M Aldenderfer
Biographic Data
| ID | 11235 |
|---|---|
| NAME | M Aldenderfer |
| GIVEN NAMES | M |
| FAMILY NAME | Aldenderfer |
| SIGNATURE | ALDENDERFER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Merced |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7033-4319 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 63 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 525 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 64 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
A Brief History of Archaeological Research on the Tibetan Plateau
Although systematic archaeological research on the Tibetan Plateau began in earnest in the mid-20th century, efforts to understand the prehistory of the plateau started far earlier and were based on multiple intellectual traditions. The unique political status of Tibet, especially from the mid-20th century to the present, has affected the development of archaeology on the plateau and the interpretation of its prehistory. This chapter examines thr…
Working together for a vision of Himalayan archaeology
International audience
Hunting to herding on the Andean Altiplano
Kaillachuro
Monumental constructions are often associated with developed power structures, exploiting unequal access to resources to control large labour forces. Yet archaeological research worldwide increasingly shows that this model is not only an oversimplification, but often is also wrong. Here, the authors explore the burial mounds at Kaillachuro in the Peruvian Andes, and present new radiocarbon dates that position these mounds as the earliest evidence…
Bias-Adjusted Three-Step Multilevel Latent Class Modeling with Covariates
We present a bias-adjusted three-step estimation approach for multilevel latent class models (LC) with covariates. The proposed approach involves (1) fitting a single-level measurement model while ignoring the multilevel structure, (2) assigning units to latent classes, and (3) fitting the multilevel model with the covariates while controlling for measurement error introduced in the second step. Simulation studies and an empirical example show th…
Did archery technology precipitate complexity in the Titicaca Basin? A metric analysis of projectile points, 11–1 ka
The extent to which archery technology affected social organization in the Andes region of South America remains understudied. To identify the timing and consequences of archery technology in the Lake Titicaca Basin, this analysis examines metric data from 1179 projectile points from the region, 11–1.0 cal. ka. We find that the greatest decrease in projectile point size occurred across the Late/Terminal Archaic and Formative/Tiwanaku period bound…
Early Evidence of Atlatl Use in the Titicaca Basin
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Interdisciplinary Approaches to Reconstructing Early Population History in the High Himalayas of Nepal
Anthropological research in the high-elevation regions of northwestern Nepal offers insights into the populationhistory of the Himalayan arc through a multi- and interdisciplinary approach that includes not only archaeologicaldata and historic and ethnographic accounts but also genomic, isotopic, and bioarchaeologicaldata, as well as innovative use of thermal niche modeling for paleoclimate reconstruction. Together these linesof evidence have all…
Diet, Mobility, Technology, and Lithics
Neolithization was a complex, protracted process of domestication, sedentarization, and technology change that occurred in various combinations in various times and places around the world. Understanding the causal relationships among those and other important human behaviors remains an analytical challenge. This study examines Neolithization through the lens of lithic artifact variation in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. Drawing on previous lithi…
Cultures of Fermentation
Recent discoveries on the importance of microbes for human biology, health, and culture, the rise of antimicrobial resistance, and developing technological advancements necessitate new dialogues about human relationships with microbes. Long perceptible only through their transformations-from epidemic disease to alcoholic beverages-it is now possible to more fully perceive the diversity of ways in which we influence and are influenced by microbes …
Altitude Environments in Archaeology
Of the sea and volcano
Costly Signaling, the Sexual Division of Labor, and Animal Domestication in the Andean Highlands
Altitude Environments in Archaeology
Of gold masks, bronze mirrors and brass bracelets
The Archaeology of the Early Tibetan Plateau
The efficacy of whole human genome capture on ancient dental calculus and dentin
OBJECTIVES: Dental calculus is among the richest known sources of ancient DNA in the archaeological record. Although most DNA within calculus is microbial, it has been shown to contain sufficient human DNA for the targeted retrieval of whole mitochondrial genomes. Here, we explore whether calculus is also a viable substrate for whole human genome recovery using targeted enrichment techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total DNA extracted from 24 pai…
What Did the Moon Landing Do for Archaeology
What Are Anthropologists Reading, Watching, and Listening To This Summer
Bioarchaeological profile of stress and dental disease among ancient high altitude H imalayan communities of N epal
Variations in dental disease frequencies between the sites may be due to local variations in microenvironment, cultural, and/or temporal differences in resource availability, food consumption and preparation, as well as the age structure of the samples. The low frequencies of markers for nonspecific stress may be indicative of the ability of these ancient Himalayan groups to successfully meet the challenges posed by the extreme conditions of high…
Textile technology in Nepal in the 5th-7th centuries CE
The first results of textile and dye analyses of cloth remains recovered in Samdzong, Upper Mustang, Nepal, are presented. The site consists of ten shaft tombs, dated between the 400-650 CE, cut into a high cliff face at an elevation of 4000 m asl. The dry climate and high altitude favoured the exceptional preservation of organic materials. One of the objects recovered from the elite Samdzong 5 tomb complex is composed of wool fabrics to which co…
Defining Best 3D Practices in Archaeology
This research aims to investigate the potential use of three-dimensional (3D) technologies for the analysis and interpretation of heritage sites. This article uses different 3D survey technologies to find the most appropriate methods to document archaeological stratigraphy, based on diverse environmental conditions, light exposures, and varied surfaces. The use of 3D laser scanners and dense stereo matching (DSM) techniques is now well establishe…
Moving agriculture onto the Tibetan plateau
Geologic constraints on rain-fed Qocha reservoir agricultural infrastructure, northern lake Titicaca Basin, Peru
Moving agriculture onto the Tibetan plateau
Comparison of XRF and PXRF for analysis of archaeological obsidian from southern Perú
The Prehistory of the Tibetan Plateau to the Seventh Century A.D
Modelling plateau peoples
Today, humans live in large numbers at elevations above 2500 metres above sea level. However, the world's high plateaux, despite being surrounded by our ancestors in deep antiquity, remained unoccupied and little used until late in the Pleistocene, and in some reconstructions not until the Holocene. Among the causes that may help to explain the relative tardiness of the use of these plateaux are the challenges posed by their physical accessibilit…
Domestic Architecture, Ethnicity, and Complementarity in the South-Central Andes
Domestic Architecture, Ethnicity, and Complementarity in the South-Central Andes is a comprehensive and challenging look at the burgeoning field of Andean domestic architecture. Aldenderfer and fourteen contributors use domestic architecture to explore two major topics in the prehistory of the south-central Andes: the development of different forms of complementary relationships between highland and lowland peoples and the definition of the ethni…
The Archaic Period in the south-central Andes
Macusani obsidian from southern Peru
Microwear Analysis in the Maya Lowlands
Microwear, or use-wear, analysis has been infrequently applied to the lithic assemblages of complex societies, and even in those instances the results often have been of limited utility. Perhaps the main reason for this is a lack of a theoretical context into which the largely empirical data of microwear analysis can be integrated. This paper describes the results of a microwear analysis of Late Classic Period lithic materials from the central Pe…
Functional Evidence for Lapidary and Carpentry Craft Specialties in the Late Classic of the Central Peten Lakes Region
Although it has long been clear that craft specialists were present in Late Classic Lowland Maya society, it has proven difficult to identify chipped-stone lithics actually used in craft production. This article outlines a model, based on design theory, that can be used to identify the attributes of tools likely to have been used by lapidary and carpentry craft specialists, and tests it against an assemblage of tools analyzed through microwear an…
Cultures of Fermentation
Recent discoveries on the importance of microbes for human biology, health, and culture, the rise of antimicrobial resistance, and developing technological advancements necessitate new dialogues about human relationships with microbes. Long perceptible only through their transformations-from epidemic disease to alcoholic beverages-it is now possible to more fully perceive the diversity of ways in which we influence and are influenced by microbes …
Methods of cluster validation for archaeology
Despite increasing sophistication in their use of cluster analysis, archaeologists have yet to apply objective validation methods to the results of their research. Validation methods are a mixed bag of procedures and statistics which measure the adequacy of results obtained from a clustering process. There are many different methods, and most are biased in favor of particular types of clustering algorithms. This paper introduces the concept of va…
The Archaeology of the Early Tibetan Plateau
Multivariate visualization and analysis of photomapped artifact scatters
Continuity and Change in Ceremonial Structures at Late Preceramic Asana, Southern Peru
A 500-year record of changes and continuities in structures defined as ceremonial has been discovered in the Qhuna phase (5000-4400 B. P.) of Late Preceramic period Asana in the Moquegua drainage of southern Peru. These are the earliest known ceremonial structures in the south-central Andes, and their existence raises new questions about the trajectory of cultural change in the region. In its earliest construction around 4800 B. P., the ceremonia…
Preludes to Power in the Highland Late Preceramic Period
Although the dramatic differences in cultural complexity between the Pacific littoral cultures and those in the Andean highlands during the Late Preceramic Period have long been known, until recently explanations for them have not been forthcoming. In part, this has been because of shortcomings of empirical data from the highlands as well as a general lack of systematic attempts to look at the nature and origins of persistent leadership strategie…
Envisioning a Pragmatic Approach to the Archaeology of Religion
Over the past decade, many archaeologists have lamented over the parlous state of what is often labeled the "archaeology of religion." Although much of the problem with the development of a satisfying approach to the study of religion in the past lies with religion itself, a notoriously difficult concept with a plethora of definitions, archaeologists themselves must acknowledge that they too bear responsibility for this unsatisfactory situation. …
Diet, Mobility, Technology, and Lithics
Neolithization was a complex, protracted process of domestication, sedentarization, and technology change that occurred in various combinations in various times and places around the world. Understanding the causal relationships among those and other important human behaviors remains an analytical challenge. This study examines Neolithization through the lens of lithic artifact variation in the Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru. Drawing on previous lithi…
Geologic constraints on rain-fed Qocha reservoir agricultural infrastructure, northern lake Titicaca Basin, Peru
Cronología y conexiones
Con su larga y continua historia de ocupación, el sitio de Asana tiene un único conjunto de información que ofrecer para el estudio del Periodo Arcaico en los Andes surcentrales. En este artículo, exploraremos dos temas importantes: la secuencia cronológica de la ocupación en el sitio con énfasis en los modos en que se definen las fases y la evidencia que describe las conexiones que Asana tuvo a través de sus ocupaciones con otras regiones del mu…
Cluster Analysis and Archaeological Classification
This paper examines some of the implications of Christenson and Read's [1977] comments on the use of numerical taxonomic concepts in archaeological classification. While many of their comments are accurate, we feel that they have seriously misrepresented the nature of cluster analysis as a grouping technique by their association of cluster analysis with the theoretical and methodological goals of numerical taxonomy. The implications of their argu…
Late Preceramic ceremonial architecture at Asana, southern Peru
Ceremonial architecture over 4600 years old has been discovered at the open air site of Asana in the high sierra of southern Peru - the best part of a thousand years earlier than in the central Andean sierra and with different architectural detail, form and content. This discovery provides new insights into a new regional architectural tradition and an alternative trajectory for the evolution of settled village life in the Andean highlands
Defining Best 3D Practices in Archaeology
This research aims to investigate the potential use of three-dimensional (3D) technologies for the analysis and interpretation of heritage sites. This article uses different 3D survey technologies to find the most appropriate methods to document archaeological stratigraphy, based on diverse environmental conditions, light exposures, and varied surfaces. The use of 3D laser scanners and dense stereo matching (DSM) techniques is now well establishe…
Reflexiones para avanzar en los estudios del período arcaico en Los Andes centro -sur
ThoughTs on moving forward of The sTudy of The archaic period in The souTh-cenTral andes mark s. aldenderfer 2 y luis flores Blanco 3
Of gold masks, bronze mirrors and brass bracelets
The efficacy of whole human genome capture on ancient dental calculus and dentin
OBJECTIVES: Dental calculus is among the richest known sources of ancient DNA in the archaeological record. Although most DNA within calculus is microbial, it has been shown to contain sufficient human DNA for the targeted retrieval of whole mitochondrial genomes. Here, we explore whether calculus is also a viable substrate for whole human genome recovery using targeted enrichment techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total DNA extracted from 24 pai…
The Literature On Cluster Analysis
There has been an explosion of interest in cluster analysis since 1960. The "explosion" of this literature is documented through: (a) a rapid growth in the number of articles which have been published using this technique; (b) the wide range of sciences interested in clustering; (c) the large and growing number of software programs for performing cluster analysis; (d) the formation of cliques of cluster analysis users; and (e) the resulting fragm…
Cluster Analysis and Archaeological Classification
This paper examines some of the implications of Christenson and Read's [1977] comments on the use of numerical taxonomic concepts in archaeological classification. While many of their comments are accurate, we feel that they have seriously misrepresented the nature of cluster analysis as a grouping technique by their association of cluster analysis with the theoretical and methodological goals of numerical taxonomy. The implications of their argu…
Methods of cluster validation for archaeology
Despite increasing sophistication in their use of cluster analysis, archaeologists have yet to apply objective validation methods to the results of their research. Validation methods are a mixed bag of procedures and statistics which measure the adequacy of results obtained from a clustering process. There are many different methods, and most are biased in favor of particular types of clustering algorithms. This paper introduces the concept of va…
Cluster Analysis
Archeology
The Methods and Problems of Cluster Analysis
Microwear Analysis in the Maya Lowlands
Microwear, or use-wear, analysis has been infrequently applied to the lithic assemblages of complex societies, and even in those instances the results often have been of limited utility. Perhaps the main reason for this is a lack of a theoretical context into which the largely empirical data of microwear analysis can be integrated. This paper describes the results of a microwear analysis of Late Classic Period lithic materials from the central Pe…
The Archaic Period in the south-central Andes
Late Preceramic ceremonial architecture at Asana, southern Peru
Ceremonial architecture over 4600 years old has been discovered at the open air site of Asana in the high sierra of southern Peru - the best part of a thousand years earlier than in the central Andean sierra and with different architectural detail, form and content. This discovery provides new insights into a new regional architectural tradition and an alternative trajectory for the evolution of settled village life in the Andean highlands
Functional Evidence for Lapidary and Carpentry Craft Specialties in the Late Classic of the Central Peten Lakes Region
Although it has long been clear that craft specialists were present in Late Classic Lowland Maya society, it has proven difficult to identify chipped-stone lithics actually used in craft production. This article outlines a model, based on design theory, that can be used to identify the attributes of tools likely to have been used by lapidary and carpentry craft specialists, and tests it against an assemblage of tools analyzed through microwear an…
Continuity and Change in Ceremonial Structures at Late Preceramic Asana, Southern Peru
A 500-year record of changes and continuities in structures defined as ceremonial has been discovered in the Qhuna phase (5000-4400 B. P.) of Late Preceramic period Asana in the Moquegua drainage of southern Peru. These are the earliest known ceremonial structures in the south-central Andes, and their existence raises new questions about the trajectory of cultural change in the region. In its earliest construction around 4800 B. P., the ceremonia…
Ritual, Hierarchy, and Change in Foraging Societies
Domestic Architecture, Ethnicity, and Complementarity in the South-Central Andes
Domestic Architecture, Ethnicity, and Complementarity in the South-Central Andes is a comprehensive and challenging look at the burgeoning field of Andean domestic architecture. Aldenderfer and fourteen contributors use domestic architecture to explore two major topics in the prehistory of the south-central Andes: the development of different forms of complementary relationships between highland and lowland peoples and the definition of the ethni…
Montane Foragers
Quantitative methods in archaeology
Quantitative Methods in Archaeology
Statistics for Archaeologists
in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden.The use in this
Montane Foragers
All previous books dealing with prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the high Andes have treated ancient mountain populations from a troglodyte's perspective, as if they were little different from lowlanders who happened to occupy jagged terrain. Early mountain populations have been transformed into generic foragers because the basic nature of high-altitude stress and biological adaptation has not been addressed. In Montane Foragers, Mark Aldenderfer …
The Pleistocene/Holocene transition in Peru and its effects upon human use of the landscape
Data, Digital Ephemera, and Dead Media
Archaeology, like so many academic disciplines, is in the midst of a period of dramatic change. One of the major sources of this change is the dramatic development of information technologies and how these impact on scholarly communication, particularly the publishing process. This paper explores some of these issues, and argues that a conservation ethic for data preservation be adopted that is explicitly digital
Cronología y conexiones
Con su larga y continua historia de ocupación, el sitio de Asana tiene un único conjunto de información que ofrecer para el estudio del Periodo Arcaico en los Andes surcentrales. En este artículo, exploraremos dos temas importantes: la secuencia cronológica de la ocupación en el sitio con énfasis en los modos en que se definen las fases y la evidencia que describe las conexiones que Asana tuvo a través de sus ocupaciones con otras regiones del mu…
Anthropology, Space and Geographic Information Systems
Keywords: anthropology ; archaeology ; paleoanthropology Reference Record created on 2005-06-20, modified on 2016-08-08
Explaining Changes in Settlement Dynamics across Transformations of Modes of Production
The Prehistory of the Tibetan Plateau to the Seventh Century A.D
Preludes to Power in the Highland Late Preceramic Period
Although the dramatic differences in cultural complexity between the Pacific littoral cultures and those in the Andean highlands during the Late Preceramic Period have long been known, until recently explanations for them have not been forthcoming. In part, this has been because of shortcomings of empirical data from the highlands as well as a general lack of systematic attempts to look at the nature and origins of persistent leadership strategie…
Archaeology (42 works) · Geography (42 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (31 works) · History (30 works) · Computer Science (21 works) · History (19 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (19 works) · Biology (16 works) · Geology (15 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (13 works)