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(Terms in italics are defined elsewhere in the glossary)
paleoentomology The study of insects from archaeological contexts. The survival of insect exoskeletons, which are quite resistant to decomposition, is important in the reconstruction of paleoenvironments. (Chapter 6)
paleoethnobotany (archaeobotany) The recovery and identification of plant remains from archaeological contexts , used in reconstructing past environments and economies. (Chapter 7)
Paleolithic The archaeological period before c .10,000 bc, characterized by the earliest known stone tool manufacture. (Chapters 1, 4, 8, etc.)
paleomagnetism See archaeomagnetic dating .
palynology The analysis of fossil pollen as an aid to the reconstruction of past vegetation and climates. (Chapters 4 & 6)
paradigmatic view Approach to science, developed by Thomas Kuhn, which holds that science develops from a set of assumptions (paradigm) and that revolutionary science ends with the acceptance of a new paradigm which ushers in a period of normal science. (Chapter 12)
parietal art A term used to designate art on the walls of caves and shelters, or on huge blocks. (Chapter 10)
peer-polity interaction The full range of exchanges taking place - including imitation, emulation, competition, warfare, and the exchange of material goods and information - between autonomous (self-governing) sociopolitical units, generally within the same geographic region. (Chapter 9)
phenetic dendrogram Tree diagram (dendrogram) showing the relationship of individuals on the basis of observed similarity and difference, generally calculated in terms of taxonomic distance: the tree-form does not necessarily carry phylogenetic implications. (Chapter 11)
phenotype Total appearance of an organism, determined by interaction during development between its genetic constitution ( genotype ) and the environment. (Chapter 11)
phylogenetic tree Tree diagram (dendrogram) representing the descent and ancestry of an individual or group. (Chapters 5 & 11)
phylogeny Evolutionary history (of an individual or group). (Chapters 5 & 11)
physical anthropology A subdiscipline of anthropology dealing with the study of human biological or physical characteristics and their evolution. (Introduction)
phytoliths Minute particles of silica derived from the cells of plants, able to survive after the organism has decomposed or been burned. They are common in ash layers, pottery, and even on stone tools and teeth. (Chapter 6)
pinger (or boomer profiler) An underwater survey device, more powerful than sidescan sonar , capable of probing up to 60 m ( 197 ft ) below the seabed. (Chapter 3)
piston corer A device for extracting columns of sediment from the ocean floor. Dates for the different layers are obtained by radiocarbon , archaeomagnetic , or uranium series methods. (Chapter 6)
plating A method of bonding metals together, for instance silver with copper or copper with gold. (Chapter 8)
polity A politically independent or autonomous social unit, whether simple or complex, which may in the case of a complex society (such as a state) comprise many lesser dependent components. (Chapter 5)
pollen analysis See palynology .
polymorphism Simultaneous occurrence in a population or social group of two or more discontinuous forms. (Chapter 5)
positive feedback A term used in systems thinking to describe a response in which changing output conditions in the system stimulate further growth in the input; one of the principal factors in generating system change or morphogenesis
(see also multiplier effect ). (Chapter 12)
positivism Theoretical position that explanations must be empirically verifiable, that there are universal laws in the structure and transformation of human institutions, and that theories which incorporate individualistic elements, such as minds, are not verifiable. (Chapter 12)
postprocessual explanation Explanation formulated in reaction to the perceived limitations of functional-processual archaeology. It eschews generalization in favor of an "individualizing" approach that is influenced by structuralism, Critical Theory, and neo-Marxist thought. (Chapter 12)
potassium-argon dating A method used to date rocks up to thousands of millions of years old, though it is restricted to volcanic material no more recent than c . 100,000 years old. One of the most widely used methods in the dating of early hominid sites in Africa. (Chapter 4)
prehistory The period of human history before the advent of writing. (Introduction)
prestige goods A term used to designate a limited range of exchange goods to which a society ascribes high status or value. (Chapter 9)
primitive valuables A term coined by Dalton to describe the tokens of wealth and prestige, often of specially valued items, that were used in the ceremonial exchange systems of non-state societies; examples include the shell necklaces and bracelets of the kula systems ( cf. prestige goods ) . (Chapter 9)
probabilistic sampling Sampling method, using probability theory, designed to draw reliable general conclusions about a site or region, based on small sample areas; 4 types of sampling strategies are recognized: (1) simple random sampling ; (2) stratified random sampling ; (3) systematic sampling ; (4) stratified systematic sampling . (Chapter 3)
processual archaeology An approach that stresses the dynamic relationship between social and economic aspects of culture and the environment as the basis for understanding the processes of culture, change. Uses the scientific methodology of problem statement, hypothesis formulation, and subsequent testing. The earlier functional-processual archaeology has been contrasted with cognitive-processual archaeology , where the emphasis is on integrating ideological and symbolic aspects. (Introduction & Chapter 12)
pseudo-archaeology The use of selective archaeological evidence to promulgate nonscientific, fictional accounts of the past. (Chapter 14)
punctuated equilibria Principal feature of the evolutionary theory propounded by Niles Eldredge and Stephen J. Gould, in which species change is represented as a form of Darwinian gradualism, "punctuated" by periods of rapid evolutionary change. (Chapter 12)
pyrotechnology The intentional use and control of fire by humans. (Chapter 8)
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