices were concentrated among younger members of society. Thereafter, despite continued intensification of economic and social activities, each case study revealed a striking decline in the number of burials with such goods and in the quantities per individual. These case studies reveal that the tempo of shifts in mortuary behavior can be rapid and multidirectional. Moreover, these changes can best be understood through consideration of the broader social context, rather than attempting to discern elites and status ascription. We argue that these mortuary events were settings in which ritual practices facilitated social integration and group solidarity, as well as active construction of social identities with respect to kin and non-kin, and peers and non-peers. These funerary practices provided an opportunity to reify new forms of community interaction and enhanced economic cooperation among peers that facilitated emerging cooperative activities.
From the shores of the Pacific to the crest of the Sierra Nevada, California's diverse ecosystems... more From the shores of the Pacific to the crest of the Sierra Nevada, California's diverse ecosystems were paralleled by an impressive array of native inhabitants. The origins of this cultural mosaic can be traced to the regionally specific archaeological assemblages that mark the earliest of California's cultures. Unlike other areas of the continent however, California lacks a clearly definable "Paleoindian" record. Instead the earliest know cultures of Cismontane California are foragers who initiated the plant-intensive economies that came to characterize all subsequent periods of California prehistory.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2014
Pinus sabiniana Douglas ex D. Don (gray pine) is one of the dominant species in the ubiquitous Gr... more Pinus sabiniana Douglas ex D. Don (gray pine) is one of the dominant species in the ubiquitous Gray Pine-Blue Oak Woodland that rings the Great Central Valley of California. The species is absent, however, in a nearly 100 km section of the Sierra Nevada foothills between the Kings and Kaweah rivers. We test several previous explanations for this biogeographic gap, including prehistoric and historic anthropogenic burning, Early Holocene pluvial lakes as a migration barrier, and unique topography as a limiting factor. Through the examination of archaeobotanical and radiocarbon evidence, we find that gray pine distribution has been stable for the past 4,000 years and likely longer. Importantly, gray pine is absent in 44 of 45 individual samples from the Wahtoke Creek Site, the only archaeological site with archaeobotanical data within the modern distribution gap. This suggests that gray pine has been largely absent from the gap for over 6,000 years and refutes several previous explanations for the biogeographical gap. Instead, data support a topographical or ecological peculiarity of the gap rather than historic or prehistoric anthropogenic burning, or an Early Holocene migration of the species that was blocked by bodies of water in the Central Valley.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2013
This study explores the interrelationship between the genus Canis and hunteregatherers through a ... more This study explores the interrelationship between the genus Canis and hunteregatherers through a case study of prehistoric Native Americans in the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento Delta area. A distinctive aspect of the region's prehistoric record is the interment of canids, variously classified as coyotes, dogs, and wolves. Since these species are difficult to distinguish based solely on morphology, ancient DNA analysis was employed to distinguish species. The DNA study results, the first on canids from archaeological sites in California, are entirely represented by domesticated dogs (including both interments and disarticulated samples from midden deposits). These results, buttressed by stable isotope analyses, provide new insight into the complex interrelationship between humans and canids in both ritual and prosaic contexts, and reveal a more prominent role for dogs than previously envisioned.
In this chapter, we examine the earliest dietary and technological assemblages from western Calif... more In this chapter, we examine the earliest dietary and technological assemblages from western California to better understand why early foraging groups relied on what appear to be some of the most costly resources in what are assumed to be some of the least attractive environments. We begin with a brief overview of the biogeography and paleoenvironment of western California around the time of the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition.
Mortuary events were contexts in which ritual practices celebrated the dead and facilitated an ar... more Mortuary events were contexts in which ritual practices celebrated the dead and facilitated an array of social objectives. In the study of mortuary practices among prehistoric hunter-gatherers, much attention has been focused on political complexity and the identification of leaders and elites. Until recently, considerably less attention has been placed on aspects of social identity and discerning changes in social interaction as defined by attributes such as age, sex, and group membership. Diachronic developments in funerary rituals, as depicted in the archaeological record of mortuary events, provide a rare opportunity to gain insight into shifts in social interaction, intragroup dynamics, and ideology. We highlight this research orientation with two prehistoric examples where, based on other lines of evidence and general expectations, political complexity was increasing over time, yet mortuary practices suggest the opposite. These prehistoric case studies include the emergence of complex hunter-gatherers and then early agricultural village life in the southern Levant of the Near East, and the rise and persistence of complex hunter-gatherers in the San Francisco Bay area of western North America. Although widely separated in time and space, both took place in Mediterranean-type environmental settings, and both were correlated with larger populations, increased settlement permanence, resource intensification and storage, and rich ideological traditions. These examples were chosen because they share a number of contextual variables in common (both environmental and economic.), thereby facilitating comparative analysis. In both examples, unprecedented changes in socioeconomic strategies were correlated with a sudden, initial elaboration in mortuary practices. In each situation, a much larger segment of the society from a wider range of ages was buried with grave goods. Mortuary items were primarily personal adornment, and these practices were concentrated among younger members of society. Thereafter, despite continued intensification of economic and social activities, each case study revealed a striking decline in the number of burials with such goods and in the quantities per individual. These case studies reveal that the tempo of shifts in mortuary behavior can be rapid and multidirectional. Moreover, these changes can best be understood through consideration of the broader social context, rather than attempting to discern elites and status ascription. We argue that these mortuary events were settings in which ritual practices facilitated social integration and group solidarity, as well as active construction of social identities with respect to kin and non-kin, and peers and non-peers. These funerary practices provided an opportunity to reify new forms of community interaction and enhanced economic cooperation among peers that facilitated emerging cooperative activities.