Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Pilot Study For Examining Population Movement During The Peri-Medieval Climatic Anomaly In The Nebraska Sand Hills, Nora C. Greiman

Anthropology Department: Theses

The Sand Hills of Nebraska comprise a dynamic environment of sand dunes that has changed much over the millennia since their formation. Periods of dune reactivation have occurred throughout history, including one such period at approximately A.D. 900-1300 associated with the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA). Much is known about the geologic activity during this period but little is known about how human populations responded to changing environments. I examine the chronology of three sites occupied during the peri-MCA and the change or stasis in population movements via chemical characterization of ceramic artifacts. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was performed on …