ARH305H1 Lecture : Regional Settlement
Document Summary
The study of how people distribute themselves across the landscape. Archaeological interpretation: coupland, archaeological consequence (static) of a settlement system (dynamic) What is a settlement pattern: site formation writ large. Settlement pattern is conditioned by degree and kind of group mobility. Involves more than one site: assumes cultural homogeneity, could operate minimally at level of locality (community - complete cultural homogeneity) or maximally at level of region ( tribe" - high level of cultural homogeneity) Sites in a settlement pattern vary by function: i. e. Village, camp, quarry, cemetery, etc: represents sum total of annual activities conducted by community or tribe. Settlement patterns are like culture historical units (e. g. phase) in sense that they have temporal and spatial boundaries: two problems in studying settlement patterns, 1) establishing contemporaneity of sites, 2) establishing spatial boundaries of region. Importance of subsistence: generally held that regional settlement patterns (in part) a response to subsistence needs, i. e.
