Jack Rossen

Preceramic adoption of peanut, squash, and cotton in northern peru

The early development of agriculture in the New World has been assumed to involve early farming in settlements in the Andes, but the record has been sparse. Peanut (Arachis sp.), squash (Cucurbita moschata), and cotton (Gossypium barbadense) macrofossils were excavated from archaeological sites on the western slopes of the northern Peruvian Andes. Direct radiocarbon dating indicated that these plants grew between 9240 and 5500 14C years before the present. These and other plants were recovered from multiple locations in a tropical dry forest valley, including household clusters, permanent architectural structures, garden plots, irrigation canals, hoes, and storage structures. These data provide evidence for early use of peanut and squash in the human diet and of cotton for industrial purposes and indicate that horticultural economies in parts of the Andes took root by about 10,000 years ago.

The Flote-Tech Flotation Machine: Messiah or Mixed Blessing?

In their review of the Flote-Tech machine-assistedflotation system, Hunter and Gassner (1998) depict the machine as nearly perfect and present it as a technical marvel. I attempt to present a more balanced view of the Flote-Tech machine, based on four years of direct experience. Rather than being a perfected machine for flotation recoveiy of archaeological plant remains, the Flote-Tecli is a prototype with important design and use problems. It can only be recommended withi major caveats and system modifications.

New Lives for Ancient and Extinct Crops. Paul E. Minnis, editor. 2014. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, vi + 275 pp. '65.00 (cloth), ISBN: 978-0-8165-3062-5.

for the future. Although the specifics are not simple, each of the books case studies outlines an example of how archaeologists can contribute to the conversation. As Van de Noort indicates, a crucial first step is getting to the table to participate in the broader dialogue. Ultimately, Van de Noort has issued a challenge for archaeologists to continue to push the boundaries of archaeology and its relevance to the modern world. The keys will be for more of us to answer this call, to develop concrete implications from archaeological data, and to make sure that scientists from other disciplines and particularly policy makers are listening.

The Material Life of Human Beings: Artifacts, Behavior, and Communication. Michael Brian Schiffer with Andrea R. Miller. 1999. Routledge, London and New York, xiv + 158 pp., 1 table, glossary, references, index.

late into equivalent archaeologically definable units found elsewhere. This book is the first application of this methodology to the archaeology of the Zulu homeland or any of the surrounding regions in order to monitor the evolution of complex society. This research enhances not only our understanding of the evolution of social complexity in southern Africa, but also leads into the broader issue of the applicability of such spatial analytic methodologies to the analysis of the early (primary) civilizations of antiquity. In Chapter 1, two basic models to account for the evolution of the Zulu state are introduced—those proposing internal versus those maintaining the priority of external stimuli. The most popular internal stimulus model is the Settler model. It views Zulu state formation as an indigenous internal development that resulted in intense, largescale internecine warfare; tremendous loss of life; incessant livestock raiding; famine; deprivations; forced extensive migrations; and conquests during a period known as the Mfecane/Difaqane (ca. 1818-1830). In this model, Europeans stood by helplessly until they were obliged to restore order, a view widely used to justify European colonization and dominance of the region. Only proponents of external trade models imply any significance to European actions. The coastal trading posts (with their emphasis upon ivory and slaves) inextricably altered the southern African political economy resulting in the emergence of new societal hierarchical levels that controlled the acquisition and distribution of the results of this trade. From this perspective, the emergence of southern African polities is viewed as part of the global transformation of political economies associated with the spread of European colonial empires.