archaeology: n. c. nelson 117 
occupied. Beyond this territory, finally, there is a wide marginal zone, which 
taken together with the central area is little short of 1,000,000 square miles in 
. extent, and throughout which appear ruins and remains in some respects like 
those of the Pueblo area proper and in other respects like the remains charac- 
teristic of Nomadic regions, i.e., essentially 'rancherias.' In short, the geo- 
graphic distribution of Pueblo traits takes the form of a center of high and un- 
alloyed development and a marginal zone different segments of which have 
been more or less affected by influences from other adjacent culture centers. 
The bearers of the pure Pueblo culture still reside in the heart of the old center; 
and several tribal groups of the hybrid Pueblo-Nomad type also continue to 
reside in the western and southern portions of the marginal zone. Lastly, 
several slightly modified but vigorous strains of nomadic cultures are present 
on the north and southeast, not only in the marginal zone but in considerable 
stretches of what was once pure Pueblo domain. The spatial condition of 
affairs is diagrammatically represented in figure 1. 
On the face of it the diagram indicates two things: first, a tremendous geo- 
graphical concentration of the pure Pueblo culture or as we might just as well 
say, a fallin'g off in Pueblo influence; and, second, and what amounts to the 
same thing, several great nomadic invasions which have swallowed up or 
pressed back the Pueblo traits on the north and southeast and all but detached 
several smaU marginal centers on the south and west. After several years of 
contact with the facts of this situation the writer is unable to escape the con- 
clusion that they are all Very intimately connected and that either set of them 
largely explains the other. At this point, then, we have to leave the ethnolo- 
gist behind : if we wish to know anything further we have to dig below the sur- 
face. Given the spatial phenomenon presented in our diagram, it is for the 
archaeologist to present the same set of facts as a time phenomenon, in other 
words, to arrange the data in their proper historical sequence. And to do this 
he must devise adequate methods of his own. 
Concerning Methods. — One of the difiiculties that the archaeologist has lab- 
ored under has been the mass of the data confronting him. In his effort to 
master details he has lost touch with the problem as a whole. No one man has 
yet seen the entire field with his own eyes. Dr. J. W. Fewkes, who may be 
said to have initiated the last phase of the investigation, has, e.g., done his 
work largely in the western sector and has generalized on the problem from that 
point of view, using mainly architectural traits as a basis. Dr. A. V. Kidder 
has worked mostly in the northern sector and has generalized mainly on the 
basis of ceramic traits. Both employed the method of direct comparison. 
The writer finally has done his work chiefly in the southeastern sector, using 
ceramics as a medium and employing as a method, in addition to that of direct 
comparison, the simple principle of stratification. Resort to this medium 
and to this principle came about in a very natural manner. 
The data we have to deal with consist of some six or seven hundred major, 
i.e., pueblo, ruins of various types, located within our center of high develop- 
