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Prehistoric Bone Grease Production In Wisconsin's Driftless Area: A Review Of The Evidence And Its Implications, Jonathan Douglas Baker

Masters Theses

The evidence for bone grease processing in Wisconsin's Driftless Area is addressed. A four-fold methodology for the identification of grease production is developed. This methodology includes an examination of: (1) bone fragment size, (2) fracture patterns, (3) overall taphonomy, and (4) archaeological context. The methodology is applied to the analysis of eight Driftless Area faunal assemblages and is also used to reevaluate previous accounts of grease production. Based upon the analysis, evidence for grease manufacture is present and ubiquitous at seven Archaic/Woodland sites. Evidence for grease production is also present in five Oneota assemblages from the La Crosse area.

Grease …

Hunter/Gatherer Foraging Adaptations During The Middle Archaic Period At Dust Cave, Alabama, Stephen Byrnes Carmody

Masters Theses

Dust Cave, located in northern Alabama, was occupied seasonally for approximately 7,000 years, spanning five cultural occupations beginning with the Late Paleoindian period (12,650-11,200 cal B.P.) and extending into the Benton period (6,500-5,600 cal B.P.) (Sherwood et al. 2004). Due to the exceptional preservational environments found within the cave, the well preserved organic materials recovered from the site have provided a better understanding of both cultural and economic aspects of prehistoric life including subsistence strategies and mobility.

My research focuses on these aspects of life during the Eva/Morrow Mountain (8,400-6,000 cal B.P.) and Benton (6,500-5,600 cal B.P.) components at Dust …

Hidden Atrocities: The Forensic Investigation And Prosecution Of Genocide, Caroline Alyce Tyers

Doctoral Dissertations

The demand for forensic anthropologists and archaeologists to investigate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law is increasing. The International Criminal Court, established in 1998, has jurisdiction over the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The development of a permanent tribunal with jurisdiction over these crimes as well as the numerous State Parties to the treaty is a reflection of the international community‟s commitment to the prosecution of these crimes. Forensic evidence can and will assume an essential role in future international criminal courts.

Forensic evidence made a significant contribution to the prosecution of genocide and …

Seeking Resettlement And Navigating Transnational Politics: The Intersection Of Policies, Human Rights And Individuals In Shimelba Refugee Camp, Elizabeth Clearwater Harmon-Gross

Masters Theses

For nearly a decade, Eritreans have been fleeing their oppressive government and the human rights violations that occur within Eritrea‘s borders. This flight usually takes them across the nearest border, but there appear to be choices that refugees make along the way that lead to patterning of flight, selection of certain countries of safe haven and emerging hierarchies of third countries of resettlement. For geopolitical reasons, Eritrean refugees are both safe and at risk in Ethiopia. However, it is in Ethiopia that a highly trafficked refugee camp, Shimelba, was created in 2004. Beginning in 2009, the US has been accepting …

The Puzzle Of Syphilis: A Literature Review On Putting The Pieces Together, Tabatha Anne Boekhout

Masters Theses

As culture changes, so does disease. This change has been seen in a variety of diseases, but none are so hotly debated and researched as the treponematoses, the four diseases related to and including venereal syphilis. There have been decades of debate on every aspect of syphilis: where it came from, who gave it to whom, how it evolved, and what the distribution was at various points in time. Herein, the four types of treponematoses will be examined along with the clinical pathology of each. The skeletal evidence will be examined carefully, taking into account the distribution of lesions for …

Pattern And Distribution Of Fractures In The William M. Bass And Hamann-Todd Osteological Collections, Shauna Lynn Mcnulty

Masters Theses

The goal of this study is to determine whether aspects of modern life predispose individuals to different patterns of trauma than earlier populations. The specific patterns and susceptibilities to injury may be unique to individual populations and provide a reference in order to gauge quality of life and health status for the populations under study. The present investigation was conducted using the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection and the William M. Bass Donated Collection. The analysis of both collections was conducted macroscopically without the aid of radiographs. Only complete, adult specimens were used to allow for greater statistical power, according to the …

Usewear Analysis Of Flake Tools From The Townsend Project (Sites 40bt89, 40bt90, 40bt91, 40bt94), Blount County, Tennessee, Phyllis Sierra Rigney

Masters Theses

This purpose of this study was to examine flake tools from Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and Cherokee components at the Townsend project (sites 40BT89, 40BT90, 40BT91, and 40BT94) in Blount County, Tennessee and to determine the functions of these flake tools and whether these tools are actually expedient. Also, any changes that may have occurred through time in the function of these tools was assessed, as well as how these changes might apply to surrounding archaeological sites. A stepwise microwear examination was conducted, which included three levels of analysis: macroscopic examination, stereoscopic examination, and incident light examination. All 1,723 flake tools …

Lithic Resource Survey Of The Upper Little River Drainage: Raw Material Availability And Use At The Townsend Sites, Jeremy L. Sweat

Masters Theses

From 1999 to 2002, the Transportation Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, conducted a number of archaeological investigations associated with the widening of State Route 73 (U.S. 321) through Townsend, Tennessee. The excavations at the Townsend sites resulted in the recovery of a large assemblage of chipped and ground stone tools. A lithic resource survey of the upper Little River drainage was undertaken to identify the likely source areas of raw materials used for the manufacture of the chipped and ground stone tools recovered during the Townsend excavations. These data were then used to identify local versus non-local materials …

The Effect Of Various Coverings On The Rate Of Human Decomposition, Angela Madeleine Dautartas

Masters Theses

A multitude of factors can affect the decomposition process, increasing or decreasing its rate. Some of the most frequently observed variables are temperature, moisture, insect activity, and sun or shade exposure.

Coverings can impact the decomposition process, and are found frequently in forensic cases. In a survey of New Mexico cases, Komar (2003) reported that sixteen individuals were found wrapped in plastic, and twenty were noted as wrapped in a cloth or blanket. In a survey conducted of eighty-seven cases, fifty-four of the bodies were wrapped in some type of covering. Plastic was most common, but a variety was noted, …