We analyzed data on Ju/'hoansi hunter-gatherer foraging patterns and found that their movements between residence camps can be modeled as a Lévy flight. The step lengths of their movements scale as a power law with an exponent μ=1.97. Their wait times (residence times) at the camps also scale as a power law (μ=1.45). A Lévy flight with step lengths μ=2 is an optimal search pattern for scarce, randomly located targets; thus, the Ju/'hoansi foraging pattern may approach an optimal search in this area of sparse plant and animal resources. These findings affect the application of optimal foraging theory to humans in anthropology and archaeology because they alter the way in which search and travel times should be quantified. These results may also carry implications for the study of other patterns of human movement, such as demic diffusion and migration.

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Many archaeological patterns are fractal. Fractal analysis, therefore, has much to contribute to archaeology. This article offers an introduction to fractal analysis for archaeologists. We explain what fractals are, describe the essential methods of fractal analysis, and present archaeological examples. Some examples have been published previously, while others are presented here for the first time.We also explain the connection between fractal geometry and nonlinear dynamical systems. Fractals are the geometry of complex nonlinear systems. Therefore, fractal analysis is an indispensable method in our efforts to understand nonlinearities in past cultural dynamics.

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Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) technology can be implemented in soil geochemical analysis for faster and more efficient testing of trace metals in soils. The level of soil phosphorus (P) is one of the major indicators of human activities related to food distribution, preparation, and waste disposal. Unfortunately, the low x-ray energy level of P and other light elements requires extensive sample preparation that may preclude pXRF as a field laboratory tool for P measurement. The high silicon content of soil causes serious interference in P analysis, yielding data of little value in midden prospection or activity area analysis. The Mehlich II or the Olsen bicarbonate extraction of soil samples can be conducted in a field laboratory providing excellent quality data. For pXRF analysis of soil samples in the field laboratory, it is recommended that soils are air-dry, and aggregates crushed, sieved (<2 mm), and mixed for better accuracy and reproducibility. Gridded soil samples from the central plaza of Telchaquillo, a contemporary village in Yucatan, were analyzed by the Mehlich II method for P and by pXRF and DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) chelate extraction for trace metal concentrations. Areas of high P concentration were associated with an eatery and with two butchering posts. High DTPA extractable iron, copper, zinc, and manganese concentrations near the butchering posts were likely associated with the remnants of blood from butchered animals. The distributions and locations of elevated Fe concentrations were different for DTPA extractable Fe and pXRF total Fe and can be attributed to the different forms and solubility of crystalline iron in soil.

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