Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Keeping In Touch: Exchange As An Adaptive Strategy In Southern Nevada, Timothy Joshua Ferguson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Archaeologists have always wondered about the extent of vessel movement in the American Southwest. Identifying vessel movement allows for the study of social interactions across a region and the role of ceramics in the adaptive processes of agriculturalists living in marginal, highly variable environments. In many instances, exchange may act as a way to reduce the risk of resource shortfalls by creating social ties in other areas. This research investigated the changing risk reduction strategies of households in the lowland Virgin region of southern Nevada by using geochemical methods to trace the exchange of locally produced pottery. It was hypothesized …

Morphometric Assessment Of The Internal Auditory Canal For Sex Determination In Subadults Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (Cbct), Saoly Benson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study reports on the use of three methods for sex determination in subadults using the petrous portion of the temporal bone. The purpose of this study was to validate and refine two previously published methods of sex determination for the internal auditory canal as well as to develop a novel method. The sample was comprised of 276 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of a population of subadults age 6-24 (165 females, 111 males) divided into 5 age groups for analysis: Group 1 (age 6-10), Group 2 (age 11-13), Group 3 (age 14-16), Group 4 (age 17-19), and Group …

Spatial Analysis Of Chipped Stone At The Cypro-Ppnb Site Of Krittou Marottou Ais Giorkis: A Gis-Assisted Study, Levi Lowell Keach

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Krittou Marottou Ais Giorkis (`Ais Giorkis) is an Aceramic Neolithic site, occupied approximately 9,500 cal B.P., and located in the western foothills of the Troodos Mountains on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This thesis is an intra-site spatial analysis of the chipped stone assemblage recovered between 1997 and 2013 from the site using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. Previous work on the assemblage from 1997 through 2004 had attempted spatial analysis using traditional statistical methods and found no patterning (O'Horo 2008). Using the expanded database and GIS this thesis identifies multiple spatial patterns in the assemblage with implications on the …

Corrugated Ware Function And Use As Identity Markers At The Harris Site, Danielle Romero

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines the function of corrugated vessels and addresses pithouse and group identity through the differences in technological and design style at the Harris site (LA 1867), a Late Pithouse period (550-1000 CE) Mimbres Mogollon pithouse village. Corrugated wares have long been defined as utilitarian cooking vessels. The goal of this research is to shed more light on corrugated wares as a ceramic type that served a variety of functions outside of cooking, including a presence in ritual spheres. This research also explores the use of technological and design styles of corrugated wares to discuss individual and group identity. …

Analysis Of Lithic Assemblages From Virgin Branch Puebloan Sites On The Shivwits Plateau, Thomas Carl Wambach

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Flaked stone technology, as with any utilitarian technology, is studied by archaeologists for a number of reasons. Often lithics are studied to understand the activities of a prehistoric group. Everything from the final product to the waste material can, when recovered in suitable amounts, reflect the conscious decisions of its creator. Understanding this helps to embed all stages of stone tool (lithic) use into aspects of human behavior and in understanding the organization of technology.

The Virgin Branch Puebloans are the westernmost sub-branch of the Ancestral Puebloan culture of the American Southwest. While some of their expanse has been studied …

Ground Stone Technology And Household Activities At The Harris Site, Southwestern New Mexico, Lauren W. Falvey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines household activities through an analysis of ground stone technology from the Harris Site (LA 1867), a Late Pithouse period (550-1000 CE) Mimbres Mogollon archaeological site. Ground stone technology is a category that includes a wide range of stone tool types used in a variety of processing and manufacturing tasks, as well as stone items that held intrinsic or ritual significance. Previous studies of ground stone technology in the Mimbres Valley have often focused on addressing questions related to subsistence practices. The object of this research is to move beyond a typological documentation of subsistence technology and examine …