Archaeology Magazine - June 1970 - 80

of a bison jump site practically on
the Texas-Mexico border, and to
provide an insight into the way of
life of the hunters themselves.Comparative data are found only on the
High Plains (Wyoming and Montana) and so are of limited use for
purposes of interpretation in south*
ern Texas. Several possibilities are
explored to account for the existence of the site, and the tentative
conclusions drawn seem based on
solid research.
Radiocarbon dates are available
for both Bone Bed 2 [10,230± 160
(Tx 153)] and Bone Bed 3 [2310±
210 (Tx 46)]; 2810 ± 110 (Tx
47); 2780 ± 110 (Tx 106); 2510
± 100 (Tx 131), which correlate
well with the identification of the
projectile point types. There is no
difficulty in allowing for the jump
technique of killing bison in PaleoIndian times, but the presence of
bison and bison hunters in south
Texas in Late Archaic times was
less easy to account for: "As difficult as it is for an archaeologistto
think in terms of unique or nearunique events, it remains most logical to conclude that large herds of
animals were in the area for only a
very brief, ecologicallyinsignificant,
period- perhaps in response to a
particularly harsh winter or winters
- and were effectively trapped at
Bonfire Shelter by [Late Archaic]
hunters who had followed from
the north" (page 76).
The report is an important contribution to the literature on early
hunting techniques and is of particular interest because of its interpretive detail.
Hester A. Davis
Arkansas ArchaeologicalSurvey

Year
College
in

j
Athens

A year'sstudyof Greekcivilization,September25, 1970,to June 1, 1971,
for collegestudentsconcentrating
in the classicsor alliedfields.
Facultyin 1969-70:A. R. Burn in history,
TessaDinsmoorin art. Judith Perlzweig-Binder
in archaeology,
PeterGreenin literature,H. D. F.
Kitto in ancientGreek,DimitriNianiasin philosophy,Philip Sherrardin Byzantinestudies.
Coursesin modernGreek.Extensive
travelwithin
Greece.
For informationwrite to: Mrs. GeorgeN.
College
Hatsopoulos,AmericanRepresentative,
Year in Athens,Stonehedge,
Lincoln,Massachusetts01773or to Mrs.GeorgeS. Phylactopoulos,
Director, College Year in Athens, Psychico,
*
Athens,Greece.

fresh ideas about the area. As Morris progressed in his endeavors, his
interests delved backward chronologically covering the period from
the Pueblo Indians to the Pre-Christian Basketmakers.
The reader is first introduced to
Earl Morris and his father, Scott,
beginningwork as pot-hunters. The
text continues and the reader's perspective is changed gradually from
that of pot-hunter to antiquarian;
and by the time he turns the final
page, he has garnered much insight
into dirt archaeologyas it is known
today.
The archaeologistsof the Southwest have been, and are, some of
the most prolific in the discipline;
yet all of the d^ta available does
not make the information in this
book useless. First, not all of the
data used in this biography has
been readily available to the general
The Listers present an ex& SOUTHWESTERN
AR- public.
EARLMORRIS
cellent collection and interpretation
FLORENCE
LlSTER
C.
CHAEOLOGY,
by
of articles, reports and unpublished
and Robert H. Lister, xviii, 204 materials
and about Morris. Secpages, 31 photographs on 16 plates, ond, newby
insight is gained about
1 chart, 1 plan, 1 map, frontispiece.
problems of the SouthThe University of New Mexico practical
western fieldworker as well as the
Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico intellectual struggle which he had
1968 $7.95
in attempting to understand the
The title of the book could eas- area archaeologically. This book
does not color or glamorize the arily read Earl Morris, His Life and
His Works. The Listers have writ- chaeologistbut rather stresses realten a fine account of a man, his con- ity in the field. Third, the text is
tributions and the scientificgrowth usable as a secondary source for
and development of Southwestern the archaeologicalresearcheras well
archaeology. This source presents as being valuable to the layman as
graphically a synthesis of Morris an historical, informative and acand his activities in the Southwest curate introduction to the archaeolwithout advancing many new or ogy of the Southwest. Surely this
264

Inc.

book deserves to be added to the
already large shelf of publications
on the area.
Archaeologistsmust consider this
book valuable if only for the fact
that it relates accurately the polemics of the Pecos Conferenceand
its resulting synthesis. The Pecos
Conference, however, is just one
example of the vast array of facts
presented to the reader. Earl Morris
and Southwestern Archaeology is
therefore a factual and scholarly
contribution that serves as a link
between popular accounts of archaeologistsand their works on the
one hand and detailed scientificreports on the other.
James Taylor Rock
WisconsinState University
VANISHING
TRIBES,
by ROYPlNNEY.
xiii, 272 pages, numerous photographs, frontispiece. Thomas Y.
Crowell,New York 1968 $7.95
This is a collection of short accounts of various "primitive" peoples reckoned to be on the verge
of extinction- although some, like
the Navaho, are anything but vanishing. There is a brief introduction
on Man and Culture; a kind of
haphazard conglomerationof facts
such as I sometimes get from students asked to write on "What I
have learned from Anthropology
201." To be fair, this is better written than most student pieces, but
then Pinney is a professionalwriter.
However, it is harmless enough and
fine for people who know nothing
of the topic.

Archaeology Magazine - June 1970

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