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Articles 1 - 30 of 517
Full-Text Articles in Anthropology
Fundamental Uncertainties Invalidate The Precision Of Obsidian Hydration Dating: A Rapa Nui Case Study, Robert Dinapoli, Carl P. Lipo
Fundamental Uncertainties Invalidate The Precision Of Obsidian Hydration Dating: A Rapa Nui Case Study, Robert Dinapoli, Carl P. Lipo
Anthropology Datasets
Obsidian hydration dating (OHD) measures water absorption into volcanic glass to estimate artifact age. Recent studies using infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (IR-PAS) claim ±30-year precision, comparable to radiocarbon dating. We tested these claims by applying Bayesian hierarchical models to 242 published IR-PAS measurements from Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Standard OHD practice treats burial temperature and humidity as known constants; we instead modeled them as uncertain variables and propagated that uncertainty through the rate equation. Realistic dating uncertainties are ±300 years, ten times larger than the claimed value. The 95% credible interval for any individual date (~600 years) exceeds Rapa Nui's entire …
Can Palm Logs Float? Evaluating The Physical Viability Of Raft Transport For Rapa Nui Moai, Carl Philipp Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
Can Palm Logs Float? Evaluating The Physical Viability Of Raft Transport For Rapa Nui Moai, Carl Philipp Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
Anthropology Datasets
Recent suggestions that palm log rafts may have transported moai statues on Rapa Nui require evaluation of whether fresh palm wood can provide sufficient buoyancy for multi-ton cargo. This analysis integrates experimental flotation tests, structural analyses of palm stem anatomy, and buoyancy calculations using modern palm analogs to reconstruct the extinct Rapa Nui palm. Fresh palm logs sink when placed in water because of their internal structure: stems consist of approximately 20% liquid by volume, contained within thousands of water-filled vascular tubes, surrounded by a thin, brittle cortex. This yields effective densities of 800-1,200 kg/m³ that approach or exceed seawater …
The Walking Moai Hypothesis: Archaeological Evidence, Experimental Validation, And Response To Critics, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt
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 …
Chronicling Language, Gender, And Sexuality Research Through Digital Text Analysis, Aidan L. Niebauer, Halie Kerns, Ruth Carpenter
Chronicling Language, Gender, And Sexuality Research Through Digital Text Analysis, Aidan L. Niebauer, Halie Kerns, Ruth Carpenter
Library Research Scholars Program Spring 2025
This project is an exploratory analysis of the field of language, gender, and sexuality using the journal Language in Society, a key publication within the fields of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. Chronicling over 50 years of scholarly research, a corpus of research will be analyzed with digital text analysis methods using Python, including topic modeling and sentiment analysis. The project aims to empirically analyze how a) notions of gender and sexuality are represented in linguistics research b) how language surrounding gender and sexuality is represented, discussed, and challenged through research, and c) how language regarding sexual and gender identity has …
Unearthing Silence: Deaf Archaeology As A Pathway To Social Justice And Accessibility, Abigail H. Steiner
Unearthing Silence: Deaf Archaeology As A Pathway To Social Justice And Accessibility, Abigail H. Steiner
Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal
Deaf archaeology is an emerging field exploring the material culture, spaces, and histories of Deaf communities to understand their social lives and identities. This paper examines Deaf archaeology as a framework for uncovering the historical presence of Deaf individuals and promoting social justice. It begins by defining deafness, contrasting medical and cultural perspectives, then traces the field’s roots in sign language evolution, marginalization, and Deaf education. Through a timeline of findings, the study reveals how Deaf individuals have been recognized or overlooked historically. Engaging with the Southern Tier Deaf community, I explore accessible archaeology and the role of Deaf archaeology …
Reassessing The Role Of Polynesian Rats (Rattus Exulans) In Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Deforestation: Faunal Evidence And Ecological Modeling, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo
Reassessing The Role Of Polynesian Rats (Rattus Exulans) In Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Deforestation: Faunal Evidence And Ecological Modeling, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo
Anthropology Datasets
The role of introduced Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) in the deforestation of Rapa Nui remains a contentious issue. Several critics, including Mieth and Bork (2010), argue that rats played a negligible role compared to human impacts. We address the role of rats through three lines of evidence: (1) a response to rats-are-neglible arguments, including problematic continental analogies and misunderstandings of seed predation impacts; (2) analysis of rat remains from Anakena excavations (1986-2005) showing that rats decreased by 93% over time, contradicting claims they served as a “fallback food” following resource depletion; and (3) ecological modeling demonstrating that introduced …
Island-Wide Characterization Of Agricultural Production Challenges The Demographic Collapse Hypothesis For Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Dylan S. Davis, Robert Dinapoli, Gina Pakarati, Carl P. Lipo
Island-Wide Characterization Of Agricultural Production Challenges The Demographic Collapse Hypothesis For Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Dylan S. Davis, Robert Dinapoli, Gina Pakarati, Carl P. Lipo
Anthropology Faculty Scholarship
Communities in resource-poor areas face health, food production, sustainability, and overall survival challenges. Consequently, they are commonly featured in global debates surrounding societal collapse. Rapa Nui (Easter Is- land) is often used as an example of how overexploitation of limited resources resulted in a catastrophic popula- tion collapse. A vital component of this narrative is that the rapid rise and fall of pre-contact Rapanui population growth rates was driven by the construction and overexploitation of once extensive rock gardens. However, the extent of island-wide rock gardening, while key for understanding food systems and demography, must be better understood. Here, we …
Island-Wide Characterization Of Agricultural Production Challenges The Demographic Collapse Hypothesis For Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Dylan Davis, Robert J. Dinapoli, Gina Pakarati, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo
Island-Wide Characterization Of Agricultural Production Challenges The Demographic Collapse Hypothesis For Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Dylan Davis, Robert J. Dinapoli, Gina Pakarati, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo
Anthropology Faculty Scholarship
Communities in resource-poor areas face health, food production, sustainability, and overall survival challenges. Consequently, they are commonly featured in global debates surrounding societal collapse. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is often used as an example of how overexploitation of limited resources resulted in a catastrophic population collapse. A vital component of this narrative is that the rapid rise and fall of pre-contact Rapanui population growth rates was driven by the construction and overexploitation of once extensive rock gardens. However, the extent of island-wide rock gardening, while key for understanding food systems and demography, must be better understood. Here, we use shortwave …
Rapid Increase Of Female But Not Male Obesity: Analysis Of The 2023 Vanuatu Health Transition Project Survey On Aneityum, Matthew Christian, Olivia Lasalle, Zhiqiao Huang, Hannah Chen, Ricky Chen, J. Koji Lum
Rapid Increase Of Female But Not Male Obesity: Analysis Of The 2023 Vanuatu Health Transition Project Survey On Aneityum, Matthew Christian, Olivia Lasalle, Zhiqiao Huang, Hannah Chen, Ricky Chen, J. Koji Lum
Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal
Globally, obesity rates are continuing to increase and countries in the midst of modernization are most vulnerable. Developing nations are undergoing a health transition alongside rapid economic modernization. The nation of Vanuatu, like other Pacific island countries, is experiencing such a transition marked by decreased cases of infectious disease and increased incidence of chronic and non-communicable diseases. Aneityum is a small and sparsely populated island in Vanuatu and is behind more developed islands in its transition. This present study is the latest in a multi-year project examining health in Vanuatu as it undergoes a health transition with an increased prevalence …
High And Dry - Contextualizing Domestic Root Cellar Drains In Southern Ontario, Anatolijs Venovcevs
High And Dry - Contextualizing Domestic Root Cellar Drains In Southern Ontario, Anatolijs Venovcevs
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The subterranean root cellar is the quintessential feature of rural nineteenth-century archaeological sites in Ontario and much archaeological, historical, and architectural research on rural farmsteads has focused on defining and understanding these structures. However, this work has neglected an important component of this feature – the root cellar drain. This paper contextualizes these features within their broader nineteenth-century ideals of drainage and goes on to tackle the topic with the use of statistical analysis on the associated geographical, social, and economic attributes. The discussion presents opportunities that are present from the vast quantities of historical sites that have been excavated …
Unearthing The Ancient Metropolis: Perth Amboy's Clark-Watson Site, Richard F. Veit
Unearthing The Ancient Metropolis: Perth Amboy's Clark-Watson Site, Richard F. Veit
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This Clark-Watson Site in Perth Amboy, New Jersey is one of the richest early colonial sites in the state. It is named for two early property owners: Benjamin Clark a Scottish stationer and bookseller who moved to New Jersey in 1683 and John Watson (1685-1768), a noted 18th-century artist. Excavations at the site by William Pavlovsky unearthed an extraordinary collection of colonial artifacts. The archaeological assemblage provides an unparalleled glimpse into the material life of settlers in Perth Amboy during a period when the city aspired to be a center of international trade and was competing directly and …
Forgotten Places In Political Spaces, Lisa K. Rankin, Peter G. Ramsden
Forgotten Places In Political Spaces, Lisa K. Rankin, Peter G. Ramsden
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The way in which many people, perhaps particularly those in secure and affluent circumstances, view their ancestry and heritage, and display it to others, is often a matter of pride. In some contexts, however, the identification of ‘ancestors’ and ‘heritage’ can have critically important - and sometimes dire - political, social and spiritual ramifications. Here we examine examples in which archaeological and/or historical evidence points to a distancing or ‘active forgetting’ of ancestors and places associated with them. The motives for creating these ‘forgotten places’ are diverse and might include a fear of ‘ghosts’ or death, the desire to project …
An Inconvenient Corpse: Settler Adaptation To Winter Death And Burial Through Structural And Oral History, Robyn S. Lacy
An Inconvenient Corpse: Settler Adaptation To Winter Death And Burial Through Structural And Oral History, Robyn S. Lacy
Northeast Historical Archaeology
While the archaeology of death and burial is a popular avenue of research, considerations for burial practices during winter months in northerly climates when temperatures regularly drop below 0°C / 32°F aren’t regularly considered. Excavations in search of the early 17th-century burials associated with Sir George Calvert’s English colony in Ferryland, Newfoundland considered different options for winter body disposal. While burial on land presented the most plausible option in the colonial period, deaths during the winter would have posed a problem for settlers. With limited options for digging in frozen ground, the storage of dead bodies during the …
Cod Fish And Cooking Pots: Research On Trade Routes Of The French North Atlantic, Mallory Champagne, Catherine Losier
Cod Fish And Cooking Pots: Research On Trade Routes Of The French North Atlantic, Mallory Champagne, Catherine Losier
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The materiality of the French occupation at Anse à Bertrand, Saint-Pierre has been documented over three years of excavation to understand the commercial routes that provisioned the fisherman who inhabited the point from 1763 to 1815. By comparing the ceramics from that occupation to the temporally similar Habitation Crève Coeur in Martinique, the trade routes that connect France’s colonial territories can be further understood, highlighting the vitality of these labour forces to the French empire.
A Material History Of The Early Eighteenth-Century Cod Fishery In Canso, Nova Scotia, Adrian Lk Morrison
A Material History Of The Early Eighteenth-Century Cod Fishery In Canso, Nova Scotia, Adrian Lk Morrison
Northeast Historical Archaeology
In the early eighteenth century, Canso, Nova Scotia housed an influential Anglo-American fishing and trading community with far-reaching connections across Europe and the Americas. The islands were inhabited by a small permanent population joined each year by hundreds of migratory workers who established seasonal operations along their shores. Despite high hopes for long-term development, success would be short lived. Canso was a volatile space: the islands were contested territory and existed within a tense and turbulent frontier. The settlement was attacked multiple times and was destroyed in 1744. This paper draws upon new research and previous archaeological studies to discuss …
Transatlantic Traditions: The History Of Welsh Quarrying And Its Connections To Newfoundland Slate, Alexa D. Spiwak, Johanna Cole
Transatlantic Traditions: The History Of Welsh Quarrying And Its Connections To Newfoundland Slate, Alexa D. Spiwak, Johanna Cole
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Previous archaeological investigations have conclusively shown that the presence of Welshmen has co-occurred with the practice of local slate quarrying in Newfoundland since the early colonial ventures of the 17th century. The island experienced a resurgence in Welsh culture in the 19th century when a number of small slate quarries were established overlooking both the Bay of Islands on the west coast and Smith Sound in Trinity Bay. The following article outlines the history of these 19th-century Newfoundland quarries, as well as the social, political and economic factors which encouraged the migration of Welsh quarrymen across the Atlantic to remote …
Inuit Land Use Patterns In The Hopedale Region, Deirdre A. Elliott
Inuit Land Use Patterns In The Hopedale Region, Deirdre A. Elliott
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This paper presents preliminary insights from an exploratory archaeological survey of the Hopedale region, Nunatsiavut. Despite its continued importance — from the 17th century as an Inuit whaling community — to the late 18th century with one of Labrador’s first Moravian missions, to today as the seat of the Nunatsiavut government, Hopedale has seen relatively little archaeological activity since the 1930s, and most of the islands and bays near the town had never been surveyed. A brief survey in the summer of 2018 recorded nearly 30 prehistoric, historic, and ethnographic sites, affirming the Labrador Inuit Association’s 1977 statement– “Our footprints …
Introduction, Barry Gaulton
Editor's Introduction, Maria O'Donovan
Editor's Introduction, Maria O'Donovan
Northeast Historical Archaeology
No abstract provided.
Strange Windows From Early Maryland, Henry Miller
Strange Windows From Early Maryland, Henry Miller
Northeast Historical Archaeology
No abstract provided.
A Bone To Pick: An Unusual Tableware From The Victorian Era, Patricia M. Samford
A Bone To Pick: An Unusual Tableware From The Victorian Era, Patricia M. Samford
Northeast Historical Archaeology
No abstract provided.
Historical Accounts Of Forgotten Stone-Heaping Practices On Nineteenth-Century Hill Farms, Timothy Ives
Historical Accounts Of Forgotten Stone-Heaping Practices On Nineteenth-Century Hill Farms, Timothy Ives
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This article offers a modest contribution to the ongoing debate among archaeologists, Native American cultural authorities, and avocational researchers concerning the historical origins of the stone-heap sites commonly found in New England’s forested hills. The author’s recent review of historical periodicals, mainly newspapers and agricultural journals, yielded many previously unknown references to farmers constructing stone heaps by hand in working fields and pastures. Popular perceptions of this apparently widespread phenomenon varied. While stone heaping provided opportunities for both young and old family members to prove their worth, some ideologically progressive farmers expressed a strong distain for the practice. By the …
Commentary On The History Of Public Archaeology At Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Marley R. Brown Iii
Commentary On The History Of Public Archaeology At Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Marley R. Brown Iii
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This commentary reflects on the ways Strawbery Banke Museum archaeology was affected by, and in turn, influenced the field of historical archaeology. It can be argued that in the late 1960s urban historical archaeology got its start in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The stories and narrative histories told in these articles are essential to the success of the Strawbery Banke archaeology program, as they reach to the heart of the importance the Portsmouth community attaches to this place. The process of community building has always been at work in Portsmouth and has been what makes Strawbery Banke the museum that it …
Intern To Interpretation: A Take On Public Archaeology At Strawbery Banke, Elizabeth Donison
Intern To Interpretation: A Take On Public Archaeology At Strawbery Banke, Elizabeth Donison
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Interning at Strawbery Banke Museum offers a unique and important experience. While providing insight into museum archaeology, public archaeology also plays an important role in interpreting sites. Planned work at the Penhallow House through the Heritage House Program was the reason for excavating and holding a field school in 2016 and 2017. The intern acts as the teaching assistant for the field-school students, a position that offers an advanced research and leadership opportunity for students with prior experience. Field-school participants are of various ages and backgrounds, making it pertinent to emphasize the archaeology department’s role in transmitting Portsmouth and New …
#Sbmarch: Museum Archaeology In The 2010, Alexandra G. Martin
#Sbmarch: Museum Archaeology In The 2010, Alexandra G. Martin
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The Strawbery Banke Museum archaeology department moved in with the collections department after the construction of a new Collections Center building in 2007. The department has made new use of tools, such as an online artifact database; electromagnetometry, which helped locate a turn of the 20th-century mikveh excavated in 2014; and GIS, which offers a new approach to site-wide analysis of the many excavations across the campus. Recent archaeological efforts have concentrated on work related to the museum’s Heritage House Program, intended to rehabilitate buildings for interpretive and rental spaces. Ongoing work at historical house sites has meant that the …
Archaeological Research Opportunities And Contributions At The Chase House Site, Sheila Charles, Alexandra G. Martin
Archaeological Research Opportunities And Contributions At The Chase House Site, Sheila Charles, Alexandra G. Martin
Northeast Historical Archaeology
Between 2008 and 2014, Strawbery Banke’s excavation efforts were focused on the south and east yards of the Chase House (SB26). Although the extant 1762 Chase House was the first restored building opened at Strawbery Banke, no archaeological research had previously been done there. Possible relocation of an historical barn to the site drew attention to the need to investigate the Chase House property in order to gather information about a former kitchen ell, outbuilding, and privy on the site. Analysis of the standing structure, historical documents, and archaeological features, deposits, and recovered artifacts expand the museum’s interpretation of the …
Tides Of Public Archaeology: Reseeding The Banke, 1985–2006, Martha Pinello
Tides Of Public Archaeology: Reseeding The Banke, 1985–2006, Martha Pinello
Northeast Historical Archaeology
In the late 20th century, archaeological botanical and ethnobotanical studies supported Strawbery Banke Museum’s interpretations of reconstructed landscapes. Curatorial and archaeological research expanded the comparative study collections of ceramics, glass, and personal-adornment artifacts, and encouraged decorative- arts scholars and archaeologists to use the collections for their research, publication, and programming. Field schools, study groups, and rotating archaeological exhibits were created annually to communicate current research. Internships, summer camps, and school programs introduced the public to archaeology and the diverse history of members of the waterfront community. With the commitment of the curators and the museum director, the program was staffed …
Death And Rebirth Of Public Archaeology At Strawbery Banke, 1970–1985, Steven R. Pendery
Death And Rebirth Of Public Archaeology At Strawbery Banke, 1970–1985, Steven R. Pendery
Northeast Historical Archaeology
For nearly a half-century, Strawbery Banke’s archaeology program has contributed to and benefited from major trends in American urban archaeology. During the 1960s this outdoor museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was a focal point for radically different approaches to the study of urban landfill by Roland Robbins and Daniel Ingersoll, at a time when landfill was largely neglected. Strawbery Banke also explored the variable practices of contracted and academic archaeology and realized early on that neither approach produced an enduring legacy of public engagement. In 1975 the museum experimented with retaining a resident archaeologist and soon committed to construction of …
Early Urban Archaeology At Strawbery Banke Museum, Daniel Ingersoll
Early Urban Archaeology At Strawbery Banke Museum, Daniel Ingersoll
Northeast Historical Archaeology
This article describes my personal experiences of doing archaeological field work and documentary research in 1968 and 1969 at Strawbery Banke, building on the 1966 work of Roland Robbins. Discussed are the sources of grant support, the field crew, the research team, how the excavations of the waterway were conducted, and how data types as diverse as, to name a few artifacts, architecture, deeds, maps, photographs, and floral, faunal, and soil samples were handled. The end results included archaeological collections for Strawbery Banke from Puddle Dock, a Ph.D. dissertation, and several meeting papers and articles.
Introduction, Alexandra G. Martin
Introduction, Alexandra G. Martin
Northeast Historical Archaeology
The articles in this issue were originally presented at the annual Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology meeting held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in November 2017. Professional archaeologists from each decade of Strawbery Banke’s institutional history reflected on their experiences. Since the 1960s, the museum has made archaeology an important part of efforts to interpret history, educate visitors, and engage the public. Strawbery Banke is considered “one of the best urban archaeological sites in America” (Starbuck 2006: 109), and the many professional archaeologists employed by the museum have contributed to Portsmouth’s recognition as “one of the richest resources for historical archaeology …