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The Marta Collection: An Investigation Of An Archaeological Legacy And Cache Of History, Lori C. Thompson

Anthropology Theses

The initial rail lines for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), radiate from a center point where the town of Terminus gave rise to Atlanta. This massive public undertaking created an opportunity for Georgia State University (GSU) personnel, under the direction of Dr. Roy Dickens, to implement urban archaeological excavations, which were part of the burgeoning field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM). The material recovered from this project revealed a wealth of information about the people, culture, and growth of Atlanta.

Since the conclusion of this project in 1980, little attention has been given to the physical collection. This …

Medicinal Vessels Of The First Gilded Age (1870-1929): Properties Of Promise Or Hokum Of False Hope?, David L. Cook

Anthropology Theses

From the excavation of Atlanta's first municipal dumps, a collection of the city’s oldest and most popular medicines has been analyzed. The process of identifying and exploring the stories behind the medicinal vessels of the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) archaeological collection has led to several paths of inquiry. One such avenue is a look at local manufacturers, their impact, and their products.

Focused on embossed glass bottles from 1860-1920 this thesis investigates the roles of medicinal bottles as symbolic for Atlanta’s Gilded Age. I gathered detailed information on nearly 100 products represented by 222 vessels. These artifacts are …

A Landscape Of Conflict: An Archaeological Investigation Of The New Hope Church Battlefield, Jason N. Brooks

Anthropology Theses

The Battle of New Hope Church was fought on May 25-26, 1864 as part of the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. This research utilizes historical records along with archaeological fieldwork in order to better understand the battlefield landscape. In particular, I seek to answer whether soldiers behaved in, perceived of, and constructed the battlefield landscape based on a set of cultural norms imposed on them by the strict structure of the military. This research offers insight into the construction of the battlefield landscape at New Hope Church, how it is connected to related battlefield landscapes, and how it …

The Lacy Hotel Site: Gender Ideologies And Domestic Activities In A 19th Century Boardinghouse Context, Melissa Scharffenberg

Anthropology Theses

The Lacy Hotel was a part of the "Great Locomotive Chase", a significant historical event in Kennesaw, Georgia during the Civil War (AD 1861-1864), yet little is known of this site. The Lacy Hotel was a boardinghouse that operated for roughly six years until General William Tecumseh Sherman burned it in 1864. This research utilizes historical records along with archaeological fieldwork in order to provide a more detailed analysis of daily life within the Lacy household. Dominant ideologies influence the roles of women concerning their activities and choices of consumption within the household. Although the results show that the boardinghouse …