San Juan Red Ware and Social Networks across the Southwest with Robert Bischoff

San Juan Red Ware is a type of painted pottery produced in southeastern Utah. It appeared at the same time that large, aggregated villages were built around AD 750 and resembles ceramics far to the south more than local white wares. Eventually, it became one of the most widely traded types of pottery in the entire Southwest and can be found as far away as Nevada and the Phoenix Basin. Production eventually ended around AD 1050. This presentation builds upon prior analyses by utilizing the publicly available CyberSouthwest database (cybersw.org) containing data on millions of ceramics to analyze the distribution of this ware throughout the Southwest, as well as its relative position in social networks. Social network analysis is a way to study how relationships are structured and change over time. In particular, I describe the relative importance of sites containing San Juan Red Ware to the overall social network through which San Juan Red Ware was commonly circulated.