Directions Forward for Ceramic Studies in the Far Southwest (original) (raw)

Aboriginal ceramics are a conspicuous and important element in the archaeological landscapes of late prehistoric southern California, western Arizona, southern Nevada, northern Baja California, and western Sonora. However, it can be argued that a full exploitation of the research value of the region's relatively simple and usually undecorated ceramics has been poorly served by some of the conventions in analysis, interpretation, and reporting that have been applied to them. Alternative approaches advocated here include a classification system based on attributes rather than types, an interpretive system based on formulating and testing falsifiable hypotheses, and a reporting system based on creative use of the Web.