Ceramics and Community Organization among the Hohokam

Ceramics and Community Organization among the Hohokam
By David R. Abbott
280 pp. / 6.12 in x 9.25 in / 2000
Cloth (978-0-8165-1936-1) [s]

Related Interest
- Archaeology

Among desert farmers of the prehistoric Southwest, irrigation played a crucial role in the development of social complexity. This innovative study examines the changing relationship between

Engaging and easy to read . . . While this is a 'must read' book for anyone studying the Hohokam, its contributions reach beyond southern Arizona. Anyone interested in the topics of irrigation theory, community organization, or applications of ceramic analysis should read this book.

—Journal of Field Archaeology

Abbott delivers on his claims. His book is a model of explicit clarity, both in terms of the presentation of his methods, data analyses, and interpretative findings and also in terms of the application of his data to the earlier work of Hohokam scholars and to current general models of irrigation community social organization. The value of this book goes far beyond the small community of Hohokam archaeologists itself.

—Journal of Anthropological Research

irrigation and community organization among the Hohokam and shows through ceramic data how that dynamic relationship influenced sociopolitical development.

David Abbott contends that reconstructions of Hohokam social patterns based solely on settlement pattern data provide limited insight into prehistoric social relationships. By analyzing ceramic exchange patterns, he provides complementary information that challenges existing models of sociopolitical organization among the Hohokam of central Arizona.

Through ceramic analyses from Classic period sites such as Pueblo Grande, Abbott shows that ceramic production sources and exchange networks can be determined from the composition, surface treatment attributes, and size and shape of clay containers. The distribution networks revealed by these analyses provide evidence for community boundaries and the web of social ties within them.

Abbott's meticulous research documents formerly unrecognized horizontal cohesiveness in Hohokam organizational structure and suggests how irrigation was woven into the fabric of their social evolution. By demonstrating the contribution that ceramic research can make toward resolving issues about community organization, this work expands the breadth and depth of pottery studies in the American Southwest.

Top of Page