Archaeological Anthropology Commons^™

The Nature Of Things: An Investigation Into A Viking Age Assembly Site, Tyler L. Perkins

Graduate Masters Theses

Icelandic sagas and archaeological research suggest that Viking Age Icelandic assembly sites or things (þing) were generally occupied for brief periods of time during annual gatherings. One of the archaeological manifestations of repeated temporary occupation around assembly sites is small booths. At Hegranesþing in North Iceland, besides multiple booths that cover the site, there is also evidence of long-term occupation and farming. The Skagafjörður Church and Settlement Survey conducted geophysical and coring surveys, excavated three test pits into middens from different periods of occupation, and excavated one test trench into the homefield enclosure (tún) wall. The results suggest Hegranesþing, besides …

Comfort In Cases Of Sickness: Health And Colonialism At The Eastern Pequot Reservation, 1800-1850, Katherine N. Brauckmann

Graduate Masters Theses

Health and sickness were major concerns for the Eastern Pequot community in the first half of the 19th century. At this time, the Eastern Pequot’s collective finances were controlled by a court-appointed overseer who rented reservation land to non-Pequot individuals and used the generated funds to purchase goods and services for those on the reservation. In an 1841 petition to remove an overseer for failing in his duties, issues of health were brought up twice among their grievances: that they received little support “in Sickness or in health” and that “our Land if family rented […] would add much to …

Understanding Environmental Risk In 18th Century New Mexico: A Case Study From Las Golondrinas Living History Museum, Emily L. Dawson

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

This poster explores environmental risk and adaptation among Spanish colonial communities in eighteenth-century New Mexico through a paleoenvironmental study at Las Golondrinas Living History Museum. Using wetland coring, plant surveys, radiocarbon dating, and phytolith and pollen analysis, the project investigates local microclimates and environmental conditions that shaped agricultural decision-making during the Little Ice Age. Preliminary results identified multiple wetland environments, diverse plant communities, and sediment deposits capable of preserving environmental records extending before and through the colonial period. These data provide a foundation for reconstructing past landscapes and evaluating how colonists responded to climatic variability, drought, and resource uncertainty. By …

Three Hundred Years In New Mexico’S La Cienega Valley: An Archaeology Of Hispano Occupation From The 17th Through 19th Centuries, Heather Trigg

Anthropology Faculty Publication Series

Beginning in the late 16th century, Hispanic settlers colonized New Mexico’s upper Rio Grande Valley, establishing farms and the village of Santa Fe amid Pueblo peoples. Colonists demanded tribute and labor from the Pueblos, enslaving some and suppressing religions. Less than a century later, Pueblo and Plains peoples rebelled and forced the settlers from the region. Twelve years after the Revolt, settlers returned, but they could not legally collect tribute or force labor. This project explores the changes in labor and land allocation between the Pre-Revolt and Post-Revolt periods.

Three Hundred Years In New Mexico's La Cienega Valley: An Archaeology Of Hispano Occupation From The 17th Through 19th Centuries, Heather Trigg

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

Beginning in the late 16th century, Hispanic settlers colonized New Mexico’s upper Rio Grande Valley, establishing farms and the village of Santa Fe amid Pueblo peoples. Colonists demanded tribute and labor from the Pueblos, enslaving some and suppressing religions. Less than a century later, Pueblo and Plains peoples rebelled and forced the settlers from the region. Twelve years after the Revolt, settlers returned, but they could not legally collect tribute or force labor. This project explores the changes in labor and land allocation between the Pre-Revolt and Post-Revolt periods.

Utilizing Ceramic Attributes To Explore Local Consumption Practices And Relationship Building At An Eighteenth- To Nineteenth- Century Hispanic Rancho In New Mexico, Tara Noel

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

This poster examines ceramic assemblages from El Rancho de las Golondrinas (LA 127375), an eighteenth- to nineteenth-century Hispanic rancho in New Mexico, to investigate daily consumption practices, regional exchange networks, and identity formation. Ceramic attributes, vessel forms, and temper characteristics were analyzed to identify communities of practice and distinguish locally produced wares from imported goods. Results demonstrate a strong reliance on locally produced Indigenous ceramics, particularly from Tewa and Pecos traditions, highlighting sustained interethnic relationships and exchange networks within the Rio Grande Valley. Imported ceramics, including majolica and refined earthenwares, illustrate the growing influence of broader colonial market systems connected …

Zooarchaeological Analysis Of A Spanish Late Colonial And Territorial Periods Site In Northern Rio Grande, New Mexico, Sara Jaramillo

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

This poster examines faunal remains from El Rancho de las Golondrinas (LA 127375) to investigate animal production, consumption, and labor practices in northern New Mexico during the Late Colonial and Territorial periods. By applying standard zooarchaeological methods and comparing the assemblage to an earlier Spanish Colonial site (LA 20,000), the study explores changes and continuities in regional ranching economies under shifting political and economic conditions. Results indicate that sheep/goats (Ovis/Capra) and cattle (Bos taurus) remained the dominant domesticated animals, demonstrating the long-term importance of pastoralism in New Mexico. Variations in the relative abundance of livestock through time may reflect changes …

The Role Of La 20,000 In Spanish Colonial Mining, Mineral Circulation, And Nascent Communities Of Practice, Danielle M. Huerta

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

Site LA 20,000 was likely among the largest ranching enterprises established along the Camino Real during the 17th century. Located 20 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and strategically positioned 5.2 miles from San Marcos Pueblo, one of the largest producers of Rio Grande Glaze Ware pottery, and 1.3 miles from the Cerrillos Hills, where there were known turquoise and galena lead mines.  The data presented suggest that LA 20,000 may have been a multiethnic locus of production where access to shared materials did not translate into uniform technological practice. Instead, the assemblage reflects the emergence of nascent and …

Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground Gpr Survey Data From Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Nedra Lee, Stephen Mrozowski, Chiara M. Torrini, Tess Ostoyich, Claire Ross, Kristen Delatour, Joseph E. Kinney

Data and Datasets

Survey data from the ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey at the Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground (AIBG) at Sylvester Manor, Shelter Island, NY. Zip folder contains raw recorded data (radargrams). Additional files include zipped shapefiles for GPR transects, trees and rocks; and  dat file. Fieldstone marker files include zipped folders with an excel sheet listing numbered fieldstone markers, and a sheet listing the photographs of the fieldstone markers. Fieldstone marker number allows tor joining the photographs, and the "rock" shapefile to the list of markers.

The .rd7 files are the type generated by MALA GPR systems to record raw data (they are …

Shovel Test Pits From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee

Data and Datasets

Shovel test pits (STPs) from Sylvester Manor archaeological work (1998-2025). STPs were excavated as 50cm-x-50cm squares and sometimes expanded into larger excavations. These points typically represent the southwest corner of test pits but not always. See shapefile metadata for more information. Includes zipped point shapefile with points each representing one corner of a STP.

Datum Reference Photos From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee

Data and Datasets

Photographs of site datums used during UMass Boston archaeological work at Sylvester Manor. File names contain the datum name followed by a sequential number. Each datum contains a set of multiple photographs showing its location at a near and far scale, illustrating its exact spot and place in the broader landscape, respectively. Some datums have photographs showing how the survey rod needs to be placed, and some have images that include a pin flag with the datum name written on it. Includes zipped folder.

Excavation Units From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee

Data and Datasets

Excavation units from Sylvester Manor archaeological work (1998-2025). Includes zipped polygon shapefile with outlines of excavation units.

Family Cemetery Gpr Survey Data From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Stephen Mrozowski, Nedra Lee, Chiara M. Torrini, Tess Ostoyich, Claire Ross, Joseph E. Kinney

Data and Datasets

The .rd7 files are the type generated by MALA GPR systems to record raw data (they are unprocessed binary data files containing the recorded electrical signals), along with .cor (coordinate data), .mrk (markers on radargrams), .mrkj (modern version of .mrk), and .rad (header file; contains survey parameters, antenna frequency, samples per trace, time window, and velocity) files. The info.dat file was derived from GPR-Slice. It is a critical ASCII text file that maps the GPR radargram filenames to their specific spatial positions. It defines the survey grid layout, including line lengths, survey direction (X or Y), and profile spacing. These …

Datums And Benchmarks From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney, Stephen A. Mrozowski, David B. Landon

Data and Datasets

Datums from Sylvester Manor Archaeological work (2019-2026).  Includes zipped shapefile of points and complementary csv, that includes the site areas for each datum.

Artifact Catalog From Sylvester Manor Umass Boston Archaeological Work, Shelter Island, Ny, Christa M. Beranek, Stephen Mrozowski, David B. Landon, Nedra Lee, John M. Steinberg, John Schoenfelder, Chiara M. Torrini, Joseph E. Kinney

Data and Datasets

Artifact catalog from Sylvester Manor archaeological work (1998-2025) as of May 2026. The Artifact_List.rtf is a text file listed by unit and context.  Artifact_Table.xlsx is the same data, but in tabular form.  Unit_Contexts.xlsx is a table listing all the contexts by unit.

Artifact_Table and Artifact_List are very large files.

“These They Cut In Pieces, Bones And All…”: An Examination Of Pequot Subsistence Practices During The Early 17th Century At The Calluna Hill Site, Groton, Connecticut, Megan V. Goldstein

Graduate Masters Theses

Beginning in the early 17th century, the arrival of Europeans in southern New England led to rapid changes and cultural transformation as Indigenous lifeways were impacted by the introduction of foreign materials, cultural structures, and the onset of colonialism. Archaeological research has helped to demonstrate how individuals and communities navigated the pressures of colonialism and developed ways to survive and persist in the centuries that followed. The early 17th century is an archaeologically underrepresented time period in southern New England, limiting an understanding of how Indigenous people initially interpreted foreign material culture, negotiated changes in their lifeways, and in particular, …

Foodways And Community: Shellfish Consumption At Sitio Drago In Bocas Del Toro, Panamá, Megan E. Winnick

Graduate Masters Theses

Food-related practices provide marginalized groups with spaces for cultural exchange and asserting agency within colonial contexts, often leading to the formation of new communities and identities. Marine mollusks, due to their widespread accessibility, have a significant role in the cuisines of African Diaspora and Indigenous communities in Latin America. This thesis examines shellfish consumption at Sitio Drago in Bocas del Toro, Panamá, highlighting how shellfish harvesting and communal cooking fostered community expression through local food sources. The study includes analyses of spatial distribution of mollusk species, MNI counts across three temporal periods, and a size distribution of common gastropods. Findings …

Shaping The Landscape: Analyzing Enclosure Types, Farm Productivity, And Resource Use In Viking Age And Medieval Iceland, Chiara M. Torrini

Graduate Masters Theses

Enclosure walls, constructed during the Viking Age and Medieval periods, were a common feature of early Icelandic agropastoral farmstead infrastructure. These walls divided the landscape and created discrete areas, often protecting grass grown in homefields. Harvesting grass for fodder was essential to support livestock, especially cattle, through the winter. Enclosure walls were built with various combinations of turf, stone, and grass sod, which were generally cut, gathered, or excavated close to the wall’s location. Data was collected for this project and combined with substantial previous archaeological work, which all take advantage of common volcanic tephra layers (including Hekla AD 1104), …

At Least It's Not Hospital Food: Faunal Analysis Of A Virginia Plantation Occupied By The Union Army, Kyett U. Salamone

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis uses faunal remains from a midden at Sherwood Forest Plantation, Stafford County, Virginia to discuss the diet and provisioning of Union soldiers. Sherwood Forest was among Virginia’s wealthiest plantations in the Antebellum Period. During winter 1862-1863, the Army of the Potomac occupied the site, treating it as an ad hoc supply depot, pastureland and field hospital. After the war, the plantation owner and his heirs repeatedly sought repayment through the court system, generating documents detailing his confiscated and damaged property. The assemblage is compared to three zooarchaeological approaches about food supply: barreled meat, 19^th century military supply, …

Take As Needed For Pain: An Analysis Of Consumption Of Bottled Products And 19th-Century Working-Class Experiences At The Hassanamesit Woods Augustus Salisbury Site, Grafton, Ma, Matthew Becue

Graduate Masters Theses

Industrialization rapidly changed the cultural and socioeconomic landscape of Central Massachusetts in the mid-19th century, shifting the region from a primarily agricultural society into one increasingly focused on industrial manufacturing. This, combined with the emerging middle class, created new class structures and expressions that were ever more defined by labor, ethnicity, and consumption habits and behaviors. Due to their location on the outskirts of town, the types of labor they performed, and in some cases their status as immigrants, those living at the Hassanamesit Woods Augustus Salisbury (HWAS) site in Grafton, Massachusetts from 1850 to 1890 would have likely been …

Making Tabby, Making Place: Examining A Gullah Geechee Wattle And Tabby Daub Dwelling Through Thin Section Analysis, Jacob E. Hamill

Graduate Masters Theses

Tabby is a building material made from lime, sand, oyster shell, and water that is geographically associated with the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. This material was used from the early 18^th century to end of the American Civil War to construct all-manner of buildings in the Sea Islands region. Enslaved African descendant communities constructed wattle and tabby daub dwellings within plantation landscapes, and these settlements are interpreted as spaces where enslaved people exercised greater spatial autonomy.

This thesis analyzes the remains of a wattle and tabby daub structure located on what was once Old Fort …

The Formal Garden And Fruit Wall 2019, 2021, And 2022 Field Seasons Gore Place, Waltham, Ma, Christa M. Beranek, John M. Steinberg

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

The Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at UMass Boston engaged in a multi-season examination of the formal landscape north of the mansion house at Gore Place in Waltham and Watertown, Massachusetts. The archeological work consisted of a geophysical survey of the whole area in the fall of 2019 and excavation in the summer of 2021 and 2022 focusing on the southeast corner of the formal garden and the eastern wing of the fruit wall. Excavation units covered just over 63 sq m. The excavations identified large areas where Gore period features were preserved. In the southeast corner most units were …

Archaeological Fieldwork In The El Rancho De Las Golondrinas Museum Core (La 127375), La Cienega, New Mexico: An Interim Report, Heather Trigg, Sara Jaramillo, Tara Noel, Iris Glinski

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Project 400: The Plymouth Colony Archaeological Survey Report On The 2019 And 2021 Field Seasons Burial Hill And Carver Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts, Christa M. Beranek, David B. Landon

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

In May and June of 2019 and 2021, a field school from the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston, in partnership with Plimoth Patuxet Museums (formerly Plimoth Plantation) and the Town of Plymouth, undertook their final two seasons of work as part of Project 400: The Plymouth Colony Archaeological Survey. Excavations had been taking place yearly in Plymouth since the summer of 2013. The 400th anniversary (1620- 2020) of the founding of Plymouth Colony, New England’s first permanent English settlement, provides a unique opportunity to revisit our scholarly understanding of the Colony’s history. Working with …

Geophysical Survey And Archaeological Investigations At The Jeremiah Lee Mansion And Brick Kitchen, 2022 Marblehead, Massachusetts, Christa M. Beranek, John M. Steinberg, Carolyn Mikowski

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

In spring and summer of 2022, students and staff from the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at UMass Boston completed a geophysical survey and test excavations at the Jeremiah Lee property at 157 and 161 Washington Street in Marblehead, Massachusetts. These were the first known archaeological investigations of the property. Work in 2022 focused on the area between the house and the Brick Kitchen and the eastern part of the yard behind the house. The Lee property, now owned by the Marblehead Museum, is a large, complex urban lot. Our work in 2022 showed that the archaeological preservation of deposits …

Preliminary Report Of The Hasp 2023 Field Season: Coring And Excavations At Efri-Ás, Laufskálaholt, Brekkukot, Grafarkot, Kálfsstaðir, Kjarvalsstaðir, Nautabú, Ingveldarstaðir, Skúfsstaðir, Garðakot, Hringver, Hólakot, And Viðvík In Hjaltadalur With Additional Geophysics At Skúfsstaðir, Guðný Zoëga, John M. Steinberg, Chiara M. Torrini, Trace J. Podder

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

This report outlines the 2023 work, including Geophysical survey, Coring, and Excavations at Efri-Ás, Laufskálaholt (on the Efri-Ás land of the Ásholt summer house), Brekkukot, Kálfsstaðir, Kjarvalsstaðir, Nautabú, Ingveldarstaðir, Skúfsstaðir, Garðakot (part of Víðines) Grafarkot (part of Víðines), Hringver, Hólakot (part of Viðvík), and Viðvík) in Hjaltadal as part of the Hjaltadalur Archaeological Survey Project (HASP). This is the third year of a scheduled three-year project. The purpose of the project is to outline the settlement sequence and regional development in Hólar and around Hjaltadal and compare them with similar studies that have been carried out in Skagafjörður. The 12 …

Landslides, Erosion, And Inequality: Assessing Social And Environmental Change At Neighboring Farmsteads In Northern Iceland, Zachary N. Guttman

Graduate Masters Theses

Hof and Hólar are adjacent farms in Hjaltadalur, North Iceland settled during the Viking Age. While Hof is mentioned prominently in the saga literature, its importance fades. Conversely, Hólar becomes the most powerful farm in North Iceland and the seat of the northern bishop after the introduction of Christianity. This thesis sheds some light on this apparent shift in power by assessing how social and environmental factors may have influenced the relationship between the two sites. Using a program of soil coring and targeted excavation, as well as a novel environmental sampling procedure, this study assesses if environmental factors such …

Material Consumption Of An 18th-Century Middling Urban Craftsman In Boston, Massachusetts, Lauryn E. Sharp

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis studies how Caleb Parker, a blacksmith and craftsman who lived in the early- to mid-18th century, viewed and utilized refinement and genteel behaviors using the glass and ceramic artifacts recovered from a privy at his home at 23 Unity Street in Boston’s North End. Background research explores the concept of “partible refinement,” which speaks to the notion that the “middling sorts'' at this time, including craftspeople like Caleb Parker, had the agency to selectively use different components of refined gentility according to their personal consumer choice and tastes. This resulted in middling sorts incorporating both traditional and modern …

Sartorial Practices And Daily Life: Examining Black Womanhood In Nineteenth-Century Boston, Erica A. Lang

Graduate Masters Theses

During the nineteenth century, the northern slope of Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood was home to a free African American community. Central to the Beacon Hill neighborhood was the African Meeting House, which operated as a Baptist church, home, school, and meeting space for Black community members. Archaeological investigations have revealed the story of not just the African Meeting House, but the surrounding vicinity and larger community. The African Meeting House collection provides a case study to understand the ways racism, sexism, and classism impacted the quotidian lives of Black women in freedom. Using Black feminism as a theoretical framework, this …

“Provisioned, Produced, Procured,” And Purchased?: A Macrobotanical Study Of Enslaved Individuals’ Economic Engagement In The Shenandoah Valley, Linda A. Seminario

Graduate Masters Theses

This research investigates enslaved peoples’ economic engagement in the Shenandoah Valley during the first half of the 19th century. In 2017, archaeologists excavated two features at the Belle Grove enslaved quarters in Middletown, Virginia— a root cellar and subfloor pit that were filled in when a log cabin burned down. The preservation of the macrobotanicals has allowed for an in-depth analysis of the plants with which enslaved individuals engaged and the relationship between plant acquisition and enslaved people’s regional formal economic involvement at a 19th-century plantation in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. These data sets have also allowed for an …