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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Anthropology

2012

Journal

Rhode Island

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

"Ashes To Ashes And Dust To Dust": Observations On Humanskeletal Taphonomy At Two Historic Cemeteries In Northernrhode Island, Joseph N. Waller Jr. Nov 2012

"Ashes To Ashes And Dust To Dust": Observations On Humanskeletal Taphonomy At Two Historic Cemeteries In Northernrhode Island, Joseph N. Waller Jr.

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This paper reports on a study of human bone taphonomy at two historic period cemeteries in northern Rhode Island. The analyses demonstrate that various local factors contributed to the degradation of human bone at the two cemeteries under investigation. Factors investigated as part of this study include soil pH, soil texture, time elapsed since burial, and the age of the deceased at the time of death. The . study concludes that soil texture and soil permeability were more correlated with bone deterioration at the two historic cemeteries than soil acidity, which is commonly assumed to cause rapid bone deterioration in …


Introduction, David B. Landon Nov 2012

Introduction, David B. Landon

Northeast Historical Archaeology

A brief overview of the publications in this volume. This includes the awards for excellence in service, the winners of the student paper ocmpetition, the paper topics of the volume including use of material culture from a 19th century laborer's home, archaebiology and urban salvage archaeology in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.


"Articles Too Tedious To Enumerate": The Appreciation Of Ceramics In Mid-18th-Century Newport, Rhode Island, Christina Hodge Nov 2012

"Articles Too Tedious To Enumerate": The Appreciation Of Ceramics In Mid-18th-Century Newport, Rhode Island, Christina Hodge

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Ceramic possession in mid-18th-century Newport, Rhode Island is contextualized through an analysis of newspapers and probate lists, providing background for the interpretation of archaeological remains from a mid-18th-century house lot in Newport that is now part of the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard site. The interpretation of ceramic evidence is approached through notions of tediousness, taste, and distinction. The language of contemporary documents highlights differences in the perception of different ware types and forms over time; references to stoneware and creamware, for example, did not meet expectations. The relationship between levels of ceramic marking in texts and ceramics’ perceived social significance is not always …