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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
A Great Hunter Needs A Great Spear: Experimental Study Of Technological Considerations That Determine The Efficacy Of A Hunting Spear, Elizabeth M Hagan, Jordan Durham
A Great Hunter Needs A Great Spear: Experimental Study Of Technological Considerations That Determine The Efficacy Of A Hunting Spear, Elizabeth M Hagan, Jordan Durham
Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase
This research project investigates prehistoric hunting practices, involving a hand-thrown spears, henceforth referred to as “Projectile Technology”. It aims to assess the influence of spear shaft size in the efficacy of spears as a whole during hunting pursuit. Moreover, we will evaluate how the hunter’s distance from the target may affect the efficacy of varying spear-sizes. The broader theoretical question we seek to address is what specific spear-size and throwing-location considerations determined the success of hunting with projectile weaponry. Projectile point technology has marked a major cultural innovation in human history in Africa around 200,000 years ago (Shea 2006; Milks …
Patterns Of Enslavement And Economic Oppression Of Central Virginia, Hannah Bedwell
Patterns Of Enslavement And Economic Oppression Of Central Virginia, Hannah Bedwell
Undergraduate Research Posters
I address how anthropologists can identify the patterns and development of slavery and economic oppression through archaeology and the visualization of Virginia enslavement. I focus on the enslaved people of James Madison's Montpelier. I use 3D modeling as a foundation for integrating enhanced visuals with the goal of presenting a tangible understanding of the enslaved individuals in relation to the artifacts and history of the archaeological sites. I intend to show a common theme in economic oppression by comparing modern themes in slavery and examining Fraser D. Neiman's synthesis of the evolutionary perspective of slavery, and how little has changed …
Ancient Egyptian Figurines: An Investigation Into Manufacture, Use, And Culture., Kristina B. Donnally 2455289
Ancient Egyptian Figurines: An Investigation Into Manufacture, Use, And Culture., Kristina B. Donnally 2455289
Undergraduate Research Posters
I will analyze the social and religious role of figurines in Egyptian society. I will delve into the differences in the figurines in both manufacture and purpose between the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. I hope to look at religious, political, and other figurines to get a broad spectrum of usage for the artifacts. The main purpose of the research is to identify the time period, purpose, and usage for the figure donated to VCU by Professor Waybright. Questions I have is if the changes in political structure and minute changes in religion between each Kingdom affected the manufacture and …
The Fall Of Teotihuacan, Elizabeth P. Ale
The Fall Of Teotihuacan, Elizabeth P. Ale
Undergraduate Research Posters
In this project I present a survey of multiple theories regarding the dissolution of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan. This complex city-state was established around 100 BCE and became one of the largest and most powerful sites in Mesoamerica. Located about 25 miles northeast of what is today known as Mexico City, Teotihuacan was home to many advanced technological and social structures, including a pyramid called The Pyramid of the Sun that boasted a base as large as the Great Pyramid of Giza’s. At some time between the 7th and 8th century CE, Teotihuacan went into decline. …
Beyond The Horizon: The Limitless Potential Of 3d Technology In Archaeology, Rebecca Bowman
Beyond The Horizon: The Limitless Potential Of 3d Technology In Archaeology, Rebecca Bowman
Undergraduate Research Posters
My research started during the summer of 2014 with a joint internship at VCU’s Virtual Curation Lab and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources under the supervision of Dr. Bernard K. Means and Katherine Ridgway. The purpose of my research was to conduct a comparative study between the virtual and physical process of mending, or repairing, artifacts. I was granted access to three different vessel fragments which were improperly mended in the 1960s. It was my goal to remove the previous adhesive adhered to the sherds and replace it with a safer adhesive. Simultaneously, I brought the previously mended sherds …
Houses In A Landscape: Memory And Everyday Life In Mesoamerica, Julia A. Hendon
Houses In A Landscape: Memory And Everyday Life In Mesoamerica, Julia A. Hendon
Gettysburg College Faculty Books
In Houses in a Landscape, Julia A. Hendon examines the connections between social identity and social memory using archaeological research on indigenous societies that existed more than one thousand years ago in what is now Honduras. While these societies left behind monumental buildings, the remains of their dead, remnants of their daily life, intricate works of art, and fine examples of craftsmanship such as pottery and stone tools, they left only a small body of written records. Despite this paucity of written information, Hendon contends that an archaeological study of memory in such societies is possible and worthwhile. It …