Thomas Hester | UT Austin (original) (raw)
Papers by Thomas Hester
American Antiquity, Jul 1, 1989
American Antiquity, Jul 1, 1985
Furthermore, other factors explain the distribution of dated sites as well as or better than the ... more Furthermore, other factors explain the distribution of dated sites as well as or better than the occupationabandonment concept. For example, the A.D. 700-750 decline in site numbers is a function of the infrequent burning of sites with ceramics falling in this interval. Conversely, widespread intentional burning of vacated structures probably accounts for the A.D. 750-950 peak. The A.D. 1000-1125 maximum primarily is a consequence of archaeological emphasis on spectacular Chacoan pueblos and Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, where wood is well preserved, and on burned sites in the Flagstaff area. Systematic archaeological neglect and poor preservation account for the dip centered on A.D. 1150. The A.D. 1175-1275 peak is attributable principally to long standing fascination with cliff dwellings where wood is abundant. The sharp decline after A.D. 1275 is referable to the occurrence of fewer but larger sites, poor preservation, and limited excavation. Until such alternative explanations can be rejected, the occupation-abandonment scenario remains unverified.
Texas Journal of Science, 1969
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, Oct 1, 1998
Brinkmann concludes his article with a list of recommendations for future pedological and geoarch... more Brinkmann concludes his article with a list of recommendations for future pedological and geoarchaeological investigations. He emphasizes the need for archaeologists to explore the period covering the onset of grazing activity and the arrival of irrigation agriculture in the region. Such an approach is necessary to test the hypothesis that desertification was promoted by overgrazing around 6000 B.P. and that irrigation agriculture resulted from technological adaptations to a stressed food-production system. Brinkmann notes that clues to the cultural history of preirrigation residents are likely to be contained in the Mollisols beneath the agricultural deposits. In the next article, Brinkmann briefly describes an attempt to use thermoluminescence (TL) dating to determine the absolute age of the pre-Islamic anthrosols in Wadi al-Jubah. Clarification of the time of formation of the anthrosols is needed to improve our understanding of the history of irrigation in the region. The TL dating, however, was unsuccessful. Brinkmann attributes the negative results to the grain size (sandy silts) of the samples. Article 5, "Sites and Structures of Hujran al-Kanus (HK25), Yemen Arab Republic," is by Niki R. Clark and Jeffrey A. Blakely. Discovered in 1982, the Hujran al-Kanus sites and associated silt fields are among the best preserved ancient irrigation installations, ancient fields, and rural occupations in the project area. Clark and Blakely provide detailed site plans of irrigation structures, mound sites, and wells. Excellent photographs of the archaeological features accompany the site plans. However, the reader is left wondering about the age of the sites since no temporal information is given. Maurice J. Grolier prepared the next article, "Plate Tectonics and Climate Modification and Disruption of Drainage in Southwestern Arabia and the al-Jadidah Basin, Wadi al-Jubah, Yemen Arab Republic." First, Grolier integrates a discussion of plate tectonics (continental drift) and uplift of the Arabian Shield and its Red Sea and Gulf of Aden margins with a description of past regional drainage changes in Yemen. Next, he considers the effects of Quaternary climatic change on stream flow in Wadi al-Jubah. Finally, Grolier describes the incipient capture of Wadi al-Jubah by a tributary of Wadi Mala in the al-Jadidah basin. He concludes that the 2000 m uplift of the Arabian Shield, which followed rifting in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden structural depressions more than 13 million years ago, and the change in global and regional climate after the Climatic Optimum about 6000 years ago, "stand out as the two events, so far apart in time as they are, that conditioned and contributed most to the eventual development of seil agriculture in the Wadi al-Jubah basin." Grolier also stresses that stream capture threatens the modern seil irrigation agriculture in the southeastern part of the al-Jadidah basin. The last article in Part II, "Late Pleistocene Mollisol and Cumulic Fluvents near Ibb, Yemen Arab Republic," is by Brinkmann and Abdu O. Ghaleb. Two buried Mollisols were examined in a roadcut south of Ibb. Bulk organic carbon from the upper and lower paleosol yielded radiocarbon ages of ca. 19,300 and 26,150 B.P., respectively. Brinkmann and Ghaleb compared some of the physical and chemical properties of these late Pleistocene paleosols with the properties of the Holocene-age Mollisols in the Wadi al-Jubah area. Part III consists of three articles that focus on organic evidence related to the environment of Wadi al-Jubah. In the first article, Brian Hesse uses the faunal record from strata at Hajar ar-Rayhani to assess pastoral exploitation in Yemen during the Iron Age. Variations in the abundance of sheep, goats, cattle, and camel remains suggest that exploitation patterns oscillated during the period of occupation at the site. The next article is by William C. Overstreet and James C. Ritchie, presenting the results of pollen analyses on 12 sediment samples collected from the Wadi al-Jubah area. Unfortunately, the sediments yielded such low and erratic distributions of identifiable pollen that reliable statistical results were not obtained. The last "article" in Part III is actually a summarized species list for the botanical remains recovered at Hajar ar-Rayhani during the 1987 excavations. The list, which was prepared by Robert B. Stewart, supplements and expands on previous reports covering excavated botanical remains in the Wadi al-Jubah area. Part IV consists of a brief article by Dan Rahimi that describes and interprets lithic artifacts discovered during 1987 reconnaissance of the Wadi al-Jubah area. Thirteen localities yielded lithic material, largely obsidian but including a small amount of flint. Part V consists of two articles that describe sites that were found outside the project area. In the first
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, Apr 1, 1986
American Anthropologist, Jun 1, 1988
Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of a contemporary alabaster-working technolog... more Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of a contemporary alabaster-working technology in a small village in Upper Egypt. It discusses a variety of information pertaining to ancient alabaster vessel manufacture in Egypt. The contemporary industry operates under different social and economic pressures than those of dynastic times. Ancient workshops have been more highly specialized, both in terms of organization and in production goals. The contemporary workshops produce, often at a rather leisurely pace, a limited number of vessels for sale to tourists. There are some remarkable similarities between the ancient and contemporary alabaster technologies, and the basic techniques of manufacture have changed very little. Until sophisticated excavations of ancient alabaster workshops are done in Egypt, little is done to compare the structure and organization of workshops with those of the past.
... No direct evidence for conflict exists, although it is possible that the massive and finely w... more ... No direct evidence for conflict exists, although it is possible that the massive and finely workedLowe points held symbolic significance related to warfare ... Pohl, Mary D., Kevin O. Pope, John G. Jones, John S. Jacob, Dolores R. Piperno, Susan D. de France, David L. Lentz, Jjohn ...
The objective of the project described in this article was to determine the geologic source of ob... more The objective of the project described in this article was to determine the geologic source of obsidian artifacts from Texas sites using x-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis, in order to study ancient trade and exchange systems. Five obsidian artifacts were studied. Two are from the southwestern edge of the Edwards Plateau, from sites in Uvalde and Real Counties. Another specimen is from a site in Comanche County, and the final two specimens, from Knox County. These specimens are described with brief comments on trace element studies.
Index of Texas archaeology, 1976
~any sections of the paper are now outdated in light of archaeological work in southern Texas ove... more ~any sections of the paper are now outdated in light of archaeological work in southern Texas over the past five years. However because of the numerous requests for copies of the paper, and its utility in introducing students and ~mateur archaeologists to the region's prehistory, the Center for Archae-olo~1cal Research i~ ~aking it available in mimeographed form, only slightly revised from the or1g1nal 1971 version. '. .. lave~ alo~g the coast.to 1000 feet in the interior. The topography is one of r?lli~g hills and plains. Major drainage systems of the region center on the Rio Grande and Nueces Rivers. .
Plains Anthropologist, 1970
American Antiquity, Jul 1, 1989
American Antiquity, Jul 1, 1985
Furthermore, other factors explain the distribution of dated sites as well as or better than the ... more Furthermore, other factors explain the distribution of dated sites as well as or better than the occupationabandonment concept. For example, the A.D. 700-750 decline in site numbers is a function of the infrequent burning of sites with ceramics falling in this interval. Conversely, widespread intentional burning of vacated structures probably accounts for the A.D. 750-950 peak. The A.D. 1000-1125 maximum primarily is a consequence of archaeological emphasis on spectacular Chacoan pueblos and Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, where wood is well preserved, and on burned sites in the Flagstaff area. Systematic archaeological neglect and poor preservation account for the dip centered on A.D. 1150. The A.D. 1175-1275 peak is attributable principally to long standing fascination with cliff dwellings where wood is abundant. The sharp decline after A.D. 1275 is referable to the occurrence of fewer but larger sites, poor preservation, and limited excavation. Until such alternative explanations can be rejected, the occupation-abandonment scenario remains unverified.
Texas Journal of Science, 1969
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, Oct 1, 1998
Brinkmann concludes his article with a list of recommendations for future pedological and geoarch... more Brinkmann concludes his article with a list of recommendations for future pedological and geoarchaeological investigations. He emphasizes the need for archaeologists to explore the period covering the onset of grazing activity and the arrival of irrigation agriculture in the region. Such an approach is necessary to test the hypothesis that desertification was promoted by overgrazing around 6000 B.P. and that irrigation agriculture resulted from technological adaptations to a stressed food-production system. Brinkmann notes that clues to the cultural history of preirrigation residents are likely to be contained in the Mollisols beneath the agricultural deposits. In the next article, Brinkmann briefly describes an attempt to use thermoluminescence (TL) dating to determine the absolute age of the pre-Islamic anthrosols in Wadi al-Jubah. Clarification of the time of formation of the anthrosols is needed to improve our understanding of the history of irrigation in the region. The TL dating, however, was unsuccessful. Brinkmann attributes the negative results to the grain size (sandy silts) of the samples. Article 5, "Sites and Structures of Hujran al-Kanus (HK25), Yemen Arab Republic," is by Niki R. Clark and Jeffrey A. Blakely. Discovered in 1982, the Hujran al-Kanus sites and associated silt fields are among the best preserved ancient irrigation installations, ancient fields, and rural occupations in the project area. Clark and Blakely provide detailed site plans of irrigation structures, mound sites, and wells. Excellent photographs of the archaeological features accompany the site plans. However, the reader is left wondering about the age of the sites since no temporal information is given. Maurice J. Grolier prepared the next article, "Plate Tectonics and Climate Modification and Disruption of Drainage in Southwestern Arabia and the al-Jadidah Basin, Wadi al-Jubah, Yemen Arab Republic." First, Grolier integrates a discussion of plate tectonics (continental drift) and uplift of the Arabian Shield and its Red Sea and Gulf of Aden margins with a description of past regional drainage changes in Yemen. Next, he considers the effects of Quaternary climatic change on stream flow in Wadi al-Jubah. Finally, Grolier describes the incipient capture of Wadi al-Jubah by a tributary of Wadi Mala in the al-Jadidah basin. He concludes that the 2000 m uplift of the Arabian Shield, which followed rifting in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden structural depressions more than 13 million years ago, and the change in global and regional climate after the Climatic Optimum about 6000 years ago, "stand out as the two events, so far apart in time as they are, that conditioned and contributed most to the eventual development of seil agriculture in the Wadi al-Jubah basin." Grolier also stresses that stream capture threatens the modern seil irrigation agriculture in the southeastern part of the al-Jadidah basin. The last article in Part II, "Late Pleistocene Mollisol and Cumulic Fluvents near Ibb, Yemen Arab Republic," is by Brinkmann and Abdu O. Ghaleb. Two buried Mollisols were examined in a roadcut south of Ibb. Bulk organic carbon from the upper and lower paleosol yielded radiocarbon ages of ca. 19,300 and 26,150 B.P., respectively. Brinkmann and Ghaleb compared some of the physical and chemical properties of these late Pleistocene paleosols with the properties of the Holocene-age Mollisols in the Wadi al-Jubah area. Part III consists of three articles that focus on organic evidence related to the environment of Wadi al-Jubah. In the first article, Brian Hesse uses the faunal record from strata at Hajar ar-Rayhani to assess pastoral exploitation in Yemen during the Iron Age. Variations in the abundance of sheep, goats, cattle, and camel remains suggest that exploitation patterns oscillated during the period of occupation at the site. The next article is by William C. Overstreet and James C. Ritchie, presenting the results of pollen analyses on 12 sediment samples collected from the Wadi al-Jubah area. Unfortunately, the sediments yielded such low and erratic distributions of identifiable pollen that reliable statistical results were not obtained. The last "article" in Part III is actually a summarized species list for the botanical remains recovered at Hajar ar-Rayhani during the 1987 excavations. The list, which was prepared by Robert B. Stewart, supplements and expands on previous reports covering excavated botanical remains in the Wadi al-Jubah area. Part IV consists of a brief article by Dan Rahimi that describes and interprets lithic artifacts discovered during 1987 reconnaissance of the Wadi al-Jubah area. Thirteen localities yielded lithic material, largely obsidian but including a small amount of flint. Part V consists of two articles that describe sites that were found outside the project area. In the first
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, Apr 1, 1986
American Anthropologist, Jun 1, 1988
Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of a contemporary alabaster-working technolog... more Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of a contemporary alabaster-working technology in a small village in Upper Egypt. It discusses a variety of information pertaining to ancient alabaster vessel manufacture in Egypt. The contemporary industry operates under different social and economic pressures than those of dynastic times. Ancient workshops have been more highly specialized, both in terms of organization and in production goals. The contemporary workshops produce, often at a rather leisurely pace, a limited number of vessels for sale to tourists. There are some remarkable similarities between the ancient and contemporary alabaster technologies, and the basic techniques of manufacture have changed very little. Until sophisticated excavations of ancient alabaster workshops are done in Egypt, little is done to compare the structure and organization of workshops with those of the past.
... No direct evidence for conflict exists, although it is possible that the massive and finely w... more ... No direct evidence for conflict exists, although it is possible that the massive and finely workedLowe points held symbolic significance related to warfare ... Pohl, Mary D., Kevin O. Pope, John G. Jones, John S. Jacob, Dolores R. Piperno, Susan D. de France, David L. Lentz, Jjohn ...
The objective of the project described in this article was to determine the geologic source of ob... more The objective of the project described in this article was to determine the geologic source of obsidian artifacts from Texas sites using x-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis, in order to study ancient trade and exchange systems. Five obsidian artifacts were studied. Two are from the southwestern edge of the Edwards Plateau, from sites in Uvalde and Real Counties. Another specimen is from a site in Comanche County, and the final two specimens, from Knox County. These specimens are described with brief comments on trace element studies.
Index of Texas archaeology, 1976
~any sections of the paper are now outdated in light of archaeological work in southern Texas ove... more ~any sections of the paper are now outdated in light of archaeological work in southern Texas over the past five years. However because of the numerous requests for copies of the paper, and its utility in introducing students and ~mateur archaeologists to the region's prehistory, the Center for Archae-olo~1cal Research i~ ~aking it available in mimeographed form, only slightly revised from the or1g1nal 1971 version. '. .. lave~ alo~g the coast.to 1000 feet in the interior. The topography is one of r?lli~g hills and plains. Major drainage systems of the region center on the Rio Grande and Nueces Rivers. .
Plains Anthropologist, 1970