Archaeological Anthropology Commons^™

Territory And Border Dynamics Among Small Pre-Hispanic Polities In Western Chiapas, Mexico, Antonio Martinez Tunon

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation examines the concept of territory in premodern polities, challenging modern assumptions that territory is a static or obsolete notion in the face of globalization. It critiques the conventional Westphalian model of state sovereignty, emphasizing that premodern political entities often exhibited flexible, overlapping territorial arrangements rather than fixed, linear boundaries. By analyzing territorial organization in premodern societies, this research explores the historical evolution of territoriality, identifying continuities and transformations over time.

Drawing from archaeology, anthropology, and historical geography, the research investigates how different societies have defined and maintained territorial control based on factors such as political authority, economic resources, …

Household Archaeology Of An Eighteenth Century Settlement In Vermont, Usa, Stephen D. Butz

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The rediscovery of ruins in the mountains of Vermont may shine light on the theory and practice of household archaeology and its potential to reveal the social and economic status of the people who once resided there. To this date, there are the remains of twelve structures identified as potential dwellings located on Egg Mountain in Sandgate, Vermont, which local folklore claim were the homes for the refugees who fled from Massachusetts during Shays’ Rebellion in 1787. Shay’s Rebellion was an uprising that took place in Massachusetts led by Captain Daniel Shays in response to the unfair treatment of veterans …

Mapping Amis Mill In Rogersville, Tennessee In The 1780s Using Geophysical Methods And Remote Sensing, Amy Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geophysics and remote sensing were used at the Amis Mill and Homesite to determine the location of structures during the 1780s. Areas of interest were surveyed using shallow geophysical and remote sensing techniques including the orchard, horse pasture, original kitchen on the east side of the house, the west side of the house, plowed field, store site, and cemetery. After analyzing the results of the geophysical surveys and remote sensing, 22 sites were chosen to test inside and outside potential features. A large rectangular feature, possibly a tavern with a cellar, was discovered. Four other features were identified, three of …

The House Elena Built: Historical Archaeology Of Las Violetas (Ca-Sdi-4674), Sue Hagen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Las Violetas, also known as the Dear Adobe, is a late 19th century structure in Escondido, California, that was nearly lost to history. Elena Couts Dear, her husband Parker, and their five sons lived on the property from 1895 to 1904, and it is Elena who will be the primary focus of this project. She grew up in a wealthy, well known family in San Diego County, and Parker Dear owned a large rancho in what is now Riverside County. However, their fortunes changed, and they settled in this small home and property, a stark contrast to the life they …

Guns, Glass, And Metal And The Applications Of Traditional Technology In The 19th Century Southern Platte, Aaron Toussaint

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I investigate how Indigenous communities of the North American Central Plains navigated settler-colonialism by adapting traditional hunting technology. To frame this I ask, how and why traditional technology was favored over introduced firearm technology? I investigate this by examining archaeological collections from Fort Vasquez and the Coffin's Buffalo Kill Site, ethnographic history of the Central Plains, Indigenous ledger art, and interviewing a ledger artist. This study uses a multifaceted theoretical approach to connect hybrid projectile point artifacts, with Indigenous historic documentation, to recognize Indigenous agency in the 19th century. This thesis counters historic narratives of the 19th …

We’Re Not In Texas Anymore: Archaeological Investigations In Historic Dallas, Colorado, Tristan Newberry-Cushman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is the product of an archaeological investigation of the former townsite of Dallas, Colorado. Archival research, drone photography, shovel test pits (STPs), and a test excavation unit were employed to learn more about how the people of Dallas lived, and how they interacted with national systems. Probabilistic and purposive sampling were used to collect data, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis were performed. The goal of this research was to determine which theoretical model best explains how Dallas was connected to national cultural and economic systems.

Subterranean Medicinal Bottles Are Treasures That Reveal The Growth Of Lincoln's Early Drug Stores, Mark Griep, June Weber, Erik Schulz, Effie Athanassopoulos

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

Archeologists unearthed medicine bottles embossed with the names of nine early Lincoln (Nebraska) drug stores, giving insight into the rapid growth of pharmacies and health care from the 1880s up to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.

An Archaeological Exploration Of Fatty's Place And Its Contribution To Early Tourism In The Garden Of The Gods, Aaron Anthony Acosta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Garden of the Gods Park, east of Gateway Rocks, Edwin “Fatty” Rice owned and operated a business that sold curios and offered amenities to visiting tourists. Fatty’s Place was the only establishment of its kind to exist on the grounds of the park. However, not much recognition has been given to Rice’s contribution to tourism in the Garden. This thesis uses archaeological exploration, especially ground-penetrating radar, framed by place theory to shed light on Rice’s involvement in the advent of tourism within the park. By providing three narratives, Rice’s place as imagined, as remembered, and as built, the …

Dental Modification Among The Classic Maya Of Chac Balam And San Juan, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Katherine Kelly

Honors Theses

Perceptions of beauty and health are embedded within everyday actions, even a simple smile. How do dental modification practices among the Classic Maya from Ambergris Caye, Belize relate to these perceptions and a person’s identity and status? This thesis analyzes the practice of notching, filing, and placing inlays in maxillary incisors and canines through a qualitative analysis of Classic period AD 250-1000 Maya teeth from the sites of San Juan and Chac Balam. A lack of patterns related to sex, socioeconomic status, and the type of modification in the dentition of five individuals, including two males, two females and one …

Introduction: Urban Historical Archaeology Of And As Dissonance—An Invitation For Collaboration, Kelly Britt

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Policing, Power, And Protests: Landscapes Of Surveillance In Private And Public Spaces In Lower Manhattan, Kelly Britt

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Paths Of Least Resistance: A Geospatial Analysis Of The Integration Of Mississippian Communities In The Northwest Arkansas Ozarks, Joseph Jilek

Anthropology Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the Mississippi period (ca. AD 1050-1500), native groups occupying bluff shelters in the Northwest Arkansas Ozarks constructed three similarly sized mound-and-plaza centers: Goforth-Saindon (3BE0245), Collins (3WA0001), and Huntsville (3MA0022). Similarities in size and number of mounds suggests none rose to a position of power over the other and each integrated a separate community. Previous research hypothesizes that communities in emergent complex societies such as these are best defined by those who you interact with regularly, with mound centers less than a day’s travel from each other likely integrating the same communities. This study uses least-cost analysis, generating likely travel …

Stratigraphic Evidence For Indigenous Use Of Fire As A Dryland Agricultural Landscape Management Tool On The Northern Colorado Plateau, Mariah Walzer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

While documented in ethnography and traditional ecological knowledge, Indigenous burning practices are rarely recognized in the archaeological record of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. I analyzed charcoal from an arroyo wall to understand the relationship between Indigenous farmers and fire at the Cub Creek archaeological site (AD 300-1300) in Dinosaur National Monument. The size, shape, and amount of charcoal in each sediment layer indicates the fuel types (woody or grassy) and relative size and/or intensity of fires. I compared my data to a precipitation reconstruction for the area to evaluate the influence of climate on fire activity. The results …

To Pot Or Not To Pot: Understanding Technological Investment In Ceramics And Marine Mammal Oil Rendering In Kodiak, Alaska, Elizabeth Groat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Why do groups choose to use certain technologies, but not others? This study focuses on an especially confusing instance of this question: the adoption of pottery in Kodiak, Alaska. This event was strange for two reasons. First, by AD 1500, when Alutiiq ancestors in the Kodiak Archipelago began making pottery, their neighbors on the mainland had already been doing it for centuries—so why did they wait so long? Second, pottery is also only found in the south of the islands—so why did some people use it, but not others? Whale and seal are more abundant in southern Kodiak, so one …

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

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 …

The Use Of Laja In Construction In Ancient Mesoamerica: A View From The Southern Gulf Lowlands Of Veracruz, Mexico, Lauren E. Smith

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

The archaeology of the southern Gulf lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico is notable for its research pertaining to the Olmec culture (Jaime-Riveron 2016; Loughlin 2012; Pool 2006). The region was home to the Colossal Olmec Heads: large, easily identifiable sculptures crafted from the volcanic rock of the Tuxtlas Volcanic Field. The use of volcanic resources in such grand presentations may instill a bias in the research of some archaeologists, but it is important to consider how these and other volcanic resources might have been used in everyday life (e.g., Jaime-Riveron 2016: 86). The consolidated volcanic ash in this region is referred …

Archaeomalacological Studies In The North Atlantic Islands, Kelly A. Mclafferty

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis expands upon the archaeomalacological narrative of the North Atlantic islands (the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Orkney) from the mid-8^th through the 20^th century. The main objectives are to identify exploited mollusk populations and ecological zones; investigate the roles of mollusk exploitation; contribute to laboratory methods of marine shell.

The Use Of Laja In Construction In Ancient Mesoamerica: A View From The Southern Gulf Lowlands Of Veracruz, Mexico, Lauren Smith

Honors College Theses

The archaeology of the southern Gulf lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico is notable for its research pertaining to the Olmec culture (Jaime-Riveron 2016; Loughlin 2012; Pool 2006). The region was home to the Colossal Olmec Heads: large, easily identifiable sculptures crafted from the volcanic rock of the Tuxtlas Volcanic Field. The use of volcanic resources in such grand presentations may instill a bias in the research of some archaeologists, but it is important to consider how these and other volcanic resources might have been used in everyday life (e.g., Jaime-Riveron 2016: 86). The consolidated volcanic ash in this region is referred …

A Grim End For Europe's First Civilization: The Fall Of Minoan Crete, Ashley Arp

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Early popular theories about the collapse of the Minoan civilization center around natural disasters, but geoarchaeological research from the past few decades has disproved these earlier theories. It is evident that the Minoan civilization continued to thrive for around a century after the volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami that had previously been credited as the cause for the collapse. Evidence of manmade destruction has been uncovered across the island of Crete c. 1450 BCE and this period was quickly followed by a drastic cultural shift that included more Mycenaean elements than had been found on the island previously. These destructions, …

A Manual On The Planning And Integration Of Archaeological Methods In To Outdoor Forensic Search Investigations, Jonathan Robert Garcia

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

As archaeology and its applications into forensic contexts develop into the growing discipline of forensic archaeology, an increasing amount of literature has resulted stemming from research on the integration of common archaeological methods. However, much of this literature is intended for professional archaeologists or forensic anthropologists who are well experienced in their respective disciplines. Emerging literature generally does not consider those who leads efforts at forensic scenes in the outdoors such as law enforcement officers who often lack a background in archaeology or forensic anthropology. This thesis seeks to resolve this dilemma by creating a new and accessible manual. The …

Interpreting Geochemical Sourcing In The Northwest Great Basin: The 26wa12962 Sample Study, Tyler Alexander Reinholt

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Located in Northwest Washoe County Nevada along the California and Nevada border, 26WA12962 is an upland spring site consisting of habitation debris and several thousand pieces of debitage on the surface. The purpose of this research project is to interpret energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) results of 80 random samples of obsidian, and fine grain volcanics such as basalt and dacite from the excavations on 26WA12962 that were conducted in 2021. This thesis will investigate if there is a preference for a specific source, as well as assisting in gathering data within a lithic landscape. To accomplish this goal, I …

Developing A Methodology For Evaluating The Sensitivity Of Rock Imagery Sites To Vandalism In Washington County, Ut, Erin C. Haycock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study uses statistical analysis to examine the relationship between the characteristics of rock imagery (also known as rock art) sites and intentionally caused damages in Washington County, Utah. This project aims to create an index for public land managers to respond proactively to vandalism at rock imagery sites. Included here is an analysis of the severity and frequency of damage to the sites and an inventory of the types of site damage to determine the most common and destructive types of vandalism. Site attributes such as the number of figures in a panel, the type of images, and panel …

Racing The Tides: Three Virginia Islands Threatened By Climate Change And The Challenge Of Preserving Their Stories, Sean M. Restivo

History Honors Projects

Among the tidal marshes of Virginia’s York River, there are three relatively obscure groups of uninhabited islands, all with fascinating stories, and all rapidly disappearing: the Goodwin Islands, the Catlett Islands, and Poropotank Island. These islands have been almost entirely overlooked by existing historical and archaeological research, and they are all imminently threatened by climate change-induced sea level rise and erosion. In the summer of 2023, I embarked on an interdisciplinary research project to study cultural heritage sites scattered across the islands. Drawing on my experience of studying these islands, as well as other related case studies, I demonstrate that …

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 …

Introduction, Barry Gaulton

Northeast Historical Archaeology

No abstract provided.

Editor's Introduction, Maria O'Donovan

Northeast Historical Archaeology

No abstract provided.

Human-Environment Interactions In Coastal Belize: Insights Into Sea-Level Rise And Ancient Maya Activities At The Paynes Creek Salt Works, Cheryl Mae Foster

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Dissertation excavations were carried out in 2019 and 2022 at the underwater sites of Ta’ab Nuk Na and Ek Way Nal in Paynes Creek National Park, Belize. Sea-level rise submerged the sites in antiquity and preserved the artifact record in red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) peat. Red mangrove peat can be used as a proxy for sea-level rise. The goals of the two excavations included: 1) excavating a 14m-long transect within and extending beyond building J at Ta’ab Nuk Na to determine the function of the building, 2) investigating the production of salt making pottery at Ta’ab Nuk Na; …

The Necropolis Of Lattara: An Examination Into Gender, Socioeconomic, And Ethnic Identities In A Funerary Context Following The Roman Conquest Of Mediterranean Gaul, Heather Fusco

Student Publications

This paper investigated how material goods both represented and actively created ethnic identity, gender, and socioeconomic status in a funerary context during a colonial period. Relying on evidence collected from a Roman-period necropolis from Lattara in Mediterranean France, these results were then examined alongside funerary evidence from the necropolis of the nearby Iron Age settlement of Ambrussum to compare pre-Roman and Roman funerary practices. Specifically, within the two necropolises, the grave goods, inscriptions, and biologically sexed remains were the main points of comparison. This paper also utilized the ideas and concepts from the subdivision of funerary archaeology, as well as …

Gaining Insight Into Lithic Technology In Eastern Pennsylvania Through The Study Of An Amateur Collection, Khori Newlander, Linda Zuniga

Anthropology and Sociology Faculty Research

The farm fields of east-central Pennsylvania contain an abundance of artifacts that span much of regional prehistory. Not surprisingly, many of these artifacts have been collected by local amateurs. Here, we analyze an assemblage of projectile points collected from the Kramer Farm in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. We explore how morphometric attributes (e.g., size, shape), indices of retouch, and raw material vary in relation to projectile point type. Our analysis provides insight into projectile point design, lithic resource preferences, technological organization, and land use. Despite the imperfections that often characterize amateur collections and the controversy that surrounds their study, our analysis demonstrates …