Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Analysis Of Briquetage (Brine-Boiling Pots) At Paynes Creek Salt Works: Implications For Classic Maya Salt Production, Rianna Bowen

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract

The Classic Maya period (A.D. 300-900) is characterized by large urban centers, distinct material culture, and long-distance trade of both utilitarian and elite goods. The rise in population during this time created a necessity for essential, everyday goods, to move along these trade routes; one of which was salt. Additionally, much of the production of utilitarian goods was occurring outside of urban centers and political control at smaller, specialized production locales. The Paynes Creek Salt Works in southern Belize was one of these specialized production locales. The number of salt works located in the Punta Ycacos lagoon suggests salt …

Mobile Practices And The Production And Curation Of Pottery: A View From The Ancient Southern Russian Steppe Using Portable Methods Of Investigation, Nicole A. Rose

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The southern Russian steppe is located in an intermediary position between the Caucasus, Lower Don and Lower Volga steppe, between which peoples, goods, and technologies often moved throughout prehistory, likely facilitated by small scale seasonal movements and occasional migrations by mobile pastoralists. Conducted in collaboration with the Steppe Archaeological Expedition of the State Historical Museum’s unfolding research on temporary pastoral camps in the Sal-Manych region of the Rostov oblast and Republic of Kalmykia, this dissertation focused on the production and curation of pottery in contexts associated with the emergence and subsequent development of mobile pastoralism from the late fifth millennium …

Comparison Of Hyperspectral Imaging And Portable X-Ray Fluorescence In Ceramic Analysis And Sourcing, Zachariah J. Elliott

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Recent technological advances have resulted in an abundance of instruments used in the sourcing of low-fired earthenware. However, many of these techniques are expensive, time consuming and result in the sample being damaged or destroyed. As the technology has improved, non-destructive instruments, such as portable X-ray Fluorescence devices (pXRF) have become more accurate and reliable. With advances in the field of remote sensing, handheld hyperspectral imaging devices also have the potential to be a viable nondestructive alternative to other analytical devices in ceramic sourcing. This study uses a Visual Near Infrared Reflectance (VNIR) device and a Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) device …

Hiwassee Island: The Research Value And Limitations Of Legacy Collections, Erika Leigh Lyle

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the research value and limitations of WPA-era archaeological collections at the University of Tennessee’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture from the Hiwassee Island site (40MG31) in east Tennessee. Excavations on Hiwassee Island were conducted from 1937–1939 and uncovered a multicomponent site with Woodland, Mississippian, and historic Native American occupations. The most common artifact from all time periods was pottery, numbering more than 80,000 sherds and 70 whole vessels (Lewis and Kneberg 1946:80). This ceramic assemblage was used to determine the research significance of the Hiwassee Island legacy collection by comparing it to modern excavation samples …

The Archaeology Of The Mckinnie Site (8ja1869), Apalachicola River Valley, Northwest Florida: Four Thousand Years In The Backswamp, Eric D. Prendergast

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research describes a large, newly-recorded archaeological site in the Upper Apalachicola River valley, northwest Florida, and a private collection of artifacts from it, as well as test excavations, three-dimensional modeling, clay/pottery sourcing through chemical analysis, and direct radiocarbon dating of ceramics to relate the site with regional archaeological chronologies and settlement patterns. A University of South Florida (USF) 2013 field school conducted excavations at the multicomponent midden on the western floodplain of the Apalachicola River called the McKinnie site (8JA1869). Students collaborated with a local collector and family members to learn about the site's history. Data from the collection …

Examining Activity Organization In Plazas Through Geochemical Analysis At Tlalancaleca, Puebla, Mexico (800 Bc-Ad 100), Paige Gale Phillips

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to understand the organization of activities across a prehispanic urban center at the Formative period site of Tlalancaleca (800 BC- AD 100), located in Puebla, Mexico. This study analyzes soil samples at the central civic-ceremonial complex of Cerro Grande in an attempt to understand the use of space. This work is a part of the larger Proyecto Arqueológico Tlalancaleca, Puebla (PATP), which is focused on understanding the socio-political organization at Tlalancaleca that led to this site of early urbanism. Soil samples from Tlalancaleca are analyzed using three chemical methods to perform a cross-comparison of analytical methods. These …

Etruscan Trade Networks: Understanding The Significance Of Imported Materials At Remote Etruscan Settlements Through Trace Element Analysis Using Non-Destructive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry, Patrick T. Woodruff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Etruscan civilization was rich in local and interregional trade. Its exchange networks were vital in establishing relationships with other societies, importing exotic materials and goods, as well as disseminating and assimilating information. However, there is little understanding of the participation of smaller inland settlements in the act of exchange. This research answers questions pertaining to the purpose of trade within these self-sustaining communities, the reliability of identifying geographic locations of the clay used in ancient ceramics through the use of non-destructive X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry without sampling current regional clay sources, and the materiality of the ceramics being exchanged …

A Tale Of Two Shelters: Using Xrf Analysis To Assess Compositional Variability Of Pottery From Two Sites In Franklin County, Tennessee, Sierra May Bow

Masters Theses

The Southern Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee is an area characterized by the presence of thousands of caves and perhaps tens of thousands of rock shelters which served many purposes during the prehistoric Woodland Period (ca. 1000 B.C.-1000 A.D.). This thesis will discuss two Woodland rockshelter sites situated along the western escarpment of the South Cumberland Plateau.

The Griffin Rockshelter is a relatively small sandstone shelter which contains a predominantly Late Woodland archaeological component. Recovered artifacts consist of a wide assortment of material remains including fauna, shell, and lithics, and over 700 pottery sherds. In addition, the shelter contains engraved petroglyphs …

Macusani Obsidian From Southern Peru: A Characterization Of Its Elemental Composition With A Demonstration Of Its Ancient Use, Nathan M. Craig, Robert Speakman, R. Popelka-Filcoff, Mark Aldenderfer, Luis Flores Blanco, Margaret Brown Vega, Michael Glasscock, Charles Stanish

Nathan M Craig

Transparent obsidian artifacts have been reported for the northern Lake Titicaca Basin. Based on instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of these artifacts a distinct chemical group was identified. Yet, the location of the source of transparent obsidian in the southern Andes remained unreported in the archaeological literature. This paper reports on the chemical composition and geographic location of a source of transparent obsidian from the Macusani region of Peru. Through the use of INAA and portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) we demonstrate that Macusani obsidian or macusanite comprises (at least) two chemical groups. One of these groups was used for making …

Macusani Obsidian From Southern Peru: A Characterization Of Its Elemental Composition With A Demonstration Of Its Ancient Use, Nathan Craig, Robert J. Speakman, Rachel S. Popelka-Filcoff, Mark S. Aldenderfer, Luis A. Flores, Margaret Brown, Michael D. Glascock, Charles Stanish

Luis FLORES

Transparent obsidian artifacts have been reported for the northern Lake Titicaca Basin. Based on instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of these artifacts a distinct chemical group was identified. Yet, the location of the source of transparent obsidian in the southern Andes remained unreported in the archaeological literature. This paper reports on the chemical composition and geographic location of a source of transparent obsidian from the Macusani region of Peru. Through the use of INAA and portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) we demonstrate that Macusani obsidian or macusanite comprises (at least) two chemical groups. One of these groups was used for making …