Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Brief Comparison Of Two Early Neighborhoods- Consumerism And Social Class In 20th Century Lincoln Nebraska, Mariska Molnar

Anthropology Department: Theses

In the Fall of 2018, Matthew Hansen monitored the destruction of a parking lot two blocks north of the Capitol Building for the subsequent building of a geothermal system. During this period, and excavation was conducted with the aid of the UNL Campus Archaeology Project, and 12 features were identified. Five features produced artifacts, with Feature 11, a cistern, being the most fruitful. The collection was named the Capitol Wellfield, and a portion of the artifacts, which includes diagnostic glass and ceramic pieces, are housed on campus for studying.

Most research and publication have been focused on older excavations and …

Tracking And Estimating The Commingling Of Missing U.S. Service Personnel: A Gis And Forensic Anthropological Approach, Mason Mckinney

Anthropology Department: Theses

During times of war, the remains of fallen U.S. military service members overseas are often difficult to track postmortem as they move from their recovery location to a permanent cemetery. After a recovery, remains are typically sent to multiple temporary cemeteries, morgues, and/or identification points before reaching their final resting place. Repeated disinterments and reinterments among vast numbers of remains in multiple temporary locations may lead to unintended commingling. This analysis is meant to examine the postmortem movement of multiple U.S. military members and assess their potential for commingling based on historical records and identification reports supplied by the Defense …

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

Anthropology Department: Theses

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 …

Applying Settlement Scaling At Copán: Furthering Exploration Into Ancient Maya Urban Dynamics, Ellis Owen Arnold Codd

Anthropology Department: Theses

For decades, many archaeologists did not consider ancient Maya centers such as Tikal, Palenque, and Copán to be cities. While today most archaeologists would agree that large Maya centers were cities, the nature of Maya urbanism is still little understood. Maya cities seem different, and in attempt to explain these differences, they have been termed “garden cities” and “low-density agrarian-based cities.” In this thesis, I apply Settlement Scaling Theory (SST) — a quantitative framework for examining the mathematical relationships between human population, social connectivity, and other socioeconomic urban properties — to examine the quantitative relationship between population and area for …

Humeri Spatulate Tools Associations And Function In Chaco Canyon, Nm, Sara L. Anderson

Anthropology Department: Theses

In the two papers that comprise this thesis, I will be discussing Bone Spatulate Tools (BSTs) specifically those made of artiodactyl humeri found within Chaco Canyon, NM. These archaeological tool types permit the investigation of androcentric biases by way of legacy data acquired using the Chaco Research Archive (CRA). By redressing these archaeological biases, I hope to resuscitate an understudied tool type and highlight their function and importance in Chacoan toolkits. In chapter two, I investigate women and gendered activities by examining Humeri Spatulate Tools (HSTs) that are found at Chacoan great and small house sites. In this study, I …

Osl And Ceramic Analysis At The Humphrey Site, Ryan Mathison

Anthropology Department: Theses

The Sand Hills of Nebraska are a unique environment located in the west-central portion of Nebraska. This portion of North America has long supported human life. One group in particular that called the Sand Hills home are the Dismal River people. Dismal River is the name that archaeologists gave to a group of horticulturalists that lived in circular structures on the sand dunes, often near the rivers, in the Sand Hills. This group, while generally known through archaeology, also has a potential historic or ethnographic presence in the form of the Cuartalejo Apache visited by Ulibarri, and potentially mentioned by …

Lithic Analysis Of An Early Archaic Assemblage On The Great Plains: The Spring Creek Site (25ft31), Andrea Elizabeth Kruse

Anthropology Department: Theses

Early Archaic sites on the Great Plains are few in number and often little studied and poorly reported, as they are almost always found via salvage or compliance archaeology. Of those Early Archaic sites that have been studied, rarely has the recovered debitage been analyzed in detail nor have tools been fully evaluated for use-wear. This thesis describes the lithic assemblage from the Spring Creek (25FT31) site located in southwestern Nebraska. As one of two important early sites in the state, detailed lithic analysis will complement the thorough analysis of faunal remains conducted in the 2000s. This thesis presents the …

Life In Lincoln: Deciphering The Archaeological Material Culture Of A Turn Of The 20th Century Neighborhood, Amy Neumann

Anthropology Department: Theses

In June 1999, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) conducted a two-week salvage archaeology project during the early construction phase of the Kauffman Residential Center, an honors dormitory on campus. Nineteen archaeological features were discovered and fourteen were excavated from this historically residential area covering approximately one city block. The excavated archaeological materials include a large number of glass bottles, ceramics, metal artifacts, faunal remains, and personal items dating to the turn of the 20th century.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Lincoln, Nebraska experienced substantial population growth. The city thrived on manufacturing and purchasing goods allowing the economy …

Modeling Sound In Ancient Maya Cities: Moving Towards A Synesthetic Experience Using Gis & 3d Simulation, Graham Goodwin

Anthropology Department: Theses

Digital technologies enable modeling of the potential role of sound in past environments. While digital approaches have limitations in objectively rendering reality, they provide an expanded platform that potentially increases our understanding of experience in the past and enhances the investigation of ancient landscapes. Digital technologies enable new experiences in ways that are multi-sensual and move us closer toward reconstructing holistic views of past landscapes. Archaeologists have successfully employed 2D and 3D tools to measure vision and movement within cityscapes. However, built environments are often designed to invoke synesthetic experiences that also include sound and other senses. Geographic Information Systems …

Metal And Glass: An Investigation Of Possible Historic Period Native American Sites In Wind Cave National Park, Morgan C. Beyer

Anthropology Department: Theses

The Black Hills region was one of the last areas of the American West where Native tribes were able to escape the intervention of the federal government. Because of this and the cultural ties that many Plains Indian tribes hold to the area, this region would seem to be one where non-reservation historic period Native American sites are abundant. The goals of this research were to identify markers that could be utilized by archaeologists to differentiate Native American sites and Euro American sites from the same historic time period in the Black Hills Region, positively identify the occupation of certain …

Integrative 3d Recording Methods Of Historic Architecture: Burg Hohenecken From Southwest Germany, Aaron C. Pattee

Anthropology Department: Theses

This research explores the methodology and application of photogrammetric and laser-scanning recording methods to a castle ruin, with the primary purpose of digitally preserving the castle. Both methods generated interactive 3D models via the combination of still images (photogrammetry) and precise laser measurements (laser-scanning), which were then combined into a single model. The case study is the medieval castle ruin Burg Hohenecken located in the city of Kaiserslautern in southwest Germany. The castle was active from 1212-1689, as one of over fifty castles within the region of the Pfalz. The inhabitants included the noble von Hoheneck family and various …

Meeting Halfway: Collaborative Public Outreach And Lithic Material Sourcing In The High Plains Of Nebraska, Luke R. Hittner

Anthropology Department: Theses

This master’s thesis is comprised of one technical paper and two public archaeology initiatives that support the creation of a significant digital heritage product that utilizes citizen science to further the stewardship of archaeological and historical resources. The first chapter is comprised of a methodological use of the Video Spectral Comparator 6000 and ImageJ software. The methodology explores quantitative and qualitative aspects of lithic sourcing utilizing ultraviolet light treatments on two macroscopically similar lithic material sources, Knife River Flint and White River Group Silicates. The development of a non-destructive, non-invasive method to source lithic raw materials provides a tool for …

The Use And Application Of Photogrammetry For The In-Field Documentation Of Archaeological Features: Three Case Studies From The Great Plains And Southeastern Alaska, Michael Chodoronek

Anthropology Department: Theses

This master’s thesis is comprised of two stand-alone technical papers united by a common theme. These papers explore the use and adaptation of a new software program, PhotoScan by Agisoft, and the use of non-traditional photogrammetry as a technique that should be incorporated into standard archaeological field practice. The PhotoScan program allows for rapid and accurate capture of photogrammatic information in a multitude of settings. The studies presented in this thesis were conducted between 2013 and 2015, over the course of which multiple advancements have brought the technology to new heights in the streamlined production of 3D representations of features …

Roman Baths At Antiochia Ad Cragum: A Preliminary Evaluation Of Bath Architecture As Social Signals In The Ancient Mediterranean World, Holly J. Staggs

Anthropology Department: Theses

In Rough Cilicia, monumental public architecture was built in the initial phase of the social and political formation of Asia Minor into the Roman Empire during the Imperial Period. As bathing complexes are the most abundant and diverse types of architecture in this region, it would be beneficial to analyze the role of the baths along with their importance in this new Greco-Roman society. This study will focus on two baths at the site of Antiochia ad Cragum, seating this effort in multi-level signaling theory to understand local scale patterning and revised world systems theory to understand regional scale patterning. …

An Historical Archaeological Investigation Of The Indianola Prisoner Of War Camp In Southwestern Nebraska, Allison Marie Young

Anthropology Department: Theses

Second World War military operations resulted in the capture of thousands of prisoners of war. This led to the creation of internment facilities by both the Axis and the Allies. Archaeologists have begun to examine these facilities. The United States government established a POW program with numerous camps all over the country. This study provides the results of historical archaeological research at the Indianola prisoner of war camp in southwestern Nebraska. A goal of this research is to determine if the archaeological record reflects adherence to the Geneva Convention of 1929. The investigation included archival research and archaeological fieldwork with …

An Examination Of Chipped Stone From Two Middle Holocene Archaeological Sites In The East Central Great Plains, Christine A. Nycz

Anthropology Department: Theses

This study examines aspects of movement and mobility of hunter-gatherer groups in the east central Great Plains during the Middle Holocene, between 8500 cal and 5000 cal B.P. Few published reports detail archaeological assemblages or address features of prehistoric mobility in this subregion of the Great Plains. Current research on the Great Plains emphasizes bison procurement and low regional bison mobility. This thesis presents interpretations of hunter-gatherer mobility based on examination of chipped stone assemblages from two Middle Holocene archaeological deposits (the Hill and Simonsen sites) in western Iowa. The resulting analysis demonstrates restricted hunter-gatherer mobility within this subregion, with …

Taking Archaeology To The Classroom: A Model For A Fifth Grade In-Class Fieldtrip, Tamara J. Luce

Anthropology Department: Theses

Public archaeology has grown over the last decade due to interest in the field and Cultural Resource Management requirements (Smith and Smardz 2000:25). One group that is often overlooked in outreach efforts is children.

For my thesis I designed an in-class archaeology fieldtrip for fifth grade students. The overarching goal of my program is to introduce children to the field of archaeology in an age-appropriate way that teaches basic archaeological concepts and generates interest and awareness of the field. To create the strongest program possible I conducted research on outreach programs, and surveyed public archaeologists and teachers to determine what …

The Preservation Of Archaeological Records And Photographs, Kelli Bacon

Anthropology Department: Theses

Substantive and organized research about archaeological records and photograph preservation, especially those written by and for archaeologists, are few. Although the Society for American Archaeology has a code of ethics regarding archaeological records preservation, and the federal government has regulations regarding the care and preservation of federally owned archaeological collections, there is a lack of resources. This is detrimental to archaeology because not all archaeologists, given the maturity of the discipline, understand how important it is to preserve archaeological records and photographs. Without documents and photographs from projects, irreplaceable information is lost. This thesis adds to the existing body of …

Nail Distributions As Structural Insight At The Beaver Creek Trail Crossing Site (25sw49), Seward County, Nebraska, David M. Amrine

Anthropology Department: Theses

During the 2005 and 2006 archaeological field schools headed by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, excavations were carried out at the Beaver Creek Trail Crossing Site (25SW49) in Seward County, Nebraska. These excavations recovered various kinds of artifacts including a large assemblage of nails. Using data from nails recovered from both the 2005 and 2006 field seasons, this thesis shows that the counts and spatial distributions of the machine-cut nails in the assemblage are consistent with photographs of the site taken in 1866. It also argues for the use of nails as major structural indicators when …