Anthropology Commons^™

Anthropology 220: Field Archaeology, Erin Riggs

Anthropology Courses

This is a sample syllabus for Anthropology 220: Archaeological Field Methods, conducted during the Summer 2017 term at Parkland College. The course provides students with hands-on experiences with real skills employed by professional archaeologists. Student projects were conducted at Allerton Park in Monticello, Illinois, and focused on the historical Robert Allerton period of the site (early 20th century). A culminating activity shifted to prehistoric culture with an on-site dig.

Innovation Through Large-Scale Integration Of Legacy Records: Assessing The “Value Added” In Cultural Heritage Resources, Carrie Heitman, Worthy Martin, Stephen Plog

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Using the Chaco Research Archive (CRA) as a case study, in this article, we discuss the spectrum of intellectual decisions: conceptualization, design, and development, required to make legacy records (accumulated over many years through numerous archaeological expeditions) publicly accessible. Intellectual and operational choices permeated the design and implementation of the digital architecture to provide internet access to the vast information structures inherent in legacy records for the cultural heritage of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. We explore how an expansive but focused repository can enable opportunities for research and foster communities of co-creation. We also use the CRA as a case …

Legacy - June 2017, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Magazine - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

Revisit of Excavations at Spanish Mount Point.....p. 1
Director's Notes.....p. 2
Unloading Loaded Cannons Jettisoned from the CSS Pee Dee.....p. 4
The Dorchester Waterfront Report.....p. 10
Retirement of Joseph M. Beatty, III.....p. 12
The White Pond Human Paleoecology Project.....p. 14
The Broad River Archaeological Field School: Season 1.....p. 18
South Carolina Archaeology Book.....p. 21
ART/SCIAA Donors Update January 2016-June 2017.....p. 22
Please Support the New Stanley South Student Archaeological Research Endowment Fund.....p. 24

Environmental Diversity And Resource Use In The Salton Basin Of The Colorado Desert, Lindsay A. Porras

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Prehistoric life in the Colorado Desert endured a variety of environmental extremes. Episodic flooding and shifts in the course of the Colorado River resulted in the infilling of the Salton Basin and created a large freshwater lake known as Lake Cahuilla. Settlement along the different segments of the lakeshore is considered variable and may reflect accessibility to nearby viable resources. Remains from archaeological excavations at lakeshore sites show that lacustrine resources and fishing opportunities attracted prehistoric groups to the ancient lake. How prehistoric groups organized themselves and utilized lakeshore and nearby resources offer opportunities to explore the subsistence and mobility …

Bivalve Stories And Snail Tales: Reconstructing The Late Archaic Environment At The Tomoka Complex, Northeast Florida, Steven R. England

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Mollusks inhabit specific ecological niches and can be used as proxies for past environmental conditions. Changes in the composition of molluscan assemblages register changing ecological conditions and offer an opportunity to examine human responses to environmental change. This paper presents the preliminary analysis molluscan species from the Late Archaic Tomoka Complex in Northeast Florida. Changes in the species composition and frequency of mollusks coupled with the available radiometric assays are used to reconstruct the environmental conditions during the occupation of the Tomoka Complex and, importantly, the environmental conditions attending Late Archaic mortuary mound construction.

A Catch 22 Of 3d Data Sustainability: Lessons In 3d Archaeological Data Management & Accessibility, Heather Richards-Rissetto, Jennifer Von Schwerin

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Archaeologists can now collect an inordinate amount of 3D data. But are these 3D data sustainable? Are they being managed to make them accessible? The MayaArch3D Project researched and addressed these questions by applying best practices to build four prototype tools to store, manage, visualize, and analyze multi-resolution, geo-referenced 3D models in a web-based environment. While the technical aspects of these tools have been published, this position paper addresses a catch 22 that we, as archaeologists, encounter in the field of 3D archaeology – one that formed the initial impetus for the MayaArch3D Project: that is, while the quantity of …

Public Ritual Sacrifice As A Controlling Mechanism For The Aztec, Madeline Nicholson

Honors Scholar Theses

For decades, archaeologists have researched the fascinating finds of Aztec sacrifice. Evidence of their sacrifices are seen on temple walls, stone carvings, bones, and in Spanish chronicler drawings. Although public ritual sacrifice was practiced before the Aztecs, with evidence from the Olmec civilization (1200-1300 BCE) and Maya (200-900 BCE), Aztec sacrifices are among the most extensively documented. How does such a practice survive in different civilizations through different rulers? This thesis will analyze the phases of Aztec public ritual sacrifice (specifically the location, length, and number of sacrifices) and the close relationship to their origin myths, or founding stories. It …

The Diet And Subsistence Methods Of The Maya: Their Health And Cultural Consequences From The Pre-Classic Era To Today, Rachel E. Watson

Honors Undergraduate

The Maya, a once great civilization, seemingly vanished without an obvious reason, before the Spanish landed in the region. Some say that their downfall was a result of famine and inadequate nutrition. Surprisingly, most of the archaeological evidence surrounding the Classic Maya diet and subsistence methods indicates that they both adequately sustained the population to the point where there has been practically no change over hundreds of years. Change did not occur to the Maya diet or the classic subsistence methods until the late twentieth century when the tourism industry exploded in the area of the former Maya empire. The …

Here There Be Herders: Comparative Archaeological Survey Of Bronze Age Monumental Landscapes, Charles Ronkos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Within our global understanding of the human story, nomadic pastoralists are often featured as marginal, or at best ancillary, to a narrative on sedentary civilizations of increasing complexity. Research on these groups has been limited by this conception, and by a minimal signature in the archeological record. However, revolutionary technological and methodological advances in the field have allowed for increased complexity in current research on the emergence of pastoralists in antiquity. As a region with an extensive nomadic pastoral history, and as a nation reviving its interest in the past, Mongolia is ideal for such studies. However, for large swaths …

Continuity And Change In Puebloan Ritual Practice: 3,800 Years Of Shrine Use In The North American Southwest, Phil R. Geib, Carrie Heitman, Ronald C.D. Fields

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Radiocarbon dates on artifacts from a Puebloan shrine in New Mexico reveal a persistence in ritual practice for some 3,800 years. The dates indicate that the shrine had become an important location for ceremonial observances related to warfare by almost 2000 cal. B.C., coinciding with the time when food production was first practiced in the Southwest. The shrine exhibits continuity of ritual behavior, something that Puebloans may find unsurprising, but also changes in the artifacts deposited that indicate new technology, transformations of belief, and perhaps shifting cultural boundaries. After briefly describing this shrine, we discuss some of the artifacts that …

An Iterative 3d Gis Analysis Of The Role Of Visibility In Ancient Maya Landscapes: A Case Study From Copan, Honduras, Heather Richards-Rissetto

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

For several decades, Geographic Information Systems (GISs) have held center stage in archaeological studies of ancient landscapes. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) technologies such as airborne LiDAR and aerial photogrammetry are allowing us to acquire inordinate amounts of georeferenced 3D data to locate, map, and visualize archaeological sites within their surrounding landscapes. GIS offers locational precision, data overlay, and complex spatial analysis. Three-dimensionality adds a ground-based perspective lacking in two-dimensional GIS maps to provide archaeologists a sense of mass and space more closely attuned with human perception. This article uses comparative and iterative approaches ‘tacking back and forth’ between GIS and 3D …

Book Review: Eating In The Side Room: Food, Archaeology, And African American Identity, By Mark S. Warner, Stéphane Noël

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Eating in the Side Room: Food, Archaeology, and African American Identity, by Mark S. Warner, 2015, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 208 pages, black and white illustrations, references, index, $74.95 (cloth).

“A Mere Matter Of Marching”: Us Soldiers On The Niagara Frontier During The War Of 1812, Susan E. Maguire

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The Niagara Frontier was as a primary location for the battles of the War of 1812. Old Fort Niagara, located at the mouth of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, served as a headquarters for both the Americans and the British military during the war. Archaeological excavations of a soldiers’ barracks at the fort revealed important material evidence for these occupations. This article reviews the ceramics, gun flints, military buttons, and a cap plate recovered from excavations in the summers of 2011 and 2013. This research seeks to distinguish between the American and British occupations of the fort and to …

Variability In Militia And Regular Army Refuse Disposal Patterns At Fort Meigs: A Fortified War Of 1812 Encampment On The Maumee River In Northern Ohio, John Nass Jr.

Northeast Historical Archaeology

During the fall of 1812, Fort Meigs was built on a bluff along the south side of the Maumee River, Ohio, to serve as a forward supply base and to provide protection to the expeditionary force preparing to advance against Fort Malden. The completed fortification included batteries, blockhouses, and a connecting parapet and palisade. Three groups of Americans (federal army, militia, and volunteers) resided at Fort Meigs during its construction, usage as a base camp and forward-supply depot, and its defense. Members of these groups came from a range of socioeconomic classes. This article seeks to elucidate any qualitative differences …

Protecting The Upper Chesapeake Bay: Fort Hollingsworth (1813-1815), Elk River, Cecil County, Maryland, James G. Gibb, William E. Stephens, Peter C. Quantock, Daniel G. Coates, Ralph Eshelman

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Fort Hollingsworth, erected in April 1813 by the citizens of Cecil County, Maryland, was a small breastwork that protected the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Bay and the “backdoor” to Philadelphia during the War of 1812. Fort Hollingsworth saw brief action in 1814. After the war, it was demolished and the land returned to farming. Geophysical surveying, exploratory soil borings, detailed topographic mapping, and focused excavation conducted by the Archeological Society of Maryland convincingly and economically identified the footprint of Fort Hollingsworth. Methodological considerations are here coupled with a discussion of vernacular fortifications and the implications that unconventional fortifications have …

Finding Cantonment Saranac: The Search For Col. Zebulon Pike’S 1812-1813 Winter Cantonment In Plattsburgh, New York, Timothy J. Abel

Northeast Historical Archaeology

From 2011 to 2013, archaeologists, students and volunteers conducted survey and excavation of the Zagreb site, near Plattsburgh, NY, in an effort to associate it with the enigmatic Cantonment Saranac— Col. Zebulon Pike’s winter cantonment of 1812–1813. Missing for over a century, local historians had tried unsuccessfully to establish its location based on archival descriptions. Until 2011, archaeological evidence from the site was entirely lacking. Using metal detection, the current project has successfully linked the historical to the actual, providing a unique glimpse into events of the early War of 1812 period in the Champlain Valley.

The Sunken Vessels Of Chauncey And Yeo In Lake Ontario, Ben Ford

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Naval power was central to controlling the Great Lakes and, by extension, the interior of North America during the War of 1812. On Lake Ontario, the naval conflict took the form of an arms race with virtually no actual engagements. As a result, few vessels were lost during the war. With the signing of the Rush-Bagot Agreement, however, both belligerents sold vessels and put others in storage, resulting in the wrecks of lost or abandoned war vessels all over the lake. Many of these vessels have been located and studied over the last century. This paper reviews the vessels that …

The Many Faces Of Fort George National Historic Site Of Canada: Insights Into A Historic Fort’S Transformation, Barbara Leskovec

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Fort George National Historic Site of Canada is situated in the picturesque town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Constructed by the British following the capitulation of Fort Niagara, Fort George is of national historic significance because it served as the Headquarters of the Central Division of the British Army, and played a crucial role in the defence of Upper Canada during the War of 1812. Archaeological investigations in the last 50 years have shed light on the fort’s early structures and modifications. In 2009, funding allocated through the Federal Economic Action Plan provided an opportunity to further explore the fort’s historic …

Geospatial Data On Parade: The Results And Implications Of The Gis Analysis Of Remote Sensing And Archaeological Excavation Data At Fort York’S Central Parade Ground, Anatolijs Venovcevs, Blake Williams, John Dunlop, Daniel Kellogg

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This article presents a case study on the application of geographical information systems (GIS) in the context of military archaeology at the Fort York National Historic Site (AjGu-26) in Toronto, Ontario. By employing GIS to amalgamate data from historic mapping, ground penetrating radar, LiDAR, and 30 years of archaeological investigation, the authors reconstruct the historic landscape at the central parade ground of this national historic site. In doing so, they identify the remains of an early 19th-century vice-regal building that served as the official residence of the lieutenant governors of Upper Canada before the American forces burned it down in …

Occupied By The Enemy: The Skirmishes At The Butler Farm During The War Of 1812, Eva Macdonald, Brian Narhi

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The American army landed near the mouth of Two Mile Creek on 27 May 1813 to continue its campaign on British territory, with an eye to capturing Fort George in present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Americans established one of their piquets at the residence of Johnson Butler, whose father, Colonel John Butler, oversaw the Loyalist settlement of Niagara in the 1780s. The Butler farm became the location of three skirmishes between the Americans and British that took place during the summer and fall of 1813, and, ultimately, the Butler house was destroyed when the Americans surrendered Fort George and retreated from Niagara …

Redan Battery And The Battle Of Queenston Heights, Suzanne Plousos

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The Battle of Queenston Heights bears great significance for Canadian War of 1812 enthusiasts. This victory cemented Niagara Loyalists’ sympathy for the British cause and inspired militia units to stand against the American invasion of Upper Canada. When Major General Isaac Brock fell leading a desperate charge to retake Redan Battery, he gave Canadians an exemplary hero. Even today, the monument honoring Brock towers over the landscape, denoting the significance of the Battle of Queenston Heights in forging a new sense of Canadian identity. Throughout this historic engagement, Redan Battery played a pivotal role in the action for both American …

Provincial Marine To Royal Navy: Archaeological Evidence Of The War Of 1812 At Kingston’S Naval Dockyard, Susan M. Bazely

Northeast Historical Archaeology

The naval dockyard at Kingston, established in the 1790s, was arguably the most important physical representation of the War of 1812 in Upper Canada. Its evolution of structures and facilities, the people who worked and lived in and around it, and the material remains they left behind are symbolic of the war effort within the community of Kingston. Prior to, during, and immediately after the war, the peninsula of Point Frederick, on which the dockyard was situated, became a thriving “village” populated by hundreds of people. Although historical research on the dockyard has been conducted throughout much of the 20th …

What We Have Learned: A Retrospective On Parks Canada War Of 1812 Military Sites Archaeology, Joseph H. Last

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Over the past five decades, Parks Canada archaeology has advanced the understanding of War of 1812 sites in Ontario. Delineation of the original 1796 traces at Fort George and Fort Malden provide enhanced appreciation of their transformation from defensible supply stations to works of greater strength. Investigations at Forts Mississauga, Henry, and Wellington illustrate how British Royal Engineers rethought defense, varying designs as the war progressed. Fort Wellington also demonstrates British engineers willingness to stray from Vauban-influenced systems by adopting the bastion-less trace in their later works. Excavations at Fort George illustrate American use of entrenchments as an expedient means …

Introduction: Crossing Borders During The War Of 1812, Susan E. Maguire

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Editor's introduction to the special issue on the War of 1812.

Archaeological Survey At I.B. Magee Park, Port Aransas, Nueces County, Texas, Jennifer Hatchett Kimbell

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In April 2017, archaeologists from Coastal Environments, Inc. (CEI) conducted intensive archaeological survey with shovel testing in accordance with Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA) and Texas Historical Commission (THC) guidelines on approximately 131 acres of land at I.B. Magee Park for the Nueces County Coastal Parks System in advance of proposed improvements to the park. The park is located along the shoreline in Port Aransas, Texas at the northern end of Mustang Island, immediately south of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, also known as Aransas Pass.

Because the proposed improvements may result …

Intensive Archaeological Survey Of Portions Of The Proposed Sand Hills Loop Phase I Pipeline, Reagan And Crockett Counties, Texas, Susan E. Butler, Todd L. Butler

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

On behalf of DCP Sand Hills Pipeline, LLC (DCP), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive archaeological survey of portions of the proposed Sand Hills Loop Phase I Pipeline in Reagan and Crockett counties, Texas. Approximately 26 miles of the pipeline (“project”) crosses through land owned by the University of Texas (UT). The majority of the proposed alignment has been previously investigated by Turpin and Sons, Inc. in 2011. As such, only portions of the alignment that deviate outside the 2011 survey corridor were investigated, as well as portions which cross or are adjacent to (within 300 feet) sites that …

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey For The Shell Connection Project Loving County, Texas, Ben Fullerton

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

EnLink Midstream contracted with HDR Engineering, Inc. (HDR) to conduct an intensive cultural resources survey for the Shell Connection Project. The proposed project consists of the construction of approximately nine miles (14.5 kilometers [km]) of pipeline within a 150-foot (ft) (45.7-meter [m]) wide right-of-way (ROW), extending from the Shell University Compressor Station to the Lobo II Plant, in Loving County, Texas. The southern approximate 4.3 miles (6.9 km) of the proposed pipeline falls within Texas public university lands (University Lands) owned by the State of Texas. Therefore, the proposed developments on University Lands are required to be in compliance with …

Intensive Archeological Survey Of Fm 1488 From Existing Fm 1488 West Of Magnolia To Proposed Sh 249 Montgomery County, Texas, Brett Lang

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Houston District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposes to construct a new roadway on primarily undeveloped land around the north side of the City of Magnolia in Montgomery County, Texas. The proposed roadway will be the Farm-to-Market (FM) 1488 Magnolia Relief Route extending from the existing FM 1488 west of Magnolia to the proposed State Highway (SH) 249 east of Magnolia. The proposed project would be approximately 5.4 miles (8.7 kilometers) in length. The proposed roadway will consist of four lanes, two in each direction, separated by a median. This project will also include grade-separated overpasses at …

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey Of Proposed Improvements To Farm-To-Market Road 16 From 4.0 Miles West Of Farm-To-Market Road 849, East To United States Highway 69, Smith County, Texas, Dan Rodriguez, Mary Rodriguez, Brandon S. Young

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

At the request of Arredondo, Zepeda, & Brunz, LLC (ABZ), and on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Tyler District, SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of proposed improvements (i.e., widening the existing two-lane road) to approximately 23,232.08 linear feet (4.4 miles) of Farm-to-Market Road (FM) 16 from 4.0 miles west of FM 849 east to U.S. Highway 69 (US 69) in Lindale, Smith County, Texas (CSJ: 0522-04-032). The project would consist of widening FM 16 within existing and proposed right-of-way (ROW). The proposed project includes approximately 39.1 acres of existing FM 16 ROW, …

Archeological Survey Of The Fm 723 Expansion Project From Avenue D To Fm 1093, Fort Bend County, Texas, Bruce A. Darnell, Julian A. Sitters, Heath Bentley, Amma Terra

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In June 2015, AmaTerra Environmental, Inc. began an intensive archeological survey for the Farm-toMarket (FM) 723 expansion project, north of the City of Rosenberg, Fort Bend County, Texas (CSJ# 0188-09-040). Work was delayed due to a lack of right-of-entry (ROE) into portions of the project area. After ROE was granted, archaeological survey was completed in late August of 2017. The total project length is approximately 9.3 miles, or about 228.11 acres, of which 97.9 acres are proposed new Rightof-Way (ROW). AmaTerra conducted the archeological survey under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 7293.

Archeological investigations consisted of a pedestrian survey, the manual …