The social and historical context of short-term stylistic replacement: A Zuni case study

Large collections of ethnographic ceramics created over multiyear periods o f intensive collecting provide a way to bridge discrepancies between the te mporal scales of ethnographic studies based on single field visits and arch aeological analyses of assemblages accumulated over much longer periods of time. The Smithsonians Stevenson collections of Zuni ceramics, consisting o f 3500 vessels, were assembled in three intensive field seasons over a 6-ye ar period. They are particularly useful for addressing questions about rate s of stylistic change and the relative use-lives of vessel forms and sizes with known ethnographic functions.