Historic Sites Archaeology on the Western American Frontier

Theoretical Perspectives and Research Problems

Bibliographic Data

ID5836739
AuthorsDonald L Hardesty (University of Nevada, Reno, corresponding author)
Year1981
Volume2
Issue1
Pages67-82
Publication date1981-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNorth American Archaeologist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0197-6931 • E-ISSN: 1541-3543
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2190/bh5m-3rau-n9ak-xyu7
OpenAlexW2049600004
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited24

Historic sites archaeology in the western United States is booming but continues to be conducted ad hoc. The demands of assessing significance for cultural resource management purposes suggests that integrative research problems must be identified. One set of such problems emerge from the frontier concept. The use of synecological models from general ecology is proposed as a new framework within which to better understand frontier phenomena. As an illustration, one aspect of Frederick Jackson Turner's "frontier thesis" - the homogenization of frontier behavior - is examined in this light and related to historic sites research. In addition patterns of frontier colonization are studied with models of island biogeography developed by the late Robert MacArthur and E. O. Wilson

Frontier · Homogenization · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Natural History · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation