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Urban Herders: An Archaeological And Isotopic Investigation Into The Roles Of Mobility And Subsistence Specialization In An Iron Age Urban Center In Mali, Abigail Chipps Stone

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the relationship between mobility and urbanism in an Iron Age West African city. Isotopic and archaeological evidence reveal complex relationships among mobility, sedentism, and the livestock economy of Jenné-jeno, one of the earliest and best known urban systems in sub-Saharan Africa (occupied ca. 250 BC to AD 1400). Drawing on excavations at the ancient city of Jenné-jeno and those conducted at two neighboring sites (Tato à Sanouna and Thièl), and on serial, intra-tooth isotopic analysis (87Sr/86Sr, 13C, 18O) of cattle, sheep, and goat teeth, this analysis shows that multiple populations involved in animal husbandry, from seasonally mobile …

Indigenous Land Rights Of The Khoi In South Africa, Chelsea Wilkins

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Upon discussions in classes at James Madison University, I became aware of the Khoi people. I became interested in their way of life, as well as the implications of globalization and industrialization worldwide. After researching the topic, I decided I wanted to not only write my thesis on this topic, but I wanted to travel to South Africa to learn more. I wanted to know how a refreshment station at the Cape for the Dutch East India Company transformed into a fight for land that ultimately led to the extreme disenfranchisement of the Khoi people and their way of life. …

Exploring The Evolutionary Origins Of Obesity Through The Endocrine-Physical Activity-Bone Axis, Maria G. Lapera

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

As the global obesity epidemic spreads, scientists struggle to understand the biological, cultural, and evolutionary bases for modern fatness. Understanding the contributions of the interaction between physical activity and the endocrine system to regulating metabolism could potentially help people who are overweight or obese in losing weight and illustrate one of the evolutionary pathways that encourages modern obesity. This study used an innovative approach that integrated a lifestyle physical activity and diet questionnaire coupled with endocrine analysis (leptin, osteocalcin) and anthropometric measures in order to create baseline measurements of fit individuals. The mean osteocalcin level was 4201.46 pg/mL and the …

Cultural Interaction And Biological Distance Among Postclassic Mexican Populations, Corey Steven Ragsdale

Anthropology ETDs

Human population structure is influenced by cultural and biological interactions. Little is known regarding to what extent cultural interactions effect biological processes such as migration and genetic exchange among prehistoric populations. In this study, I draw upon archaeological and ethnohistoric research to investigate the interaction of biology and culture among Postclassic period (AD 900-1519) Mexican populations. The central question for this project is: how did processes of economic exchange and political expansion affect genetic exchange among Postclassic period Mexican populations? To address this question, various biological distance analyses derived from dental morphological traits were employed to investigate inter- and intra-regional …

The Paleoepidemiology Of Malaria In The Ancient Near East, Nicole Elizabeth Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The end of the Late Bronze Age in the Near East (1300 - 1200 BCE) saw the widespread collapse of several large cultural centers, the reasons for which are a subject of continued debate. Evidence from events leading up to this cultural collapse suggest epidemic disease may have factored into the eventual downfall of these early civilizations. Recent DNA analysis from Egyptian mummies who lived during the period leading up to the Late Bronze Age collapse identified malaria in several elite individuals, suggesting the widespread prevalence of this infectious disease in Egypt. However, the exact prevalence, antiquity, and dynamics of …

Discovering Rock Features With Geophysical Exploration And Archaeological Testing At The Mississippian Pile Mound Site, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, Jeremy G. Menzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Pile Mound survey includes magnetometry paired with targeted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) surveys of the mound and testing of associated features over the ca. 6.5 ha site. The GPR survey discovered six rock features (five large rock features within the mound and one marking the outside of the mound). Knowledge of mounds in the Upper Cumberland Plateau (UCP) is lacking—the closest other studied sites are at the Corbin Site, Croley-Evans, Bell Site, and Beasley Mounds, approximately 75 – 100 km away. However, the most similar mound construction is found at Corbin and Cherokee sites, some 175 …

The Process Of Othering From The “Social Imaginaire” To Physical Acts: An Anthropological Approach, Anthonie Holslag

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article deals with the underlining aspects of Othering within the genocidal process of the Armenian genocide. It will emphasize that Othering is closely related to another process called Selfing, which gives an insight on the genocidal behavior of perpetrators. The article tries to combine these analytical processes with physical actions, and will thereby argue that these physical actions do not stand by themselves, but are indeed cultural expressions of Othering and Selfing; and that these processes are therefore not mere social imagnaire or abstract notions, but physical and thereby observable actions that gives an insight in genocidal intent. These …

Chipped Stone Analysis Of The Yamashita Sites In Moapa Valley, Nevada: A Technological Organization Approach, Tatianna Menocal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Archaeological research on the lowland branch of the Virgin Branch Puebloan (VBP) has been conducted steadily throughout the 20th century. Much of this research occurred in the early half of the century with initial research conducted by Mark R. Harrington and later archaeology designed as salvage work due to public works projects, including the construction of Hoover Dam and the development of Lake Mead (Ahlstrom and Roberts 2012). The initial archaeology in the area was focused on classifying and characterizing the Puebloan occupation in the region, as the discovery of habitation sites in the area represented the farthest western extension …

The Bioarchaeology Of Social Order: Cooperation And Conflict Among The Mimbres (Ad 550-1300), Kathryn Mary Baustian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Interpersonal conflict, social control, and culturally sanctioned violence are all potential modes of effecting change amongst most human groups. This research investigates the complex relationship between interpersonal violence, human skeletal biology, and social identity among prehistoric agricultural communities in the American Southwest. Using bioarchaeology as a research framework, the data presented in this study reveal patterns that can be used to better understand how violence is utilized or avoided in any time period. Bioarchaeology is well suited to investigate violence because it integrates the most direct evidence of conflict (traumatic skeletal injury) with detailed archaeological reconstructions of past human experiences. …

Variable Models For Organization Of Earthworking Communities In Upper Purus, Southwestern Amazonia: Archaeological And Ethnographic Perspectives, Sanna Saunaluoma, Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.

Musical Body Of The Universe: Unity And Multiplicity In The Spiritualized Cosmos Of The Hohodene, Robin M. Wright

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

No abstract provided.

The Heritage Of The Mississippi County Nurse-Midwife Service, Charles Zenon Baclawski

Student Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi County Nurse Midwife Program began during a conversation between two people in 1974. The agency was originally organized to improve access to medical care for women in Blytheville, Arkansas. However, it quickly evolved into a tool of changing deep seated attitudes of mistrust of male dominated orthodox medicine among poor and minority women. The effectiveness of the agency is founded in the acceptance of nurse-midwifery into the family of orthodox medical practice. This was a significant change from the decades-long narrative developed by orthodox medicine in Arkansas. The contributions of the nurse-midwife service are also found in the …

Whom Do You Trust? Doubt And Conspiracy Theories In The 2009 Influenza Pandemic, Shawn C. Smallman Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

The 2009 pandemic of H1N1 influenza led people around the globe to create narratives about the epidemic defined by the question of trust; these narratives ranged from true conspiracy theories to simply accounts in which mistrust and betrayal formed a motif. In particular, most of these narratives reflected a fear of capitalism and globalization, although in specific regions, other issues—such as religion—played a more central role. These stories were not unique to the H1N1 pandemic but rather have appeared with every contemporary outbreak of infectious disease. This paper will examine conspiracy theories and moral panics related to the H1N1 pandemic …

Keeping Pace With Cyber Power, Defense, And Warfare, Michael Olender

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• Joseph S. Nye, Jr., The Future of Power. New York: PublicAffairs, 2011.
• Daniel Ventre (ed.), Cyber Conflict: Competing National Perspectives. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
• Paulo Shakarian, Jana Shakarian, and Andrew Ruef, Introduction to Cyber-Warfare: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Amsterdam and Boston: Syngress, 2013.

Kittens And Nutella: Why Women Join Isis, Samantha K. Smith

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

On February 18, 2015 CNN published a reported stating that Western women were leaving their homes to join ISIS because of a social media campaign featuring pictures of kittens and Nutella. This reported propagated the notion that women who join jihadist organizations are brainwashed or feeble minded. The reality is not so simple. This paper explores the motives women may have for joining ISIS through comparison to the motivations that drove women to partake in other violent jihadist organizations' activities.

Linking Disparate Approaches To The Study Of Social Norms: An Example From Northern Siberia, John P. Ziker

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article examines altruistic social norms among the Dolgans and the Nganasans in Arctic Siberia, drawing on and integrating experimental game theory and semiotic approaches. The article demonstrates the complementarity of these two methodologies in order to more fully understand how sharing is promoted over individual self-aggrandizement in a communal-resource property regime. Any theory of social norms should be of some practical benefit for solving current environmental dilemmas, as well as for increasing understanding of the factors lending sustainability to human-environment relationships. With that goal in mind, the article presents results of experimental games conducted in the Taimyr Autonomous Region …

Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Brandy Morgan

Honors Theses

This paper examines the way in which various parameters affect injury type and prevalence in horse eventing. The human-horse relationship has a long history that has continued to evolve, and their relationship is still strong today, especially in the role of sports and entertainment. In equestrian sports, horseback riding has been found to be extremely dangerous in terms of prevalence and severity of injury. This paper evaluates how saddle style, the sex of the rider, rider experience, and nature of event impacts injury patterns specifically within horse eventing which utilizes an English styled saddle.

Horses: How Saddle Style Defines A Culture And The Skeletal System, Elizabeth Brandon

Honors Theses

Throughout history different cultures have been greatly impacted by horses and their uses. Today horseback riding is still a very popular sport, and though it is more dangerous than other forms of transportation, such as motorcycle riding, horseback riding is still used in entertainment, occupational, and leisure activities. Saddles have long been an important piece of equipment for riding. As the horse became a mode of transportation, many cultures had their own saddle style, but today there are two prominent saddle styles, the western and english styles. The western saddle style is used more for leisure, occupational, and rodeo riding. …

The Bureau Of Memories: Archives And Ephemera - Review: Ethnographic Terminalia 2014, Hierarchy, Washington, D.C., December 3–7, Paul Stoller

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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 …

The Changing World In Microcosm: The Dying Languages Of Liberia, Sierra Leone, And Guinea, George Tucker Childs

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Observers have become increasingly aware of how the world is changing due to the forces of globalization, be it in the form of neo-colonialism, the scramble for natural resources, or the various extractive industries. The recent alarm over Ebola illustrated another pernicious fallout of increased communication and travel. The effect of globalization has also been great on indigenous peoples and their cultures, in particular on what many consider to be an integral component of culture, the local languages.

I report on recent research devoted to the documentation of endangered languages in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia (the Ebola countries). Most …

Texas General Land Office Parcels: El Paso, Hudspeth, And Reeves Counties, Texas, William F. Stanyard, Larissa A. Thomas, Laura Voisin- George

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In June 2015, Natural Resource Group, LLC conducted Phase I cultural resource investigations within eight parcels that are managed by the Texas General Land Office. The tracts are located in El Paso, Hudspeth, and Reeves counties, Texas and the studies are associated with Phase 1 of the Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC (Roadrunner) Roadrunner Project. Roadrunner has entered into an operating agreement with ONEOK WesTex Transmission Company, L.L.C. (WesTex), a subsidiary of ONEOK, to construct, operate and maintain an intrastate pipeline in the State of Texas under the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission. WesTex plans to construct approximately 205 miles …

A Cultural Resources Survey Of The City Of Turkey Well Field And Water Transmission Project Hall County, Texas, Molly F. Godwin

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The City of Turkey (City) plans to develop a water well field and to construct a new water transmission line that will connect the well field with an existing municipal pump station southwest of the City in southern Hall County. The well field is currently privately owned and if deemed acceptable for the development, the property may be purchased by the City. Funding for the project will be through the Texas Water Development Board’s Economically Depressed Areas Program. The water transmission line route will be installed in an easement owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Hall County, and …

Pedestrian Cultural Resources Survey For The Proposed Iellc 8-Inch Pipeline Project In San Patricio, Refugio, Aransas, Calhoun, Victoria, Jackson, And Matagorda Counties, Texas, Julia Balakirova, Tony Scott, Rachel Perrine, David Treichel

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In March, May, and June of 2013, and June, July, and August of 2014, HRA Gray & Pape, LLC, of Houston, Texas, completed pedestrian cultural resources survey and limited shovel testing on a proposed 185-kilometer (115.2-mile) alignment in preparation for a new 20.3­ centimeter (8-inch) diameter ethylene pipeline to be located in San Patricio, Refugio, Aransas, Victoria, Calhoun, Jackson, and Matagorda Counties, Texas. The Phase I survey was conducted on behalf of Tetra Tech, Inc. of Buffalo, New York, under contract with Ingleside Ethylene, LLC and Occidental Chemical Corporation. Over the course of the project (Project) permitting requirements have involved …

A Cultural Resources Survey Of Texas Eastern Transmission Lps Phase 1 Pipeline Anomaly Repairs On The Petr To Tivo Segment Of Line 16 In Refugio And Aransas Counties, Texas, Charles E. Bludau Jr., Tony Scott

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

On behalf of Texas Eastern Transmission, LP and Edge Engineering and Science, LLC., HRA Gray & Pape, LLC, of Houston, Texas, has completed a 100% pedestrian cultural resources survey and limited shovel testing of an estimated 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) of linear area in Refugio and Aransas Counties, Texas. Texas Eastern has identified several locations along the PETR to TIVO Segment of Line 16 that require replacement of aging pipe. One of the areas requiring maintenance work is identified as “Phase 1”, for which the archaeological survey was completed in May of 2015.

The Lead Federal Agency has been identified …

A Cultural Resources Survey Of Texas Eastern Transmission Lps Phase 2 And Phase 3 Pipeline Anomaly Repairs On The Petr To Tivo Segment Of Line 16 In Refugio And Aransas Counties, Texas, Charles E. Bludau

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

On behalf of Texas Eastern Transmission, LP and Edge Engineering and Science, LLC., HRA Gray & Pape, LLC, of Houston, Texas, has completed a 100% pedestrian cultural resources survey and limited shovel testing of an estimated 7.84 kilometers (4.87 miles) of linear area in Refugio and Aransas Counties, Texas. Texas Eastern has identified several locations along the PETR to TIVO Segment of Line 16 that require replacement of aging pipe. Two of the areas requiring maintenance work are identified as “Phase 2” and “Phase 3” for which the archaeological survey was completed in May of 2015.

The Lead Federal Agency …

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey Of The Hutto Independent School District’S Proposed 16.7-Acre Elementary School No. 6 Tract, Hutto, Williamson County, Texas, Jeffrey D. Owens

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. (Horizon) was selected by Hutto Independent School District (ISD) to conduct an intensive cultural resources inventory and assessment of the proposed location of Hutto ISD’s Elementary School No. 6 Project. The proposed Elementary School No. 6 tract consists of an approximately 6.8-hectare (16.7-acre) tract located east of the Park at Brushy Creek residential subdivision, extending eastwards from the eastern end of Holbrooke Street. For purposes of the cultural resources survey, the project area was considered to consist of the entire 6.8-hectare (16.7-acre) tract, though construction-related activities would be restricted to approximately the southern half of the …

An Intensive Cultural Resources Survey Of The 7.0-Acre Frontier Park Improvement Project In Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas, Jennifer L. Cochran

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

On 15 January 2015, Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. (Horizon) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of the City of Round Rock’s Frontier Park Improvement Project in Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas (Project Area). The Project Area is located approximately 150.0 feet (ft) (45.8 meters [m]) south of the intersection of Chisholm Valley Drive and Frontier Trail in Round Rock, Texas. The proposed project entails conducting general improvements within the existing Frontier Park location, including minor modifications to the existing Frontier Park trail right-of-way (ROW) within the Project Area. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the Project Area totals 7.0 …

Cultural Resources Investigations Of The Lively Sewer Line Extension Project, Williamson County, Texas, Ken Lawrence, Alamea N. Young, Matthew Carter

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

On behalf of Sentinel Land Company and a Municipal Utility District (MUD), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey for the proposed Lively Sewer Line Extension Project in Williamson County, Texas. The project area is located between the communities of Leander and Georgetown, Texas, approximately 3 miles southeast of the State Highway (SH) 29 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard intersection. In anticipation of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permitting regulations, the proposed project is subject to review in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 USC 470) and its implementing regulations (36 …

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey Of A Proposed 11.2-Acre Apartment Complex Development, Leander, Williamson County, Texas, Jeffrey D. Owens

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. (Horizon), was selected by the Mason Joseph Company, Inc. (MJC), on behalf of a private real estate developer, to conduct an intensive cultural resources inventory and assessment for the proposed development of an apartment complex on a 4.5-hectare (11.2-acre) tract in Leander, Williamson County, Texas. The tract is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Hero’s Way and County Road (CR) 273 on an upland interfluve between the North and South Forks of Brushy Creek. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) for direct effects consists of the entire 4.5-hectare (11.2-acre) tract within which construction …