Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Landscape, Settlement, And Community: The Natural, Human, And Sacred Geography Of Classic Maya Civilization In West-Central Guatemala, Marc A. Wolf

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the fluid and commonly multi-compositional aspects of Maya settlement patterns, which reflect concepts of space within Maya worldviews. Research will be focused on the predominantly Classic (ca. AD 650-810) era archaeological site of Cancuen and its neighbors in the Verapaz department of Guatemala. These settlements provide a complex arena where questions of identity, spirituality, and ethnic affiliations can be addressed within a spatial context. The continuing detailed settlement and environmental survey mapping within the Cancuen region is the primary source of evidence from which a more thorough appreciation of emic Maya spatial considerations will be investigated.

The ...

Life After Steel: How Covid-19 Shed Light On Canton Township's Industrial Past, Daniel D. Dillon

Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review

Undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways in which life carries on, whether this manifests in the forms of altering how people interact or how individuals work to further career goals. In the field of archaeology, attending an accredited field school takes central importance to developing much-needed skills; however, the virus made such opportunities nonexistent. Seeking a remedy for this rapidly-changing situation, I decided to make the decision to run a “field school” in my parents’ backyard. What was uncovered went beyond the nearly 300 recovered artifacts, extending into the largely unexplored history of Canton Township, Washington, Pennsylvania. Just ...

A Fusion Of Microscopy Technique In Human Coprolite Analysis: The Dyck Cliff Dwelling And The Arid West Cave, William Darwin Hertzel

Anthropology Department Theses and Dissertations

In the two papers that comprise this thesis, I will discuss the dietary complexes of two separate Southwestern archaeological sites excavated in the 20th century through the medium of coprolite analysis. The fusion of microscopy techniques in this project expands the capability of observation and identification of microremains and their use in reconstructing the dietary habits of past peoples. I intend to highlight the value of integrating three separate methods of microscopy for the identification of diet and any practices for using that information to narrow down a coprologically unstudied site location for samples of lost provenience. Additionally, this project ...

3d Morphometric Analysis Of Late Paleoindigenous Projectile Points From The Mackenzie I Site, Northwestern Ontario, And Surrounding Regions, Dave Norris

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite decades of archaeological investigations into the presence of people in northwestern Ontario during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene there is still a tenuous understanding of the timing and origins of those past groups that moved across the region. This is mainly a result of small sample sizes, acidic soils (that degrade organic materials) and low recoveries of diagnostic tools such as projectile points. The discovery of an uncharacteristically large Paleoindigenous site, the Mackenzie I site, east of Thunder Bay, yielded recoveries of artifacts in numbers never seen in the region. The exceptionally large number of projectile points recovered ...

Understanding The Microbial Biogeography Of Ancient Human Dentitions To Guide Study Design And Interpretation, Zandra Fagernäs, Domingo C. Salazar-Garcia, Maria Hadar Uriarte, Azucena Avilés Fernández, Amanda G. Henry, Joaquín Lomba Maurandi, Andrew T. Ozga, Irina M. Velsko, Christina Warinner

Biology Faculty Articles

The oral cavity is a heterogeneous environment, varying in factors such as pH, oxygen levels, and salivary flow. These factors affect the microbial community composition and distribution of species in dental plaque, but it is not known how well these patterns are reflected in archaeological dental calculus. In most archaeological studies, a single sample of dental calculus is studied per individual and is assumed to represent the entire oral cavity. However, it is not known if this sampling strategy introduces biases into studies of the ancient oral microbiome. Here, we present the results of a shotgun metagenomic study of a ...

Rebuilding Along The Rappahannock: The Methodologies Of Urban Archaeological Survey In Fredericksburg And Beyond, Kerri S. Barile

Northeast Historical Archaeology

**I can definitely do an abstract if the other articles in the Fredericksburg volume have one!**

Editor's Introduction, Maria O'Donovan

Northeast Historical Archaeology

No abstract provided.

P3k14c, A Synthetic Global Database Of Archaeological Radiocarbon Dates, Erick Robinson

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Archaeologists increasingly use large radiocarbon databases to model prehistoric human demography (also termed paleo-demography). Numerous independent projects, funded over the past decade, have assembled such databases from multiple regions of the world. These data provide unprecedented potential for comparative research on human population ecology and the evolution of social-ecological systems across the Earth. However, these databases have been developed using different sample selection criteria, which has resulted in interoperability issues for global-scale, comparative paleo-demographic research and integration with paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental data. We present a synthetic, global-scale archaeological radiocarbon database composed of 180,070 radiocarbon dates that have been cleaned ...

Hanford Nuclear Site Cultural Resource Gis Analysis: A Case Study Investigating Pre-Contact Travel Networks And Site And Artifact Locations, Luciana R. Chester

All Master's Theses

This thesis uses Global Information Systems (GIS) to investigate travel networks and site locations on the Hanford Nuclear Site. I construct a spatially referenced base map of historical travel routes, compare amounts of areas with and without archaeological survey, and analyze the location of archaeological sites. Government Land Office maps (GLO’s) mapped trails between1860’s and 1890’s. GIS analysis helps calculate relative frequencies and the densities of site and artifact types within 2 km buffers along the Columbia River corridor and trails. Collaboration between agencies and tribes facilitates consultation on all matters related to Hanford, and shared management ...

Storage Organization And Analysis Of Artifacts, Rebecca Glatz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

I worked with the Institute for Human Science and Culture at the Drs. Nicholas & Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology and Department of Anthropology at the University of Akron to help create an inventory of the collections that are being stored in the storage of the Cummings Center. After I finished the general inventory, I selected a collection of interest to do further research on an item level. The collection was processed and photographed and this paper is a report of what I learned about the collection and a guide of how to process a collection for future ...

Analysis Of Artifacts And Storage Organization: Clinton Lock 2, Hannah Curtis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, we are hoping to address the potential problems and help refine future work between the storage in the Cummings Center and the Anthropology Department. Some of the research questions that we have are: What is in the Cummings Center from the Anthropology Department? What type of techniques is the most beneficial in storing archaeological material? How are the items stored in the Cummings Center? Is this method of storage going to protect or damage the artifact? Do we still need to keep this material, returned to its original owner, or can it be deaccessioned? We plan to ...

Spanish Halberds In South Carolina?, Chester B. Depratter

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Santa Elena Research Trip To The Warren Lasch Conservation Center, Heathley A. Johnson

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Legacy - December 2021, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Newsletter - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

Tommy Charles (January 3, 1932-July 30, 2021) Tribute

Director's Notes

Spanish Halberds in South Carolina?

The Mica House Revisited

Santa Elena Research Trip to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center

The Civil War at Santa Elena

Update on the Southeastern Paleoamerican Survey 2021

Maritime Research Division: A Year of Fieldwork in Review

A Legacy of Land: From Dynasty to Death: The Redistribution of Land and Wealth Explored Through the Lens of Genealogy

A Cosmic Impact Demolshed an Ancient Middle Eastern City and Everyone in It

Historic Archaeology: The St. Patrick's Day Flood

Annual Report 2021

ART/SCIAA Donors ...

A Legacy Of Land: From Dynasty To Death: The Redistribution Of Land And Wealth Explored Through The Lens Of Genealogy, Heather R. Amaral, Sherrie Cork

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Update On The Southeastern Paleoamerican Survey 2021, Albert C. Goodyear, Joseph A. Lindler Jr.

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Civil War At Santa Elena, James B. Legg, Heathley A. Johnson

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Triumph Of The Commons: Sustainable Community Practices On Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Robert J. Dinapoli, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

The history of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has long been framed as a parable for how societies can fail catastrophically due to the selfish actions of individuals and a failure to wisely manage common-pool resources. While originating in the interpretations made by 18th-century visitors to the island, 20th-century scholars recast this narrative as a “tragedy of the commons,” assuming that past populations were unsustainable and selfishly overexploited the limited resources on the island. This narrative, however, is now at odds with a range of archaeological, ethnohistoric, and environmental evidence. Here, we argue that while Rapa Nui did experience large-scale deforestation ...

Primed To Fire: An Archaeological Study Of The Percussion Caps At Historic Fort Snelling (21he99), Spencer Fehr

Culminating Projects in Cultural Resource Management

The goal in undertaking this thesis project was to examine percussion caps recovered from Historic Fort Snelling to try and better understand weapon utilization, their association with structures and activity areas at the fort, and potential availability. Located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers near St. Paul, Minnesota the fort was built in the early 1800s to assert the United States’ political and economic objectives in the region. Over its tenure the fort has had a long history of service, with mission objectives constantly changing over the years. The fort was key to the foundation of Minnesota ...

The Dorchester Site: Bone Awl Analysis, Aine E. Palmer

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

A basic summary of collected information regarding the bone tool "awl" classification of artifacts from the Dorchester Village archaeological site (AfHg-24)

Understanding The Smoking Pipes Of The Dorchester Iroquoian Village, Victoria Martin

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

Modern Archaeology And The Brass Plates, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Contemporary Palestinian archaeology has produced two major threats to traditional interpretations of the history of ancient Israel. Scientific discomfort with the exodus story as an explanation for the sudden population expansion in southern Palestine at the beginning of the Iron Age (c.1200 BCE) has led to a wide variety of theories about how these Israelites could have been drawn from existing populations in the general area. And a glaring mismatch between the biblical glorification of David and Solomon’s “empire” and disparagement of the northern kingdom combined with the archaeological finding that the cities of the northern kingdom were ...

Training Wicked Scientists For A World Of Wicked Problems, Nicholas C. Kawa, Mark Anthony Arceño, Ryan Goeckner, Chelsea E. Hunter, Steven J. Rhue, Shane A. Scaggs, Matthew E. Biwer, Sean S. Downey, Julie S. Field, Kristen Gremillion, Joy Mccorriston, Anna Willow, Elizabeth Newton, Mark Moritz

Faculty and Staff Publications By Year

Humanity faces a number of wicked problems, from global climate change and the coronavirus pandemic to systemic racism and widening economic inequality. Since such complex and dynamic problems are plagued by disagreement among stakeholders over their nature and cause, they are notoriously difficult to solve. This commentary argues that if humanity truly aspires to address the grand challenges of today and tomorrow, then graduate education must be redesigned. It is no longer sufficient to train students only to be experts in their respective fields. They also must hone the interpersonal and professional skills that allow them to collaborate successfully within ...

Conservation And Documentation Of A Significant Camden Battlefield Collection, James B. Legg

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing At The Adamson Mounds Site (38ke11), Kershaw County, South Carolina, Christopher Judge, Chester Walker

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

A Copper-Covered Wooden Object From The Wateree Valley, Adam King, David H. Dye

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Ground Penetrating Radar Survey At The Wesley United Methodist Church, Beaufort, South Carolina, George Wingard

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Legacy - August 2021, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Newsletter - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

South Carolina Lt. Governor Pamela S. Evette Honors Tommy Charles with the Order of the Palmetto…p. 1

Director’s Notes…p. 2

Ground Penetrating Radar Survey at the Wesley United Methodist Church, Beaufort, South Carolina…p. 8

A Copper-Covered Wooden Object from the Wateree Valley…p. 9

Remote Sensing at the Adamson Mounds Site (38KE11), Kershaw County, South Carolina…p. 12

Numismatic History of the Charlesfort/Santa Elena Site: The U.S. Marine Corps Maneuver Grounds…p. 14

Just How Far Did Soto Go? …p. 19

Conservation and Documentation of a Significant Camden Battlefield Collection…p. 22

Full ...

Just How Far Did Soto Go?, Chester B. Depratter, Lisa R. Hudgins

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Numismatic History Of The Charlesfort/Santa Elena Site: The U.S. Marine Corps Maneuver Grounds, Heathley A. Johnson

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.