Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Situating The Pot And Potter: Ceramic Production And Use At The Silvercreek Sites, Two Early-Late Woodland Sites In Elgin County, Ontario, Katelyn E. Mather

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines the pottery from two archaeological sites that date to the beginning of the early Late Woodland period. In order to understand the production and use of ceramic vessels at the sites, a wide range of ceramic attributes are recorded and analyzed. A second component of the research is to understand the settlement patterns at the site, in order to determine how space was organized at the sites. Through these analyses, I situate these sites within the wider context of southwestern Ontario in the 11^th century A.D. I adopt a ‘communities of practice’ approach, and conclude that …

Practice Makes Projectiles: Genesse Biface Technology In Southern Ontario, Kaitlyn C.M. Malleau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this study I investigate the lithic technology practice communities of what is now southwestern Ontario between 3800 and 3400 B.P., the latter part of the period dubbed “the Broad Point Archaic.” I seek to propose historical processes by which Genesee bifaces might have entered Ontario, and how they were used by past First Nations peoples. I observe both the form (using qualitative and metric traits) and use-wear (using macroscopic diagnostic impact fractures) of Genesee bifaces from seven sites located in southwestern Ontario: Davidson, Sadler, Desjardins, Parkhill, Brodie, R&K, and Hamilton Golf Course. The evidence suggests Genesee bifaces were used …

Identification Of Ancient Maya Agriculture In The Periphery Of Motul De San José, Alexandra E. Smofsky

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Agricultural systems were investigated in the Motul de San José periphery, an ancient Maya polity in Guatemala, using soil geochemical techniques. The δ¹³C values of soil organic matter delineated areas of ancient maize agriculture at the satellite center of Kante’t’u’ul. A new method to locate areas of former cacao cultivation or processing was developed using HPLC to detect theobromine, an alkaloid of the cacao plant, preserved in soils. Extraction of spiked soils revealed that theobromine adsorption is inversely correlated with organic matter content of soils. Detection of naturally occurring theobromine was successful, demonstrating its utility as a tracer. …

Reconstructing Subsistence Practices Of Southwestern Ontario Late Woodland Peoples (A.D. 900-1600) Using Stable Isotopic Analyses Of Faunal Material, Zoe H. Morris

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Stable carbon–, nitrogen–, and oxygen–isotope analyses of animal bones and teeth from 28 archaeological sites are used to reconstruct human subsistence behaviour, i.e., increased maize horticulturalism, during the Late Woodland period (A.D. 1000–1650) in southwestern Ontario. The isotopic data provided dietary, seasonal, and geographic information, which was analysed within archaeological, symbolic, and ecological contexts and used to reconstruct the diets, hunting patterns, and animal processing practices of two neighbouring groups, the Ontario Iroquoian and Western Basin peoples.

Paleodietary and seasonality analyses focused on the following species: canids (domestic dogs, foxes, and wolves), wild turkeys and white-tailed deer, though additional fauna …

Virú And Moche Textiles On The North Coast Of Peru During The Early Intermediate Period: Material Culture, Domestic Traditions And Elite Fashions, Flannery K. Surette

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation is a contribution to a regional understanding of the textile traditions in the context of the Virú and Moche cultural landscapes of the Early Intermediate Period (200 BC-AD 800) on the north coast of Peru. This work documents the textiles of the Virú Valley, describing the characteristic materials, techniques and motifs used by the weavers associated with the Virú polity, drawing upon recent excavations and those of the early 20th century. Examples of contemporaneous Moche textiles were collected from the literature as a point of comparison in order to explore the notion of cultural boundaries as defined by …

Understanding Early Woodland Meadowood Complex Settlement Patterns In Southwestern Ontario, Lara Wood

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although recent work has been completed on the extensive Meadowood Interaction Sphere across the Northeast, little research has been done on the settlement-subsistence patterns of Meadowood complex peoples in southern Ontario. Much of the information necessary for interpreting the pattern has been extracted by CRM excavations and is not widely accessible. This research involves an analysis of the southern Ontario Meadowood settlement system based on information from several recently excavated Meadowood complex sites in the Thames, Credit, and Grand River watersheds, complemented by additional Meadowood data from the Ontario Archaeological Sites Database. Sites in the Thames and Credit watersheds appear …