Anthropology Commons^™

Cultural Resources Survey Of The Proposed 137-Acre Grantwood Park, Harris County, Texas, Todd Mcmakin

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

Stone Point Services completed a cultural resources survey for a proposed 55-hectare (137-acre) county park in Cypress, Texas. The study area consists of an irregularly shaped former subdivision located southwest of Grant Road in Cypress, Texas. The project area is primarily wooded with mature oaks and pines mixed with a few ornamental trees and is bounded to the northwest by Cypress Creek. Field investigations were conducted between July 27 and July 28, 2017. Survey methods included a pedestrian archaeological survey with shovel testing. In total, 117 shovel tests were excavated within the survey area, representing one shovel test per 1.2-acres, …

Archaeological Investigations At Travis Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Antonia L. Figueroa

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

In February 2014 and under contracted with the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department (SAPRD), the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological investigations prior to improvements within Travis Park in central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. Given the historic significance of the park, the CAR focused investigations in areas slated for subsurface impacts as well as the monitoring of some improvementsrelated activities. The investigations were carried out under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 6779 with Dr. Steve Tomka serving as the Principal Investigator; however, Dr. Raymond Mauldin took over the role …

Archaeological Testing Of Site 41bx6, The Alamo, City Of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Nesta J. Anderson, Kristi Miller Nichols, Steve Tomka, Clinton Mckenzie, Alamea N. Young, Melanie Nichols, Mary Jo Galindo, P. Shawn Marceaux, Jose Zapata, Jason Perez, Sarah Wigley

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

In support of the Alamo Master Plan, Preservation Design Partnership (PDP) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hired Pape-Dawson Engineers along with subconsultants Raba-Kistner Environmental Consultants (RKEI) and the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas-San Antonio (CAR) to lead an archaeological effort at the west and south walls of the Alamo (41BX6). This effort was designed to build upon previous work at the Alamo in order to answer several research questions the Master Plan team has about the compound boundaries and previous living surfaces. These questions, included in the research design for the Texas Antiquities Permit application, have been refined …

Cultural Resource Survey Del Valle Isd Ivy Berdoll 53 Acre Tract Travis County, Texas, Billy D. Turner

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

During late September 2017, Turpin and Sons Inc. (TAS) conducted a cultural resource survey of the Ivy Berdoll 53-acre tract in southeast Travis County, Texas for Kleinfelder, acting as agents for Del Valle ISD. The survey tract is located north of Del Valle High School, south of State Highway 71 and east of Ross Road. The work was conducted by TAS staff Billy Turner and Terry Burgess, under the authority of Texas Antiquities Permit 8168 with Dr. Jeff Turpin acting as Principal Investigator. Modern land use is hilly pastureland that has been actively farmed since the 1930’s. Survey was conducted …

Cave Winch: When A Looter's Tool Becomes An Artifact, Robert Z. Selden Jr., J Javi Vasquez

CRHR: Archaeology

As an archaeologist, it is often difficult to empathize with looters and collectors, but we would like to ask that you put aside any pre-conceived notions of judgment as we consider the question: when does a looter’s tool become an artifact? For the two of us, this particular dialogue began in the summer of 2013 on an excavation at Sierra Diablo Cave in western Texas. In that cave was a winch that we assume was constructed on or near the site as a tool for excavating deposits near the rear of the cave.

The Index Of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature From The Lone Star State, Robert Z. Selden Jr., C. Britt Bousman

CRHR: Archaeology

Cultural resources management (CRM) reports represent a rapidly growing proportion of our knowledge associated with archaeological undertakings in the United States. Historically, these reports were printed in limited numbers and distributed to a few libraries and individuals, and few were distributed beyond the political boundaries of any given state. Libraries on the distribution list are reticent to allow patrons to check out these reports due to the fact that they have—and will only ever have—a single copy. Late in 2009, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) permitting guidelines for CRM reports were updated, requiring CRM contractors to submit a digital copy …

Wagons, Trains, Trucks, And Bottles: Transportation Networks And Commodity Access In Castroville, Texas, Kellam Throgmorton

Anthropology Student Scholarship

The premise of this paper is that changing modes of transportation significantly affected how residents of Castroville, Texas, acquired commodities, which in turn influenced how they expressed particular ethnic, regional, and class identities through consumption. Castroville residents lived (and continue to live) within a broader world system of commodity exchange. As we strive to understand how identities are reflected in and co-created through the objects we surround ourselves with, it is important to remember that economic relations that extend well beyond the local can structure a community’s access to commodities. Geographic space becomes a meaningful variable when we think about …

A Formal Study Of Applied Ancient Water Management Techniques In The Present Water Crisis, Jesann M. Gonzalez Cruz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Many areas of the world are experiencing the effects of the water crisis. The water crisis is a widespread phenomenon whereby many regions are experiencing a shortage of water, lacking access to clean potable water. This study uses existing literature to examine the ways in which the ecological knowledge of ancient civilizations can be applied to modern water management in attempt to address the current water crisis. The literature reviewed for this study, stemming from notable books and peer reviewed journals, were published between 1882 and the present year. As part of a purposive sample, the following civilizations were chosen: …

Chunchucmil’S Urban Population, Scott R. Hutson, Aline Magnoni, Traci Ardren, Chelsea Blackmore, Travis W. Stanton

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Conclusions, Scott R. Hutson

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Succotzeños And Archaeology: Long-Term Collaboration And Ideas For The Future, Leah M. Mccurdy, Rebecca Friedel, Jason Yaeger

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Publications - Archive

No abstract provided.

Ancient Maya Commerce: Multidisciplinary Research At Chunchucmil, Scott R. Hutson

Anthropology Faculty Book Gallery

Ancient Maya Commerce presents nearly two decades of multidisciplinary research at Chunchucmil, Yucatan, Mexico—a thriving Classic period Maya center organized around commercial exchange rather than agriculture. An urban center without a king and unable to sustain agrarian independence, Chunchucmil is a rare example of a Maya city in which economics, not political rituals, served as the engine of growth. Trade was the raison d’être of the city itself.

Using a variety of evidence—archaeological, botanical, geomorphological, and soil-based—contributors show how the city was a major center for both short- and long-distance trade, integrating the Guatemalan highlands, the Gulf of Mexico, and …

Editorial—Culture And Cosmos : The Marriage Of Astronomy And Culture, Volume 21, Frank Prendergast, Nicholas Campion, Liz Henty, Bernadette Brady, Darrelyn Gunzburg, Fabio Silva

Book/Book Chapter

This volume of Culture and Cosmos draws together a selection of papers delivered at the 24th annual conference of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC). The conference, titled 'The Marriage of Astronomy and Culture: Theory and Method in the Study of Cultural Astronomy', occurred between the 12th and the 16th September 2016 and was held at The Bath Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI), which has been hosting research endeavours since it foundation in 1824. SEAC 2016 combined history with the latest in twenty-first century developments and, for the very first time, was webcast to SEAC members who could …

Child Abuse In The Archaeological Context, Nicole Marie Popielarz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Children have been a widely ignored subject in archaeology so it follows that child abuse has not been studied in detail in the archaeological context. This paper combines both forensic anthropology studies and Bioarchaeological studies to see if child abuse is a modern phenomenon. Signs of both non-accidental trauma and neglect have been documented by authors in the archaeological record. The purpose of this paper will be to describe signs of both nonaccidental trauma and neglect. Then examples in archaeological studies will be reviewed. The future of the study of abuse in the archaeological context is also discussed at some …

Novicehood: Exploring Skill Level And How It Relates To Mass Analysis, Justin V. Morales

Honors College Theses

Lithic artifacts are among the most common remnants evidencing our ancestors’ intelligence and survivability. They can reflect many aspects of a culture’s practices and use of natural materials. The analysis of such remains is a mainstay of archaeology, but not all lithic analysis is the same. Analysis varies by method (mass flake analysis, individual flake analysis, etc.), and by the level of experience of the analysts themselves, creating debate on the comparability and the accuracy of each approach. This research is a case study of my effectiveness, being a novice level archaeologist, at Mass Flake analysis, using a contemporary collection …

Kinship And The Self-Organization Of Exchange In Small-Scale Societies, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

Circulation of material goods is common in small-scale societies. Even where exchange is not coordinated above the level of the household, goods produced in one area are consistently conveyed to distant settlements. Numerous ethnographic studies demonstrate that exchange transactions are common among kin, and that the circulation of goods in small-scale societies is structured by kinship ties. From an individual’s point of view, the number of kinfolk available to exchange with and where they live strongly affect access to nonlocal goods. This paper explores the interrelationships among kin networks, settlement organization, and exchange using agent-based modeling, ethnographic studies, and archaeological …

The Analysis Of Contact-Era Settlements In Clay, Lowndes, And Oktibbeha Counties In Northeast Mississippi, Emily Lee Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project is to compare the spatial distribution of sites across Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties between the Mississippi and Early Historic periods using site files from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), sites were mapped chronologically to examine change through time to investigate how people reacted to European contact and colonization. Site locations and clusters also were used to evaluate possible locations of the polities of Chicaza, Chakchiuma, and Alimamu discussed in the De Soto chronicles. Sites in Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties were chosen due to the existence of …

Archaeological Gis Analysis Of Raised Field Agriculture In The Bolivian Amazon, Thomas W. Lee

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Modern agricultural systems have been criticized for their detrimental effects on the environment and a general emphasis on crop yield rather than long-term sustainability. Traditional forms of agriculture may provide case-specific examples of sustainable alternatives for contemporary societies. In the seasonally inundated savannas of the Llanos de Mojos, pre-Columbian Indians piled earth into ‘large raised field platforms’ elevated high enough above the floodplain to allow crops to grow. Archaeological evidence indicates that raised field agriculture supported much larger populations than those found in the Beni today. The examination of satellite imagery has revealed more than 40,000 individual fields spread across …

Architectural Group Typology And Excavation Sampling Within Chunchucmil, Scott R. Hutson, Aline Magnoni, Bruce H. Dahlin

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Map Of Chunchucmil, Scott R. Hutson, Aline Magnoni

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Connections Beyond Chunchucmil, Traci Ardren, Scott R. Hutson, David R. Hixson, Justin Lowry

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Vertebrate Faunal Analysis Of The Anderson Creek Site (45kp233), Robert Holstine

All Master's Theses

The Anderson Creek archaeological site (45KP233) was excavated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in 2015, as part of a fish passage replacement project in Puget Sound. Faunal analysis of remains from this excavation was completed by the author in collaboration with Dr. Megan Partlow. Analysis documented a variety of mammal and fish remains, consisting primarily of salmon, flatfishes, deer and elk. In addition to general faunal results reported to WSDOT, I discuss bone fragmentation, herring in regional sites, and the value of 1/16” fine screen sampling and analysis. To address the last, I compared fish identifications from …

Talus Features Of The Middle Columbia River: Typological And Locational Analyses, Jeremy Ripin

All Master's Theses

The form and function of talus features of the Columbia Plateau are the subject of archaeological investigations and cultural resource evaluation and protection programs. Depressions excavated in talus slopes, most often circular to oval in shape, are called talus pits. Pit features are also located in colluvium and alluvial fans, and at the base of cliff overhangs. Over 568 of these features have been documented for 48 sites within the project area of the Priest Rapids and Wanapum reservoirs. Pits may have been used for hunting blinds, storage (food and/or equipment), burial, and/or and spirit questing. The size of pits …

Introduction: The Long Road To Maya Markets, Scott R. Hutson

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Marketing Within Chunchucmil, Scott R. Hutson, Richard E. Terry, Bruce H. Dahlin

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ancient Egyptian Figurines: An Investigation Into Manufacture, Use, And Culture., Kristina B. Donnally 2455289

UROP Posters

I will analyze the social and religious role of figurines in Egyptian society. I will delve into the differences in the figurines in both manufacture and purpose between the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. I hope to look at religious, political, and other figurines to get a broad spectrum of usage for the artifacts. The main purpose of the research is to identify the time period, purpose, and usage for the figure donated to VCU by Professor Waybright. Questions I have is if the changes in political structure and minute changes in religion between each Kingdom affected the manufacture and …

Patterns Of Enslavement And Economic Oppression Of Central Virginia, Hannah Bedwell

UROP Posters

I address how anthropologists can identify the patterns and development of slavery and economic oppression through archaeology and the visualization of Virginia enslavement. I focus on the enslaved people of James Madison's Montpelier. I use 3D modeling as a foundation for integrating enhanced visuals with the goal of presenting a tangible understanding of the enslaved individuals in relation to the artifacts and history of the archaeological sites. I intend to show a common theme in economic oppression by comparing modern themes in slavery and examining Fraser D. Neiman's synthesis of the evolutionary perspective of slavery, and how little has changed …

All Hands On Deck: The Role Of Ship Burial Reentry In The Maintenance And Construction Of Narrative In The Vendel And Viking Periods, Gina Malfatti

Senior Independent Study Theses

Reentry of ship and boat burials was a widespread practice during the Vendel, Viking, and Medieval periods. Historically this phenomenon has been attributed to looting for economic gain, but that perception has recently been challenged. Using data from ship and boat burials from across Scandinavia, I suggest trends in reentry and the most likely motivation for reentry at each burial. I use GIS maps to display these trends and motivations across different regions and statistically analyze where there are hot spots of different practices. Using Neil Price’s (2010) model for mortuary drama in Viking Age burial practices, I explore the …

Before Abandonment: Social Change In Pre-Colonial Housepit 54, Bridge River Site (Eerl4), British Columbia, Kathryn L. Bobolinski

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Housepit 54 at the Bridge River pithouse village in south-central British Columbia provides a glimpse into the complex cultural practices that occurred in this area in the past. This village, which includes approximately 80 semi-subterranean structures, was occupied during four periods, approximately 1800- 1600 cal. B.P., 1600-1300 cal. B.P., 1300-1000 cal. B.P. and 500-100 cal. B.P, firmly placing the site within both a historic and a pre-Colonial context. The two pre-Colonial floors, IIb (1288-1058 cal B.P.) and IIa (1184-1050 cal B.P.), that represent the occupation of Housepit 54 directly prior to the pre-Colonial villages abandonment are the focus of this …

Historic And Modern Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtle Stable Isotopes, Cyler Conrad, Laura Pagès Barceló, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, Calandra N. Turner Tomaszewicz, Marie J. Labonte, Brian M. Kemp, Emily Lena Jones, Michael Stoyka, Kale Bruner, Allen G. Pastron

Anthropology Datasets

Stable isotope data, specimen photographs and R script for the Gold Rush-era sea turtle specimens from San Francisco, California. The stable isotope data are saved as .csv files. R script is provided as a zip file (OQ_SeaTurtle-master.zip) created from the repository developed and hosted at https://github.com/cylerc/OQ_SeaTurtle. Note: Some stable isotope data provided during analyses are from previously published sources (see .csv files and manuscript for references). This repository dataset is described in the manuscript: Conrad, C., L. Pagès Barceló, J.A. Seminoff, C.N. Turner Tomaszewicz, M.J. Labonte, B.M. Kemp, E.L. Jones, M. Stoyka, K. Bruner and A.G. Pastron. in press. …