STRATIGRAPHIC EXCAVATION - THE FIRST NEW-ARCHAEOLOGY

The recognition of seemingly minor shifts in prehistoric cultures and the use of fine-scale anthropogenic deposits recovered through stratig raphic excavation revolutionized archaeology in North America between 1915 and 1925. Nels Nelson, frequently identified as the sole author o f these changes, was just one of a cadre of young scholars who pioneer ed the new methods. This group included Alfred Kidder and Manuel Gamio , who conducted the first well-documented North American stratigraphic excavation. The contributions of Franz Boas in training Gamio and of others such as George Reisner have been neglected.