Archaeological Anthropology Commons^™

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.

A Digitalização 3d Das Cerâmicas Da Coleção Valentin Calderón Como Ferramenta Para A Preservaço, Mara Lúcia Carrett De Vasconcelos, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

Valentin Calderón figura como um dos pioneiros da arqueologia no Nordeste do Brasil. Membro do Programa Nacional de Pesquisas Arqueológicas entre as décadas de 1960 e 70, foi responsável pelos levantamentos sistemáticos nos sítios arqueológicos do estado da Bahia e identificou a tradição cerâmica Aratu. Calderón foi também o idealizador do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia da Universidade Federal da Bahia (MAE/UFBA), que hoje salvaguarda sua coleção arqueológica e seu arquivo pessoal. Em uma parceria realizada com pesquisadores do Center for Regional Heritage Research da Stephen F. Austin University, Texas, EUA, os artefatos cerâmicos da coleção Valentin Calderón foram digitalizados …

Asymmetry Of Caddo Ceramics From The Washington Square Mound Site: An Exploratory Analysis, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

While pursuing a study of 3D geometric morphometrics for ceramic burial vessels that often articulate with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) from the ancestral Caddo region, there have been no shortage of potentially meaningful observations, one of which--rotational asymmetry in coil-built vessels--is discussed here. Using Geomagic Design X (reverse-engineering software) and Geomagic Control X (inspection software), metrics associated with rotational asymmetry were generated then analyzed. Results indicate variable asymmetry among the different vessel shapes (i.e., bottles, jars, etc.), which may augment and strengthen studies and discussion of vessel form. Future directions include the incorporation of directional …

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 …

Front Matter

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents (V. 29, 2017)

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

No abstract provided.

Antique Cloisonné Japanese Beads, Chris Prussing

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Intricate cloisonné beads in Japan track the 19th-century upheavals in technological development and society. While late Edo Japan had developed its own aesthetic based upon Chinese sources, the Meiji quest for Western technology produced a uniquely Japanese cloisonné industry unmatched elsewhere in the world. Cloisonné beads mirror this change, beginning in the 1830s with decorative motifs derived from Ming cloisonné and Edo glass beads, and morphing throughout the Meiji era into tiny masterpieces demonstrating a uniquely Japanese art form captured in advanced enamel technology.

Patterns Of Scandinavian Bead Use Between The Iron Age And Viking Age, Ca. 600-1000 C.E., Matthew Delvaux

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

This paper places Johan Callmer’s seminal chronology of Viking-Age beads in the broader contexts of subsequent research. It begins with an examination of how Callmer’s chronology of grave goods can be linked into preceding chronologies from the cemeteries of late Iron-Age Bornholm and mainland Sweden (ca. 540-860). It then considers how these chronologies compare with those available from the early Scandinavian emporium at Ribe, a site of bead production and trade (ca. 700-850). Finally, it provides a detailed analysis of Callmer’s classification system and the implications of his chronological framework (ca. 800-1000 A.D.). Comparing these diverse chronologies reveals divergent patterns …

Beads: Journal Of The Society Of Bead Researchers - Volume 29 (Complete)

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews And End Matter

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

The World in a Bead: The Murano Glass Museum’s Collection, by Augusto Panini, reviewed by Karlis Karklins. Wild Beads of Africa, by Billy Steinberg (editor) and Jamey Allen (text), reviewed by Joyce Holloway. A Bag Worth a Pony: The Art of the Ojibwe Bandolier Bag, by Marcia G. Anderson, reviewed by Richard Green. Ancient Egyptian Beads, by Nai Xia, reviewed by Karlis Karklins.

An Xrf Compositional Analysis Of Opaque White Glass Beads From 17th-Century Mission Santa Catalina De Guale, Georgia, Elliot H. Blair

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Previous analyses of the elemental composition of white glass beads have shown that the opacifier used during glass manufacture is temporally diagnostic, with a transition from tin to antimony to arsenic to fluorine. To date, most researchers using this fact for chronological purposes have focused on British, Dutch, and French contact sites in the northeastern United States and Canada. Many of these studies have relied on expensive, and sometimes minimally destructive, techniques. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is a widely available, non-destructive technique that can be used to identify glass opacifiers extremely rapidly and inexpensively. This technique was used to analyze 783 …

Flying Woman’S Beaded Cheyenne Cradleboard And Associated Bead Card From Fort Keogh, Montana, William T. Billeck

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Glass bead sample cards were sent out in the 19th century by bead dealers and producers to illustrate their products and few are known that include small beads of drawn manufacture. One such card marked New York was acquired in 1882 by Captain Eli Lindesmith, a Catholic priest and Army chaplain at Fort Keogh, Montana. Lindesmith used the card to select seed beads for a cradleboard he commissioned that year from a Cheyenne woman named Flying Woman, the wife of Wolf Voice. This previously undescribed sample card is compared to other 19th-century cards displaying drawn beads in an attempt to …

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 …

Using Structure From Motion Mapping To Record And Analyze Details Of The Colossal Hats (Pukao) Of Monumental Statues On Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Sean W. Hixon, Carl P. Lipo, Terry L. Hunt, Christopher Lee

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Structure from motion (SfM) mapping is a photogrammetric technique that offers a cost-effective means of creating three-dimensional (3-D) visual representations from overlapping digital photographs. The technique is now used more frequently to document the archaeological record. We demonstrate the utility of SfM by studying red scoria bodies known as pukao from Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile). We created 3-D images of 50 pukao that once adorned the massive statues (moai) of Rapa Nui and compare them to 13 additional pukao located in Puna Pau, the island’s red scoria pukao quarry. Through SfM, we demonstrate that the majority of these bodies …

Aztec Human Sacrifice As Entertainment? The Physio-Psycho-Social Rewards Of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations, Linda Jane Hansen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human sacrifice in the sixteenth-century Aztec Empire, as recorded by Spanish chroniclers, was conducted on a large scale and was usually the climactic ritual act culminating elaborate multi-day festivals. Scholars have advanced a wide range of theories explaining the underlying motivations and purposes of these abundant and regulated ritual massacres. Recent scholarship on human sacrifice in ancient Mexico has observed far more complexity, nuance, and fluidity in the nature of these rituals than earlier mono-causal explanations. Several recent examinations have concentrated their analysis on the use of sacred space, architecture, movement, and embodiment in these festivals. As an extension of …

Partnerships 5: Living History Partnerships At Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

The living history community is a bridge between scholars and the public. Re-enactors and craftsmen bring history to life for the public through events sponsored by the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project , demonstrating 18th-century lifeways and animating archaeological discoveries.

Partnerships 6: Partnering With The Pokagan Band Of Potawatomi, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Western Michigan University anthropology students and citizens of the Pokagon Band have begun to identify areas of shared interest that can be pursued in building a relationship to create more inclusive histories in the St. Joseph River valley

Partnerships 4: Anthropology And Education In The Niles Community, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Western Michigan University (WMU) anthropology students have begun working with the Niles school system to identify potential opportunities for collaboration with the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project.

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. …

Full Instructions In Needle-Work Of All Kinds Godey's Magazine And Lady's Book

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

The material that follows appeared in Godey’s Magazine and Lady’s Book for 1858 (vol. 50, pp. 169-170) as part of a series of articles presenting “Full Instructions in Needle-Work of All Kinds.” It is reprinted here in that it offers contemporary insight into the major categories of beads used in needle work during the mid-19th century in the United States.

Mainland Chinese Export Beadwork, Valerie Hector

BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

For centuries China has exported its products around the world. Chinese export porcelain, silverware, lacquerware, glassware, furnishings, textiles, and paintings have been documented in countless publications. Other categories are less well documented. Thanks to Peter Francis and other researchers, we know that China has been exporting glass beads for centuries as well. Little is known about Chinese export beadwork, a category that did not formally exist until 2007, when Hwei-Fe’n Cheah hypothesized that, in the late 19th or early 20th century, China exported beadwork to Southeast Asia’s Peranakan Chinese market. Here I expand the scope of this emerging field of …

Talking With The Dead From Southern Mexico: Tracing Bioarchaeological Foundations And New Perspectives In Oaxaca, Ricardo Higelin Ponce De León, Guy David Hepp

Anthropology Faculty Publications

In recent years, bioarchaeological research has emerged as one of the principal tools for studying diverse aspects of ancient society through the analysis of human remains. Oaxaca, Mexico is a culturally diverse region of Mesoamerica that today boasts at least sixteen discrete ethnolinguistic groups. Bioarchaeology in Oaxaca has traditionally focused on the Late Formative and Classic period (500 BCE–800 CE) Zapotec city of Monte Albán, and on its hinterland. Largely descriptive, these studies provided basic discussions of health, nutrition, and funerary offerings. Beyond the Valley of Oaxaca, much less comprehensive bioarchaeological research has been undertaken to date. Never before have …

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: …

Corinth Excavations Archaeological Manual, Guy D.R. Sanders, Sarah A. James, Alicia Carter Johnson

Digital Press Books

“The publication of the Corinth Excavation Manual offers us a unique view into real-life archaeological practice on one of the most important Classical sites in the Mediterranean.” Adam Rabinowitz, Associate Professor and Assistant Director, Institute of Classical Archaeology, University of Texas, Austin

The Corinth Excavations Archaeological Manual is the first major field manual published from an American excavation in Greece and among a very small number of manuals published from the Eastern Mediterranean in the last generation. The appearance of this book is timely, however, as there is a growing interest in field methods and the history of excavation practices …

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.

Major Fallacies Surrounding Stone Artifacts And Assemblages, Harold Dibble, Simon J. Holdaway, Sam C. Lin, David R. Braun, Matthew J. Douglass, Radu Iovita, Shannon P. Mcpherron, Deborah I. Olszewski, Dennis Sandgathe

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

While lithic objects can potentially inform us about past adaptations and behaviors, it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding of all of the various processes that influence what we recover from the archaeological record. We argue here that many assumptions used by archaeologists to derive behavioral inferences through the definition, conceptualization, and interpretation of both individual stone artifact forms and groups of artifacts identified as assemblages do not fit squarely with what we have learned from both ethnographic sources and analyses of archaeological materials. We discuss this in terms of two fallacies. The first is the fallacy of the …

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 …

Subtropical Agronomy On A Variable Landscape: Exploring Late Classic Farming In The Three Rivers Region Through Geotechnical Design And The Distribution Ofedaphic Variables, Byron Smith

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

It has been well documented that the Classic Maya (250 CE to 900 CE) utilized a variety of agricultural techniques to stimulate their subsistence economy. As a result of the variable topography of the region and soil erosion caused by deforestation, the Classic Maya’s primary method of agricultural expansion consisted of landscape modifications through soil distribution (Turner and Harrison 1983; Beach et al.2006). The terracing of hill slopes is one such modification that would have allowed the ability to maximize agricultural production and limit soil erosion through the creation of farming platforms on hillside slopes. Past research near the ceremonial …

The Middle Bronze Age Egyptian Griffon: Whence And Wither?, Lisa Sabbahy Dr.

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

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 …