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Prehistoric Hunters of the High Andes
112
BOOK
NOTES
The Cemetery of St. Helen-on-the-Walls, 1980. 120 pp. The Archaeology E9.50.
of York,
The Church of St. Helen-on-the-Walls, Archaeology
of York,
10/l.
London:
Aldwark. By J. D. Dawes and J. R. Magilton. 12/ 1. London : Council for British Archaeology.
Aldwark. By J. R. Magilton, Council
for British
Archaeology.
1980. 47 pp. The E5.50.
It is not often that the excavation of a church and cemetery results in publications in which there is a good balance between cultural and biological findings. These two fascicules set a pattern for British cemetery studies which it is to be hoped will be followed in future, although ideally both sections should have been merged into one publication. Details of the medieval cemetery are more extensive than have been published for many years, and includes information on osteometry, population affinities, demography and disease. D.R.B.
Viking Age Combs, Comb Making and Comb Makers in the Light of Finds from Birka and Ribe. By Kristina Ambrosiani. 1981. 175 pp. Studies in Archaeology, 2. Stockholm: Stockholm
University.
Bone combs have been a common find at some Swedish and other European sites, and indeed at Birka alone, a total of 325 specimens were found. These clearly deserve intensive study, not only in terms of chronology, design and general cultural associations, but also from the point of view of the raw materials selected. The author presents a balanced study of all these factors, and from my point of view, her consideration of the biology, and especially microscopy, of bone in relatic- 1 to animal preference and technical aspects of bone use is an important contribution to the study of bone as a resource. Of special interest is the investigation to discriminate between Red deer and elk antler. Although needing further investigation, a case is made for possible differences in the pattern of vascularity (viewed under ordinary microscopic magnification). Clearly, the subject of bone as a resource can be very productive of information, and one hopes that this study will be a model for others to come. D.R.B.
Prehistoric Hunters of the High Andes. By J. W. Rick. Academic
1980. xix+36Opp.
New
York:
Press. & 15.40.
This is a further volume in the important series Studies in Archaeology, some of which have a considerable science content. This new addition is concerned with certain Andean communities in relation to their ecology, particularly the sites of Pachamachay and Pampacancha. It should be noted that there are important additional contributions by Deborah Pearsall on Pachamachay ethnobotany, H. E. Wright on the environmental history of the Junin Plain region, and Richard Burger on trace element variation in Pachamachay obsidian artifacts. The implications of all this information are well discussed in the final section of the book, which considers in general terms Puna preceramic subsistence and sedentism, and the evolution of early Puna human adaptations. D.R.B.
BOOK
NOTES
The Cemetery of St. Helen-on-the-Walls, 1980. 120 pp. The Archaeology E9.50.
of York,
The Church of St. Helen-on-the-Walls, Archaeology
of York,
10/l.
London:
Aldwark. By J. D. Dawes and J. R. Magilton. 12/ 1. London : Council for British Archaeology.
Aldwark. By J. R. Magilton, Council
for British
Archaeology.
1980. 47 pp. The E5.50.
It is not often that the excavation of a church and cemetery results in publications in which there is a good balance between cultural and biological findings. These two fascicules set a pattern for British cemetery studies which it is to be hoped will be followed in future, although ideally both sections should have been merged into one publication. Details of the medieval cemetery are more extensive than have been published for many years, and includes information on osteometry, population affinities, demography and disease. D.R.B.
Viking Age Combs, Comb Making and Comb Makers in the Light of Finds from Birka and Ribe. By Kristina Ambrosiani. 1981. 175 pp. Studies in Archaeology, 2. Stockholm: Stockholm
University.
Bone combs have been a common find at some Swedish and other European sites, and indeed at Birka alone, a total of 325 specimens were found. These clearly deserve intensive study, not only in terms of chronology, design and general cultural associations, but also from the point of view of the raw materials selected. The author presents a balanced study of all these factors, and from my point of view, her consideration of the biology, and especially microscopy, of bone in relatic- 1 to animal preference and technical aspects of bone use is an important contribution to the study of bone as a resource. Of special interest is the investigation to discriminate between Red deer and elk antler. Although needing further investigation, a case is made for possible differences in the pattern of vascularity (viewed under ordinary microscopic magnification). Clearly, the subject of bone as a resource can be very productive of information, and one hopes that this study will be a model for others to come. D.R.B.
Prehistoric Hunters of the High Andes. By J. W. Rick. Academic
1980. xix+36Opp.
New
York:
Press. & 15.40.
This is a further volume in the important series Studies in Archaeology, some of which have a considerable science content. This new addition is concerned with certain Andean communities in relation to their ecology, particularly the sites of Pachamachay and Pampacancha. It should be noted that there are important additional contributions by Deborah Pearsall on Pachamachay ethnobotany, H. E. Wright on the environmental history of the Junin Plain region, and Richard Burger on trace element variation in Pachamachay obsidian artifacts. The implications of all this information are well discussed in the final section of the book, which considers in general terms Puna preceramic subsistence and sedentism, and the evolution of early Puna human adaptations. D.R.B.