Digital Commons Network^™

The Walking Moai Hypothesis: Archaeological Evidence, Experimental Validation, And Response To Critics, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt

Anthropology Datasets

The transport of Rapa Nui's (Easter Island) monumental moai statues has been debated for over a century. Based on a systematic analysis of 962 moai, with a focus on 62 road statues, combined with 3D modeling and experimental trials, we demonstrate that these multi-ton megaliths were designed for transport vertically in a controlled "walking" motion facilitated by their carved shapes. Our evidence includes distinctive morphological features of road moai (wide, D-shaped bases and forward lean), archaeological road characteristics (4.5m wide, concave cross-sections), non-random breakage patterns, and successful experimental validation using a precisely-scaled 4.35 metric ton replica based on road …

September 30, 2025 Nagpra And Tribal Relations Committee Meeting Minutes, Bryan Morey

University NAGPRA and Tribal Relations Committee

September 30, 2025 minutes for the WKU NAGPRA and Tribal Relations Committee meeting. Meeting conducted via Zoom.

Serat Yusuf: Sastra Islam Populer Di Jawa Timur, Titik Pudjiastuti, Mamlahatun Buduroh, Mu’Jizah Mu’Jizah, Rias Suharjo, Turita Indah Setyani, Dwi Rahmawanto

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Serat Yusup is one of the popular Islamic literary works in Java, especially in East Java. This literary work is a handwritten ancient manuscript written in the form of tembang macapat, in Javanese language, and using Pegon or Javanese script. Serat Yusup which create by the students (santri) is inspired by Surah Yusuf, the 12th Surah of the Quran. As a literary work, its story differs significantly from its inspirational text, and there are so many of it. In relation to this, the question arises: what are the reasons behind the creation of Serat Yusup and why is it …

Keidiomatisan Kompositum Berleksikon Hati Dalam Bahasa Indonesia, Dien Rovita, Sonya Puspasari Suganda, Untung Yuwono

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

A compound (kompositum) is a construction formed through word formation by combining two or more elements to create a new meaning. In Indonesian, compounds can be formed by combining several elements, one of which may be a nominal lexeme referring to a body part. Compound words can be distinguished from other word combinations—particularly syntactic phrases—based on grammatical and semantic criteria. Semantically, compounds can be analyzed according to the degree of idiomaticity in their meanings. Based on this premise, the present study aims to explain the idiomaticity of compounds in Indonesian that are formed by combining multiple elements, one of which …

Myth Of Happiness From The Consumerism Perspective In Simone De Beauvoir’S Les Belles Images, Joesana Tjahjani, Sekar Dewantari

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

France's post-World War II, thirty years of glory, resulted in the growth of purchasing power among the French, which triggered growth in consumerism, notably among the bourgeois— France's upper-middle-class society. People believed in a myth that objects are not solely useful for fulfilling needs but also served as a sign of social status, dignity, andcomfort. They equally believed that if the objects are consumed and the associated social standards fulfilled, they maybecome a way to obtain greater happiness. This article aims to examine the myth that happiness can be attained byconsumption and social standard fulfillment in a French consumer society …

Piyagĕm Cikĕruh (1631 M): Simbol Relasi Kuasa Kerajaan Mataram Islam Di Priangan, Muhamad Alnoza

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

After the collapse of the Sunda Kingdom in the 16th century, most of its territory was controlled by the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. The occupation of Islamic Mataram in the ethnic Sundanese area in fact left behind several metal inscriptions known as piyagĕm. This study specifically examines the oldest piyagĕm found in the Priangan area, namely Piyagĕm Cikĕruh from Garut Regency. Based on the assumption that every inscription that is king is a symbol of power, this study focuses on science which is a symbol of power relations in Piyagĕm Cikĕruh. This study was conducted with the aim of finding the …

Transformasi Syair Dodaidi: Dari Tradisi Lisan Ke Komersialisasi Digital Dalam Sejarah Masyarakat Aceh, Haikal Haikal, Anifa Nurhayati

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Syair Dodaidi, as a form of Acehnese oral tradition, has played a significant role in the social and cultural life of the Acehnese people for centuries. It originally developed as a lullaby sung by mothers to their children, with lyrics containing prayers and praise to Allah SWT. This study aims to examine the transformation of Syair Dodaidi in the context of contemporary Acehnese society. The research methodology uses a historical approach with the stages of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results show that although Syair Dodaidi is still practiced as part of cultural heritage, there have been a …

Dari Editor Vol. 15 No. 2 (Agustus) 2025, Rahayu Surtiati Hidayat

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Dengan gembira kami menerbitkan sepuluh artikel dan dua timbangan buku dalam edisi ini; terbitan rekor untuk jurnal ini. Kami berharap dapat menerbitkan banyak artikel dalam setiap edisi. Isi tulisan yang kami terbitkan juga meningkat mutunya baik dari segi penelitian maupun penyajian. Tiga artikel menarik perhatian dengan menunjukkan berbagai karya yang menjadi lambang kejayaan suatu negara dan keguyuban suatu komunitas (Titik Pudjiastuti, Muhamad Alnoza, Nur Aini Setiawati). Tiga artikel lain membahas kehadiran pendatang yang mengubah sistem dalam negara (Dien Rovita Rovita, Mela Maulina Putri, Rudi Ekasiswanto). Tidak kalah menarik empat artikel bertemakan karya sastra (Asri Pratiwi Wulandari, Raka Darmawan, Haikal Haikal) …

August 26, 2025 Nagpra And Tribal Relations Committee Meeting Minutes, Bryan Morey

University NAGPRA and Tribal Relations Committee

August 26, 2025 minutes for the WKU NAGPRA and Tribal Relations Committee meeting. Meeting conducted via Zoom.

Khallat Abu Ḥalaḥ: The Shells / ח'לת אבו חלאח: ממצא הקונכיות, Inbar Ktalav

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The excavations at Khallat Abu Halah uncovered 24 shells, including 14 marine shells from the Mediterranean Sea, two freshwater bivalves—one local and the other originating from the Nile—and eight terrestrial snails. Most of the shells were dated to the Byzantine period but were not found in situ, making it difficult to interpret their use. The Mediterranean shells indicate a connection to the Mediterranean coast, whereas the freshwater bivalve from the Nile suggests connections with Egypt, likely via Caesarea. The terrestrial species are similar to those found in the region today, indicating that the environmental conditions in the area during the …

Khallat Abu ḤAlaḥ: The Coins, Gabriela Bijovsky

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

A modest number of coins was discovered during the excavations at Khallat Abu Ḥalaḥ, dating from the fourth to the mid-seventh centuries CE. Most of the coins belong to common types that deserve no special discussion. Noteworthy is a rare Alexandrian dodecanummium of Maurice Tiberius. The latest coin is a very worn follis of Heraclius, dated to 624/628 CE.

Khallat Abu ḤAlaḥ: A Byzantine-Period Structure At Ramot Menashe / ח'לת אבו חלאח: מבנה מן התקופה הביזנטית ברמות מנשה, Ron Be'eri

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The excavation at Khallat Abu Ḥalaḥ uncovered part of a Byzantine-period structure comprising several rectangular rooms, corresponding to five construction phases. One of these rooms may have functioned as a bathhouse. Remains of another nearby structure decorated with a cross were also revealed, along with the upper fragment of a small chalkstone altar incised with a cross; a road paved with small stones and flanked by two walls that led to the site and continued toward Naḥal Dalia; and several field walls, one of which may have served as an enclosure. The finds from the site—including a fragment of a …

Anthropology Lab - Archaeology Catalog, Naomi Cleghorn, Sydney Lowenthal, Cameron Ditore, Daniel Bright, Kaylean Salazar, Ellie Hong, Jay Williams, Emily Vento, Nawaf Albalawi, Amber Lewis, Alex Helm, Robert Holman, Gareth Nutt, Jazmine Reyna, Lisa Zealey, Amanda Rios, Nichole Clemmons, Kat Frazee, Xandy Clement, Olivia Franklin, Prabhashi Jayawardhana, Sangho Shin, Anna Gonzalez, Irene Flores, Angele Phillips, Citlali Concha, Mickey Lopez, Bianca Martinez, Tapiwaso Chitaya, Alyssa Tomancik, Cain Camarillo, Juan Gonzalez

Anthropology Laboratory - Archive

The Anthropology Laboratory of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at UTA houses the archaeological collections of many sites from Texas and around the world. These objects reflect the technology, culture, and values of past people. Studying them can tell us about the decisions those people made and reminds us of the breadth of human achievements.

In 2024, Anthropology students at UTA developed a database for these objects and began recording basic attributes of the collections to make them more accessible to the public. Many volunteers contributed to this database (and are listed as authors here). Data are provided here …

Eshta’Ol: The Lithic Assemblages, Omry Barzilai

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

This report presents four lithic assemblages recovered from Areas B–F at the site of Eshta’ol. All assemblages primarily utilize locally available flint types, notably brecciated Campanian and semitranslucent Eocene/Senonian flints. The technological organization is dominated by flake and flakelet industries, with evidence of local knapping activities and the reuse of older tools across periods. Diagnostic tools and technologies indicate distinct occupational phases associated with the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), Pottery Neolithic (Yarmukian), Early and Late Chalcolithic (Wadi Rabah, Ghassulian) and Early Bronze Age. Despite prolonged occupation, formal tool frequencies remain low, particularly during the Early Bronze Age, suggesting that Eshta’ol …

Eshta’Ol: Faunal Remains From The Chalcolithic Period And Bronze Age, Edward F. Maher

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

This article presents a zooarchaeological study of a small faunal assemblage recovered from Areas B, D and E at Eshta’ol, dating to the Late Chalcolithic period (Stratum IV), Early Bronze Age IB (Stratum III) and Intermediate Bronze Age (Stratum II). A total of 250 bone fragments were analyzed, with 86 identifiable specimens representing eight species, primarily from the EB IB stratum. The assemblage is dominated by domestic animals—especially caprines, cattle and pigs. Mortality profiles based on epiphyseal fusion and dental wear indicate a preference for secondary products—such as wool, milk and dung—over meat consumption. Small-scale farming and agricultural activity may …

Eshta’Ol: A Protohistoric And Bronze Age Site In The Judean Shephelah, Amir Golani, Benyamin Storchan

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

This report presents the results of several excavations at Eshta’ol, which revealed occupation remains from six strata, dating from the Neolithic period to the Intermediate Bronze Age. These excavations were the first to identify occupational horizons dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B and Pottery Neolithic periods (Jericho IX/Lodite cultures), including significant flint and ceramic assemblages. The Early (Wadi Rabah) and Late Chalcolithic remains at Eshta’ol indicate a small settlement with two occupation phases. The large Early Bronze Age settlement at the site comprised at least four occupational phases, all associated with EB IB, reflecting a long-lived, preplanned rural village that …

Ancient Maya Crisis And Resilience, James Aimers

Climate Change and the Individual, 2025-26

During the Maya Terminal Classic period (from about 750-1050 AD), many Maya sites in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras were abandoned. This radical change has been investigated for over 100 years, with drought and climate change recently given a central role. My research on the Maya collapse demonstrates great variability in the Terminal Classic, and not all sites were abandoned. In this lesson I focus on variability and resilience in the human response to climate change.

Coastal Consumption: Diet And Social Organization At Four Postclassic Sites In The Yucatán Peninsula, Paramita Choudhury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Postclassic Maya food practices during CE 1200–1600 to understand how eating behaviors reflect systems of social hierarchy, political economy, and cultural identity. The investigation focuses on four archaeological sites in the northern Yucatán Peninsula—Tulum, El Rey, El Meco, and San Miguelito—to examine dietary behaviors through dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), oral pathology, and stable isotope data within a biocultural framework. The research aims to identify whether elite and non-elite individuals exhibited notable variations in food texture consumption, access to resources, and nutritional health. High-resolution 3D surface metrology enabled DMTA to assess the mechanical properties of consumed foods, …

At Least It's Not Hospital Food: Faunal Analysis Of A Virginia Plantation Occupied By The Union Army, Kyett U. Salamone

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis uses faunal remains from a midden at Sherwood Forest Plantation, Stafford County, Virginia to discuss the diet and provisioning of Union soldiers. Sherwood Forest was among Virginia’s wealthiest plantations in the Antebellum Period. During winter 1862-1863, the Army of the Potomac occupied the site, treating it as an ad hoc supply depot, pastureland and field hospital. After the war, the plantation owner and his heirs repeatedly sought repayment through the court system, generating documents detailing his confiscated and damaged property. The assemblage is compared to three zooarchaeological approaches about food supply: barreled meat, 19^th century military supply, …

Rishon Le-ẒIyyon, Winepress Park: Geomorphology And Sedimentology, Joel Roskin, Yotam Asscher

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

An extensive brown sandy double-unit sediment, draping large parts of the archaeological remains at the Winepress Park in Rishon Le-Ẓiyyon, is suggested to be associated with the previously reported, undated ʻEn Ha-Qore clay. Based on relative age port-OSL profiling, the depositional mechanism of this unit and the overlying sand is suggested to be related to late Holocene, dune-dammed winter ponds. These aeolian-fluvial dune-damming processes may have been partly triggered by intensive Byzantine human activity that may have led to sand mobilization.

Rishon Le-ẒIyyon, Winepress Park: The Coins, Helena Sokolov, Lior Sandberg

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The excavation at the Winepress Park in Rishon Le-Ẓiyyon uncovered 26 bronze coins, 22 of which were identified. The coins range in date from the fourth century CE to the Umayyad period. The earliest coin is of Constantius II, dated to 341–346 CE, while the latest coins are Umayyad Post-Reform issues. The coin data is consistent with the archaeological context of the excavation and confirms the excavator’s conclusion that the site can be dated to the period of the sixth–ninth centuries CE.

Rishon Le-ẒIyyon, Winepress Park: Early Islamic Pottery / ראשון לציון, גן הגיתות: ממצא כלי החרס מן התקופה האסלאמית הקדומה, Hagit Torgë

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The excavations at the Winepress Park in Rishon Le-Ẓiyyon uncovered a large pottery assemblage dated to the Early Islamic period. The assemblage was discovered in three squares, in clay soil that was exposed after the sand dune covering the site was removed. The repertoire included simple bowls, open cooking pots, jars, jugs, a flask and an oil lamp. Most of the vessels were simple household wares, suggesting that during this period the site was a rural, possibly isolated, farmstead. The absence of glazed or imported vessels may indicate the poor economic status of its inhabitants. While most of the vessels …

Rishon Le-ẒIyyon, Winepress Park: Byzantine Pottery / ראשון לציון, גן הגיתות: ממצא כלי חרס מן התקופה הביזנטית, Aviva Bouchenino, Ayelet Dayan

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

The excavations at the Winepress Park in Rishon Le-Ẓiyyon uncovered a large pottery assemblage dated to the Byzantine period, including locally produced bowls, casseroles, cooking pots and bag-shaped jars, as well as bowls imported from Asia Minor, Cyprus and Tunisia. The rich and varied assemblage uncovered at the site, along with architectural remains, may indicate that this was a residential area—possibly a farmhouse inhabited by tenant farmers who operated the nearby winepresses. The pottery vessels served as a primary dating tool and contributed to establishing the site’s chronology. The ceramic finds, together with the numerous repairs identified in the winepresses, …

Rishon Le-ẒIyyon, Winepress Park: Remains Of Agricultural Activity From The Byzantine And Early Islamic Periods And Remains From The Ottoman Period And The British Mandate Era / ראשון לציון, גן הגיתות: שרידי פעילות חקלאית מהתקופות הביזנטית והאסלאמית הקדומה ושרידים מהתקופה העות'מאנית ומימי המנדט הבריטי, Ayelet Dayan, Aviva Bouchenino

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

Five excavation seasons conducted in and around the archaeological Winepress Park in Rishon Le-Ẓiyyon uncovered the agricultural hinterland of a settlement active during the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. The finds included architectural remains, three winepresses and several installations. The locally produced and imported domestic pottery from the Byzantine period suggests a residential zone—possibly a farmhouse—that likely served the tenants operating the nearby winepresses. The number and size of the winepresses indicate that wine production at the site was intended not only for local consumption but also for export. Activity at the site ceased during the Early Islamic period, when …

When Culture Becomes Law: Mayan Heritage And The New Constitutional Recognition Of Collective Rights In Mexico, José Israel Herrera, Victor Manuel Colli Ek

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. The constitutional reform of September 30, 2024 to article 2 marks a substantive change in the recognition of indigenous peoples as subjects of public law, with their own patrimony, valid normative systems and express right to conserve, protect and develop their cultural, material and immaterial heritage. This article analyzes the legal implications of this reform in the context of the Maya people, especially with regard to collective intellectual property, the right to prior consultation and the constitutional recognition of bioculturality. A critical reading of the new normative framework is proposed, with emphasis on its transformative potential for the territorial …

Shoham: A Byzantine-Period Farmhouse (Monastery?) / שוהם: בית אחוזה (מנזר?) מן התקופה הביזנטית, Israel Kornfeld, Ayelet Dayan

Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel

Two salvage excavation seasons conducted in the center of the Ḥamanyot neighborhood in Shoham uncovered the remains of a large building, adjacent tombs, a complex winepress and several additional agricultural installations, all dating to the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods (sixth–eighth centuries CE). The building can be identified as either a large farmhouse or a monastery. Its solid walls, agricultural installations and small finds—such as fragments of glass windows, a marble chancel-screen column and a marble table leg likely from an offering table—all indicate the presence of a church at the site, supporting the interpretation that the building functioned as …

Hunter-Gatherer Subsistence Strategies In Changing Environments In Prehistoric Mindoro, Philippines, Alfred Ferdinand F. Pawlik

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

As an archipelago straddling two distinct biogeographic zones, Sunda and Wallacea, the Philippines have acted as a conduit for the movements of people, material culture and ideas across Southeast Asia throughout prehistory. The Mindoro Archaeology Project investigates several caves and rockshelters from the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, located in Sta. Teresa and Ilin Island in Occidental Mindoro on the southern end of Mindoro and explores the deep history of the first anatomically modern humans in the Philippines, the timeline of their arrival and dispersal, and their adaptation to coastal and island environments. By at least 40,000 years ago, anatomically …

Extractivism And Water Crisis In The Moroccan Draa Oasis: Global South Reflections On Responsibility And Resistance, Ahmed El Khatabi

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. The Draa Oasis in southeastern Morocco is experiencing severe water scarcity, driven by climate change and intensified by the expansion of watermelon agribusiness and desert tourism. This article explores how external investors, empowered by national agricultural policies, have disrupted traditional water governance systems rooted in collective management. Through ethnographic fieldwork involving interviews, focus groups, and spatial mapping, the study examines the socio-environmental consequences of groundwater depletion and land commodification. It argues that investors fail to assume ethical accountability for the ecological degradation they cause, despite being aware of the oasis’s fragile ecosystem. Meanwhile, local communities and civil society actors …

Vulnerabilidad Socioambiental A Inundaciones En Dos Humedales De San Cristóbal De Las Casas, Chiapas, México, Ender Fabian Toledo Alcázar, Salvador Adame Martínez, Marcelino García Benítez

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract

This study encompasses the following urban wetlands: "La Kisst," situated in the city center, and "María Eugenia," located in the southern part of the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas. There are four wetlands within the municipality, all of which have been protected as natural areas by a Ramsar decree since 2008. The research aims to assess the socio-environmental vulnerability of the two wetlands using indicators in the environmental, social, and legal dimensions, thereby establishing the degree of vulnerability of the urban population exposed to flooding. The methodological process is defined by the proposal of CENAPRED, which establishes …

A Ritual Of Institutions: The State Industrial School In Golden, Colorado And The Shaping Of American Youth, Cyndal Groskopf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the Colorado State Industrial School as a ritualistic institution that influenced boys aged 7 to 19 through Americanization practices between 1881 and 1930. By employing primary documentation, drone imagery, and LiDAR technology, the study examines how cultural and physical activities, along with personal statements, described and maintained the ritualized nature among these incarcerated youth. The findings reveal how institutional routines and activities reinforced narratives of American identity, particularly in relation to themes of personal identity, conformity, and agency. These rituals played a crucial role in institutionalizing cultural ideals and shaping the identities of marginalized youth. The research …