GENDER, ANATOMICAL KNOWLEDGE, AND POTTERY PRODUCTION - MIMBRES POTTERY, BIRTHS, AND GENDER - A RECONSIDERATION - AN UNUSUAL BIRTH DEPICTED IN MIMBRES POTTERY - NOT CRACKED UP TO WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE - RESPONSE

We originally concluded that because birth scenes depicted on Mimbres bowls are anatomically unusual or impossible, and men are generally un familiar with the details of birth, the pots most likely were painted by men. Three of the four counter-arguments presented in the comments- (1) there is no other way to depict birth; (2) one part of one paintin g is actually a crack in the vessel: (3) some men are involved in birt hing-either are incorrect (1) or have no impact on our conclusions (2 and 3). The fourth counter-argument-that the depictions are necessary artistic conventions-is significant but does riot negate our conclusio ns. The comments by Espenshade and by Shaffer et al. misrepresent and distort our argument and in one case misquote us.