Payson D Sheets
Biographic Data
| ID | 165267 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Payson D Sheets |
| GIVEN NAMES | Payson D |
| FAMILY NAME | Sheets |
| SIGNATURE | SHEETS P D |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Colorado |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 334 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1972 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Tropical arboriculture and root crop cultivation in the volcanically active landscape of ancient Arenal, Costa Rica
The Arenal region of Costa Rica experiences catastrophic eruptions on average every 336 years. Although deposits of volcanic ash can be initially detrimental to fauna and flora, after the tephra has weathered it can become a very fertile, mineral-rich soil that is suitable for cultivation of food and other resources. Paleoethnobotanical data collected from the ancient domestic structures at La Chiripa (c. 1500 BCE) and the Sitio Bolívar village (…
Un modelo de tecnología mesoamericana de la obsidiana basada en derechos de un taller preclasico en El Salvador
Se propone un modelo de procedimientos y productos líticos para tratar de explicar artefactos y desechos de obsidiana que se encuentran en horizontes sedentarios agrícolas en casi coda Mesoamérica. Por método de percusión se crearon nódulos de forma ligeramente hemisférica, partiendo un nódulo ovoide en dos hemisferios o quitándole una lasca plana de un extrema, para crear plataforma.1 El paso siguiente fue el desprendimiento también por percusió…
Archaeology, Volcanism, and Remote Sensing in the Arenal Region, Costa Rica
The Ceren Site: A prehistoric village buried by volcanic ash in Central America
Household Archaeology at Cerén, El Salvador
In the summer of 1989, major discoveries were made at the site of Joya de Cerén, El Salvador, where sudden depositions of volcanic ash ina.d. 600 resulted in unusually favorable conditions of preservation. The theoretical framework for the research is household archaeology, the study of prehistoric household groups. Household archaeology, as applied to Cerén can take advantage of the extraordinary preservation to study households in terms of thei…
Testimony: Archeology and Remote Sensing
Archeology and Volcanism in Central America: The Zapotitan Valley of El Salvador
Maya Lords of the Jungle . 1981. A film by John Angier
Volcanic Activity and Human Ecology
The Late Postclassic Eastern Frontier of Mesoamerica: Cultural Innovation Along the Periphery [and Comments and Replies]
A far-reaching frontier culture area emerged along the eastern periphery of southern Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic. Here linguistically diverse peoples (e.g., Rabinal, Pokom, Akahal, Xinca) shared a pattern in material culture. With the frontier commencing along the borders of the Quinche and Cakchiquel conquest states, it is theorized that a principal variable in the development of the frontier cultural pattern was militaristic expansi…
Maritime Hunter-Gatherers: Ecology and Prehistory [and Comments and Reply]
In a recent discussion of prehistoric developments in coastal Peru, Osborn has drawn attention to the "uniqueness" of the Peruvian littoral in providing large amounts of nutrients to support locally high population densities and a base for the development of Peruvian civilization. This bounteous resource base is contrasted with that of other maritime environments, which are seen to be relatively unproductive. The present article takes issue with …
"Bridging "The Great Divide
Zapotitán Valley, El Salvador: Chipped Stone
Volcanic activity and human ecology. Edited by Payson D. Sheets and Donald K. Grayson
Studies in the Archaeology of Coastal Yucatan and Campeche, Mexico. Archaeological Survey of the Yucatan-Campeche Coast
Paleolithic Culture and Culture Change: Experiment in Theory and Method [and Comments and Reply]
A debate concerning the meaning of stone artifact and assemblage variability during the Paleolithic has been in progress for some time now. This paper attempts to link theory and method in suggesting specific methods for the investigation of whether stone tools can act as markers of culturally bounded social units, i.e., ethnic groups, in the past. Hypotheses are formulated based on the theory of culture tradition, and test implications are deduc…
A History of Flint-Knapping Experimentation, 1838-1976 [and Comments and Reply]
The earliest experiments were conducted to discover how to produce chipped stone tools using nonmetallic knapping tools. By 1880, the major perceived problems were solved: ancient stone tools were made by direct stone percussion, later tools might be finished by pressure flaking with an antler tine, and flakes, since they could be duplicated by natural forces, should be accepted as man-made only when found in quantity and made to a pattern. In th…
The Analysis of Chipped Stone Artifacts in Southern Mesoamerica: An Assessment
Detailed analyses of ancient stone tools, or lithic analyses, were performed by archaeologists as early as the second half of the nineteenth century in Europe, the Near East, and North America. However, it was not until the past thirty years that lithic analysis became a standard part of prehistoric research in Mesoamerica. The reasons for this belated beginning involve the dominant humanities-art history orientation toward much of Mesoamerican a…
Behavioral Analysis and the Structure of a Prehistoric Industry [and Comments and Reply]
Assuming that aboriginal behavior was recorded on chipped-stone implements and debitage, and assuming that the analyst can train himself to recognize and interpret that record, then a classification of lithic artifacts based on manufacturing behavior may be considered an inherent classification. Lithic behavioral classification is examined from the perspective of other archaeological classifications as well as from general taxonomic theory. Advan…
Lithic Technology Films: Making Primitive Stone Tools . 1950. Written, directed, and filmed by Douglas LEECHMAN
A Reassessment of the Precolumbian Obsidian Industry of El Chayal, Guatemala
M. Coe and K. Flannery (1964) a decade ago presented an account of their brief reconnaissance of a portion of the massive El Chayal obsidian quarry and workshop near Guatemala City. Noting the lack of ceramic artifacts and obsidian prismatic blades, Coe and Flannery reasoned that the workshop materials likely predated the Formative, and concluded that a date in the Archaic was the most probable. Their reasoning evidently was based on two fallacio…
Archaeology: Pre-columbian Man Finds Central America: The Archaeological Bridge. Doris STONE
The Pillage of Prehistory
The pillaging of archaeological sites throughout the world for salable items is increasing at an alarming rate. Recent information on looting in Mesoamerica, North America, and the Mediterranean area is summarized, and the weaknesses of the UNESCO and U.S.-Mexico treaties are outlined. Also described is a new and extremely destructive form of looting in Mesoamerica. It involves amassing many thousands of dollars from private investors for a proje…
Edge Abrasion during Biface Manufacture
Nance intended to demonstrate that certain small, bifacially chipped obsidian artifacts from the California Late horizon were used for cutting purposes, and were therefore not projectile points. However, both categories of edge abrasion noted by Nance, attrition and striation, may also appear on the edges of bifacially flaked artifacts during the process of manufacture. The purpose of abrading a biface edge is to strengthen the edge preparatory t…
Pressure Blades and Total Cutting Edge: An Experiment in Lithic Technology
Pressure techniques were used to remove 83 blades from a preformed obsidian core weighing 820 grams, yielding 17.32 meters of acute cutting edge. The blades represented 91 percent of the original weight (2.1 centimeters of acute cutting edge per gram of original material), thus demonstrating the efficiency of the pressure-blade techniques for the production of acute cutting edges.
Maritime Hunter-Gatherers: Ecology and Prehistory [and Comments and Reply]
In a recent discussion of prehistoric developments in coastal Peru, Osborn has drawn attention to the "uniqueness" of the Peruvian littoral in providing large amounts of nutrients to support locally high population densities and a base for the development of Peruvian civilization. This bounteous resource base is contrasted with that of other maritime environments, which are seen to be relatively unproductive. The present article takes issue with …
A History of Flint-Knapping Experimentation, 1838-1976 [and Comments and Reply]
The earliest experiments were conducted to discover how to produce chipped stone tools using nonmetallic knapping tools. By 1880, the major perceived problems were solved: ancient stone tools were made by direct stone percussion, later tools might be finished by pressure flaking with an antler tine, and flakes, since they could be duplicated by natural forces, should be accepted as man-made only when found in quantity and made to a pattern. In th…
Behavioral Analysis and the Structure of a Prehistoric Industry [and Comments and Reply]
Assuming that aboriginal behavior was recorded on chipped-stone implements and debitage, and assuming that the analyst can train himself to recognize and interpret that record, then a classification of lithic artifacts based on manufacturing behavior may be considered an inherent classification. Lithic behavioral classification is examined from the perspective of other archaeological classifications as well as from general taxonomic theory. Advan…
Household Archaeology at Cerén, El Salvador
In the summer of 1989, major discoveries were made at the site of Joya de Cerén, El Salvador, where sudden depositions of volcanic ash ina.d. 600 resulted in unusually favorable conditions of preservation. The theoretical framework for the research is household archaeology, the study of prehistoric household groups. Household archaeology, as applied to Cerén can take advantage of the extraordinary preservation to study households in terms of thei…
The Late Postclassic Eastern Frontier of Mesoamerica: Cultural Innovation Along the Periphery [and Comments and Replies]
A far-reaching frontier culture area emerged along the eastern periphery of southern Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic. Here linguistically diverse peoples (e.g., Rabinal, Pokom, Akahal, Xinca) shared a pattern in material culture. With the frontier commencing along the borders of the Quinche and Cakchiquel conquest states, it is theorized that a principal variable in the development of the frontier cultural pattern was militaristic expansi…
Paleolithic Culture and Culture Change: Experiment in Theory and Method [and Comments and Reply]
A debate concerning the meaning of stone artifact and assemblage variability during the Paleolithic has been in progress for some time now. This paper attempts to link theory and method in suggesting specific methods for the investigation of whether stone tools can act as markers of culturally bounded social units, i.e., ethnic groups, in the past. Hypotheses are formulated based on the theory of culture tradition, and test implications are deduc…
Edge Abrasion during Biface Manufacture
Nance intended to demonstrate that certain small, bifacially chipped obsidian artifacts from the California Late horizon were used for cutting purposes, and were therefore not projectile points. However, both categories of edge abrasion noted by Nance, attrition and striation, may also appear on the edges of bifacially flaked artifacts during the process of manufacture. The purpose of abrading a biface edge is to strengthen the edge preparatory t…
Archeology and Volcanism in Central America: The Zapotitan Valley of El Salvador
A Reassessment of the Precolumbian Obsidian Industry of El Chayal, Guatemala
M. Coe and K. Flannery (1964) a decade ago presented an account of their brief reconnaissance of a portion of the massive El Chayal obsidian quarry and workshop near Guatemala City. Noting the lack of ceramic artifacts and obsidian prismatic blades, Coe and Flannery reasoned that the workshop materials likely predated the Formative, and concluded that a date in the Archaic was the most probable. Their reasoning evidently was based on two fallacio…
The Analysis of Chipped Stone Artifacts in Southern Mesoamerica: An Assessment
Detailed analyses of ancient stone tools, or lithic analyses, were performed by archaeologists as early as the second half of the nineteenth century in Europe, the Near East, and North America. However, it was not until the past thirty years that lithic analysis became a standard part of prehistoric research in Mesoamerica. The reasons for this belated beginning involve the dominant humanities-art history orientation toward much of Mesoamerican a…
Pressure Blades and Total Cutting Edge: An Experiment in Lithic Technology
Pressure techniques were used to remove 83 blades from a preformed obsidian core weighing 820 grams, yielding 17.32 meters of acute cutting edge. The blades represented 91 percent of the original weight (2.1 centimeters of acute cutting edge per gram of original material), thus demonstrating the efficiency of the pressure-blade techniques for the production of acute cutting edges.
The Pillage of Prehistory
The pillaging of archaeological sites throughout the world for salable items is increasing at an alarming rate. Recent information on looting in Mesoamerica, North America, and the Mediterranean area is summarized, and the weaknesses of the UNESCO and U.S.-Mexico treaties are outlined. Also described is a new and extremely destructive form of looting in Mesoamerica. It involves amassing many thousands of dollars from private investors for a proje…
Edge Abrasion during Biface Manufacture
Nance intended to demonstrate that certain small, bifacially chipped obsidian artifacts from the California Late horizon were used for cutting purposes, and were therefore not projectile points. However, both categories of edge abrasion noted by Nance, attrition and striation, may also appear on the edges of bifacially flaked artifacts during the process of manufacture. The purpose of abrading a biface edge is to strengthen the edge preparatory t…
Behavioral Analysis and the Structure of a Prehistoric Industry [and Comments and Reply]
Assuming that aboriginal behavior was recorded on chipped-stone implements and debitage, and assuming that the analyst can train himself to recognize and interpret that record, then a classification of lithic artifacts based on manufacturing behavior may be considered an inherent classification. Lithic behavioral classification is examined from the perspective of other archaeological classifications as well as from general taxonomic theory. Advan…
Lithic Technology Films: Making Primitive Stone Tools . 1950. Written, directed, and filmed by Douglas LEECHMAN
A Reassessment of the Precolumbian Obsidian Industry of El Chayal, Guatemala
M. Coe and K. Flannery (1964) a decade ago presented an account of their brief reconnaissance of a portion of the massive El Chayal obsidian quarry and workshop near Guatemala City. Noting the lack of ceramic artifacts and obsidian prismatic blades, Coe and Flannery reasoned that the workshop materials likely predated the Formative, and concluded that a date in the Archaic was the most probable. Their reasoning evidently was based on two fallacio…
Archaeology: Pre-columbian Man Finds Central America: The Archaeological Bridge. Doris STONE
The Analysis of Chipped Stone Artifacts in Southern Mesoamerica: An Assessment
Detailed analyses of ancient stone tools, or lithic analyses, were performed by archaeologists as early as the second half of the nineteenth century in Europe, the Near East, and North America. However, it was not until the past thirty years that lithic analysis became a standard part of prehistoric research in Mesoamerica. The reasons for this belated beginning involve the dominant humanities-art history orientation toward much of Mesoamerican a…
A History of Flint-Knapping Experimentation, 1838-1976 [and Comments and Reply]
The earliest experiments were conducted to discover how to produce chipped stone tools using nonmetallic knapping tools. By 1880, the major perceived problems were solved: ancient stone tools were made by direct stone percussion, later tools might be finished by pressure flaking with an antler tine, and flakes, since they could be duplicated by natural forces, should be accepted as man-made only when found in quantity and made to a pattern. In th…
Volcanic activity and human ecology. Edited by Payson D. Sheets and Donald K. Grayson
Studies in the Archaeology of Coastal Yucatan and Campeche, Mexico. Archaeological Survey of the Yucatan-Campeche Coast
Paleolithic Culture and Culture Change: Experiment in Theory and Method [and Comments and Reply]
A debate concerning the meaning of stone artifact and assemblage variability during the Paleolithic has been in progress for some time now. This paper attempts to link theory and method in suggesting specific methods for the investigation of whether stone tools can act as markers of culturally bounded social units, i.e., ethnic groups, in the past. Hypotheses are formulated based on the theory of culture tradition, and test implications are deduc…
Maritime Hunter-Gatherers: Ecology and Prehistory [and Comments and Reply]
In a recent discussion of prehistoric developments in coastal Peru, Osborn has drawn attention to the "uniqueness" of the Peruvian littoral in providing large amounts of nutrients to support locally high population densities and a base for the development of Peruvian civilization. This bounteous resource base is contrasted with that of other maritime environments, which are seen to be relatively unproductive. The present article takes issue with …
"Bridging "The Great Divide
Zapotitán Valley, El Salvador: Chipped Stone
The Late Postclassic Eastern Frontier of Mesoamerica: Cultural Innovation Along the Periphery [and Comments and Replies]
A far-reaching frontier culture area emerged along the eastern periphery of southern Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic. Here linguistically diverse peoples (e.g., Rabinal, Pokom, Akahal, Xinca) shared a pattern in material culture. With the frontier commencing along the borders of the Quinche and Cakchiquel conquest states, it is theorized that a principal variable in the development of the frontier cultural pattern was militaristic expansi…
Maya Lords of the Jungle . 1981. A film by John Angier
Volcanic Activity and Human Ecology
Archeology and Volcanism in Central America: The Zapotitan Valley of El Salvador
Testimony: Archeology and Remote Sensing
Household Archaeology at Cerén, El Salvador
In the summer of 1989, major discoveries were made at the site of Joya de Cerén, El Salvador, where sudden depositions of volcanic ash ina.d. 600 resulted in unusually favorable conditions of preservation. The theoretical framework for the research is household archaeology, the study of prehistoric household groups. Household archaeology, as applied to Cerén can take advantage of the extraordinary preservation to study households in terms of thei…
The Ceren Site: A prehistoric village buried by volcanic ash in Central America
Archaeology, Volcanism, and Remote Sensing in the Arenal Region, Costa Rica
Un modelo de tecnología mesoamericana de la obsidiana basada en derechos de un taller preclasico en El Salvador
Se propone un modelo de procedimientos y productos líticos para tratar de explicar artefactos y desechos de obsidiana que se encuentran en horizontes sedentarios agrícolas en casi coda Mesoamérica. Por método de percusión se crearon nódulos de forma ligeramente hemisférica, partiendo un nódulo ovoide en dos hemisferios o quitándole una lasca plana de un extrema, para crear plataforma.1 El paso siguiente fue el desprendimiento también por percusió…
Tropical arboriculture and root crop cultivation in the volcanically active landscape of ancient Arenal, Costa Rica
The Arenal region of Costa Rica experiences catastrophic eruptions on average every 336 years. Although deposits of volcanic ash can be initially detrimental to fauna and flora, after the tephra has weathered it can become a very fertile, mineral-rich soil that is suitable for cultivation of food and other resources. Paleoethnobotanical data collected from the ancient domestic structures at La Chiripa (c. 1500 BCE) and the Sitio Bolívar village (…
Archaeology (18 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (13 works) · Geography (13 works) · History (12 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · History (7 works) · Prehistory (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Citation (5 works) · Geology (5 works)