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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mapping The Landscape For Archaeological Detection, Preservation, And Interpretation: A Case Study In High Resolution Location Modeling From The Blue Mountains Of Northeastern Oregon, Trent Skinner Dec 2017

Mapping The Landscape For Archaeological Detection, Preservation, And Interpretation: A Case Study In High Resolution Location Modeling From The Blue Mountains Of Northeastern Oregon, Trent Skinner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Archaeological location modeling (ALM) is an important tool in most survey strategies, and has contributed substantially to economizing efforts to locate and characterize the archaeological record. The increasing availability of high resolution (<3m) airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) data has the potential to refine the application and ultimately the role of ALM. This research tests the precision and accuracy gained by incorporating lidar derived data into an ALM. The site records and other environmental data used in this study were all generated over the last four decades by the resource specialists of the Malheur National Forest. The Weights-of-Evidence (WofE) probability method (Bonham-Carter 1994) was used to produce two ALMs; one based on a 10m digital elevation model (DEM) created from satellite imaging, and the second from a 3m resolution lidar derived DEM. Independent variables (e.g., slope, aspect, distance to water, etc.) commonly used in ALM were largely replaced by index variables (e.g., slope position classification, topographic wetness index, etc.). The final models were classified into areas of high, medium, and low archaeological potential, then cross-validated against a reserved random dataset. Models were then compared using the Kvamme gain statistic and site to area frequency ratio. The 3m model demonstrated a significant improvement over the results obtained from the 10m model and the current probability model used in the study area. A number of factors including model resolution, statistical methodology, and the character of the independent and dependent variables all contributed to the increase in precision and accuracy. The incremental improvement in modeling efficiency demonstrated here will create time and cost saving in the management and preservation of cultural resources, and ultimately contribute to a better understanding of patterns of past human land use.


Violence In The Canyons: The Human Cost Of Raiding And Warfare In Northeastern Arizona (Ad 300-~1300), Caryn Elizabeth Tegtmeyer Dec 2017

Violence In The Canyons: The Human Cost Of Raiding And Warfare In Northeastern Arizona (Ad 300-~1300), Caryn Elizabeth Tegtmeyer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Canyon de Chelly sits on the Northeastern border of the Kayenta region in Arizona. Because of the position in which they sit, those who lived there likely lived a unique experience when compared to the rest of the Kayenta cultural tradition, of which they are considered a part. By examining the skeletal remains of the canyon occupants, this study is able to reconstruct the demographic profile (age and sex), aspects of health (pathology, stature), analysis of trauma, and aspects of labor (robusticity and entheses) to create the first, modern, complete skeletal analysis of remains recovered from Canyon de Chelly. This …


The Bioarchaeology Of Inequality During The Middle Bronze Age In Central Anatolia, Cheryl Anderson May 2017

The Bioarchaeology Of Inequality During The Middle Bronze Age In Central Anatolia, Cheryl Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation research study focused on the bioarchaeology of Kaman-Kalehöyük and the goal was to provide baseline data for investigating the effects of social inequalities on rural communities during the Middle Bronze Age (MBA) (ca. 2000-1750 years Before Current Era) in central Anatolia (present-day Turkey). In particular, this project addresses the impact of the political landscape during the MBA on population health at the village site Kaman-Kalehöyük using multiple lines of evidence. This is accomplished through the thorough documentation and analysis of human skeletal remains at Kaman-Kalehöyük. More specifically, all MBA skeletal remains from this site were examined for health …


Aging And Fermentation As Adaptive Food Management Strategies In The Arctic, Celeste Giordano May 2017

Aging And Fermentation As Adaptive Food Management Strategies In The Arctic, Celeste Giordano

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation is composed of three papers: one published article, one article under review for publication, and one published commentary. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the dissertation as a whole – a work that investigates food aging and fermentation techniques in an indigenous Yup’ik Alaskan community, proposes an adaptive explanation for these strategies in the circumpolar north, and explores the potential importance of them cross-culturally and evolutionarily. Chapter 2 is a paper that describes the seal poke storage system – an indigenous food preservation and storage technique that Yup’ik Alaskans used to manage food security up until approximately one …