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Prehistoric Anasazi diet : a synthesis of archaeological evidence Brand, Michael James
Abstract
Prehistoric Anasazi diet from the Basketmaker II to Pueblo III periods is examined through a synthesis of four lines of archaeological data taken from the literature: faunal analysis, flotation and pollen analysis, coprolite analysis and stable carbon isotope analysis. This study examines the importance of com in Anasazi diet, the intensification of agricultural production and changes in diet which may be linked to the thirteenth century regional abandonments. The core resources, or dietary staples, in the Anasazi diet are identified for each period of the Anasazi tradition. The results indicate considerable similarity in the diets of the people from the four Anasazi branches discussed and throughout the time periods considered. The analysis demonstrates that corn was the primary resource in the Anasazi diet beginning in the Basketmaker II period. Squash and a number of wild plants also made substantial contributions to the diet. Evidence was found for stable agricultural production, with no indication of intensification aimed at the three commonly discussed cultigens: corn, squash and beans. The appearance of cotton in the later pueblo periods, however, may represent an attempt to increase food production through the adoption of a new cultigen. This study has found that the utilization of food resources remained stable throughout the Anasazi occupation of the Colorado Plateau, including the period immediately prior to the regional abandonments.
Item Metadata
Title |
Prehistoric Anasazi diet : a synthesis of archaeological evidence
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1994
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Description |
Prehistoric Anasazi diet from the Basketmaker II to Pueblo III periods is examined
through a synthesis of four lines of archaeological data taken from the literature: faunal analysis,
flotation and pollen analysis, coprolite analysis and stable carbon isotope analysis. This study
examines the importance of com in Anasazi diet, the intensification of agricultural production
and changes in diet which may be linked to the thirteenth century regional abandonments.
The core resources, or dietary staples, in the Anasazi diet are identified for each period
of the Anasazi tradition. The results indicate considerable similarity in the diets of the people
from the four Anasazi branches discussed and throughout the time periods considered. The
analysis demonstrates that corn was the primary resource in the Anasazi diet beginning in the
Basketmaker II period. Squash and a number of wild plants also made substantial contributions
to the diet.
Evidence was found for stable agricultural production, with no indication of
intensification aimed at the three commonly discussed cultigens: corn, squash and beans. The
appearance of cotton in the later pueblo periods, however, may represent an attempt to increase
food production through the adoption of a new cultigen.
This study has found that the utilization of food resources remained stable throughout the
Anasazi occupation of the Colorado Plateau, including the period immediately prior to the
regional abandonments.
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Extent |
6994067 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-01-09
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0058372
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
Spring 1995
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.