Archaeology Magazine - June 1970 - 76

in cooperationwith the Guatemalan
government, has been conducting a
major program of research and repair at the site. Most excavation is
now completed, but restoration of
buildings continues. With development of an airfield and other facilities, Tikal has become a major
tourist attraction of Guatemala.
The author of this much-needed
guide book has been associatedwith
the project since its inception and
is now its director.
Introductory sections deal with
facilities and conditions which visitors to Tikal may expect, as well
as a synopsis of investigation of
the site. The main part of the book
describes the major structures and
structure complexes,including summaries of excavation findings. An
appendix explains elements of the
Maya calendrical system. The history of the growth and development
of Tikal is summarized in a section
which also discusses the settlement
pattern around Tikal. A bibliography of published works on the site
is included.
The handbook is lavishly illustrated with plans, drawings and
photographs, many in color. The
illustrationsare artisticallyand technically of high quality, and give a
vivid impressionof the richness and
sophisticationof Classic Maya culture.
This is a very good guide book,
worthy of its splendid subject, and
useful to any person interested in
Tikal and ClassicMaya culture generally.
William R. Bullard, Jr.

a seriousquestion as to whether the
subject is. The material is well
organized but the summaries of the
newer concepts versus the traditional require a detailed study of
the preceding papers to determine
if there is a real difference.Except
for one or two examples of mathematical interpretation of archaeological data, the book is remarkably
free of any references to the application of modern, truly scientific
method to archaeology.Perhaps the
limitations of the symposium prevented the inclusion of such material.
The book does, in detailed fashion, illustrate the development of
new hypotheses and the intensity
with which archaeologists are attempting to bring order out of chaos
in the presentation of their material.
It is unfortunate that no general
summary of the results of the symposium was made and that all progress achieved will be individually
interpreted by the reader. In the absenceof continuous,written records,
as pointed out in the book, it is
necessary to speculate on or hypothecate ancient lifewayswhen the
only remaining records are imperishable artifacts and the dangers of
drawing positive conclusions from
such data are illustrated.
This reviewer is at a loss to define archaeologicaltheory as, apparently, are many archaeologists.It is
true that archaeology discloses a
massive body of facts- but what
principles tie these facts into a
whole?Ultimately a theory is proven
or discarded and when proven can
be used to predict behavior,whether
animate or inanimate, with a high
IN ARCHEOLOGY,
NEWPERSPECTIVES
of precisionor even absolute
edited by Sally R. Binford and degree
How can any archaeologiaccuracy.
Lewis R. Binford. x, 373 pages, cal theory make such
predictions,
maps, charts, graphs, figures,plans. forward or backward, when dealAldine Publishing Company, Chi- ing with human behavior?Some atcago 1969 $9.75
tempts reported here includebroachThis is a presentation of the paing this subject by a discussionon
pers read at a symposium on The traits which are homologous or
Social Organization of Prehistoric analogous and, as might be exCommunitiesheld in Denver, Colo- pected, there is no real answer as to
rado in 1965 and, in general, the which term should be applied nor
subject of the symposium should which is really applicable. Accordhave been the title. It is a book di- ing to Willey (page 1), "It has
rected to professionalarchaeologists been said that archeology, while
but of some real value to the ama- providing data and generalizations
in such fields as history and general
teur since it shows the changes in
the mental approach to some of
anthropology, lacks a systematic
the sociological problems encoun- body of conceptsand premises contered by archaeologistsin interpret- stituting archeologicaltheory."
Spaulding (page 39) sets the real
ing the results of their findings.The
text itself is scientific but there is theme of the book by saying "The
260

papers in this volume are clear examples of explicit attempts to explain observedregularitiesin archeological data by means of observed
regularities in social processes."
Deetz (page 41) pursues this theme
further: "The interest in the reconstruction of prehistoric systems has
served to call attention to the nature and possible causes of patterning as it is seen in archeologicalmaterials." Binford (page 49) recognizes patternings in artifacts, but
"Problems arise, however, in the
explanation of differencesand similarities and understanding changes
through time." A possible new interpretation based upon variations
within patterns of artifacts and reflecting functional changes associated with cultural changes is suggested. A relation between form
and function in the Broken K
Pueblo is discussed by Hill (page
103).
What the book does do is show
the struggles archaeologistsare having in systematizingthe mass of information available. The individual
papers are well-written and in great
detail, yet each author contributes
his thoughts without a real summary of how they fit into the larger
picture. In short, the newer perspectives appear to be simply different
methods of interpretation of observed facts with little or no result
toward relating inter- or intracultural developments.
Edwin R. Littmann
Westfield,New Jersey
THELOSTAMERICANS,
by FRANKC.
Hibben. Revised and Updated, xiv,
187 pages, 27 illustrations. Thomas
Y. Crowell,New York 1968 $5.95
This book presents a very readable outline of the sequence of
Paleo-Indian hunters in the New
World. The geographic emphasis
is on western North America and
the temporal interval considered is
from about 5,000 to possibly 30,000
years ago. There is a summary discussion of the origins of mankind,
the Old World source of the American Indian, the migration across
the Bering Strait arid various dating
techniques. The original discovery
of the Folsom site and the finds
made at Sandia Cave, the Lindenmeier site, the Clovis site, Blackwater Draw, Eden Valley, Agate
Basin, Hell's Gap and other locali-

Archaeology Magazine - June 1970

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - June 1970