402
from a large series of skeletal remains from the Georgia bight.
Comparative statistical analyses are used in order to determine
relationships between skeletal and dental size in relation to
settlement shifts in this setting of the American Southeast. This
research has the potential to contribute to a broader
understanding of the effects of shifts in subsistence and settlement
patterns and for drawing inferences about biocultural adaptation in
coastal environments.
Swogger, John (Archaeological Illustrator)
[269]
Drawn Together: An Illustrated Archaeological
Field Journal of a Season's Excavations on
Palau, Micronesia
Archaeological illustration is part of the public face of excavation.
But the creative and technical mechanics as well as the influences
that shape the final images is often hidden. Clarity about the
process of knowledge-creation is an important component in
shaping understanding of archaeology as a field practice. For
funders, government bodies and the general public, this
understanding can create a better appreciation of the challenges
and needs of archaeological projects. For archaeology
undergraduates and postgraduates this understanding can better
prepare them for field career. In the summer of 2012, I spent six
weeks as the site illustrator on an excavation project and field
school on the islands of Palau in Micronesia. I kept a field journal
in comic-book format. This journal will be used as part of the
projects' outreach package to funders, local government officials
on Palau, and university administration – as well as
undergraduates interested in the project's field school and
postgraduates interested in research work on the islands. The aim
is to stimulate a different kind of feedback through use of a
different kind of media, and encourage a different kind of
relationship between the project and those whose participation
ultimately helps to shape it.
Szczepanowska, Hanna (Smitsonian Institution, Museum
Conservation Center)
[13]
The Space Shuttle Discovery: Cultural and
Scientific Legacy
The Space Shuttle Discovery in its 27 year of service completed
39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830
times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles. On April 17 2012 NASA
transferred Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum to
begin its new mission to educate and inspire future generations of
explorers.
Two aspects of the Space Shuttle are discussed, the artifact and
the scientific objectives of the missions. How technology of the
Shuttle design enabled the missions how the mission brought us
closer to the space exploration.
The success of any space exploration relies on effectiveness of
thermal protective systems shielding the spacecraft from heat or
atmospheric reentry and cold while in orbit. The technological
challenges of heat shield design, reinforced carbon-carbon is one
aspect of the artifact, its perception by the museum visitors is
another. The dual role of displaying a flown orbiter is the core of
discussing the artifact.
Discovery’s, last mission, STS -133, in March 15, 2011 was to
deliver to ISS the Permanent Multipurpose Logistics Module to
support microgravity experiments in fluid physics and materials
science. That last mission is the center of discussing the
Discovery’s scientific legacy.
Szuter, Christine (Arizona State University)
[72]
The Digital Third Age: Engagement of the Third
Age Generation in Cultural and Heritage
Education, Research, Interpretation, and
Philanthropy
The third age is a reflective time in the life cycle where issues of
engagement, health, and purpose in life are re-examined and
reformulated. The varied health statuses of this generation, from
extreme athletes, to weekend warriors, to homebound individuals,
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
coupled with factors of changes in household size and financial
conditions mean that engaging this third-age generation in cultural
heritage requires new approaches. This presentation
demonstrates how different organizations have reached out to this
generation by changing traditional outreach programs of lectures
and publishing print books to the digital world of social media,
mobile apps, and augmented reality. In addition, organizations
with a focus on outdoor activities, such as cycling, treking, or
kayaking, are including cultural heritage activities as a key
component of their offerings. The results of these efforts include
increased philanthropy and membership for cultural heritage
organizations and increased well-being and life-long learning for
the third-age generation.
Taala, Sabrina (Pikes Peak Community College)
[251]
Ordnance as Artifact: The Role of Explosive
Materials on JPAC Sites
Excavating sites in search of the remains of missing US
servicemembers necessitates a distinctive style of archaeology
because of a number of exceptional factors. One of the most
unique elements of these types of sites is the common presence
of a variety of ordnance, both fragmented and unexploded (UXO).
This material often dictates certain alterations in excavation
strategy. Considering the role of ordnance artifacts at a site is
necessary for an understanding of site formation processes and
overall site interpretation. Ordnance varies widely based on
geographical, temporal, and functional factors, as well as source
of manufacture.
This presentation will survey common ordnance types found at
WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War sites excavated by JPAC
teams. It will discuss ways these materials affect the contextual
relationship of elements within the sites, and what implications
different materials have for overall site analysis. The presentation
will also briefly outline what general methods JPAC teams use to
mitigate the hazards of these materials. Specific sites where the
presence of ordnance has impacted site interpretation and
excavation strategy will be presented as illustrative examples.
Tabarev, Andrei [222] see Gillam, Christopher
Tache, Karine (University of York) and Oliver Craig (University
of York)
[258]
Patterns of Early Pottery Uses in Northeastern
North America: Insights from Organic Residue
Analysis
For a long time the earliest ceramic vessels were associated with
food production and sedentary village life. With new discoveries
and redating, however, pre-agricultural pottery use has emerged
as a problem with broad social and economic implications. The
range of potential incentives for the adoption of pottery and the
variety of wild resources available are some of the challenges
facing the study of pottery innovation among hunter-fishergatherers. Here, the contributions and limitations of organic
residue analysis to such studies are discussed in relation to early
pottery from Northeastern North America (ca. 3000-2400 years
BP). Data obtained thus far suggest differences between the
resources, or mixtures of resources, processed at coastal sites
and those processed inland and at riverine sites. Variability within
each of these environments and within single sites is also evident.
Nevertheless, initial analyses of lipids reveal the presence of
aquatic resources in a majority of the sites analyzed, regardless of
their environmental context. Future research will aim at better
characterizing the importance of aquatic resources in early pottery
from Northeastern North America.
Tacon, Paul (Griffith University)
[163]
Boats, Dogs and Rock Art: Evidence of a PreNeolithic Maritime Tradition in Greater
Southeast Asia
Until recently, the rock art of greater Southeast Asia has not seen
much attention in global debates about human cultural evolution
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
and rock art development. In this paper the earliest rock art of the
region is outlined, especially that of Kalimantan and Sulawesi,
Indonesia in comparison to mainland Southeast Asia and northern
Australia. More particularly, an early stencil and naturalistic animal
painting tradition of island Southeast Asia is discussed. New dog
DNA sequencing results are also analyzed to support a theory that
a sophisticated pre-Neolithic maritime culture of hunter-gathererfishers ranged extensively across greater Southeast Asia during
the late Pleistocene and early to mid-Holocene before agriculture
was adopted and the Austronesian Painting Tradition established.
[163]
Chair
Taçon, Paul [163] see May, Sally
Takamiya, Hiroto (Sapporo university)
[167]
The Islands of Okinawa Where HunterGatherers Once Throve
The islands of Okinawa, Japan, located between Kyushu and
Taiwan, provide several unique aspects to the discipline of
anthropology when it is viewed in the context of island
archaeology. One of these is that the islands witnessed the
presence of Homo sapiens in the late Pleistocene. If one reviews
island colonization by Homo sapiens, one would recognize that
only a handful of islands were colonized by Homo sapiens during
the Pleistocene. One of the reasons why Homo sapiens could not
live in these islands environments during most of the Pleistocene
is that many islands do not provide enough natural resources
and/or area for mobile hunter-gatherers. In other words, food
production is necessary for people to settle down on an island.
Thus many islands were colonized for the first time during the
Holocene by farmers. In this presentation, I would like to briefly
review Homo sapiens colonization of these islands. Then I would
like to introduce the subsistence strategy of the Holocene
colonizers of the islands of Okinawa. The results will provide a
new aspect not only to island archaeology, but also to huntergatherer studies.
Talbot, Richard [175] see Richards, Katie
Tallman, Sean (JPAC-Central Identification Laboratory) and
Mindy Simonson (JPAC-Central Identification Laboratory)
[251]
Challenging Archaeology: Archaeological
Approaches to the Recovery of Human
Remains from Papua New Guinea
The ongoing excavation of a WWII-era B-24 aircraft that crashed
with nine U.S. servicemembers in a coastal mountain range in
Papua New Guinea represents an ideal case through which to
examine the complexities involved in the recovery of human
remains from military loss locations by the Joint POW/MIA
Accounting Command’s Central Identification Laboratory (JPACCIL). The remote location of the aircraft crash site within a steeplysided, high-altitude rainforest ravine presents numerous
environmental challenges that require unorthodox resources and
planning in order to access the site and execute a proper
recovery. Nearly 70 years of significant erosion and landslides
caused by continuous, heavy rainfall has resulted in complex
depositional episodes. Severe, quickly changing weather and
mountainous terrain can hinder access to the site, while deep,
water-saturated sediment on steep slopes poses a threat of
landslides during excavation and continued destruction of the site.
Though the use of helicopters, mountaineering equipment, erosion
prevention methods, and the employment of an indigenous
workforce can help to mitigate some of these logistical issues, the
challenging topography and unique site formation processes have
resulted in a multifaceted archaeological recovery. Such
challenging conditions require the simultaneous employment of
well-developed archaeological methods and the intensive
management of logistical concerns.
403
Tamara, Barylski [235] see Bria, Rebecca
Tamsin, O'Connell [60] see Hermenegildo, Tiago
Tang, Jigen [38] see Zhang, Hua
Tang, Amanda (University of Maryland, College Park) and
Jocelyn Knauf (University of Maryland, College Park)
[69]
Meals of Modernity: Engaging with Domesticity
in Annapolis, Maryland during the Progressive
Era
The Progressive Era of the late-19th and early-20th centuries
imbued Americans with new concepts of sanitation. The ideals of
modernity in the domestic science movement promoted the
transformation of food through technology, in efforts to produce
meals that were more uniform, sterile, and predictable. The city of
Annapolis, Maryland and its residents in the Fleet and Cornhill
Street neighborhood were not exempted from the influences of this
period. The foodway remains of working-class black renters living
at 40 Fleet Street between c.1885 and 1930 are examined for the
extent of engagement in the home economics rhetoric of the time
as well as negotiations with racism. Zooarchaeological data,
combined with bottle glass, evidence of canned goods, and
ceramics primarily informed this research project. Although a small
assemblage, the research speaks to how foodways were tied to
ideas of domesticity and public health in Annapolis. To do this, the
authors considered various lines of archaeological and historical
evidence to comprehend changing concepts of the proper way to
feed a family, to trace the increased separation of people from
animals and livestock, and also how residents progressed from
being a food-producing household to one based on the market
consumption of food products.
Tankersley, Kenneth (University of Cincinnati)
[174]
Saving Sequoyah’s Oldest Written Record
The Red Bird River Shelter (15CY52) is located on the west side
of the Red Bird River in Clay County, southeastern Kentucky. The
site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(89001183), and it is the gravesite of Dotsuwa (Red Bird), a
Cherokee who was murdered nearby by two men from Tennessee
in 1796. Considered a sacred site, the sandstone cave contains
traditional Cherokee engravings by Red Bird, the oldest known
writings of Sequoyah, and the oldest known example of the
Cherokee syllabary. In 2002, descendants of Red Bird and the
Piqua Shawnee tribe learned that the location of the site was
wrongly recorded and slated for destruction as part of the
construction of a new gas pipeline. Working with representatives
from Daniel Boone National Forest, the Piqua Shawnee tribe was
able to successfully divert the pipeline project and save the site.
Tankosic, Zarko (Indiana University) and Renate Storli
(University of Hamburg, Germany)
[83]
Landscape and Society: Preliminary Results of
the 2012 Field Season of the Norwegian
Archaeological Survey in the Karystia (Euboea,
Greece)
In our paper we present the preliminary results of the first season
of an archaeological survey project in southern Euboea (the
Karystia, Greece) in light of archaeological data collected in the
area previously. The project represents the continuation of efforts
to survey the entire Karystia and provide a comprehensive
analysis of long-term social construction of landscapes and their
economic use. In 2012 we surveyed 473 ha of the survey area and
located 22 concentrations of archaeological material (“findspots”)
and a large number of isolated finds dated from the end of the
Neolithic to the Roman times. In this paper we focus on prehistoric
404
data from the survey. We demonstrate that it is possible to discern
different kinds of contemporaneous landscape organization and
use patterns in similar agriculturally suitable parts of southern
Euboea during the Final Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age (c.
4500-3300 B.C.E.). We argue that this evidence can be used not
only to reconstruct the economic bases of landscape exploitation
but also to shed light on the contemporary sociopolitical structure
of the local communities.
[83]
Chair
Tantaleán, Henry [214] see Stanish, Charles
Tarascio, Katherine (University of Massachusetts, Boston)
[264]
Whitehall: Newport's History in a House
Whitehall is a historic house museum located in Middletown,
Rhode Island, and is currently interpreted as the residence of the
famous Irish philosopher and author of “The Alciphron”, Dean
George Berkeley. Berkeley, however, only lived on the property for
three years. During its 300 year history, Whitehall was operated as
a tea or coffee house, a quartering house for British troops during
the American Revolution, a farmstead, and a restoration project
during the early nineteenth century preservation movement. Using
historical documents and photographs, geophysical data, and
artifacts uncovered during the June 2010 excavation, this study
aims to encourage the expansion of the current interpretation. It
seeks to demonstrate that Whitehall is an informative microcosm
of the surrounding area. It also seeks to demonstrate how
landscape archaeology and an archaeology of poverty can be
used to examine the juxtaposition of the extreme wealth of the
Gilded Age residents on Bellevue Avenue, barely five miles away
in downtown Newport, with the impoverished inhabitants of
Whitehall during the mid-nineteenth century. In this way, it serves
to broaden the understanding of the living conditions experienced
by those impoverished by the failure of their farm due to the
increasing industrialization of the northeast.
Tarkan, Duygu [32] see Tung, Burcu
Tarle, Lia (Simon Fraser University), Dennis Sandgathe
(Simon Fraser University) and Mark Collard (Simon Fraser
University)
[183]
Clothing and the Replacement of Neanderthals
by Modern Humans
Between 40,000 and 25,000 years ago, during the cold, dry period
known as Oxygen Isotope Stage 3, modern humans migrated into
Europe and replaced the Neanderthals. Here, we report a two-part
study in which we investigated whether clothing could have played
a role in this replacement event. In the first part of the study, we
carried out a systematic review of the use of mammals for clothing
among mid-to-high latitude non-industrial societies in order to
identify taxa whose remains can be interpreted as evidence for
utilitarian clothing. In the second part of the study, we statistically
compared the relative frequencies of the above taxa in
Neanderthal-associated and early modern human-associated
archaeological occupations from Europe. The results of the
analyses suggest that modern humans made utilitarian clothing
out of a wider range of taxa than Neanderthals. They also suggest
that the clothing produced by modern humans was more thermally
effective than the clothing made by Neanderthals. Fur ruffs, which
are important in polar environments today, may have been a
modern human innovation. These findings are consistent with the
idea that clothing played a role in the replacement of Neanderthals
by modern humans.
Tate, Sarah (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
[221]
Bad Blood: An Examination of the Role of
Federal Recognition and NAGPRA on
American Indian Identity
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
An individual’s sense of identity relies heavily on access to one’s
heritage. Among indigenous groups who suffered from colonial
policies of assimilation, reclaiming and preserving elements of the
past is necessary in order to ensure current and future generations
intimacy with their own culture. By this logic, the perpetuation of
culture correlates directly with identity formation. Unfortunately,
colonialist political policies continue to threaten indigenous
cultures worldwide. Within the United States, federal recognition
policies determine an American Indian tribe’s ‘legal’ existence.
Since legal legitimacy is required in order to take advantage of
national programs protecting native heritage, recovering traditional
life-ways becomes contingent on the ability to satisfy a foreign
culture’s criteria of ‘nativeness.’ In this paper, I argue that tribes
without federal recognition have less access to their own material
culture and are therefore being barred access to elements
essential to their identity. Through examination of NAGPRA
repatriation participation and cultural program prevalence from
tribes with and without recognition, I test the validity of the
argument that recognition plays a significant role in preserving
culture and therefore a ‘native’ identity. In a rapidly globalizing
world, addressing post-colonial political policies that continue to
alienate minority groups ensures greater cultural diversity.
Taube, Karl
[63]
The People of Corn: The Ancient Maya and
Maize Deities of Early Classic Teotihuacan
For many years, it has been recognized that Teotihuacan heavily
influenced the ancient Maya, with Teotihuacan motifs and themes
continuing to be evoked during the Late Classic period, centuries
after the demise of Teotihuacan. However, there is increasing
evidence that the people of Teotihuacan were also very aware of
the Early Classic Maya, including not only Maya ceramic imports
from the Peten but also locally made Teotihuacan vessels in Maya
style. In addition, the Realistic Paintings mural fragments from the
Tetitla apartment compound at Teotihuacan are rendered in clear
Maya style and even contain Mayan glyphic texts. One of the
prominent entities in the Realistic Paintings murals is the maize
deity, clearly related to the Early Classic Maya god of corn.
However, this same being appears on a great many locally made
Teotihuacan figurines as well as effigy vessels, and thus seems to
be the preeminent maize deity at the site. In this study, it will be
argued that the Teotihuacan maize god was ethnically Maya, that
is, the face of corn was a Maya face, and was the probable origin
of later maize deities of Central Mexico, including the Aztec
Cinteotl.
Tayles, Nancy [219] see Halcrow, Sian
Taylor, James (University of York)
[9]
Making Time for Space at Çatalhöyük:
Exploring Spatiotemporality within Complex
Stratigraphic Sequences Using GIS
This poster presents current research work exploring the inherent
temporality embedded with the stratigraphic sequence of the
complex tell site of Çatalhöyük. Utilizing the temporal capabilities
of ArcGIS 10 to generate a dynamic intra-site spatiotemporal
model, the aim is to both visualize the stratigraphic sequence in a
more dynamic and intuitive way (beyond conventional methods of
phasing and periodization), and develop a spatiotemporal model
that is robust enough to support fully integrated spatiotemporal
analysis of the excavation data and associated material culture.
Recent field-seasons have seen comprehensive efforts to digitize
all the single context excavation data, with a focus upon full
integration of all aspects of digital archive into an intra-site GIS, as
an aid to analysis and interpretation. This poster outlines the
methods used to extract a more nuanced corpus of temporal data
from the stratigraphic sequence using conventional Harris Matrix
diagrams. The temporal information is then combined with the
spatial data so that we can examine the way the site changes in
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
space - through time. Can advances in computing help us to do
this in a more nuanced, thoughtful and clear way? Can they help
archaeologists (and the public) understand the development of the
site more clearly?
[9]
Chair
Taylor, Robert [54] see Morrow, Juliet
Teeter, Wendy (Fowler Museum at UCLA)
[174]
Consultation and Partnerships in a Museum:
Putting Intention into Practice
While many museum professionals think of cultural materials from
their disciplinary perspective, descendant communities often have
more personal/familiar relationships and traditional care practices.
These differences can lead to misunderstandings and sometimes
oppositional viewpoints. However, it is through increased
communication and mutual understanding that gaps can be
bridged to provide better care and education for all parties. This
presentation will provide some of the insights learned over the
years to nurture better relationships for consultation and innovative
partnerships.
Temple, Daniel (University of North Carolina Wilmington)
[194]
Stress Chronology and Periodicity among
Late/Final Jomon Period Foragers from
Hokkaido
This study reconstructs stress chronology and periodicity among
Late/Final Jomon period (ca. 4000 to 2300 B.P.) foragers from
Hokkaido using incremental microstructures of enamel and linear
enamel hypoplasia (LEH) defects. High resolution tooth replicas
were examined using an engineer’s measuring microscope.
Enamel surface and perikymata spacing profiles were produced
for five (5) individuals from four archaeological sites. LEH defects
were identified according to enamel surface depressions and
accentuated perikymata spacing and chronologically matched
across the dentition. Age-at-defect formation was established
using chronological deciles for each tooth. Median age-at-defect
formation was 3.1 years, while the vast majority of these defects
are found after 3.0 years of age. Mean and modal periodicity
between stress episodes was 0.3 years (3.0 to 4.0 months).
Defects found at ages older than 3.0 years are likely associated
with weaning. Mean and modal periodicities (0.3 years) may track
with resource availability in a region where accentuated seasonal
shifts are found.
Tengan, Ty (University of Hawai'i, Ethnic Studies and
Anthropology)
[169]
Towards an 'Aina Anthropology: Reflections
from the University of Hawai'i
The Hawaiian term 'aina means land, literally "that which feeds."
This distinguishes a land with people on it from a moku (literally
"cut off"), a land section defined by its borders. This presentation
proposes that a focus on 'aina in the practice of anthropology in
Hawai'i provides a way of crossing the boundaries of
subdisciplines (archaeology and cultural anthropology), disciplines
(anthropology and Hawaiian studies), and academia (university
and community), which ultimately will support Kanaka 'Oiwi
(Indigenous Hawaiian) exercise of kuleana (rights and
responsibilities) and repossession of ancestral place. Recent
developments at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa point to both
the possibilities and problematics of establishing such an 'aina
anthropology, with a focus on a partnership with the Kamehameha
Schools to conduct a field school on the North Shore of O'ahu in
the moku of Waialua.
[203]
Discussant
Terrell, John (Field Museum of Natural History)
405
[167]
Prehistory in the Pacific Islands: The Possible
and the Actual
A generation ago there were chiefly three alternative ways of
trying to see the proverbial “forest for the trees” when it came to
the study of Pacific Islands prehistory. These competing strategies
were creating contrasting narratives about (1) prehistoric peoples,
(2) the evolution of cultural complexity, or (3) islands as places
where general as well as particular lessons may be learned about
the human experience. Nowadays we know a great deal more
than we did then about many of the local “trees” in this “primeval
forest” thanks to the research productivity of several generations
of Pacific scholars and significant advances in available analytical
technologies. Yet there is little consensus today on what kind of a
“forest” we are looking at. We explore several formal models of
island life leading to testable hypotheses to illustrate a few of the
ways that Pacific archaeologists can move beyond the old
research paradigms of our post-war foundational past.
[161]
Discussant
Terrenato, Nicola [105] see Opitz, Rachel
Terry, Karisa [147] see Lubinski, Patrick
Terry, Richard (Brigham Young University), Eric Coronel
(Brigham Young University) and Daniel Bair (Brigham Young
University)
[207]
Portable X-Ray Fluorescence for Elemental
Analysis of Ancient Activity Area Soils and
Floors
Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) technology could be
implemented in elemental analysis of ancient activity area soils
and floors. The pXRF instrument was tested for accuracy at
different levels of soil moisture, granule size, along with
comparison of analysis using standard reference materials. The
pXRF trace metal analyses were significantly correlated with the
soil standard reference materials for Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ti, Sr, Zr,
and Pb. It is recommended for the field laboratory that soils be airdry, and aggregates crushed and sieved (< 2 mm) for better
accuracy and reproducibility. A case study of the elemental
composition of contemporary activity areas in the central plaza of
Telchaquillo is reported.
Terry, Karisa (Central Washington University), Ian Buvit
(Central Washington University) and Mikhail V. Konstantinov
(Transbaikal State Humanitarian-Pedagogical Univers)
[222]
Technological Innovation or Dispersion?
Transmission of Upper Paleolithic Core
Reduction in the Transbaikal, Russia
The Transbaikal region likely served as a passageway between
Central and Northeast Asia during the Upper Paleolithic as
populations expanded or contracted across these regions. We
attempt to track possible demographic changes within southern
Transbaikal from roughly 35,000-19,000 14C BP through analysis
of morphometric and attribute data on cores and their by-products
(flakes, blades, microblades). Specifically, we examine the
transition from Levallois-like flat-faced cores, to microcores, and
finally to microblade cores. We attempt to answer whether new
core forms reflect human migration or local innovation. We then
correlate changes in core reduction technology to environmental
stress factors associated with changing climatic regimes and
possible effects of population density to understand why cores
changed as the did.
Thakar, HB (University of California, Santa Barbara)
[291]
Dates, Diet, and Demography: A Detailed
Chronological Framework for Evaluating
Diachronic Subsistence Variation and
Population Growth on the Northern Channel
406
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Islands
Changing frequency of radiocarbon-dated components through
time suggests a period of significant population growth on the
Northern Channel Islands of California after 1600 cal B.P.
Extensive research regarding the emergent complexity evidenced
among hunter-gatherer populations in the Santa Barbara Channel
Region of coastal California highlights significant population
increase as a central factor in the rapid cultural development
evidenced during the Late Holocene. However, comparatively little
research seeks to elucidate why or how population growth
occurred. I present a portion of my dissertation, which considers
the nature and timing of inherent population growth among huntergatherer populations. In this research, statistical analysis
integrates a rigorous program of high precision AMS dating,
detailed stratigraphic observations and artifact occurrence,
providing a refined chronological framework for three
archaeological sites on Santa Cruz Island. This analysis reveals
discrete periods of occupation, differential rates of accumulation,
and evidence of contemporaneous deposits between shell
middens located in discrete microenvironments. These results
suggest that diachronic variation in land and resource use may
explain significant population growth on the Northern Channel
Islands after 1600 cal B.P. Well-supported, detailed chronological
frameworks are crucial to understanding the broad demographic
implications of subtle dietary changes.
[168]
Chair
Thalmann, Olaf (University of Turku), Matthias Meyer (MaxPlanck-Institute for evolutionary Anthropology), Mietje
Germonpré (Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor
Natuurwetenscha), Richard E. Green (University of California
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, U) and Robert K. Wayne (University
of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles,)
[20]
New Insights into Dog Domestication:
Inferences from Complete Mitochondrial
Genomes of the Most Ancient Dogs/Wolves
The geographical and temporal origin of the dog is controversial.
Genetic data suggest a domestication event in Asia or the Middle
East about 15,000 – 30,000 years ago, whereas the oldest doglike fossils are found in Europe dating to over 30,000 years ago.
We genetically analyzed the remains of prehistoric wolves and
dogs including some of the oldest dog remains described from the
New and Old World. Utilizing DNA capture techniques coupled
with high-throughput sequencing, we generated complete
mitochondrial genomes of those ancient specimen and additional
20 contemporary wolves from North America and Eurasia.
Phylogenetic analyses combining the complete mitochondrial
genomes of the prehistoric canids with those of a large collection
of modern dogs and wolves result in a statistically well supported
tree with some haplotypes clustering within modern dogs/wolves
whereas others show a basal placement. The latter finding might
support a previous notion that a specialized ecomorph of dog-like
canids might have existed throughout the northern hemisphere
during the late Pleistocene and became globally extinct during the
last 20,000 years. We are currently testing this and other
alternative hypotheses to better understand the influence of early
human society and artificial selection on prehistoric canids.
Thibodeau, Alyson (University of Arizona), Leonardo López
Luján (Museo Templo Mayor, INAH), David Killick (University
of Arizona) and Joaquin Ruiz (University of Arizona)
[252]
Isotopic Evidence for the Source of Turquoise
in Mesoamerica
Turquoise is one of many blue-green minerals that were highly
valued and widely circulated throughout Mesoamerica. Although
many stones, particularly jade, were used for thousands of years
in Mesoamerica, turquoise remained a relatively uncommon stone
in the region until the Postclassic. At this time, it became popular
among the Mixtecs and Aztecs, who used it as part of elaborate
mosaics and other ceremonial and status objects. Because there
is little documented evidence of ancient turquoise mining in
Mesoamerica, some archaeologists have proposed that turquoise
in Mesoamerica was acquired through trade with the Southwest. In
this study, we test the idea that turquoise in Late Postclassic
Mesoamerica came from the Greater Southwest by comparing the
lead and strontium isotopic ratios of turquoise from offerings at the
Templo Mayor (and several other sites) to those of turquoise from
sources across the American Southwest and northern Mexico.
Thibodeau, Alyson [252] see Hedquist, Saul
Thibodeau, Megan (Boston University), William Saturno
(Boston University), Heather Hurst (Skidmore College) and
Francesco Berna (Boston University)
[290]
Maya Pyrotechnology and Plaster: Integrating
Micromorphology and Fourier-Transform
Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) at San Bartolo,
Guatemala
Ancient Maya used lime plaster extensively for architecture,
decoration and mortar. Much research has been done on the
materials and aggregates used for plaster construction in Maya
society, but little archaeological evidence has been found of
plaster manufacture. Here we report the results of plaster analysis
from the Early Preclassic murals found at the Maya site of San
Bartolo, Guatemala. Specifically, we illustrate raw material
selection and pyrotechnological and construction techniques by
integrating micromorphological analysis of plaster thin sections
with FTIR. This integration offers the possibility of identifying
different forms of limestone and pyrogenic and diagenetic calcium
carbonate as well as estimating the temperature limestone was
heated to in order to create plaster.
Thomas, David (American Museum of Nat History)
[2]
On the Role of Shellfish Exploitation along the
Georgia Bight
Spanning the Atlantic shoreline along three states, the so-called
“Golden Isles” are unique among the globe’s barrier islands. With
active Holocene beaches “docked” onto Pleistocene remnants,
these “false,” “composite” islands provide immediate access to
high quality terrestrial and marine resources (especially shellfish).
Decades of archaeological research coupled with recent
experiments in human behavioral ecology on St. Catherines Island
and elsewhere along the Georgia Bight demonstrate the pivotal
importance of shellfish exploitation over the last five millennia—
linking, to the earliest ceramics in North America, the onset of
monumental architecture, long-term patterns of sedentism, and
eventually, the rise of hierarchial leadership and social status.
Thomas, Ben (Archaeological Institute of America) and
Meredith Langlitz (Archaeological Institute of America)
[91]
Mitigating the Impact of Archaeotourism on
Archaeological Sites
Growing interest in archaeotourism has resulted in greater
numbers of visitors to archaeological sites. While additional
visitors can generate more revenue for local interests, they also
increase human impact on the site. Unfortunately, in many cases,
not enough has been done to account for these changes. Sites are
unprepared for the increased tourism and often do not have the
resources or services to meet the greater demand. A few years
ago, the Archaeological Institute of America worked with the
Adventure Trade Travel Association to put together a manual on
responsible tourism. The manual included guidelines for visitors,
site managers, and tour operators. This paper discusses the need
for the manuals, describes the nature of the collaboration between
the AIA and ATTA, and presents ideas for distributing and
implementing the guidelines.
Thomas, Judith and Kaitlin Volanski (Mercyhurst University)
[92]
Geochemical Identification of Differential
Phosphorus Patterning at the Laundresses'
Quarters, Cantonment Burgwin (TA-8), Taos,
New Mexico
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
United States Army laundresses, officially sanctioned to
accompany troops in the US western frontier, were provided
quarters that were normally placed at a distance from the rest of
the garrison and often referred to as Soap Suds Row. During the
occupation (1852-1860) of Cantonment Burgwin near Taos, New
Mexico, the laundresses processed the soldiers’ laundry in their
own quarters behind the main compound. Archaeological
excavation of Cantonment Burgwin’s laundresses’ quarters
identified the footprint and internal configuration of a four-room
building. To locate the laundry washing area, chemical analysis
was conducted on soil samples using the Colorimetric method to
determine the amount of phosphorus within each sample. The
differential phosphorus patterning identified an area near the
laundresses’ quarters where the washing process had left a
phosphorus signature in the soil. This paper summarizes the
research conducted to geochemically identify the chemical
signature of the extramural activity of laundry washing.
Thomas, Ben [269] see Langlitz, Meredith
Thompson, Daniel
[3]
Multispectral Archaeological Prospection:
Case Studies from the Greater Near East
In recent years, interest in the use of satellite imagery for
archaeological site detection has increased rapidly, but to date
there have been few studies following an explicit methodology and
producing quantifiable results. The purpose of this paper is to
present the results of a methodology using multispectral satellite
imagery to detect and predict site locations, with the results
evaluated using the Gain Statistic – a measure of a predictive
model’s relative success. The primary study area is in the Dinar
Basin of central western Turkey and covers an area of
approximately 100 square kilometers. Following a methodology
that first calibrates the predictive model by assessing how well
known sites can detect other known sites, a set of predicted siteand non-site locations were generated. The results were then
groundtruthed and the model’s Gain calculated, with encouraging
results: Gain for both site- and non-site location prediction were
over 0.90, suggesting that this approach offers a superior
predictive model than the more commonly employed inductive
approach based on variables such as slope, elevation and
distance to water. Two additional case studies demonstrate the
portability of the model, one around Çatalhöyük in Turkey and the
other around Ur in southern Iraq.
Thompson, Victor D. [6] see Swisher, Kimberly
Thompson, Jessica (The University of Queensland), Menno
Welling (African Heritage: Research and Consultancy,
Zomba,), David Wright (Department of Archaeology and Art
History, Seoul N), Flora Schilt (University of Tuebingen,
Tuebingen, Germany) and Susan Mentzer (University of
Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany)
[76]
The Later Pleistocene Archaeological
Landscape of Karonga, Malawi
The northern tip of Malawi contains a rich record of Middle and
Later Stone Age behavior in Pleistocene deposits adjacent to Lake
Malawi. The sites are situated within a dynamic landscape that
has been highly sensitive to documented changes in climate and
lake level over the last half million years. Work in the 1960s at
several open-air sites hinted at a fascinating diversity of stone
artifact manufacture and discard strategies with similarities that
could be drawn to later Pleistocene assemblages in southern
Africa. However, the chronological, palaeoecological, and
depositional contexts within which to situate this diversity were
unavailable. New work shows that the sites range from stratified,
buried deposits to deflated/exposed surfaces and contain
archaeological materials in both primary and secondary contexts.
Landscape geometry, landform associations, and geogenic
407
components of the sites therefore influence dating strategies and
require that a local chronology be built from multiple localities,
each with its own unique history of post-depositional alteration.
Recent archaeological survey, test-pitting, excavation, and
analysis of landscape morphology in the Karonga District of
Malawi has now begun to reveal meaningful patterns in where
these sites are located, how well they are preserved, how they
were formed, and how old they are.
Thompson, Kevin
[123]
When the Going Gets Weird, the Weird Turn
Pro: The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project
Construction of roughly 300 miles of primary pipeline for the
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project was authorized by Congress
in 2009 and made the Department of the Interior's top-priority
national undertaking by Presidential decree for 2012. The project
will settle a decades-old water rights treaty dispute, bring potable
water to two Indian nations, and assure a 25-year supply to the
largest city in western New Mexico. The "problem"? Archaeology
— the San Juan Basin possesses one of the highest site densities
in the US. After being selected by the Bureau of Reclamation to
drive the cultural resources program for this multi-year
undertaking, PaleoWest Archaeology assembled a diverse team to
handle the various tasks including inventory, testing, data
recovery, ethnography, monitoring, and public outreach. This
symposium will be the first in what we anticipate will be an annual
series of updates and reports from the team.
[123]
Chair
Thompson, Victor (University of Georgia) and Thomas
Pluckhahn (University of South Florida)
[167]
Engineering Islands and Island Engineers: The
Social and Technological Implications of
Anthropogenic Landforms along Crystal River
The Roberts Island Complex is located along the central Gulf
Coast at the mouth of Crystal River in Florida. Archaeological
excavation of this island has identified a suit of architectural
features, which include two stepped platform mounds, mounded
middens, linear ridges, and a circular basin feature. The primary
component of all of these features is oyster shell. For some
features, such as the mounds, shell was intentionally piled up to
form architecture. In other parts of the site it appears that midden
developed in situ. Based on our most recent work, we suggest that
the entire island is an anthropogenic landform that required
planning and the mobilization of labor. We discuss the social and
technological implications of this finding in relation to the larger
Late Woodland landscape of the region.
Thompson, Amy (University of New Mexico) and Keith Prufer
(University of New Mexico)
[234]
Detection and Evaluation: The Use of LiDAR in
Archaeological Contexts at Uxbenká, Belize
This poster discusses the application of Light Detection And
Ranging (LiDAR) for identifying and evaluating archaeological and
environmental features at the Classic Period Maya center of
Uxbenká, located in the Toledo District of southern Belize. Dense
tropical foliage and steep terrain in this region have made
traditional archaeological survey difficult and affect the resolution
of analysis using remote sensing methods. LiDAR provided highresolution bare-earth imagery that was analyzed using geospatial
tools. We will compare and evaluate pre-existing terrain and
hydrology maps to those created from LiDAR data. This poster
presents a model for detecting archaeological settlements based
on recovery of vegetation in areas disturbed by local farming
practices.
Thompson, Adam (FSM Archaeologist)
[244]
The Early Settlement of Mwoakilloa Atoll
408
Recent excavation on the island of Mwoakilloa has provided a
date of 1750 B.P. for its initial settlement. This finding corresponds
with early dates obtained from intertidal zones on Pohnpei and
Kosrae which lie to the west and east of Mwoakilloa respectively.
Further volcanic stone found in these early layers on Mwoakilloa
has been sourced using XRF to Pohnpei and other material is
believed to come from Kosrae. The combined evidence suggests
a dynamic pattern of interaction and migration across the Eastern
Caroline islands extending to the Western Caroline islands where
a date of 1800 B.P. was obtained on Fais atoll. Land snail
evidence suggests that this early migration may also have brought
pit cultivation from the Marshall Islands where settlement occurred
slightly earlier.
Thomson, Marcus (UCLA Geography) and Glen MacDonald
(UCLA Geography)
[129]
A Critical Review of Holocene Palaeohydrology
and Palaeohydroclimatology of the Nile and
Eastern Mediterranean
The Fayum depression is ideally placed as a virtual gauge on
climatic trends along the Nile catchment, including signals from
East and West African precipitation regimes. Recent work has
suggested mid-Holocene occupational changes in the Fayum
associated with specific climate regimes. We will review Holocene
Nile palaeohydrology and eastern Mediterranean
palaeohydroclimatology, as well as recent investigations in the
Fayum. The sensitivity of the Fayum to Nile variations and
regional climatic changes will be assessed and occupation
changes will be examined in the context of these two factors.
Thongcharoenchaikit, Cholawit [7] see Van Vlack, Hannah
Thornton, Christopher (National Geographic Society), Kyle
Olson (Ohio State University) and Narges Bayani (University
of Pennsylvania)
[157]
The Bronze Age of Northeastern Iran: View
from the Frontier
The Bronze Age of Northeastern Iran has been discussed for
decades as the homeland of the Indo-Aryans, the Iranians, and
other archaeologically-nebulous groups. However, our knowledge
of this region in the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. is extremely
limited, which has not stopped scholars from crafting grand
narratives. Recent work on unpublished material from sites in this
area has cast new light on this problem, and raises new questions
about the spread of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex
(BMAC) onto the Iranian Plateau around 2000 B.C.
Thornton, Amanda [204] see Crawford, Dawn
Throgmorton, Kellam (PaleoWest)
[218]
Pit House Architecture and the Expression,
Creation, and Maintenance of Social Identity in
the Puerco Valley, A.D. 600-900
During the early Pueblo period the Puerco Valley of eastern
Arizona and western New Mexico rapidly changed from hinterland
to thriving cultural borderland. This process was influenced by
decreasing residential mobility as well as immigration. Ceramic
evidence suggests that people from a variety of social
backgrounds inhabited the permanent communities that had their
origin in the eighth and ninth centuries. This paper uses domestic
pit house architecture as a further means of exploring social
identity within these newly forming communities. On the one hand,
Puerco Valley inhabitants unconsciously reflected vernacular
building traditions inherited from their homelands and ancestors.
On the other, they consciously negotiated architecture style as
they interacted with one another. The formation of villages was a
response to growing multi-cultural communities and further
influenced the expression of social identity in pit house
architecture. By the ninth century this resulted in a patchwork
distribution of pit house forms, an indication of the complex and
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
overlapping social relationships that existed within the early
Pueblo period Puerco Valley.
Thulman, David (George Washington University)
[282]
Discussant
Thurman, Rosanna Runyon (UH-Manoa/ Cultural Surveys
Hawaii)
[280]
Archaeological Investigations at a Traditional
Hawaiian Site Complex: Systematic
Documentation and Community Involvement at
Maunawila Heiau
The presentation will discuss a UH-sponsored archaeological
project conducted within a 9-acre land parcel in Hau'ula Ahupua'a,
Ko'olauloa District, on the island of O'ahu. The investigation
included a surface survey, detailed mapping, subsurface testing,
and lab analyses. The presentation will present results on the
extent, condition, periods of use, and methods of construction of a
traditional Hawaiian place of worship, Maunawila Heiau. The
project has been conducted in coordination with the Hau'ula
Community Association, Ko'olauloa Civic Club, Hawaiian Islands
Land Trust, State Historic Preservation Division, and community
members, UH students, and volunteers who participate in work
days, site visits, and community meetings.
Thurston, Tina (SUNY Buffalo)
[133]
Rulership, Subjecthood, and Power: Courses of
Distributed Governance in Early Northern
Europe
After nearly two decades of debate over the basic nature of
societies across Iron Age and Medieval Europe, as well as their
individual internal structures, most contemporary archaeologists
agree that in many contexts the responsibility for (and right to
participate in) governance emanated both from above and below.
A number of theories developed or popularized through the work
of Richard Blanton have proven to be effective tools for
interpreting the spatially and temporally shifting tensions between
the branches of a society’s internal organization, and the role of
ordinary people in the ordering of the polity. These societies, as
prime examples of ‘differently organized states,’ provide a window
into ancient political structures that have often been difficult to
theorize.
Tierney, Meghan (Emory University)
[214]
Representation of the Body in Nasca Sculptural
Ceramics
Scholars have explored the body as represented in the arts of the
ancient Americas through performance, dress, shamanic and ritual
practice, two-dimensional imagery, to name a few. Rarely
addressed, however, is the prevalence of the human form in early
period Nasca sculptural vessels (c. 1-450 CE). Through an art
historical perspective, this paper explores how the form of the
body is related to vessel shape, how the ceramist depicts
gender—either explicitly rendered or implicit in other aspects like
clothing, and, more generally, how the Nasca represented the
human body. One vessel type considered depicts what appears to
be a human subject whose face has been obscured by a textile or
a head covering, yet has modeled facial features. When
considered alongside the common Nasca practices of cranial
deformation and head taking, these sculptural objects might help
us better conceive of how the Nasca understood the human body.
Tiesler, Vera (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán) and Andrea
Cucina (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán)
[46]
Ancient Maya Courtly Life, Living Conditions,
and Health (Problems) in the Context of Social
Inequality
Within state level societies, social inequality is expressed in every
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
aspect of human group interaction and social insertion determines
individual life experiences and, ultimately, physical well-being. This
paper elaborates on this conjecture by comparing the oral health,
degenerative disease and, ultimately age-at-death, of central
urban Maya populations. To this end we compare the information
of some 500 skeletons from eight urban centers, retrieved either
from common urban dwellings, elite residences, or dynastic tombs.
Our results, when age corrected, and related to the mortuary
markers of social status, indicate differences in the prevalence of
disease between the cohorts and highlight that benefits and health
costs of dynastic lifestyle are gender-dependent and are overall
significantly distinct from the remainder of the population. The
health problems, recorded among many paramounts, concretely,
degenerative disease, spine ailments and osteoporosis, anticipate
dramatically modern, postindustrial styles of living.
Timpson, Adrian [291] see Edinborough, Kevan
Tito, Raul (University of Oklahoma) and Cecil M Lewis
(University of Oklahoma)
[41]
Análisis Metagenómico de Coprolitos Humanos
El enfoque metagenómico estudia todo el material genético en
una muestra ecológica, incluyendo muestras de los ecosistemas
del cuerpo humano. Aquí presentamos un análisis metagenómico
de datos de coprolitos humanos previamente publicados. Además
de los controles de laboratorio, presentamos un enfoque
bayesiano para la asignación de fuentes microbianas que puede
utilizarse para identificar los contaminantes ambientales en
coprolitos, así como la ecología endógena del intestino humano
antiguo. Utilizando plataformas automatizadas públicamente
disponibles para el análisis metagenómico, como MG-RAST
(metagenomics.anl.gov), reconstruimos la composición
filogenética y el potencial metabólico del intestino humano
antiguo. En consecuencia, el análisis metagenómico de muestras
antiguas, constituye una herramienta relevante para arqueología
por su potencial para identificar estados de salud, aspectos de
dieta y estilo de vida, o inclusive un rango potencial de edad de
hospederos humanos extintos.
Tito, Raul [79] see Lewis, Cecil
To, Denise [251] see O'Leary, Owen
To, Denise
[251]
Excavating the Atypical with the Central
Identification Laboratory: When the
Uncommon and Extreme Become the Norm
Unlike archaeology of past societies where excavation methods
mirror the theory behind ancient construction and land use, the
forensic archaeology conducted by the JPAC-Central Identification
Laboratory (CIL) regularly occurs at sites of an extreme nature.
JPAC’s unique goal of identifying unaccounted-for US servicepersonnel from past conflicts is accomplished, in part, by the CIL’s
attention to applying appropriate archaeological methods and
techniques to sites that other archaeologists and forensic
practitioners encounter only with usual infrequency. This paper
explores the sometimes immensely exigent challenges faced
regularly by the CIL around the world at sites formed by military
aircraft crashes. For the CIL, common practices include
excavating while harnessed in rappelling gear, negotiating glacier
crevasses, bulk excavation on slopes exceeding 60 degrees,
excavation in swampy marshlands too inhospitable even for local
nationals, and unearthing large amounts of degraded ordnance.
The goal of recovering human remains for identification from these
sites places the scope of our work within the realm of modern
forensics, but the time lapse incurred since the original incident
(and the concomitant site disturbance processes) places our
recovery methods within the domain of traditional archaeology.
409
Our challenge therefore, is accurately blending archaeological
methods and techniques with the complexities of extreme sites.
[251]
Chair
Tobey, Jennifer
[130]
Traditional Knowledge, a Relic from the Past or
a Tool for the Future?
Passed from generation to generation, Traditional Knowledge is a
source used to inform archaeologists and an aid in our
interpretations of the past. However, while it may rely on the past,
Traditional Knowledge is very much part of the modern world.
Like any other body of knowledge it is dynamic, adapting or
growing over time as new experiences are incorporated with the
old. On the North Slope of Alaska, Traditional Knowledge plays
an active part not only in the traditions and cultural identity of the
Iñupiat, but also in North Slope government policy and activities,
federal and state regulatory environments, and activities that
industries and development conduct on the North Slope. It is used
to inform present and future activities.
This presentation uses the North Slope Traditional Knowledge
example to explore Traditional Knowledge’s use in archaeology
and modern society. It discusses what Traditional Knowledge is in
this region, explores its importance in cultural resource
identification and management; its importance in management of
other environmental resources; and raises discussion points for its
future application.
[232]
Discussant
Tocheri, Matthew W. [10] see Brooks, Alison
Todaro, Simona [288] see Mentesana, Roberta
Todd, Lawrence [10] see Kappelman, John
Toffalori, Elena (Center for Digital Archaeology, UC Berkeley),
Michael Ashley (Center for Digital Archaeology), Chacha
Sikes (Center for Digital Archaeology) and Dario Ciccone
(Map2app, Inc)
[105]
Community Engagement and Heritage
Preservation through an iPhone App: Mukurtu
Mobile
In this contribution we present Mukurtu Mobile, a free app that is
part of digital heritage management system MukurtuCMS,
designed with the needs of Indigenous communities. Mukurtu
Mobile combines the usability and social appeal of a microblogging application with Mukurtu's granular control over content
storage and cultural protocols. Members of a Mukurtu archive can
collect digital stories and places of interest on their iPhone that
include images, descriptions, categories and protocols, and
determine precisely which communities will have access, can
comment, download and reuse. Mukurtu's higher purpose is to
allow communities to collect, manage and share digital content in
their own terms, using cultural and sharing protocols they define.
Mukurtu Mobile brings this fine grain self management to a
ubiquitous mobile platform. The app was made freely available on
the Apple App Store in October 2012. We will discuss the
feedback and user case studies since its release, along with plans
and future directions.
Toft, Peter Andreas (National Museum of Denmark)
[271]
The Uummannaq Mission: Moravians and Inuit
of the Nuuk Fjord, Greenland
In 1861 Moravian missionaries from Neu Herrnhut and Inuit from
the settlement Kukik founded a new mission on Uummannaq. At
this small island 70 km inside the Nuuk Fjord, the layout of the
410
mission followed Moravian principles and at the same time
adapted to the local landscape and Inuit culture. Especially the
position and layout of the cemetery are a product of both Moravian
and Inuit traditions concerning treatment of the dead. During the
39 years of co-existence at the mission, the material culture of the
local Inuit was also influenced by the Moravian presence, e.g., the
introduction of written language, birth numbers, goats and new
crafts such as basket weaving. Another material result of the
cultural encounter was the carving of soapstone souvenirs for the
missionaries, of which traces can be found at the mission and at
the local quarry. Both soapstone objects made for souvenirs and
traditional artifacts like steatite lamps were brought back to Europe
by the missionaries making the cultural exchange truly dialectical.
This paper presents the results of a small-scale fieldwork on the
Uummannaq mission conducted in 2007.
Tolman, Chloe [268] see Nigra, Benjamin
Tolmie, Clare [96] see Blackwell, Bonnie A.B.
Tomasso, Antonin [291] see Naudinot, Nicolas
Tomka, Marybeth (UTSA-CAR) and Melissa Eiring (UTSACAR)
[182]
How Temperature and Humidity Fluctuations
Can Control Your Life: A View from inside an
Archaeological Repository
Temperature and humidity are two of the more dangerous agents
of deterioration faced by the museum and repository community in
the quest for optimum preservation. Much of the theory for the
storage of archaeological collections (Johnson 2003) has been
codified in state and federal regulations (the Texas Historical
Commission Certified Curatorial Repository Program and 36CFR
Part 79). However, the administration and organizational
structures of archaeological repositories are very different in scope
of materials held and the quantities curated than the typical
museum -- hundreds of thousands of whole objects compared to
several million artifacts. The mix of collections requiring varying
humidity and temperature control also contributes to the difficulty
involved in caring for these materials.
This poster presentation will illustrate the buffering effects of
creating a microenvironment through the use of polyethylene
artifact bags, artifact group bags, the artifact box, and the larger
storage furniture, within the confines of a building and the
building’s exterior environmental fluctuations. It will illustrate how
the microenvironment is relatively stable amidst the
macroenvironmental fluctuations. These external conditions
minimally affect the artifacts and do so at slower rates than the
fluctuations documented within the building structure itself.
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
climate of Far Eastern Russia rather than the climate of the central
part of the Japanese Islands. So it could be said that
“Oshigatamon” and “Shubunotsunai” pottery was related to pottery
not in the central Japanese Islands but, rather, Far Eastern
Russia.
Toney, Joshua (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
(JPAC)) and Michael Heckenberger (University of Florida
Department of Anthropology)
[60]
Scales of Production in the Upper Xingu
Recent archaeology and historical ecology in Amazonia suggest
remarkable diversity, no less than major forested areas across the
globe. However, few in-depth field studies are available, making it
hard to move beyond broad questions of chronology and culture
history. This paper discusses the Upper Xingu, southern Brazilian
Amazon, as an example of dynamic change in human-natural
systems over the past millennium. It focuses on economic
production and land-use, in terms of food and industrial crops,
wetland management and domestic production, to consider longterm change across the southern Amazon’s “arc of deforestation",
including the place of indigenous peoples in this remote corner of
the Global South.
Toney, Joshua [60] see Schmidt, Morgan
Tomkins, Helene [2] see Ulm, Sean
Toney, Elizabeth (Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger
District) and Aaron Woods (Ph.D. Candidate, University of
Nevada, Las Vegas)
[175]
Landscape, Settlement, Communities, and
Households in the Mimbres-Mogollon Region:
The Role of Small and Medium-sized Pueblos
Evaluation of settlement patterns provides important information
regarding landscape use and sheds light on human adaptation to
changing social and environmental conditions. We explore the
settlement, establishment, and maintenance of communities and
households during the Classic period (ca. A.D. 1000-1150) in the
Mimbres region of Southwestern New Mexico. GIS analyses and
specific examples from excavated sites are used to explore the
formation and distribution of small- (ca. 1 to 10 room) and
medium-sized (ca. 11 to 50 room) pueblos. Previous studies of
small and medium-sized pueblos in the Mimbres region suggest
they were logistic locations used for maintenance of agricultural
fields and mobility between larger sites. More recent investigations
of small pueblos in the Mimbres-Mogollon region suggest flexible
functions, especially in the Post-Classic (Late 1100s). We
delineate the possible differences of household and community
formation and function in small- and medium-sized pueblos for
four study areas which include sections of the Mimbres Valley, the
Sapillo Valley, portions of the Burro Mountains, and Fort Bayard
area located near Silver City, NM. We also consider issues of
autonomy and conformity and speculate that Classic Mimbres
communities and households represent an extensive phenomenon
that incorporated large areas in to their socio-economic spheres.
Tomoda, Tetsuhiro
[258]
Pottery Diversity and Cultural Connections in
Northern Japan
The Neolithic Culture in Japan is called “Jomon” culture, in
general. “Jomon” means “cord-mark” and originates from the
design and pattern of ornament. However, there are also some
types of Jomon pottery without cord-mark. “Oshigatamon” type
pottery and “Shubunotsunai “ type pottery are types without cord
mark decoration. “Oshigatamon” type pottery is decorated with
dowel-impressed pattern and “Shubunotsunai” type pottery is
decorated with punctured pattern. This pottery developed from the
early to middle stages of the Jomon period in Hokkaido. These are
distributed primarily in the northern and eastern parts of Hokkaido,
and not the central and southern parts. Meanwhile, there are
pottery traditions that are similar to “Oshigatamon”and
“Shubunotsunai” pottery in Far Eastern Russia and the Kuril
Islands. It is notable that the climate of Hokkaido is similar to the
Tonoike, Yukiko (Yale University)
[260]
Assessing the Use of Portable XRF to the
Study of Human Skeletal Remains: A Case
Study Based on the Yale-New Haven Burials
This paper assesses the use of portable x-ray fluorescence
(pXRF) in the analysis of human bones by using the case study of
four burials from a mid-19th century cemetery discovered in New
Haven, Connecticut. Portable XRF, due to its portability,
accessibility, and non-destructive analytical capabilities has
become an increasingly popular analytical method in
archaeological research. By careful consideration of issues such
as matrix-specific calibration and sampling, pXRF results of the
human bones excavated from the Yale New-Haven Hospital
renovation site were compared to the ICP-MS results (separate
presentation in this session), in order to consider whether pXRF
would be an useful alternative method of analysis when other
more traditional analytical methods are inaccessible or unsuitable.
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
[260]
Chair
Toomay Douglas, Michele (University of Hawaii at Manoa),
Michael Pietrusewsky (University of Hawaii at Manoa), Marilyn
K. Swift (Swift and Harper Archaeological Resource
Consulting), Randy A. Harper (Swift and Harper
Archaeological Resource Consulting) and Michael A. Fleming
(Swift and Harper Archaeological Resource Consulting)
[219]
Geographical Influences on Health in Ancient
Mariana Islanders
Previous investigations of health and lifestyle in the Mariana
Islands indicated that the prehistoric inhabitants living on the
smaller islands of this arichipelago experienced more stress than
those living on the larger islands. Differences in environment
and/or resource availability and the greater impact of natural
disasters on smaller islands were cited as possible reasons for
these observed differences.
This paper expands on previous research by using one of the
largest datasets now available for examining the health of
prehistoric skeletons from the Mariana Islands. The indicators of
health investigated are cribra orbitalia (CO), linear enamel
hypoplasia (LEH), stature, trauma, infection, and dental disease.
There is considerable inter-island variability for many of the
indicators but generally the highest frequencies of stress are often
associated with skeletons from the smaller islands. For several
indicators (e.g., stature, limb bone fracture, spondylolysis, alveolar
defect) there were no significant differences between islands.
These results further suggest that the prehistoric inhabitants of
Rota, the smallest island, revealed levels of stress similar to
Guam, the largest island. Cultural habits such as chewing Areca
(betel) nut and other environmental and cultural differences are
examined to explain these differences.
Torrence, Robin (Australian Museum)
[131]
Coping with Catastrophic Environments:
Creative Responses to Volcanic Disasters in
Papua New Guinea
The growing number of high quality interdisciplinary studies
documenting the catastrophic effects of high magnitude volcanic
events on hominid evolution and human history constitute an
important critique of archaeology’s long held adherence to gradual
sociocultural evolution. In contrast, the overwhelming focus on
collapse means that cases exhibiting cultural continuity following a
volcanic event are largely ignored. It is time to think more carefully
at a theoretical level about where, when, to what extent, and why
cultural behavior might persist despite exposure to large-scale
volcanic events. Could populations inhabiting regions where
volcanic disasters are frequent develop effective coping
strategies? What role might creative strategies play within
catastrophic environments? Using the history of human responses
to multiple volcanic events played out over 40,000 years in West
New Britain, Papua New Guinea as a case study, it is argued that
the spatial scale over which populations can refuge is a key factor
in persistence. However, the social strategies that facilitate
mobility after a disaster are themselves susceptible to creative
manipulations that can engender culture change and collapse.
Torres, Jimena [26] see San Roman, Manuel
Torres-Rouff, Christina [38] see Hubbe, Mark
Torres-Rouff, Christina (UC Merced), Kelly Knudson (Arizona
State University) and Emily Stovel (Ripon College)
[286]
Integrative Analyses of the Larache Cemetery,
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: Combining
Bioarchaeology, Biogeochemistry, and
Mortuary Archaeology
The expansion of Tiwanaku and its trade networks during the
411
Andean Middle Horizon (A.D. 500-1000) brought material goods
and a pervasive ideology into the periphery, and, some scholars
have argued, groups of foreigners who moved between territories.
Northern Chile’s San Pedro de Atacama oases have a material
record that testifies to a longstanding interaction with the altiplano
Tiwanaku polity. Among the numerous Atacameño cemeteries,
Larache has historically been singled out as a site of foreign
influence. Here we explore this question using evidence from
cranial modification practices and the mortuary assemblage, both
culturally constructed, and from discrete traits and radiogenic
strontium isotope analyses, providing us with a multifaceted
perspective on the relatedness and geographic origin of these
individuals. Combining lines of evidence allows for a more
complex view of “foreignness” in the Atacameño past. Our data
suggest that Larache was not an enclave for a priestly class of
Tiwanaku émigrés, as had been argued decades ago, but rather
the burial place for a diverse yet culturally integrated and
potentially elite segment of the Atacameño population.
Consequently, we argue that issues of power and status warrant
more explicit consideration in future analyses of the oases.
Torvinen, Andrea (Arizona State University), Michelle Hegmon
(Arizona State University), Matthew Peeples (University of
Arizona), Keith W. Kintigh (Arizona State University) and Ben
A. Nelson (Arizona State University)
[89]
Assessing the Role of Diversity in the
Resilience of Social-Ecological Systems in the
Southwestern United States and Northern
Mexico
Previous research by the Long-Term Vulnerability and
Transformation Project revealed a strong association between low
population density and high social diversity, measured as ceramic
ware diversity (Nelson et al. 2011). There was a strong and
consistent pattern across a number of cases from the US
Southwest, all of which are thought to have relatively little social
complexity. However, exploratory analysis of other cases with
more evidence of social hierarchy indicates a reversed pattern, in
which high population density is correlated with high diversity.
These exceptions may imply different strategies of incorporating
people of different identities upon formation of the communities.
This poster examines these observations with a detailed
comparison of two cases with different degrees of social
complexity: Central Zuni, in west-central New Mexico and La
Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico. Zuni has persisted for many
centuries, whereas La Quemada eventually collapsed and its
residents dispersed. The study utilizes a series of detailed
measures that assess diversity of household organization, local
ceramic production, exchanged decorated ceramics, subsistence
activities and long-distance connectivity. This analysis provides
insights into the role social diversity may play in the overall
resilience of social-ecological systems.
Torvinen, Andrea [207] see Snitker, Grant
Toyne, Jennifer Marla (University of Central Florida)
[74]
A Childhood of Violence: A Bioarchaeological
Comparison of Large Scale Mass Death
Assemblages from Ancient Peru
While the archaeology of children has slowly become a vital part of
archaeological method and practice, one unexplored area includes
the roles of children in ritual or combat. Physical violence is not
limited to any subsection of society, yet has a great impact when
such evidence is discovered in children’s remains. Observations
of patterns of perimortem skeletal evidence of cut mark and blunt
force trauma demonstrate children were not spared in two large
archaeological death assemblages; Túcume, northern coast, and
Kuelap, eastern montane highlands. One appears ritual in nature,
while the other may represent a direct massacre. In both cases, a
large number of children were treated to the same degree and
type of violent trauma as the adults (males) in the samples. This
412
paper explores the lack of expected distinction between subadult
and adult’s experiences of violence and how this expands our
understanding of the Andean past revealing that, in death perhaps
as in life, children were important social actors.
Tozzi, Carlo [291] see Naudinot, Nicolas
Tratebas, Alice (Bureau of Land Management)
[163]
Comparison of Rock Art Themes between
Siberia and North America
Similar themes and motifs occur in Siberian and North American
rock art and some may reflect shared cultural concepts. Some
themes link coastal areas, while others occur on interior
landscapes within each continent. Masks at sites along the lower
Amur River have close resemblances to masks on the Northwest
Coast of North America. The petroglyph manufacturing technique
also compares between the two areas. Mushroom head
anthropomorphs in northeastern Siberia may have counterparts in
Alaska. Early ethnographers assumed direct ties between bear
ceremonialism in Siberia and North America. Do all depictions of
bears in North America symbolize concepts shared with Siberian
counterparts or are some images related to concepts that
originated in North America? More detailed investigations of
shared themes may provide evidence concerning the peopling of
North America.
Trauth, Martin (U Potsdam)
[215]
Human Evolution in a Variable Environment:
The Amplifier Lakes of Eastern Africa
The development of the Cenozoic East African Rift System
(EARS) profoundly re-shaped the landscape and significantly
increased the amplitude of short-term environmental response to
climate variation. In particular, the development of amplifier lakes
in rift basins after three million years ago significantly contributed
to the exceptional sensitivity of East Africa to climate change
compared to elsewhere on the African continent. These amplifier
lakes respond rapidly to moderate, precessional-forced climate
shifts, and as they do so apply dramatic environmental pressure to
the biosphere. Rift basins, when either extremely dry or lake-filled,
form important barriers for migration, mixing and competition of
different populations of animals and hominins. Amplifier lakes link
long-term, high-amplitude tectonic processes and short-term
environmental fluctuations. East Africa may have become the
place where early humans evolved as a consequence of this
strong link between different time scales.
Travers, Meg (University of New England)
[51]
To Gwion or not to Gwion: Transitions in the
Kimberley Rock Art Sequence of Northwest
Australia
Kimberley rock art is renowned for its intricate Gwion Gwion
Period paintings. Positioned at the end of this artistic tradition is
the Wararrajai Gwion Period, identified by changes in the depiction
of human form, colour use, associated dress and weaponry. The
Wararrajai Gwion Period is in turn replaced by the Painted Hand
Period, which previous researchers have attributed to a different
cultural population. This paper focuses on explanations for such
changes in the rock art assemblage, providing a clearer
understanding of the conditions that led to the demise of the
Gwion Gwion Period and the introduction of the succeeding
Painted Hand Period. An analysis of shifts in stylistic attributes,
spatial distribution and temporal developments of the rock art
assemblage and a comparison with contemporaneous social,
economic and environmental influences was undertaken. Results
suggest transitional rather than abrupt changes occurred within
the assemblage, demonstrated by stylistic continuity between the
rock art periods. This suggests that although changes occurred,
they may not have been the result of diffusion from a different
cultural population, rather resulting from changes occurring within
the Kimberley.
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Travina, Anastasiya
[29]
From Colonial Chronicles to Bootsrap Analysis:
The Evolution of Research Methods for
Studying Inca Spatial Organization
Changes in the technology available to researchers may reflect
changes in approaches to analyzing the spatial and administrative
organization of an imperial society. This paper examines specific
archaeological research projects conducted in Peru in the 1980s,
which used historical analysis and descriptive statistical methods
for analyzing Inca excavations, and contrasts these methods with
the contemporary application of GIS software and modern
inferential statistics. These excavations served to analyze the
settlement and storage house location patterns of the Incas. In this
paper, they are compared with the analysis of spatial organization
of the same settlements and storage localities in the milieu of
geospatial and statistical analysis laboratories of U.S. universities.
Through exploring these differences, the paper demonstrates how
integrating such instruments as Google Earth, bootstrapping, and
Monte-Carlo analysis has altered the perception of the Inca
Empire’s spatial organization and the view of the Inca domination.
Trein, Debora (University of Texas at Austin)
[290]
Multilocality and Monumental Architecture at
the Site of La Milpa, Belize
This paper discusses the results of the 2012 field season at
Structure 3, a large monumental structure at the site of La Milpa,
northwest Belize, through the lens of multilocality. These
investigations form part of a multi-year doctoral dissertation
research that aims to examine the ways in which all members of
the Late Classic La Milpa community, not just elites, potentially
interacted with monumental spaces. This research aims to
complement elite-oriented perspectives that currently loom large in
the investigation of monumental architecture in ancient Maya
civilization, and extend studies of ancient Maya non-elite groups to
monumental contexts. A comprehensive analysis of the
composition and distribution of artifact assemblages recovered in
and around monumental spaces may infer on the heterogeneity of
use and access to monumental architecture, going beyond elitecentered explanations of ancient Maya monumentality. Evidence
suggests that Structure 3 was not only a space where ritual and
political events associated with the maintenance of an elite were
took place. Activities often associated with commoners such as
tool manufacture, limestone quarrying, and gardening may also
have been a significant component in the history of Structure 3.
Tremain, Cara (University of Calgary) and Geoffrey McCafferty
(University of Calgary)
[147]
Carving Traditions in Central America: Analysis
of Pre-Columbian Jade and Greenstone
Artifacts
This research arose from the opportunity to analyse a previously
unstudied collection of Pre-Columbian jade and greenstone
artifacts. Like many collections that derive from museums, little
information concerning their provenience was available. In order to
better understand their likely provenience, comparative analysis to
artifacts from Mesoamerica and Lower Central America was
undertaken. Based on visual properties, this study allowed for a
better understanding of the presence of distinct carving traditions
throughout the Central American region. The presence of distinct
traditions has often been linked to the possibility of more than one
source of jadeite in Central America. However, there is currently
lack of evidence for a source outside of the Motagua Valley in
Guatemala, despite chemical studies that have suggested
otherwise. The proponents for additional sources have
recommended further testing and reconnaissance in Costa Rica,
where artifacts have often been identified as visually distinct to
those from the Guatemalan source. Thus, not only does this
research better inform us about the collection in hand, it can be
used as a basis from which to strengthen our understanding about
jade and greenstone carving traditions in Central America.
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Trentelman, Karen [253] see Walton, Marc
Tresset, Anne [20] see Ollivier, Morgane
Triadan, Daniela (University of Arizona)
[171]
Continuity and Change in the Formation of
Preclassic Domestic Space at Ceibal,
Guatemala
Excavations at the Maya site of Ceibal have revealed very early
patio group formations with domestic structures, dating to at least
the Late Real-Xe Phase (circa 700 AD) of the early Middle
Preclassic. After their founding, these places continued to be
occupied for almost 2000 years albeit with changes in the use of
space at specific times that may elucidate pivotal social and
political changes in the community. The new data from Ceibal
provide new insights into the formation, use, and maintenance of
domestic space in the Early Middle Prelassic, as well as the
beginnings of social differentiation in the Maya lowlands.
[21]
Discussant
Triadan, Daniela [64] see Montgomery, Barbara
Tringham, Ruth [105] see Ashley, Michael
Tringham, Ruth (Univ of California-Berkeley) and Pietro
Ferraris (Map2App.com)
[105]
A Mobile App to Enhance Visits to Heritage
Places: The Example of Angel Island
In this paper we present an application created using the map2app
mobile platform to a particular cultural heritage location – Angel
Island in the San Francisco Bay, currently a State Park that is a
popular destination for visitors who explore its buildings from the
US military occupation of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as
well as its landscape with spectacular views on San Francisco and
its bay. Recently it was also home to a roving performance of the
Odyssey, for which we published an iPhone app to enhance the
island experience for the audience. We are adapting this app for
visitors to the Angel Island park to enhance their experience with
“now and then” photos, videos and audio and stories that engage
visitors in the history of the places as they explore the island. This
project emerges out of a dream for video-tours at Çatalhöyük
using a technology that at that time did not exist. We will argue
that the development of such apps act as interpretive platforms for
tangible, invisible, and intangible heritage, and can be created
inexpensively by interpreters themselves while engaging visitors in
an active participation in and contribution to the interpretation of
cultural heritage.
Tripcevich, Nicholas [33] see Kimber, Tom
Tripcevich, Nicholas (UC Berkeley)
[225]
Where to Pasture the Llamas within Town?
Herders and Farmers in the Andean Highlands
In the present day, Andean divisions between areas dedicated to
herding and to farming are largely ecological. However, projecting
these distinctions into antiquity is problematic. The steep and
relatively narrow Andean cordillera contains altitudinally
determined production zones, yet highland Andean families and
communities often strive to diversify their production and,
therefore, the pastoral/non-pastoral interface may occur within a
single family. This paper focuses on the herding and farming
interface in the Andes where herders and caravans serve as the
mobile component of highland communities that have extensive
areas dedicated to cropland. Some material aspects of this
413
relationship may be preserved archaeologically, such as corral
features, walls protecting crops, and long distance transport items.
Other elements are more ephemeral, such as scheduling,
territoriality, exchange relationships, and choices regarding herd
and crop management. Despite modern changes in herd profiles,
transportation, and economy, much can be learned about the
strategies of ancient herders and non-herders in the central
Andes.
Tromp, Monica [47] see Dudgeon, John
Trout, Lukas (University of Nevada, Reno)
[148]
Analysis of an Alpine Lithic Assemblage:
Flaked and Ground Stone in Wyoming’s High
Rise Village
Preliminary analyses of sampled flaked and ground stone
assemblages from western Wyoming’s High Rise Village
document minimal temporal and spatial variability in occupant
behavior. While ground stone is associated with each of the site’s
52 lodge pads, biface thinning and retouch flakes dominate lithic
assemblages and indicate tool manufacture for hunting and animal
processing. Imported and cached lithic materials evince
investment in returning to this particular site, as High Rise Village
may have been a destination for residentially mobile huntergatherers. An in depth analysis of flaked and ground stone
assemblages is needed to confirm preliminary conclusions as well
as to discern previously unidentified trends in occupant behavior,
i.e. temporal and spatial patterns in resource procurement and
processing. This analysis will also assist with determining why
High Rise Village inhabitants continually utilized this specific highaltitude location for over 2,000 years.
Trowbridge, Meaghan [85] see Unruh, David
Trubitt, Mary Beth (Arkansas Archeological Survey), Anne S.
Dowd (ArchæoLOGIC USA, LLC) and Meeks Etchieson
(U.S.D.A. Forest Service)
[142]
Multiscalar Analysis of Quarries
Quarries come in all sizes, as did the groups who used them. In
this paper, we evaluate two case studies: the Spanish Diggings
novaculite quarry complex in Arkansas and the Starks Pleistocene
cobble quarry in Wyoming. Large and small quarries provide
interesting contrasts in extraction scales, raw material uses,
seasonality, work group sizes, and transport distances and
directions. Both examples were predominantly used during the
Middle Archaic periods in their respective regions (ca., 8,0006,250 B.P. in Arkansas and 5,500-2,500 B.P. in Wyoming).
Multiscalar analysis of the settlement contexts of these quarries
shows variation in resource extraction intensity and differing
material distributions across the localities and regions. These
case studies provide an intriguing perspective on how group sizes
and settlement scales influenced prehistoric stone quarrying
technology, and may ultimately inform our discussions of emerging
inequalities among hunter-gatherer societies.
Truman, Elizabeth (Washington State University), Melissa
Goodman-Elgar (Washington State University), John Dorwin
(Kalispel Tribe of Indians), Stan Gough (Eastern Washington
University Archaeological and H) and Nancy Stenholm
(Botana Labs)
[224]
Exploration of Geoarchaeological Methods for
Occupation Sites In the Pacific Northwest
45PO429 is an ethnographically known summer occupation site of
the Kalispel Tribe of Indians with prehistoric, protohistoric and
historic elements along the Pend Oreille River, WA. Photographic
documentation by Edward S. Curtis indicates the site’s historic
use. 45PO429 is currently being tested for eligibility for the NRHP.
We present the results of geoarchaeological field and lab
414
assessments used to aid in analysis of selected occupation areas
and features. Features were identified using known parameters
from the ethnographic record. Knowledge regarding duration of
occupation and primary or secondary use of features was explored
using a simple suite of methods (PSA, EC, pH, LOI) in addition to
thin section analysis. Experimental burning was also undertaken
to aid in identification of feature use and duration. It is considered
that by utilizing simple geoarchaeological analysis to aid in
documentation of the site a stronger case is made for inclusion.
The relative ease of analysis is also worth considering for future
site testing.
Tryon, Christian A. [10] see Brooks, Alison
Tserendagva, Yadmaa [240] see Schneider, Joan
Tsesmeli, Evangelia (Southern Methodist University)
[85]
Along the River They Went: Mobility in the
Middle Rio Grande Basin
The Middle Rio Grande basin consists of several major tributaries
draining into the Rio Grande with valleys and watersheds
encompassing an area of about 3000 square miles in central New
Mexico. Archaeological surveys, excavations and CRM projects
have shown that the basin enjoyed a remarkable continuity with
distinct habitation patterns from the Archaic period to the end of
the 15th century A.D. Ethnographic and archaeological
investigations have indicated the use of trails along riverine routes
to facilitate movement of people and exchange of commodities on
the ground. A closer look at the material record provides insights
into the mobility patterns and the social landscape of the basin
residents during the tumultuous 13th -15th centuries A.D., and
identifies differences and similarities of movement and habitation
among the various social groups navigating the distinct landforms
that comprise this important ecosystem.
Tseveendorj, Damdinsuren [22] see Lee, Sang-Hee
Tsoraki-Chan, Christina [32] see Carter, Tristan
Tsukamoto, Kenichiro (School of Anthropology, University of
Arizona) and Jessica I. Cerezo-Román (School of
Anthropology, University of Arizona)
[57]
A Body of Lakam Officials: The Study of Burial
1 at the Guzmán Group of El Palmar,
Campeche, Mexico
In Late Classic Maya society subordinate elites, with the title of
Lakam, often appear in courtly scenes painted on polychrome
vessels, but their physical characteristics have remained unknown.
Epigraphic studies of a hieroglyphic stairway suggest that the
north peripheral area of the Classic Maya center of El Palmar was
occupied by Lakam officials during the Late Classic period (ca.
A.D. 650-850). In A.D. 726 they attached a hieroglyphic stairway
to their principal temple, Structure GZ1. Contemporaneously, an
individual, possibly a Lakam, was buried under its upper shrine
and a fire ritual was conducted above the cist. The burial consists
of a male individual with the offering of two polychrome vessels.
Osteological analyses address the biological profile and life history
of this individual while archaeological evidence reveals historical
and social clues. The results provide additional insight into the
social circumstances of subordinate elites in Classic Maya society.
Tsurumi, Eisei (The University of Tokyo)
[19]
The Early Ceramic from Tembladera and Its
Chronological Sequence
Tembladera is a village located in the Middle Jequetepeque Valley
in northern Peru and it is well-known for the looted fine pottery
dated to the Initial Period and the Early Horizon. Although these
pieces lost contextual information, they can be seen in many
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
museums and private collections worldwide. The monumental
structures near the village dated to these periods also have drawn
archaeologists’ attention. Unfortunately, many of them were
destroyed by the construction of the Gallito Ciego Reservoir and a
road associated with it during the 1980s. However, in spite of such
severe damages, there still remain a large number of
archaeological sites. From 2003 I have directed Tembladera
Archaeological Project and excavated 10 sites around the village.
Through these intensive investigations, it became clear that
monumental architecture continued to be constructed throughout
the Late Preceramic Period (Mosquito Phase), the early Initial
Period (Hamacas Phase), the late Initial Period (Tembladera
Phase), and the Early Horizon (Lechuzas Phase). In addition,
diachronic changes in pottery styles were confirmed in accordance
with the changes in monumental architecture. In this talk, I will
present the variety of pottery styles from this project for the
purpose of establishing a fine-grained chronological sequence of
the region.
Tsurumoto, Toshiyuki [194] see Fukase, Hitoshi
Tuggle, H. David [280] see Masse, W.
Tuller, Hugh (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command), Derek
Congram (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command) and Luis
Fondebrider (Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team)
[193]
Contemporary Mass Graves as Archaeological
Features
Paralleling the development of forensic archaeology as a discipline
over the past several decades has been the manner in which
contemporary mass graves are processed. In the past, these
complex graves were primarily viewed as containers for bodies,
and the exhumation of the remains a gruesome task that needed
to be done prior to the ‘real’ science of examining the remains in a
laboratory. Often this exhumation activity was conducted with little
archaeological input. There was a lack of understanding that the
grave feature, the processes that created it (including modification
of the surrounding area), and activities that occurred at the scene
afterwards (perhaps years later), could constitute criminal
evidence, and that thorough archaeological excavation could
recover it. In recent years there has been a subtle, yet gradual
shift in how these features are viewed and, thus, processed. The
inclusion of archaeologists is now common, and the activity has
turned from the "exhumation" of bodies to the "excavation" of
mass grave features. This presentation will give a brief
background to the development and implementation of forensic
archaeology at these scenes, the types of evidence that can be
gathered for courts, and the ways archaeology can assist in the
identification process.
Tuller, Hugh [251] see Stephen, Jesse
Tuma, Michael (SWCA Environmental Consultants) and Ryan
Glenn
[102]
Analysis of Vertebrate Faunal Remains from
the San Gabriel Mission Archaeological Site
We assessed subsistence practices, animal husbandry and
butchery practices, livestock industry and trade, and variations in
cultural foodways for Native American and Euroamerican
inhabitants of the San Gabriel Mission Site during the Mission and
American Periods. We addressed these research themes with the
recovery, identification, analysis, and interpretation of extensive
faunal remains from the Bishop’s Garden portion of the site.
Our faunal analysis focused on two features: a Mission Period
millrace situated near the neophyte living area, and an American
Period trash deposit associated with a later Euroamerican
occupation. We identified the vertebrate faunal remains and
examined them for butchering, burning, and other cultural and
natural taphonomies. Species represented in these assemblages
included cow, sheep, dog, goat, horse, deer, chicken, rabbit, and,
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
in smaller quantities, several species of birds and fish.
A preponderance of domesticated species from the millrace,
particularly cow and sheep, coincides with our understanding of
the lucrative tallow and hide industry at the California missions
during the Mission Period. The recovery of wild species suggests
that the Native American neophytes continued traditional
subsistence practices to an extent. The American Period midden
was dominated by domestic dog, chicken, and pig, indicating a
wholesale shift in subsistence economy.
Tun Ayora, Gabriel [78] see Ringle, William
Tung, Burcu (University of California, Merced), Arzu
Demirergi (Stony Brook University), Duygu Tarkan (Istanbul
University) and Camilla Mazzucato (University of Oxford)
[32]
Sharing and Neighborhoods: Assembling
Social Ties at Neolithic Çatalhöyük
Recent interpretations of archaeological data from the Neolithic
Çatalhöyük show a complex network of interactions between the
Neolithic inhabitants of the site to the archaeological households,
neighborhoods, and the surrounding landscape. In this
entanglement, it has been difficult to overtly assess the rise of the
‘autonomous’ household within the sequence of the Neolithic
occupation. Neolithic practices of “sharing” indeed make a messy
archaeological puzzle to decipher in terms of understanding
control mechanisms tied to specific households, neighborhoods, or
production means. Drawing on Latour’s ANT and Raffles’
expression of intimate knowledge, we argue that the practice of
“sharing” is intimately tied to the production of knowledge. This
intimate knowledge expresses referential and embodied aspects
of knowledge construction, born through the interaction between
people to things, people to people and people to places. Because
intimate knowledge incorporates shared knowledge, it provides a
basis on which to move back and forth between the different levels
of interaction where knowledge construction takes place. We
demonstrate, through use of different archaeological assemblages
such as building materials, pottery, faunal and archaeobotanical
remains that “sharing” occurred in different scales that relate to
household-based ties, neighborhoods as well as and intercommunal ties.
Tung, Tiffiny (Vanderbilt University, Department of
Anthropology)
[132]
The Wari Empire: What We Have Learned from
Bioarchaeological Analysis of Wari Skeletons
Knowledge about the Wari Empire in the central Andes of Peru
has grown immensely in the last decade, in large part because of
the Conchopata Archaeological Project, directed by Isbell and
Cook. That work, and our current understandings about Wari,
developed out of the previous four decades of research by Isbell
(and others). In this paper, I build on those previous finding and
synthesize new and already published bioarchaeological data from
Wari heartland populations, focusing on how information on
demography, trauma, and diet provide insights into the social and
political organization in the imperial core. Demographic profiles
show an unequal sex distribution, and trauma data show that both
men and women were victims of violence, though non-local men
and children were victims of violence at a higher frequency than
were locals. New data on dental disease, combined with
previously published stable isotope data, reveal a maize-based
diet, a valued crop produced under the auspices of the Wari state.
I also explore how these findings support and refute ideas that
Isbell has put forth over the years, showing the great impact that
Isbell’s scholarship has had on our understandings about the Wari
state and Wari society.
Turner, Grace (The College of William and Mary)
[115]
An Allegory for Life: Transforming the Bahamas
W.E.B. Dubois' reference to worlds 'within and without the veil' is
415
the narrative used for interpreting this 18th-19th century AfricanBahamian urban cemetery. People of African descent lived what
Dubois termed a 'double consciousness.' This research examined
material expressions of the cemetery landscape aiming to
understand how these represent the cultural perspective of
affiliated communities. Changes in the maintenance of such a
cultural landscape should be archaeologically visible. Analysis
included human remains but also the cultural preference for
cemetery space near water; specific trees planted as living grave
site memorials; butchered animal remains as evidence of food
offerings; and placement of personal dishes atop graves. Ceramic
and glass manufacture dates suggest this African-derived cultural
behavior was no longer practiced after the mid-19th century
although the cemetery was used until the early 20th century. This
change I interpreted as evidence of conscious cultural decisions
by this population to eliminate obviously African-derived
expressions of cultural identity. Motivation for this shift I suggest
was desire for social mobility. Full emancipation in the British
Empire came by 1840. It appears that for African-descended
people to be upwardly mobile in the dominant society they had to
reject public expressions of an African-derived cultural identity.
Tuross, Noreen [114] see Campana, Michael
Tuross, Noreen (Harvard University), Sergio Lopez (Instituto
Nacional de Antropología e Historia), Richard Waldbauer
(Harvard University) and Nelly Robles Garcia (Instituto
Nacional de Antropología e Historia)
[159]
The Antiquity, Subsistence, and Home Range
of the People Placed in Tomb 7 at Monte Albán
Tomb 7 at Monte AlbánWorld Heritage Site in Mexico was
excavated in 1932 by Alfonso Caso (Caso, 1968). A remarkable
collection of goods that demonstrated a high level of
craftsmanship and artistry and control of multiple materials were
found in the tomb. Tomb 7 also contained skeletal elements from a
number of individuals (Barbolla, 1968), but while there was no
single complete skeleton, there was an unusual distribution of
anatomical elements. We have obtained 49 radiocarbon dates
from skeletal elements in Tomb 7, including three carnivores found
in association with the human remains. Two samples date to the
time of the tomb construction in the Postclassic, and the remaining
dates cluster between approximately A.D. 1200 and 1400. We
suggest that the taphonomic preservation, the distribution of
radiocarbon dates, and the ranges in carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen
and oxygen isotopes of bone and tooth collagen support an
interpretation of ongoing use of Tomb 7 by a number of people
originating from a wide geographical range in the Valley of
Oaxaca.
Tushingham, Shannon (University of California, Davis),
Jelmer Eerkens (University of California, Davis), Dominique
Ardura (Fiehn Metabolomics Laboratory, UC Davis Genome
Cen), Mine Palazoglu (Fiehn Metabolomics Laboratory, UC
Davis Genome Cen) and Oliver Fiehn (Fiehn Metabolomics
Laboratory, UC Davis Genome Cen)
[124]
Chemical Evidence for Hunter-Gatherer
Tobacco Smoking in Ancient Western North
America
Evidence of the prehistoric use of tobacco (Nicotiana sp.) by
hunter-gatherers has remained elusive. Lacking tobacco seed
preservation, the presence of distinctive biomarkers in pipe
residues is the most promising route for tracing ancient tobacco
use. GC-MS chemical analysis of residue extracted from stone
pipes and pipe fragments excavated at sites in the southern
Pacific Northwest Coast of North America and California
demonstrate that hunter-gatherers smoked tobacco by at least the
9th millennium AD and continuing into the historic period. Nonfarming ethno-historic Native Americans throughout the west
gathered and sometimes cultivated tobacco for ritual and religious
purposes, but until now the antiquity of the practice on this part of
the continent was unknown. Method validation includes chemical
416
characterization of a suite of smoke plants and experimental
reproduction of “smoked” pipe chemistry; Results indicate
biomarkers are traceable for several species commonly smoked
by ethnographic native peoples, including tobacco (nicotine,
cotinine), tree tobacco (anabasine), and kinnikinnick (arbutin).
Developed methods—where residue is extracted directly from the
stone or clay matrix of whole and fragmentary archaeological
pipes—may be applied in similar studies investigating the spread
and use of ritual smoke plants in the ancient Americas and
elsewhere.
[174]
Discussant
Twaroski, Rebecca (Ripon College), Catherine Carabajal
(Ripon College) and William Whitehead (University of
Wisconsin - Fond du Lac)
[183]
Four New Ceramic Standards for Use in
Archaeometry
Four new ceramics standards are presented, characterized by
handheld XRF, NAA, ICPMS, and conventional XRF,
concentrating on trace elements traditionally used in
archaeometric studies of ceramics. These standards have been
analyzed by several independent laboratories and variations
between laboratories will be presented and discussed to produce
a consensus characterization profile for each standard. The four
ceramic types will be commercially available earthenware, terra
cotta, white ware, and a porcelain pastes will be used to produce 3
cm square by .75 cm chips in a large batch to insure lot
homogeneity. These ceramic standards will be made available for
free to any researchers in archaeometry who wants to calibrate or
have another set of ceramic standards for their independent
research projects. These standards will be NIST certified and
published for archaeometry scientists to use.
Tweddale, Scott [183] see Baxter, Carey
Two Bears, Davina (Indiana University, Doctoral Student)
[169]
Colonizing Spaces of Forced Assimilation and
Relocation in the Old Leupp Boarding School
Historic Site
In the early part of the 20th century, the United States government
built Indian Boarding Schools across the country for the purposes
of educating Native American children. On the Navajo
Reservation several Indian Boarding Schools were also built,
which was stipulated in the Treaty of 1868. The institutions of
Indian Boarding Schools on the Navajo Reservation represent
colonizing spaces of forced assimilation. Today many of the
historical sites on the Navajo reservation include 20th century
Indian Boarding Schools, some of which are still standing, either
refurbished or condemned, as disturbed historic sites with few
remaining features, and in the collective memories of Navajo
people. Historic Navajo Boarding Schools contain a rich history of
colonization, and this paper will focus on the Old Leupp Boarding
School site in Leupp, Arizona. The Old Leupp Boarding School
site not only represents an institution of forced assimilation for
Navajo children, but it also a space of forced relocation for
Japanese American citizens during World War II. This paper will
discuss the Old Leupp Boarding School site - both in its’ role as an
Indian Boarding School for Navajo children, and as a Japanese
Isolation Center in 1943.
Tykot, Robert (U. of South Florida)
[62]
Using pXRF for Obsidian Sourcing in the
Western Mediterranean: Any Disadvantages or
Limitations?
Since the 1960s, many different methods of elemental analysis
have been used successfully for obsidian sourcing in the
Mediterranean. Instrumental neutron activation analysis, ICP-mass
spectrometry, and several types of X-ray analysis continue to be
used, including scanning electron microscopy which is limited to
major/minor elements. The homogeneity of obsidian, and the
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
relatively modest number of sources in continental Europe and the
Mediterranean islands have allowed these methods to distinguish
between sources, while measuring trace elements distinguishes
subsources for each. For six years, a portable XRF has also been
used in this region, taking advantage of its ability to perform nondestructive analyses on thousands of artifacts in museums and
excavation storage facilities when taking samples out of the
country and/or performing destructive analysis is not allowed. But
how can these data be compared with analyses by regular XRF
and other methods? Presented here are direct comparisons of
quantitative data from the same geological samples by INAA, LAICP-MS, ED-XRF, pXRF, and wavelength dispersive electron
microprobe. Along with repeated analyses of standards, these
data provide information about sample heterogeneity, instrumental
precision, and detection limits, while comparison with data from
other instruments raises issues concerning accuracy, especially
for projects without a geological sample collection.
[253]
Discussant
Tykot, Robert [178] see Pena, Jose
Uceda, Santiago
[164]
Huacas del Sol y de La Luna Project: Inclusion
of Local and Regional Social Development
Huacas del Sol y de la Luna is an interdisciplinary and
multidisciplinary project on the north coast of Peru. It is built on a
foundation of strategic alliances between public educational
institutions such as Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and private
businesses such as the Backus Corporation. The project’s
components are archaeological excavation, conservation, and the
local economic development through its capacity to influence
touristy activity. In this way, its activities transmit new knowledge,
conservation and protection to make the site sustainable, as well
as creating an adequate infrastructure to allow site visits without
damage. It also sponsors media campaigns in national and
international markets to heighten awareness of the tourist
attraction. The development of opportunities for the local
population involves working with the producers of handicrafts and
the owners of restaurants in the Moche Countryside. The Project
has had a direct impact on the local population with the direct
creation of more than 180 new jobs and more than 500 indirect
ones; at the same time the project serves as a training space for
young national and international professionals in the fields of
archaeology, conservation and tourism.
Uchiyama, Junzo (Research Institute for Humanity and
Nature)
[258]
Investigating the Socioeconomic Contexts of
Early Pottery Innovation in Jomon Japan
(Honshu and Kyushu), ca. 16,500-7,500 B.P.
In East Asia, the earliest origins of ceramic technology date back
to the Older Dryas, and by the Younger Dryas, pottery use had
become well established across the Japanese Archipelago.
However, the general behavioral background to early ceramic
innovation processes remains relatively unclear. For example,
recent investigations have suggested that the socio-economic role
of pottery underwent a fundamental transformation at the end of
the Pleistocene, with a shift from rare and occasional use of
pottery in places separated from more routine activities, towards a
dramatic increase in pottery use at the start of the Holocene, and
its full integration into all aspects of socio-cultural activity. This
paper will examine changing patterns of pottery use within the
shifting subsistence and environmental contexts at the end of the
Pleistocene, focusing on several sites of the Incipient-Initial
phases of the Jomon period in the western part of Honshu and
southern Kyushu. It concludes that full-scale integration of pottery
into Jomon lifeways was accompanied by a coeval process of
economic diversification, involving a greater focus on fishing, and
increasing sedentism.
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
417
Ullah, Isaac (Arizona State University, SHESC) and C. Michael
Barton (Arizona State Univerisyt, SHESC, CSDC)
[23]
Simulating “Collapse”: A Computational
Modeling Approach to Understanding Adaptive
Reorganization in Low-Level Socio-Natural
Systems
Societal “collapse” is a hot-button issue that has recently been the
subject of several popular books. Much argument exists as to
whether societies actually do collapse, and almost all of the
attention has focused on later instances of “collapse” in complex
civilizations. In this paper, we argue that most instances of
“societal collapse” can alternatively be viewed as adaptive
responses to internal and/or external changes affecting the
stability of a socio-natural system. Furthermore, what can be seen
as the “collapse” of one system-state can also be seen as the birth
of another. As a case-study, we examine the transition between
the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period, and the Late Neolithic (LN)
period in Southwest Asia—a transition widely held to be an early
instance of societal collapse. Using the coupled ABM-GIS
simulation modeling environment developed by the MedLanD
project, we first conduct simulation experiments of PPN
subsistence landuse to better understand potential sources of
destabilization within the PPN socio-natural system. We then
conduct simulation experiments of LN subsistence landuse to
examine its qualities as an adaptive response to the pressures
that may have destabilized the PPN system, and use these
insights to critically examine the case for “collapse” at this
transition.
propose more than one kind of change in social and economic
relations as nucleation of population took place along with a
corresponding detachment from other settlements.
[164]
Chair
Ulm, Sean (James Cook University), Helene Tomkins (James
Cook University), Daniel Rosendahl (The University of
Queensland), Lynley Wallis (Wallis Heritage Consulting) and
Patrick Moss (The University of Queensland)
[2]
Last Millennium Changes in Shellfishing
Behaviors across Northern Australia
Dramatic changes in shellfishing behaviors over the last 1000
years have been documented across northern Australia, marked
most conspicuously by the cessation of large shell mound
construction in some areas and a trajectory towards localization of
resource use represented in a broadening of the subsistence base
to include a wide range of shellfish taxa. Excavations reveal rapid
and widespread changes in coastal site content, an increasingly
diversified subsistence resource base, and patterns of increase in
site establishment and use. These changes involve a localization
of resource use and settlement towards a broad-based economy
focused on lower-ranked resources clustered around the
shoreline. Some of these changes appear to be associated with
increasing climate variability over the last 1000 years, including a
trend towards arid conditions associated with the transformation of
coastal ecosystems and mollusc availability. Shellfish appear to
have played a key role in evening out irregularities in these patchy
and variable environments over the last millennium, underwriting
the successful late Holocene colonization of islands across the
northern Australian coastline and in the reorganization of
shellfishing behaviors towards more intensive shellfishing
beginning around 800 years ago.
Uomini, Natalie (University of Liverpool)
[11]
Right-Handedness in Paleolithic Hominins:
Results from Aa3D Laser-Scanning Study of
Flint Flakes
Language may be unique to humans, yet its origins and evolution
remain unclear. Many language-origin theories and hypotheses
have been proposed by linguists, computer scientists,
primatologists, and anthropologists, but
archaeologists have rarely been consulted in the formulation of
these theories. Archaeological evidence for language occurs in
various time periods and places. In particular, data on righthandedness in fossil hominins have been used to infer language
capacity. This paper will present a brief summary of archaeological
data for handedness in past populations, followed by new results
from a 3D laser-scanning project on stone flakes. The project
aimed to compare handedness patterns in several Paleolithic
collections (including Beeches Pit, UK; Purfleet, UK; Payre,
France; and Quneitra, Israel) by measuring the angle of the bulb of
percussion relative to the platform, which indicates the knapper's
hand preference. This evidence will be combined with
primatological, ethnographic, and paleoanthropological data to
explore the origins of one of humanity's strangest features.
Umetsu, Kazuo [194] see Adachi, Noboru
Underhill, Anne (Yale University)
[65]
Processes of Site Abandonment in Ancient
China: Some Proposed New Directions for
Research
Site abandonment is not a topic that has been widely addressed
with respect to ancient China.This presentation makes an
argument for a broader approach to the process of abandonment
by focusing on perceived benefits from expanding networks of
social relations, rather than response to external disruptive factors.
It considers why people chose to abandon some settlements in
favor of others as urbanization occurred in more than one region.I
Unruh, David and Meaghan Trowbridge
[85]
Multicomponent Sites along the U.S. Highway
491 Corridor, from Twin Lakes to Sheep
Springs: Basketmaker III through Pueblo III
Due to a proposed reconstruction of U.S. Highway 491 in
McKinley and San Juan counties in New Mexico, Statistical
Research, Inc. undertook data recovery operations on 26
archaeological sites. Cultural components recognized on the sites
span the Early Archaic through Pueblo IV periods and also include
a historic Navajo presence. Excavated sites range from isolated
features and small low-density artifact scatters to large habitations
with multiple roomblocks and pit structures. Several large
habitation sites contain multiple occupations, displaying the
continuum of architectural and technological change from
Basketmaker III through Pueblo II-III and on into historic Navajo
times; these sites hold potential to further address long-standing
questions concerning cultural history and dynamic processes
affecting prehistoric peoples living in the San Juan Basin. Here,
we present preliminary results of selected multicomponent sites
excavated during 2011 and 2012 in the context of previous work in
this area.
Urban, Tomislav [10] see Barr, William
Urban, Patricia (Kenyon College) and Edward Schortman
(Kenyon College)
[140]
Politics by Design: Performing Power through
the Manipulation of Ceramic Designs in the
Naco Valley, Northwestern Honduras
Would-be rulers everywhere must devise means to be part of the
group they seek to lead even as they distinguish themselves from
their followers. Failure to achieve the first aim disassociates elites
from the social networks through which assets crucial to achieving
and legitimizing preeminence are secured. Inability to accomplish
the second objective undermines the creation of hierarchy with
notables ensconced at the top. Resolving this universal
conundrum involves mobilizing conceptual and tangible resources
through shifting patterns of alliances. The resulting power
relations are often unstable, the majority retaining assets with
which to challenge and limit the aspirations of their presumptive
rulers. Describing political structures thus requires specifying what
418
resources were used to achieve power and how, and how
successfully, they were marshaled in pursuit of that aim. In this
paper we consider how elites manipulated foreign and local
symbols emblazoned on ceramic vessels in their efforts to create a
unified polity in the Naco valley, northwestern Honduras during the
14th-16th centuries AD. The relevance of these strategies to
understanding processes of political change generally are
reviewed as are the broad lessons to be learned from the very
limited success Naco’s elites enjoyed in creating hierarchies and
centralizing power.
Urban, Thomas (University of Oxford), Kevin Smith (Brown
University) and Susan Herringer (Brown University)
[189]
Geochemically Tracking the Earliest European
Explorers in North America: Investigations of a
New Jasper Fire-Starter from L’Anse aux
Meadows, Newfoundland
In 2008, a red jasper fire-starter fragment was recovered at the
site of L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, during Parks
Canada’s investigations of features north Hall F of, the largest of
the turf-walled longhouses Norse explorers built at this site, ca. AD
1000. This unexpected find brings the number of red jasper firestarter spalls from this site to eleven. Ten others have previously
been examined using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis to
identify source areas for the stone and, by implication, areas from
which L’Anse aux Meadows’ Norse visitors came or to which they
sailed from the site. INAA suggested that half of the previously
known jasper objects from L’Anse aux Meadows were Icelandic,
four others came from Western Greenland, and one was from a
distant part of Newfoundland. In 2011-12, we examined the new
fire-starter fragment and a suite of geologically sourced jasper
samples from the North Atlantic using non-destructive pXRF. This
poster establishes the archaeological context of this most recently
recovered object, documents its use as a Norse fire-starter,
examines the use of pXRF to identify a possible source area for
this object, and explores its implications for tracking the travels of
the first European explorers of North America.
Ure, Scott (Brigham Young University)
[139]
Parowan Valley Potters: Examining
Technological Style in Fremont Snake Valley
Corrugated Pottery Produced in the Parowan
Valley, Utah
Defining the Fremont archaeological culture has challenged
archaeologists for decades. There is still considerable debate
about the origins of the Fremont, their eventual demise, their
genetic relationship to modern Native American tribes, and a
myriad other issues. In nearly a century of Fremont research,
socio-political, economic, and religious complexity remain elusive
subjects. Examining technological style, the manifestation of
socially influenced choices during each step of production as a
means of passive and active communication, is one useful avenue
to examine Fremont material culture to uncover the social patterns
they may, or may not, contain. In this paper I examine whether or
not technological style in Fremont Snake Valley corrugated pottery
holds traces of social identity produced by Fremont potters living in
the Parowan Valley, Utah.
Ure, Scott [175] see Richards, Katie
Uribe, Mauricio
[285]
A Long Formative at Tarapacá: Social
Evolution and Complexity in Northern Chile
(400 B.C.-A.D. 900)
Although the chronological and evolutionary values of the
Formative period have been questioned, it is still viewed as a
direct correlate of the European Neolithic. While we recognize the
existence of formative processes with different dates and cultural
characteristics, the Formative period in the Norte Grande region
has been built under this paradigm, defined by innovative
elements that marginalize ancestral archaic traditions, promoting
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
explosive economic and social transformations associated with the
development of agriculture and the influence of external
populations. Based on the findings of this project, we evaluate the
empirical and theoretical basis of the concept of Formative,
through the specific case of Tarapacá. In particular, we present
new environmental, architectonic, artifactual and iconographic
data obtained through four years of research in emblematic sites
of Chilean archaeology, localized on the coast, Pampa del
Tamarugal and the highlands of Tarapacá. At the same time, we
share our ideas about the connotations that could have guided the
evolution of these societies and their growing complexity towards
later times; where the Formative period did not necessarily
represent an ideal of progress, but the particular expression of a
universal and tragic human condition: the distinction between
nature and culture.
Urton, Gary (Harvard University)
[132]
What Are the Traces of “Administration” In Wari
Material Remains?
This paper begins with a brief overview of what we have learned
over the past few years about the potentialities of Wari record
keeping from close study of the few remaining samples of Wari
khipus. Working on the presumption that Wari khipus were tools of
administration, and without the benefit of chroniclers' narrative
accounts (as with the Inka) giving us insights into the nature of
Wari administration, this paper explores what we can deduce
about Wari administrative structures and procedures from study of
Wari material remains, focusing on textiles, architecture and
settlement patterns. It is argued that Bill Isbell's studies of Wari
archaeological remains (especially settlement studies) are central
contributions to beginning to define central features and processes
of a Wari form of administration. The analysis focuses on
asymmetry, recursive hierarchies, compartmentalization, and
quantitative heterogeneity (i.e., an apparent absence of a unified,
organizing numerical principle) as some of the central values, or
attributes, of Wari administrative structures.
[166]
Discussant
Uruñuela, Gabriela [63] see Plunket, Patricia
Usik, Vitaly [207] see Nigst, Philip
Ussher, Ella (Australian National University), Alex Pryor
(University of Cambridge) and Matthew Prebble (Australian
National University)
[274]
Development of an Accessible Parenchyma
Comparative Collection for the Pacific and
beyond
To date, macro-botanical analysis in the Pacific has been
dominated by the study of wood charcoal and seeds. Recent
archaeological investigations in Tonga and Palau have attempted
the recovery of another macro-fossil that can provide direct
evidence for agriculture in these archipelagos. Parenchyma is a
general term for the cellular tissue that provides structural support
for plant organs, and ‘vegetative storage parenchyma’ refers to
cellular tissues that form within the roots and tubers of plants.
Subsistence practices in the Pacific are dominated by the
cultivation of these starchy cultigens, such as varieties of taro (e.g.
Alocasia macrorrhiza, Colocasia esculenta, Cyrtosperma merkusii,
and Xanthosoma sagittifolium), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas),
yams (Dioscorea spp.), bananas (Musa spp.) and breadfruit
(Artocarpus spp.). The construction of a comprehensive
comparative collection is an essential step towards enabling the
identification of these macro-botanical remains. In this study, a
range of economic plants collected from Fiji, Tonga, and Palau will
be analyzed using both Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and
histological thin sections. This data will then be incorporated into a
larger global database that will be accessible online and
searchable by morphological attributes and geography. Future
research will also involve experimentation with differential charring
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
conditions and fracturing techniques.
Uyeoka, Kelley (Kumupa'a)
[203]
Discussant
Vaiglova, Petra (University of Oxford), Amy Bogaard
(University of Oxford), Armelle Gardeisen (Université de
Montpellier) and Rebecca Fraser (University of Oxford)
[83]
Agricultural Management in Neolithic
Kouphovouno, Southern Greece: Results of
Combining Stable Isotopes of Plants and
Animals
The intensity of crop cultivation and animal husbandry sheds light
on the nature of ancient agricultural economy. In this case study, a
combination of plant and animal stable isotope values (δ13C and
δ15N) is used to infer the crop growing conditions and feeding
practices of a wide range of domestic plants and animals dating to
the Middle-Late Neolithic phases in Kouphovouno, southern
Greece. This innovative method demonstrates the potential of
stable isotopes to inform our understanding of farming practices
such as crop water management, application of manure and
whether certain domestic crops were being grown as animal
fodder. The results provide direct evidence for addressing issues
of scale, consistency and stability of the agricultural system. The
results indicate, among other things, that the two main cereal
crops grown in Kouphovouno (free-threshing wheat and hulled
barley) were cultivated separately and under different laborintensities. In combination with results from bioarchaeological and
palaeoenvironmental studies, this approach proves useful for
inferring the symbiotic relationship between domestic plant and
animal resource management and placing the subsistence
economy in its cultural context.
Valadez, Raúl (Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas)
and Bernardo Rodríguez (Instituto de Investigaciones
Antropológicas)
[20]
The Dog and Mesoamerican Civilization:
Analysis and Contrast between Traditionally
Anthropological Thought and Actual Scientific
Knowledge
Since Mexican anthropology began a century ago, the importance
of the dog in the mesoamerican civilization was noticed. During
more than a century, every concept about this animal was based
on codex and colonial texts which brought in consequence limited,
static and sometimes false information, forming the classic vision
of its usage as companion of the dead, food and the presence of
three different types. Since 1989 the study of the mesoamerican
dog began, based mainly in the zooarchaeological investigation,
this has allowed to create an amplified, renewed and scientific
backed-up view about that epoch dog-man relationship. Thanks to
this developed studies and methodologies, at this moment is
possible to recognize at least 20 different schedules of use, six
types of these animals, and the possibility to determine
dimensions, sex, age, type and feeding pattern in the
archaeological samples.
Valadez Azúa, Raúl [234] see Zurita-Noguera, Judith
Valcarce, Ramon and Carlos Rodriguez-Rellan (Fulbright
Scholar ASU (Az))
[51]
Being There: Some Remarks on the Location
Patterns of NW Spain Prehistoric Rock Art
Several thousand rock outcrops are known to have been carved in
NW Iberia, most of them along the local Copper Age (3rd
millennium B.C.); the images displayed are largely non-figurative
(usually circular combinations) but a number of them show images
of zoomorphs or weapons, too. In the last 20 years their spatial
setting has been analyzed and the petroglyphs were often thought
419
of as references in the landscape, associated with the control of
certain resource-rich areas or the routes leading into them.
That kind of interpretations did not pay enough attention to the
existence of several factors that could have modulated the
interaction between the rock art and the surrounding landscape,
namely the variable perceptibility of the decorated panels, itself
depending, among other things, on the size and inclination of the
rock. By those means, the number and nature of the actual
observers might have been managed and also the kind of
message conveyed. With this hypothesis in mind, we have carried
out surveys in some areas and the results are assessed by means
of GIS analysis.
[51]
Chair
Valcarcel, Roberto (CISTAT, Holguin) and Menno Hoogland
(Leiden University)
[292]
Early Colonial Interaction in Cuba: The “Indio”
Identity
The Spanish conquest and colonization of the Antilles both
represented an act of appropriation of spaces, resources and
peoples as well as a transformation of the identities of the human
collectivities involved, especially those of the conquered ones.
The colonization of the life and spirit of these peoples not only
destroyed their indigenous life but also resulted in the construction
of a new being, the “indio”, which replaced the diverse ethnic
identities and created a new colonial subject. Research at El
Chorro de Maíta, in Cuba, reveals the mechanisms that led to the
creation of the “indio” on the basis of the transformation of the
appearance of the individuals and the replacement of their cultural
practices and religious systems. The elite and the underage were
at the center of this process, which provided a platform for the
eventual conformation of the indigenous heritage left by the
societies of the region. It is clear that the “indios” were not only a
stratum of diverse origins but also with multiple social statuses
which were inserted in the new webs of pan-regional interactions
that were created by Europeans as part of their colonial
domination.
Valcárcel Rojas, Roberto [254] see Weston, Darlene
Valdes, Paul (School of Geographical Sciences, University of
Bristol), Masa Kageyama (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat
et de l'Environ) and Ariane Burke (Dept. d'anthropologie,
Université de Montréal)
[215]
Modeling Climate Variability and the Impact on
the Iberian Penisula
Climate model simulations are increasingly being used to help
untangle the complex interplay between climate and humans.
However, climate models are imperfect tools at simulating past
environmental conditions. We present some new results
comparing two different climate models of the Last Glacial
Maximum and periods during STAGE3. By comparing the two
models we can better quantify the uncertainty in the simulations.
We identify key significant differences in climate variables (or
variability) arising for the Iberian Peninsula and test whether these
differences result in significant changes in the results of a spatial
analysis of climate and humans using the distribution of
archaeological sites.
Valdez, Velma (Yakama Nation)
[246]
Discussant
Valentin, Frédérique [27] see Herrscher, Estelle
Valentine, Benjamin (University of Florida) and John
Krigbaum (University of Florida)
420
[219]
Aridity, Residence, and Resource Use: Stable
Isotope Data From Indus Civilization Human
Remains
Light stable isotope data from South Asian archaeological human
tooth enamel suggest a diversity of responses to climate change
within the Indus Civilization cultural tradition. Samples from the
site of Farmana (n=35) dating to the Mature Harappan phase (ca.
2600-1900 B.C.) and the site of Sanauli (n=66) dating to the Late
Harappan phase (ca. 1900-1300 B.C.) offer a diachronic
perspective on the Indus phenomenon that suggests a trend for
decreasing precipitation. The eastward shift in settlement
patterning that occurred during the Late Harappan has been
interpreted as a migration away from arid zones towards the
wetter precipitation regimes of the Gangetic river system. Stable
oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) reported here support this
interpretation, with a mean δ18O value of -3.4 ± 0.8‰ at Farmana
and a mean δ18O value of -4.4 ± 0.8‰ at Sanauli ca. 90km to the
east. Further, a comparison of the mean δ13C at Farmana of -10.0
± 1.1‰ with that from Sanauli at -12.0 ± 0.7‰ is consistent with
the scenario that Farmana inhabitants exploited a broader range
of food resources during a period of increased water stress.
Valentine, Benjamin [260] see Krigbaum, John
Valenzuela, Leslye
[26]
Projectile Points as Symbols during the Late
Archaic in the Central Coast of Peru (30001500 cal B.C.): Origin, Technology, and Use of
a Lithic Find in Cerro Lampay
The Late Archaic period in the Central Coast of Peru is
characterized by a new social order that is evidenced, among
other things, in monumental architecture. The groups that
inhabited the region at the time practiced fishing, gathering and
incipient agriculture. In this context, lithic technology is rare, and is
mostly known for its barely modified flakes. Thus, the unique
discovery of eight projectile points at the architectural complex of
Cerro Lampay, suggests questions about their origins, and the
reasons for their manufacture and use. The points are not only
rare, but their deposition –wrapped in cotton, as part of the ritual
abandonment of this architectural complex–, is notable. An earlier
cursory technological analysis revealed that the points were made
by individuals that were neither familiar nor knowledgeable of this
type of technology. However, a new study regarding these points’
source, production (“chaîne opératoire”) and use, challenge this
idea, and allows us to address questions concerning their origin,
probable place of manufacture, and use before their burial.
Vallieres, Claudine (University of Florida)
[136]
Chez Mollo Kontu: Eating and Hosting in
Domestic Contexts at the Ancient Urban Center
of Tiwanaku, Bolivia
Archaeological investigations of the social aspects of foodways
can reveal clues to the political and symbolic roles of food in
contexts beyond large-scale feasting events. This paper presents
results of the faunal analysis from Mollo Kontu’s domestic
contexts, a neighborhood in the ancient urban center of Tiwanaku,
and incorporates data from previous and ongoing studies of plant,
fish, ceramics and human remains to recreate past domestic
foodways within this sector of the cosmopolitan capital. The
picture of daily life at Mollo Kontu thus painted reveals how the
complex relationship between Mollo Kontu and the greater
Tiwanaku polity was negotiated and embodied through food
practices of its residents. These practices speak of more than
accessibility of food resources and their procurement by Mollo
Kontu’s residents; they reveal their food preferences, meal
preparation techniques and choices in the use of serving and
cooking wares. At Mollo Kontu, Tiwanaku ceramics emblematic of
the state were manipulated within the private sphere of daily
consumption and household-level hospitality to subtly express
dissention from state-wide identity through what was served in
them. Meals and beverages served and consumed in Tiwanaku
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
vessels expressed a staunchly local identity for Mollo Kontu
residents living within the cosmopolitan center.
[136]
Chair
Van Der Leeuw, Sander (SHESC)
[23]
Discussant
[23]
Chair
van Duijvenbode, Anne [254] see Hoogland, Menno
Van Gijn, Annelou (Leiden University)
[227]
A Biographical Study of Middle and Late
Neolithic Amber, Jet, and Bone Ornaments:
Contributions from the Microscope
Numerous beads and pendants of amber, jet and bone have been
found in Dutch Middle and Late Neolithic context. In the past these
finds were only described typologically. In a long-term research
project, encompassing student projects, hundreds of beads from
settlement and funerary context were subjected to a detailed
technological and functional study. By means of experimentation
and low- and high-power microscopy, production methods and
sequences could be reconstructed. Microscopic analysis also
revealed evidence for the method of fastening, the extent of wear
and for repair or remodeling. In this paper some examples will be
given of specific bead and composite necklace biographies. Also,
the diachronic patterns in ornament biographies during the Middle
and Late Neolithic in the Lower Rhine Basin will briefly be outlined.
[98]
Discussant
Van Gijseghem, Hendrik (Université De Montréal) and Stefanie
L. Bautista (Stanford University)
[214]
Changing Hydrological Conditions on the South
Coast of Peru: Implications for Agricultural
Practices and Sociopolitical Organization in the
First Millennium A.D.
In the past decade various scholars have accumulated important
data on past climate change for the Peruvian south coast, which
indicate potential hydrological changes occurred to the landscape.
Here we present archaeological data that suggest a pivotal
transition occurred in agricultural practice during the Early
Intermediate Period (EIP), from run-off agriculture terracing and
canals toward river-bottom agriculture. These data, accumulated
from the Ica Valley to the southern Nasca region using
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and survey, indicate that
until some time during the EIP the climate allowed for agricultural
resources to be produced by using run-off terracing in places
where geomorphological conditions were appropriate. Such
subsistence practices have not been used since on the south
coast. These findings suggest that environmental phenomena
such as ENSO events greatly impacted Nasca culture and society,
marking the Early to Late Nasca period transition, which include
sweeping settlement patterns changes, the development of
puquio-based irrigation technologies, and the abandonment of
Cahuachi as the principal ceremonial center of the southern Nasca
region. Moreover, they highlight the profound and often fluctuating
relationship between people and landscape.
Van Peer, Philip
[28]
Diversity and Change in Lithic Technological
Organization in the Northeast African MSA
In this paper, a number of recent analytical results with regard to
the spatial organization of lithic economies as operated in the
context of the Northeast African Middle Stone Age are discussed.
Economic space is considered at different scales of analysis, from
the site locale to the deployment of regional networks of functional
nodes. The paper elaborates on the settlement model for the
Nubian Complex as it was proposed a decade ago. New analyses
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
of the same sites used then as well as a few others allow for the
chronological expansion of the model. In this context, the historical
conditions of the origin of the Upper Paleolithic will be considered.
The confrontation of the timing of the process with the behavioral
processes at work in the domain of lithic economy leads to some
surprising insights. The paper shall try to demonstrate that the
construction of precise technological lineages is a necessary
precondition in order to resolve the complexity of that millennialong historic process. As far at its underlying chain of causalities is
concerned, an interpretation is offered acknowledging, however,
our present incapacities to empirically identify some probable core
elements in that chain.
Van Tilburg, Jo Anne (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at
UCLA) and Cristián Arévalo Pakarati (Easter Island Statue
Project)
[164]
Seeking Solutions: An Archaeological
Approach to Conservation of a Threatened
Heritage on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
The Easter Island Statue Project (EISP) encompasses a range of
resources to clarify the social role of monolithic statues (moai) on
Easter Island (Rapa Nui). This paper summarizes our scientific
mapping, excavation, and analysis procedures in Rano Raraku
Intervention. Mitigation procedures on two excavated statues were
conducted in association with the Centro Nacional de
Conservación y Restauración, Santiago de Chile, and supported
by the Site Conservation Program of the Archaeological
Association of America (AIA). The statues are fundamentally
infused with ancient concepts of identity and survival that resonate
with contemporary issues. Diverse community actions and official
decision-making structures created unique challenges for this
project. The value of partnership formation and heritage
conservation as best practices mitigating site destruction caused
by macro environmental conditions and unprecedented levels of
tourism are explored. Ethics and values clarification, as well as
intellectual property rights in the digital age, legitimate
entrepreneurial interests, and economic sustainability in the
modern era are examined.
Van Vlack, Hannah, Cyler Conrad (University of Washington),
Ben Marwick (University of Washington), Cholawit
Thongcharoenchaikit (National Science Museum, Thailand)
and Rasmi Shoocongdej (Silpakorn University, Thailand)
[7]
Zooarchaeology and Human Ecology at Khao
Toh Chong, Krabi, Thailand
Khao Toh Chong Rockshelter in Krabi, Thailand has a well
preserved and stratified record of archaeological material.
Previous geoarchaeological analyses have indicated that the
rockshelter has an undisturbed record of sedimentation and
cultural occupation. Post-excavation analysis of this site reveals
changing patterns of faunal and mollusk assemblages descending
throughout stratigraphic layers. This may indicate a significant
record of hunter-gatherer foraging during the late-Pleistocene to
Holocene. Understanding the nature of this archaeological site will
provide insight into the cultural adaptation to sea-level change
through subsistence patterns. Comparisons between the faunal
and mollusk assemblage will be analyzed by species and
abundance to determine shifting periods of foraging diversity at the
rockshelter. Periods of sea-level rise suggest a shift towards
increased abundances of terrestrial and reptile species, and
decreased abundances of freshwater mollusks. These results
provide a detailed description of late-Pleistocene to Holocene
subsistence patterns in southern Thailand.
Vandenberghe, Dimitri [222] see Flas, Damien
VanderHoek, Richard
[131]
The Aniakchak Hypothesis: Considering the
Ecological and Cultural Effects of Distal
Volcanic Products on the Ancient North
421
American Arctic and Subarctic
Since even before the 1979 publication of “Volcanic Activity and
Human Ecology” archaeologists have pondered the effects that
very large, high latitude volcanic eruptions have had on human
populations. This topic has been continued by important recent
work looking at the ecological and cultural effects of the Laacher
See eruption and eruptions in Iceland and elsewhere. This paper
examines the ecological and cultural effects of the 3650 B.P.
eruption of the Aniakchak Volcano, located on the central Alaska
Peninsula in southwest Alaska, focusing on the distal products of
the eruption, particularly the effects of volcanic acid rain.
Research shows that products from a very large, high sulfur
eruption would have had a very deleterious effect on both
ruminant health and that that of lichen, a key winter forage for
caribou. The Aniakchak 3460 B.P. eruption corresponds with the
disappearance of the Arctic Small Tool tradition (ASTt) population
in northwest and western Alaska. Research suggests that this
eruption decimated key prey species of the ASTt, particularly
caribou and lake fish, causing the human abandonment of a vast
region.
Vanderpool, Emily [40] see Killoran, Peter
VanderVeen, James (IU South Bend) and Joshua Wells (IU
South Bend)
[265]
Crowdsourcing the Past: Teaching Archaeology
Students to be Active Producers of Information
in a Virtual Community
A series of introductory courses covering paleoanthropology and
prehistory at a public university tested the capacity for technologyenabled active learning (TEAL) strategies to help students
comprehend, retain, and actualize new information. These courses
used a hybrid of online and in-person teaching and resulted in
students creating, collaborating, and sharing information about the
past through modern web applications and social networks.
Students became comfortable in various techniques of usergenerated content and interoperability. As students are already
able to reach audiences far beyond the walls of the classroom,
instructors must respond in kind and go beyond the use of
traditional lectures, paper tests, and standard pedagogical
practices. The results from the longitudinal study showed that
student performance improved and engagement within the topic
was higher than in typical in-person classes.
VanderVeen, James [268] see Nixon, Sarah
VanDerwarker, Amber [6] see Gracer, Allison
VanDerwarker, Amber (UCSB)
[275]
Patterns of Plant Subsistence in the Formative
and Classic Sierra de los Tuxtlas: A
Comparative Analysis of Macro-remains from
Teotepec, La Joya, and Bezuapan
Recent data from the site of Teotepec allow us to better define a
distinctly “Tuxtlas” subsistence economy. By adding these new
plant data to what we already know of La Joya and Bezuapan, it is
possible to assess the level of local variation that exists within a
broad regional pattern focused on a common set of plant
resources: maize, palm oil, and fruits. Moreover, the preservation
of maize cobs at the site of Teotepec (unprecedented in the
Tuxtlas) allow us to define which varieties of maize were grown in
the region during the Formative and Classic period.
[275]
Chair
VanEssendelft, Willem
[208]
The Road More Traveled: Paths and Spatial
422
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Relationships in the Aztec Empire
Regional and inter-polity travel was a critical element which
impacted the dominance of the Mexica in the Aztec empire.
Besides the projection of military power and economic
relationships, pathways between major cities may have promoted
social entanglements between certain cities at the expense of
others. In this way, the interaction between landscape, movements
and culture could be manifested in resultant political realities for
the empires central leadership at Tenochtitlan. This poster
explores the routes between major concurrent urban centers in
15th century central Mexico and contrasts them with least-cost
path generated computer models. The results shed light on the
association between landscape and path selection in the Aztec
Empire and possible mechanisms of interaction between cities
which promoted the creation of complex and ever shifting political
relationships.
VanGijseghem, Hendrik [138] see Kellner, Corina
VanKeuren, Scott [267] see Bender, Shilo
Varela, Selva [193] see Fondebrider, Luis
Vargas, Benjamin (SWCA Environmental Consultants)
[102]
De la ciudad (Yang-na) y la misión (Sibanga).
Recent archaeological investigations at the
Pueblo of Los Angeles and the Mission San
Gabriel Arcángel and the greater implications
for studies of culture contact in the Los Angeles
Basin.
The clash of cultures in California resulting from the intrusion of
Franciscan Missionaries is a topic that has garnered much
scholarly attention in recent years. From the Mission San Gabriel
however, there has been scant archaeological evidence available
to feed this discussion. While the study of culture contact has
matured from artifact-based studies of acculturation to more
sophisticated theoretical analyses, research in the Los Angeles
Basin has not followed suit. In recent years there have been
several projects that have provided a wealth of information related
to Gabrielino/Tongva daily life outside of the missions during the
contact period. To date, the missing elements in the equation have
been data from the Mission proper and the secular context of the
Pueblo. Recent work by SWCA in the plaza area of the Pueblo of
Los Angeles and at Mission San Gabriel provide archaeological
context to bolster discussions of interaction between the native
Gabrielino/Tongva population and Hispanic colonists. Coupled
with data from other large-scale excavations, archaeologists are
afforded the opportunity to view the spheres of interaction in a
more regional context. In this paper, we present early synthetic
data from Mission and Pueblo contexts as a springboard for
regional discussions of culture contact.
Vargas, Leticia (Centro INAH Yucatán), Victor Castillo (Centro
INAH Yucatán) and Cristian Hernandez (Centro INAH Yucatán)
[160]
Los objetos de concha de Ukit Kan Lek Tok’,
Rey De Ek’ Balam
Como parte de las investigaciones del Proyecto Arqueológico Ek’
Balam del INAH, se realizó en el año 2000 una exploración que
condujo al hallazgo de la tumba del ajaw Ukit Kan Lek Tok’ 2000.
La cámara mortuoria estaba ubicada en un hermoso edificio
convertido en mausoleo y la rica ofrenda funeraria contó con 21
vasijas y más 7 mil artefactos suntuosos de gran belleza y
admirable calidad, elaborados con diversidad de materiales como
piedra verde, hueso, cerámica, piedra caliza, obsidiana, pirita e
inclusive materiales poco comunes en el norte de Yucatán como
las perlas y el oro, pero siendo los ornamentos de concha y
caracol los más abundantes. En el 2012 nos dimos a la tarea de
continuar con la investigación del material malacológico de la
ofrenda y en el presente trabajo presentaremos los resultados
preliminares del análisis tipológico efectuado, precedido por la
información contextual del hallazgo de la tumba y finalizando con
un análisis comparativo con ofrendas similares de Mesoamérica.
Varien, Mark [67] see Powell, Shirley
Varien, Mark (Crow Canyon Archaeological Center)
[110]
Preservation Archaeology at the Crow Canyon
Archaeological Center: Integrating Research,
Education, and American Indian Partnerships
Preservation Archaeology (PA) seeks to optimize the
archaeological resources that remain for future exploration and
discovery. As an evolving ethic, PA recognizes that to be
successful it must go beyond the simple protection of sites, and
include research programs that create new and meaningful
knowledge about the human past and education programs that
inform the public and profession about that research. As practiced
at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, PA integrates
research and education programs and partners with American
Indians to design and deliver those programs. Research at Crow
Canyon includes ongoing archaeological excavation, which might
be seen to be at odds with PA because of the destructive nature of
excavation-based research. This paper argues that PA needs to
include excavation-based research because it makes a unique
and essential contribution to our ongoing understanding of the
human past; the new knowledge that can only be gained through
excavation is one of the fundamental reasons we seek to preserve
sites in the first place. The paper also argues that the stated goals
of PA need to go beyond a concern for ensuring future exploration
and discovery and more explicitly address how archaeology
serves the society we live in today.
Varoutsikos, Bastien (Harvard Univ.), Ana Mgeladze (Free
University of Tbilisi), Christine Chataigner (CNRS, France)
and Manana Gabunia (National Museum, Tbilisi)
[226]
Bavra-Ablari, a Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic
Rockshelter in Djavakheti, Georgia
The Djavakheti plateau is a region that has been largely explored
since the 1960s by Georgian archaeologists such as M. Gabunia.
This region is particularly interesting as it constitutes one of the
main pathways between the upper and the lower part of the
Lesser Caucasus. Previous studies emphasized the
archaeological potential of this area, from the Lower Palaeolithic to
Medieval period, with a special focus on archaeological cultures of
the early Holocene, but only a few archaeological projects have
been initiated in the past 20 years.
The Bavra Ablari site is a rockshelter located to the south of the
city of Akhalkalaki, in an area rich in mesolithic and early neolithic
sites. This first (short) season of excavations uncovered 2
undisturbed layers, 1 hearth, an abundance of lithic, ceramic and a
well preserved faunal assemblage. The state of preservation
allowed the datations of the two layers and the earths, placing the
earliest layer so far at the early 6th millenium cal. B.C.
This talk will present some preliminary results, with a special focus
on the lithic assemblage, and a comparision of the obsidian and
dacite industry present on the site.
[226]
Chair
Vasic, Milena (FU Berlin) and Kathryn Killackey (Killackey
Illustration and Design)
[9]
Body Adornment at Çatalhöyük
Increased material exploitation is a phenomenon seen during the
Near Eastern Neolithic, including the Neolithic occupation of
Çatalhöyük. The intensified production and use of items of
personal adornment are some of the manifestations of various
shifts witnessed during this period, indicative of the increased
concern with external display and individual and communal
identities. The aim of this poster is to reconstruct the external
display of Çatalhöyük inhabitants by looking at the evidence for
adornment across different media. Mellaart`s excavations and the
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
current Çatalhöyük Research Project yielded more than 25,000
beads made of shell, stone, copper, wood, bone, and clay, as well
as other ornaments such as pins, collars, and armbands.
Furthermore, textiles and traces of leather pouches have been
found in several burials, as well as pigments that may have been
used for colouring the textiles and for body painting. Additionally,
some of the wall paintings and figurines depict hairstyles and
attire. Not only does Çatalhöyük contain an abundance of
ornaments and their representation, but there are also a number of
inhumations containing these items in primary contexts, making
this assemblage an ideal dataset for studying Neolithic external
display. This data is summarized here through infographics and
reconstruction illustrations.
Vasic, Milena [32] see Sadvari, Joshua
Vasil’ev, Sergei G. [222] see Izuho, Masami
Vasquez, Josefina (Universidad San Francisco de Quito) and
Iván Pazmiño (Instrumental & Optica)
[1]
Reconstruction of Site Morphology through 3D
Scanning Technique: The Case of Yacuviña,
Southern Ecuador
The Inka settlement, in Southern Ecuador is under investigation,
but in order to reconstruct the site lay-out, and organization, a 3D
scanning process needed to be developed to overcome the lack of
site visibility and preservation. Through the use of the FARO
system, we have recovered detailed information that allowed us to
reconstruct site organization filled with building walls, water string,
canals, terraces, and other anthropogenic transformations of the
landscape. We present data recovered and analyzed with those
rather new technology applied to an archaeological site in
Ecuador.
Vasquez, Augusto (PUCP)
[108]
Friezes at the Lurin Valley: Function,
Importance, and Meaning
In this presentation I will talk about the friezes registered at
different sites of the Lurín valley during the late pre-Columbian
periods. These friezes or cenefas are usually associated with
patios inside domestic compounds. In the cases of the sites of
Huaycan and Moye in the middle Lurín valley has been interpreted
as symbolic representations of the different lunar phases.
However, there is not contextual evidence or excavated evidence
that could corroborate this argument. In this presentation I will
address the function, importance and meaning of the cenefas of
the Lurín valley in relation to a patio excavated at Panquilma’s
domestic sector.
Vasyukov, Mitya (A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and
Evolution of Russian Academy of Science) and Sarah Brown
(University of California, Davis)
[71]
Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) from Ancient
Settlements of the Northeastern Coast of the
Chukchi Peninsula, Russia
Ancient Eskimos inhabited Chukotka, a region well known as a
crossroad to adjacent regions for thousands years, and yet we still
do not fully understand the role of dogs to these people nor the
history of the dogs themselves. We investigated archaeofaunal
remains from three ancient Eskimo settlements (Pajpelgak, Ekven
and Kuniskun) and compared them to modern Chukchi dog
skeletons. A total of 667 specimens (cranial and postcranial
elements) of different adult dogs and 53 of juvenile dogs were
measured following von den Driesch (1976). Using various
osteological methods we estimated sex, age, shoulder height,
weight and cranial length of dogs to document changes in
paleodemography and how the dogs were used. Also we used a
“tibial index” to determine if the dog was likely used for sledging or
423
not. Modern dogs in this region differ from ancient Eskimo dogs,
and osteometric analysis indicates considerable change over the
last 2300 years. Most of the ancient dogs were used as sledge
dogs, but for every time period there were a small percentage of
non-sledge dogs. A subsample of these dogs is currently being
analyzed for ancient mitochondrial DNA.
Vaughn, Kevin (Purdue University)
[214]
It’s about Time? Evaluating the Dawson
Seriation in Nasca Using Luminescence Dating
In this paper, we report on the results of an Optically Stimulated
Luminescence (OSL) study on a sample of ceramics from the
Southern Nasca Region that call into question some long held
assumptions of Nasca chronology. Specifically, luminescence
dates of sherds suggest that certain stylistic phases of the Dawson
seriation are contemporaneous rather than, as has long been
assumed, sequential. We discuss these results in the context of
(1) recent archaeological fieldwork on the south coast of Peru, (2)
dates from other techniques (especially AMS dating), and (3) the
broader context of our understanding of Nasca prehistory. We
suggest that our results have major implications for our
understanding of the development of south coast civilizations in
general and in the Nasca culture in particular. Furthermore, we call
for additional sampling of ceramics in the future in order to
continue evaluating long-standing chronologies used in the region.
[19]
Discussant
Vaughn, Kevin [138] see Kellner, Corina
Vega-Gonzalez, Marina [229] see Lopez, Julieta
Velazquez, Adrian, Patricia Ochoa (Museo Nacional de
Antropología-INAH), Norma Valentin (Subdirección de
Laboratorios y Apoyo Académico-INA) and Belem Zúñiga
(Proyecto Templo Mayor-INAH)
[248]
A Nacreous Shell Pendant from Nexpa,
Morelos
In the village of San Pablo Nexpa, Morelos, Mexico, it was found
one of the oldest pieces known to the moment to the
Mesoamerican cultural area. The piece is a nacreous shell
pendant which has the representation of two lizards carved in high
relief. It was found in a burial context dated to the Early Formative
period, sub phase Early Nexpa (B.C. 1359-1250). In the present
paper the results of the latest analyses made to the piece are
presented, which include the biological identification of the shell
and the lizards represented, as well as the manufacturing
techniques used to make it (this latest due to experimental
archaeology and Scanning Electron Microscopy). Aspects as the
cultural affiliation of the piece, its high value and the commercial
routes that made possible the circulation of prestige goods in the
Formative period, are discussed based on these data.
Vellanoweth, René L. [35] see Whistler, Emily
Vellanoweth, Rene
[35]
Chair
Venegas de la Torrre, Joaquín [113] see Fernandez Souza, Lilia
Venter, Marcie (Northern Kentucky University)
[275]
After Teotepec: Framing Intraregional
Interaction in the Western Tuxtlas
After the decline of Teotepec and other Classic period centers in
the Tuxtla Mountains, considerable reorganization of settlements,
424
economic networks, ethnic affiliations, and political relationships
occurred. Much of recent Postclassic-focused archaeological
research has examined the role of external entities in this
recalibration. Specific attention has been paid to how the region
was integrated into the expanding Aztec Empire. In this paper, a
framework for understanding Postclassic relationships within the
Tuxtlas is proposed. My ultimate goal is to better contextualize the
Tuxtlas in light of broader-scale transformations in Postclassic
Mesoamerica.
Vera, Jaime (Zona Arqueológica de Monte Alban- INAH), Nelly
M. Robles (Project Director) and Eduardo García (Project
Archaeologist)
[114]
Un montículo Funerario en Atzompa
Este Edificio se encuentra ubicado en el área central de la antigua
ciudad prehispánica de Atzompa. Tiene un lugar privilegiado ya
que al oeste se encuentra el conjunto de elite de Casa de los
Altares, al sur se tiene una gran plaza ceremonial, al este
encontramos un pequeño montículo y hacia el norte se encuentra
el área habitacional de los antiguos gobernantes.
Este Edificio tiene forma cuadrangular. La fachada principal
consta de unas escalinatas elaboradas con piedra y estuco,
enmarcadas con alfardas. En la cima del edificio se levanta un
pequeño templo con un piso de estuco, muros de piedra, una
banqueta en la parte norte y huellas de grandes columnas. Al
interior de este edificio fue encontradas 3 cámaras funerarias con
una enorme escalinata de nueve peldaños, la arquitectura
encontrada es muy rica y variada. En un dos de las cámaras se
encontró pintura mural al interior, donde destacan las formas
geométricas y el color rojo relacionado con el inframundo. Esta
tumba ha sido uno de los más grandes hallazgos arqueológicos
de nuestro país y de los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca.
Verano, John [57] see Backo, Heather
Verschoof, Wouter [227] see Van Gijn, Annelou
Vesteinsson, Orri (University of Iceland)
[100]
Poverty in the Viking Age North Atlantic
There are two contradictory narratives about the North Atlantic
colones established by Scandinavians in the 9th and 10th
centuries A.D. The more traditional one sees the Faroes, Iceland
and Greenland as communities of free, self-sustaining and
generally affluent farmers, with poverty, inequality and exploitation
only coming about in the post-Viking age as a result of the
influence of the Church and foreign oppression. In this view
poverty is considered incidental. The other narrative, more popular
in recent years, focuses on the marginality of the North Atlantic
environment, its inability to support large populations and its
unsuitability for agriculture. From this point of view the very
existence of these communities has seemed preacarious, and
explanations have been sought for why some of them survived
and others did not. In this view poverty was universal in the North
Atlantic.
Both of these views are flawed and in this paper I will explain why
this is so. I will explore the archaeological and historical evidence
for assessing poverty and wealth, drawing on comparisons
between the neighboring but contrasting cases of Greenland and
Iceland, and develop the argument that limitations to wealth
creation may result in condidtions for a relatively high quality of
life.
Veth, Peter (The University of Western Australia) and Jo
McDonald (University of Western Australia)
[163]
Murujuga: Rock Art and the Deep-Time
Chronology of Island Formation and
Emergence of Maritime Societies
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
During the last Ice Age, the Dampier Archipelago was a jagged
inland range more than 100km from the coast. With sea-level rise,
42 islands were formed off what is now the Pilbara coast. Most of
these islands consist of extremely resistant granodiorites – which
retain a permanent record of the history of human lifeways and
artistic endeavour in this landscape. In this paper we will consider
the repertoire of art from both proximal and outer islands adjacent
the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) – once also the largest island in
this chain. Changing art repertoires through deep time reflect the
emergence of a maritime economy and society. The outer islands
preserve evidence of pre-maritime and early coastal influences,
while the Burrup reflects the use of this landscape as a Holocenedesert aggregation locale. We model for varying time and
environmental signatures across the Archipelago and explore
possible landscape variability within the recent past on the Burrup.
Vetrov, Viktor Mikhailovich [258] see Hommel, Peter
Vicari, Mary Ann [87] see Spurling, Amy
Vicari, Mary Ann (Washington University in St. Louis)
[87]
Investigating Bias in the Surface Visibility of
Prehistoric Great Basin Sites
Archaeological interpretation in the Great Basin and other desert
regions often relies heavily on the assumption that surface
assemblages accurately reflect overall site contents. However,
many post-depositional processes result in size-sorting of
assemblages: bioturbated contexts often yield disproportionate
numbers of small artifacts on the surface, while eroded,
argilliturbated, and trampled contexts tend to yield disproportionate
numbers of large artifacts on the surface. This study investigates
the effects of geomorphic and pedogenic processes on lithic
artifacts from a sample of 18 prehistoric sites in eastern Nevada
excavated as part of the ON Line Transmission Line Project. Lithic
and geoarchaeological data from surface and sub-surface
contexts were analyzed to determine the level of bias in surface
archaeological manifestations in a variety of geomorphic settings.
Results indicate that the majority of sites had very high subsurface
to surface ratios of lithic artifacts, and that surface contexts
contained disproportionately higher percentages of large artifacts.
These findings suggest that surface assemblages in the Great
Basin are often not representative of overall site artifact count and
diversity, and that even sites situated in eroding contexts may
contain large buried components. This visibility bias carries
implications for analyses of site distribution patterning and regional
settlement behavior.
Vietti, Laura [94] see Greer, Sean
Vigne, Jean-Denis [20] see Ollivier, Morgane
Vilchez, Carolina [59] see Moore, Jerry
Villagran, Victor (SWCA Environmental Consultants ), Tiffany
Newman (SWCA Environmental Consultants), Scotty
Strachan (DendroLab, University of Nevada, Reno) and
Franco Biondi (DendroLab, University of Nevada, Reno)
[87]
SmOLDering Coals: Dating Historic Charcoal
Production in Lincoln County, Nevada
This poster presents the findings of fieldwork conducted at an
historic charcoal production site (26LN5067) located near the
present-day Silver King Mine in northern Lincoln County, Nevada
as part of the ON Line Transmission Line Project. Excavations
revealed multiple episodes of site use, dating from prehistoric
through modern periods, with the largest component consisting of
numerous historical charcoal platforms, axe-cut trees and diffuse
historic artifacts. Dendrochronological analysis on carbonized
wood collected from within the charcoal platforms yields dates of
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
1878-1879. Most historic documentation of charcoal production in
eastern Nevada focuses on the Eureka Mining District, where
Italian immigrants, or Carbonari, initiated charcoal production
during the 1870s in response to the increased demands for costeffective fuel used in mining operations. 26LN5067 contributes
some of the earliest dates for historic charcoal production in the
Silver King Pass, located southeast of Eureka.
Villagran, Victor [87] see Spurling, Amy
Villalobos, César [63] see Sugiura, Yoko
Villalpando, Elisa [97] see McGuire, Randall
Villamil, Laura [290] see Robinson, Lindsay
425
significantly improved our understanding of the Middle and Upper
Palaeolithic of this area, and also led to the discovery of hominin
dental and postcranial remains from both Middle and Upper
Palaeolithic contexts.
The remains from Obi-Rakhmat (Uzbekistan) are dentally similar
to Neanderthals (Bailey et al., 2008), but their cranial morphology
lacks some typical Neanderthal traits (Glantz et al., 2008).
In the Altai, Krause and colleagues (2007) showed that the
hominins from Okladnikov Cave are genetically closely related to
European Neanderthals, while morphologically these remains
don't show the autapomorphic morphology seen in Europe (Viola,
2011).
Until now, most studies of Neanderthal geographic variability
focused on comparisons between Western European and Near
Eastern Neanderthals (Vandermeersch, 1989; Voisin, 2006). The
morphological mosaic seen in the Central Asian remains gives us
a new perspective at this question.
[222]
Chair
Villaseñor, Amelia [215] see Bobe, Rene
Viramontes, Carlos [63] see Saint-Charles Zetina, Juan Carlos
Villeneuve, Suzanne (Simon Fraser University), Brian Hayden
(Simon Fraser University) and Desmond Peters Jr.
(Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation)
[128]
Prehistoric Sociopolitical Complexity on the
Northwest Plateau
New results from Keatley Creek document the co-evolution of
residential corporate groups and ritual institutions throughout the
early phases of village development (c. 2,600-1,900 and 1,9001,600 B.P.). A new compilation of radiocarbon dates, along with
specialized floor deposits, feasting evidence, prestige items and
new approaches in the detailed excavation and analysis of
housepit deposits provide a revised occupation history for the site
and timing of emergent inequalities. A revised model emphasizes
the early establishment of inequalities and a clear pathway to
complexity with an argument for institutionalized inequalities
involving visible wealth differences and religious institutions
appearing before 1,600 B.P. These results can be used to
evaluate resource and population pressure models as well as
political (aggrandizer) models for the emergence of inequalities
and political complexity.
Villeneuve, Suzanne [241] see Hayden, Brian
Vining, Benjamin (Boston University)
[166]
“Persistent Places”: Long-Term Occupations in
the Southern Peruvian Highlands and Their
Role in Cultural Landscape Formation
Well-developed senses of place are instrumental for many
systems of symbolic and calendrical knowledge. In the Suches
highlands of southern Peru, we have documented a landscape
hallmarked by long periods of continuous archaeological
settlement; certain loci were preferentially occupied for periods
spanning millennia, while others were never utilized, resulting in a
pattern of “persistent places”. Persistent places contribute to
historically-situated cognitive landscape constructions, including
ambivalent and instrumental attitudes with spatio-temporal
dimensions. While I do not address explicitly the role of persistent
places in archaeoastronomy, they do present several implications
for how ideational landscapes and similar systems of symbolic
knowledge develop.
Viola, Bence
[222]
Geographic Clines in Neanderthal Morphology:
The Central Asian Evidence
Since the discovery of the Teshik-Tash child in 1936 it has been
assumed that the Neanderthal geographic range extended into
Central Asia. Intensive research in the region since the 1980s
Vitousek, Peter [255] see Chadwick, Oliver
Volanski, Kaitlin [92] see Thomas, Judith
Volta, Beniamino [256] see Braswell, Geoffrey
Vommaro, Miriam [119] see Cirigliano, Natalia
von Heyking, Kristin [79] see Olsen, Karyn
Vranich, Alexei (Cotsen Institute)
[132]
Empheral Monumentality
The monuments of Tiwanaku, Bolivia loom large in popular
imagination but to date have failed to have a similar presence in
the quickly developing field of Middle Horizon studies. The primary
difficulty is that over-reconstructed and under-published
ceremonial core is a static and monolith icon that deters alternate
or more nuanced interpretations. The suggestion by William Isbell
to the members of the Proyecto Arqueologico Pumapunku
Akapana project (P.A.P.A) “to find the ephemeral within the
monumental” resulted in an methodology that took care to
document previously ignored features and revalued and virtually
relocated architecture that had been dismantled decades prior. Of
particular note was the realization that the architecture ancillary to
the raised platforms, while less monumental in construction and
form, effectively directed movement and structured experience
along the processional and primary ritual spaces, and connected
the unseen sides of the structures to the rest of the site. The result
was a more subtle and informed diachronic perspective on the
construction and history of modification of the monuments and a
reconsideration of the purpose and use of the platforms.
[61]
Discussant
[200]
Chair
Vroegop, Anja (Leiden University)
[292]
Worlds Alike? A History of Comparison
between the Caribbean and the Pacific
Archaeologists and anthropologists have long drawn on data and
ideas from other regions to supplement their own findings, a trend
which is no different between the Caribbean and the Pacific. This
426
presentation examines the trend of comparative research between
the Caribbean and the Pacific. The results of a small online
database search are presented in order to track the flow of
archaeological research between the two regions, thus exposing
the borrowing of information between regions. The impact of this
relationship through time, or history of comparison is discussed in
conjunction with the impact of ‘Island Archaeology’ on such
comparative island studies. The Pacific, especially, has been used
a source for ethnographic comparisons for many parts of the world
and whilst this is less true for the Caribbean, a borrowing from
findings in the Pacific is none-the-less apparent there too. The aim
of this presentation is to provide a brief research history and to
present an historical framework in which to understand key
themes pertinent to the heritage of both distinct island regions.
Vusovic-Lucic, Zvezdana [80] see Boric, Dusan
Vuthy, Vouen [190] see Ikehara-Quebral, Rona
Wa, Ye [184] see Fox, Mathew
Wagner, Mark [117] see Zipkin, Andrew
Wagner, John (University of Colorado, Denver)
[148]
Teuchitlán: Changing Lithic Technology
Strategies through a West Mexico Diaspora
Stone artifacts and debitage distributions from the ceremonial
centers of two West Mexican Teuchitlán culture sites, one
occupied during the final years of the Mesoamerican Late
Formative period and the other during an adjacent time span at
the advent of the Early Classic period, are examined to determine
changes in lithic technology strategy over a time of apparent
population dispersal at the transition between the two periods
(around 200 A.D.). The purpose of this study is to gain additional
information about the nature of the social restructuring that
accompanied the inter-site reorganization. Potential strategy
differences are identified by locating differences in distribution
patterns of technological and morphological lithic attributes in
relation to specific features and other context details. Potential
taphonomic factors are also discussed. Several potential
strategies geared towards productivity, resource conservation and
energy conservation are identified. Thus far, spatial distributions
reveal a change towards heavy utilization of a portion of the public
space for lithic production in the Early Classic public area, which
itself is strategically located at a large, high quality lithic source.
Possible differential utilization of space within the workshop area is
also considered, which may reflect production stage or type
specialization.
Wagner, Ursel (TU-Muenchen), Frances M. Hayashida
(Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexi), Izumi
Shimada (Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois
Univ), Werner Haeusler (Physics Department, Technical
University of Munich) and Friedrich E. Wagner (Physics
Department, Technical University of Munich)
[183]
A Precolumbian Copper Smelting Furnace
Studied by Mössbauer Spectroscopy and X-ray
Diffraction
Copper alloy smelting on the northern coast of precolumbian Peru
was done in simple pit furnaces dug into the ground of the wellventilated workshop and with charcoal made from the local
algarrobo hardwood as fuel. Copper and arsenic bearing ore and
iron ore as a flux were heated with the help of
blowtubes. Metallic prills and larger lumps were collected from the
solidified viscous slag.
One of several charcoal-dated Middle to Late Sican furnaces
found at a site on the Pampa de Chaparri situated between the
adjacent Lambayeque and La Leche valleys was sampled and
studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
fluorescence. A slice of material was cut out of the furnace, from
the top of the rear wall through the bottom to the mouth on the
front and reaching about 50 mm deep into the soil. From this,
samples were taken at different spots in the laboratory.
The temperatures reached at different positions and depths can be
inferred from Moessbauer spectra and X-ray diffractograms by
comparison with laboratory firing experiments on clays from the
broader Lambayeque region. Additionally, re-firing experiments
were conducted using furnace
samples. An emergent picture of furnace working is discussed.
Wake, Thomas (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA)
[45]
Sitio Drago: Assessing the Effects of 600 Years
of Harvesting Pressure in a Neotropical Marine
Environment
Sitio Drago, located on the northwest Caribbean coast of Bocas
del Toro, Panama, was occupied between AD 800 – 1400. The 15
ha site has revealed artifacts indicating trade and exchange links
throughout Lower Central America. The inhabitants of this site are
assumed to be swidden agriculturalists that engaged in garden
hunting and exploited a variety of marine resources. This
presentation examines molluscan and marine vertebrate evidence
to assess whether an estimated population of 100-300 persons
detrimentally affected selected locally available marine animal
species. Results indicate declines in relative frequencies of
preferred mollusk species, a decline in the mean trophic level of
the overall fishery, and intensification of sea turtle and manatee
hunting between two distinct (early vs. late) occupation periods at
the site.
[45]
Chair
Waldbauer, Richard [159] see Tuross, Noreen
Wales, Susannah, Elizabeth A. Scholz, Chelsea B. Lewis and
George T. Jones
[33]
The Effects of Reoccupation on Lithic Source
Diversity in Studies of Paleoarchaic Mobility in
the Great Basin
Investigations of Paleoarchaic mobility in the central Great Basin
have relied on the source provenance of stone artifacts to delimit
zones of tool conveyance. In turn, these zones are thought to
conform to geographic ranges through which foragers moved. To
make this inference, it is assumed that the sources of raw material
comprising a provenance sample represents all or a subset of all
sources in use at a particular time. This assumption grows
problematic when provenance samples are drawn from
archaeological assemblages that may represent more than one
occupation. In such cases, the sample may imply use of a home
range that is unrealistically large and/or inaccurately shaped.
Thus, ideally, provenance samples should represent single
occupations of comparable duration. But establishing the
occupation history of surface sites, which comprise so much of the
Paleoarchaic record, has proven a nearly intractable problem.
This study examines two sites, LPL1 and CCL5, which we suggest
owe their complex spatial patterning to reoccupation. Combining
spatial analyses with source provenance and technological
analyses, we appraise the occupation and post-depositional
history of these sites, and consider how these results encourage
reconsideration of Paleoarchaic mobility patterns.
Walker, Morgan (Clarion University), Angela Goreczny
(Clarion University), Sarah Kriebel (Clarion University) and
Susan Prezzano (Clarion University)
[68]
Analysis of the Middle Archaic Occupations at
the Millstone Site (36El0204), Elk County,
Pennsylvania
Over the past several years, Clarion University undergraduate
students excavated and researched a series of Middle Archaic
occupations at the Millstone site located in the Allegheny National
Forest, Elk County Pennsylvania. Analysis of wood charcoal and
nut fragments indicates that these Native American occupations
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
span from 6500-8000 BP in conventional radiocarbon years. We
discuss the analysis of these Middle Archaic occupations based
on the discovery of lithics, hearths, rock bed features, and
roughstone tools, including a cache of net sinkers. The net
sinkers--small, intentionally notched rock used to weigh down a
seine--were found in a formation suggesting attachment to a net
when deposited. Included are the results of archaeobotanical
analysis of floral samples from hearths surrounding the net sinker
cache and results from computer-generated artifact images known
as polynomial texture-mapping. A synthesis of the research
suggest that these components represent a series of temporary
encampments by Native Americans most likely targeting resources
in the adjacent Millstone creek and Clarion River.
Walker, Chester [125] see Brown, David
Walker, Dominic (University of Cambridge)
[165]
Towards a Decentered Archaeology:
Archaeology Museums and Online Publics
To date, the archaeological literature has tended to sideline the
translation of decentered (collaborative, community, etc.)
archaeologies in
museums. Museums are increasingly adopting collaborative
principles in
exhibition and collections management. Moreover, many have
adopted social/participatory technologies on their websites which
may
further challenge the authority of the discipline by allowing publics
to
share their knowledge with the museum. Yet, these developments
raise a
number of under-addressed key concerns. How successfully does
decentered
theory and practice translate into arenas in which the general
public
encounter archaeological information? How can online extraarchaeological
communities challenge the authority of archaeological curators?
And related
to the previous concern, how does this impact upon the ability of
archaeologists to talk about the past?
To help elucidate these concerns, I will present and critically
assess some
of the participatory technologies being utilized by museums.
Further, I
will establish whether extra-archaeological communities are
actually
afforded real authority through the use of participatory
technologies, or
whether online activities are considered marginal to mainstream
(offline)
museum activities. Ultimately, this paper contributes to debates
about the
nature of disciplinary expertise, in a time when archaeological
knowledge
is being increasingly shared, by attempting to assign a new role for
archaeological 'experts'.
Walker, Danny (Wyoming State Archaeologist's Office)
[276]
Chair
Walker Vadillo, Veronica and Xabier Armendariz (Society for
Basque Studies)
[7]
A VOC Ship in the Walls of Angkor Wat?
In 2008, while I was conducting a survey of the Angkor
Archaeological Park (Cambodia) to document ship iconography in
427
the bas-reliefs of the temples, I found a series of boat depictions in
the main entrance of Angkor Wat. The boats represented what
looked like common watercraft from the Tonle Sap, without going
into too much detail. Among these local boats I found a ship that
looked European. After working on the image and analyzing its
contents, the first impression is that the ship represented in
Angkor Wat is very similar to Dutch ships from the VOC
(Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie), possibly from the early 17th
century. This discovery sheds new light over the dating of the
paintings, which were originally thought to be from the late 19th
century. This date coincides with the presence of a Japanese
colony in Angkor, some of whose members left writings on the
walls of Angkor Wat that have been successfully dated to this
period. The connection between Japan, Angkor, and the
Netherlands raises a series of questions that we will attempt to
answer by analyzing the details of the ship and its historical
context.
Wallace, Henry (Desert Archaeology Inc) and Michael
Lindeman (Desert Archaeology, Inc)
[175]
Social Distancing, Dispersal, and
Fragmentation: The 150-Year-Long Transition
to the Hohokam Classic Period in the Tucson
Basin of Southern Arizona
The transition from the pre-Classic to the Classic period for the
Hohokam of southern Arizona has previously been framed in
terms of social responses to shifting environmental conditions, the
development of new socio-political institutions, and increasingly
hierarchical social organization. High resolution data from largescale excavations and detailed surface survey in three portions of
the Tucson Basin provide clues to the timing and processes
involved. While climatic conditions undoubtedly played a role, the
evidence points to social and ideological shifts as the prime
movers in the transition. Gathering momentum over the course of
the tenth and eleventh centuries, the social processes and
responses to ideological change culminated in the early twelfth
century in large-scale disjunctures, reorganization, and
abandonment.
Waller, Kyle D. [286] see Yim, Robin
Waller, Kyle (University of Missouri-Columbia)
[286]
Intra-Cemetery Phenotypic and Mortuary
Variation in the Casas Grandes Region of
Chihuahua, Mexico
The site of Paquimé is unique among North American desert west
sites due to its immense size, ritual architecture, and variation in
mortuary practices, which included evidence of violence, human
sacrifice, and post-mortem corpse processing. Hypotheses for
these practices include Mesoamerican-derived rituals, or ancestor
worship. Additionally, recent mortuary research has suggested
the presence of an inclusive earth/fertility cult, and an exclusive
political cult. Understanding the genetic relationships between
individuals who received unique mortuary treatments and the rest
of the skeletal sample will help to illuminate the patterns
underlying this site’s mortuary practices, and the groups of
individuals who engage in them. Building upon previous
biodistance analyses that have suggested sacrificed individuals
may be local to the Casas Grandes region, I use use cranial and
dental metric and non-metric data to seek answers to two
questions. Are the individuals with evidence of post-mortem
corpse processing or violence genetically distinct from individuals
without, or from local individuals preceding the rise of Paquimé?
Does exclusivity in the political cult reflect the presence of a few
high-status lineages? This study aims to demonstrate the utility of
integrating biological and osteological datasets, and the
importance of integrative approaches to human skeletal remains.
[286]
Chair
428
Walling, Stanley [213] see Beach, Timothy
Wallis, Lynley [2] see Ulm, Sean
Wallis, Neill (Florida Museum of Natural History) and Meggan
Blessing (University of Florida)
[54]
Depositing a Suwannee Valley Feast: Feature
1 at Parnell Mound
Eight-hundred years ago near the Suwannee River in northern
Florida, groups of hunter-gatherers came together to feast and
deposit a mass of fauna and other artifacts. In a large pit just
north of a burial mound, a rich assemblage of fauna dominated by
deer shoulders and haunches was deposited alongside large
fragments of earthenware vessels, arrow points, hematite nodules,
quartz crystals, and charred botanicals. While the spectacle of the
feast was undoubtedly an important political event, this paper is
focused on the salience of the act of deposition and the
commingling of powerful substances as parts of initiatory or
dedicatory inscriptions.
Walsh, Justin (Chapman University)
[13]
Self-Destruction, Recycling, and Archaeology:
Recent Developments in the Space Industry
and Their Consequences for the Future of the
Past
Recent trends in space mission design are likely to have
enormous consequences for future archaeological research. In
particular, international mandates that objects newly placed into
low-Earth orbit either must be removed from orbit or lifted to a
stable, higher position within 25 years of launch will have profound
effects on the preservation of evidence for future study. Most
missions now intend to destroy their equipment by de-orbiting it so
that it burns up on re-entry. Some scientists are currently
developing protocols called “design for demise” that call for
satellites to leave no trace of their existence behind following deorbit.
These new practices pose a serious dilemma for future
archaeologists of technology: how to study a class of objects
which are specifically intended to destroy themselves? This paper
will consider some responses to this problem by making
comparisons with archaeological approaches to other purposely
ephemeral kinds of objects, such as the new dress given by
Athenians to their statue of the goddess Athena as part of the
classical Panathenaic Festival, for example, or the structures at
the Shinto shrine of Isejingu, which have been ritually dismantled
and rebuilt using new materials every twenty years since the
seventh century CE.
Walsh, Matthew
[80]
Subsistence, Mobility, and Demographic
Change at Rio Ibanez 6, Aysén Region,
Patagonian Chile: A Preliminary Examination of
Results from 2012/2013 Excavations
Excavations at the stratified rockshelter, Rio Ibañez 6 (RI-6),
located in the Aisén region of west central Patagonia, reveal finelystratified occupation levels during the late-Holocene. These
occupations are characterized by the faunal remains of huemul
(Hippocamelus bisulcus) and a variety of small mammals, lithic
tools and debitage produced from both local and extralocal raw
materials, and hearth features. The rockshelter possesses an
array of rock art, particularly consisting of assortments of negative
and positive handprints. Initial investigations at the site reveal a
late-Holocene presence dating to 380±30 BP, but excavations in
adjacent areas of the rockshelter resulted in dates in excess of
5000 B.P., illuminating the potential for much earlier occupations
in the western portion of the rockshelter. In this paper, I present a
brief description of the middle Rio Ibañez valley, focusing on
archaeology at the RI-6 west site, and discuss preliminary results
of, and implications for, the use of evolutionary ecology models to
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
test hypotheses about site seasonality, subsistence, mobility, and
population change through time under drastically varying
environmental conditions in the area over much of the last 1000
years.
Walsh, Mathew [196] see Kuenstle, Justin
Walsh, Rory (University of Oregon)
[289]
Chemical Analyses of Beakje Pottery and the
Social Processes of State Formation
Using a multi-faceted analysis to determine both the geographic
origin and use history of Baekje ceramic vessels, this study
investigates the relative prestige of traded goods and agricultural
products. Neutron activation analysis has revealed that Baekje
blackware vessels were produced throughout the region,
challenging assumptions about the centralization and
legitimization of power by Baekje elites. Combining this approach
with analysis of residues from various vessel types will track the
use of food and drink in both daily life and ritual events, as it
relates to the establishment of state authority in the Baekje region.
Pottery typology, ceramic trade networks, and food use combine
to provide new insights on the negotiation of local identities and
the nature of elite influence on production, social organization, and
religious practices in the Baekje state.
[289]
Chair
Walshaw, Sarah (Simon Fraser University)
[136]
Adopting Rice: Cultivating an Asian Crop in an
African Way on Pemba Island, Tanzania, A.D.
800-1500
On the Swahili coast of eastern Africa, mixed farming and fishing
communities created Muslim trading towns that engaged with
Indian Ocean cultures, materials, and values by the eighth
century. Archaeobotanical data and historical evidence suggest
that rice overtook African grains (sorghum, pearl millet, finger
millet) by 1100 on northern Pemba, a particularly lush island off
the coast of present-day Tanzania. The preference for Asian rice
arguably signals a shift in cultural values towards those of the
Indian Ocean merchants with whom the Swahili traded. However,
macrobotanical evidence of crop processing suggests that the
widespread adoption of rice was not accompanied by Arab forms
of irrigation agriculture nor communal processing or central
storage. The storage of rice grains in the chaff suggests minimal
pre-storage processing, consistent with the household model of
labour that likely provided families with millets before 1000 AD.
This is significant, considering that mobilization of rice was
arguably an important component of gaining and keeping power
through feasting. The retention of a household production mode
suggests that the Swahili valued direct access to producing food,
and potentially power, and serves as an example of local agency
in the strategic engagement of Indian Ocean values and practices.
Walth, Cherie (SWCA Environmental Consultants)
[27]
Social, Cultural, Biological Relatedness Based
on the Skeletal Remains of Pre-Latte and Latte
Period Samples from Guam
A large number of Pre-Latte and Latte burials were excavated
from Naton Beach site on Guam. This is the first site on Guam to
have a large sample from the Pre-Latte period, and it offers an
opportunity to examine the two skeletal samples diachronically.
Can morphological and pathological characteristics of the two
samples be related to social, cultural, or genetic aspects of the
contributing population? To answer this research question,
characteristics that may express social, cultural, or genetic
aspects of the samples are examined. These include the incidence
of pathologies, dental modifications, and genetic characteristics
expressed in the dental metric and nonmetric data. In the
population samples, yaws and spondylolysis are present in the
Latte sample but not in the Pre-Latte. Labial abrasion is almost
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
exclusively restricted to the Pre-Latte sample, while dental incising
and betel nut staining are found primarily in the Latte period
sample. The Pre-Latte tooth sizes are significantly different than
the Latte tooth sizes. There are 15 dental nonmetric traits that are
significantly different between the two groups. The data suggest
that the Pre-Latte populated Guam first with a later migration of
the Latte that resulted in a replacement of cultural practices, and
perhaps genetic admixture.
429
during the production process. To examine this phenomenon,
experimental pit-firings were conducted to understand what factors
may have caused these ceramics to warp. The results of these
experimental open-pit firings on recreated Virgin Branch bowls are
presented to determine if warping could have been the result of
the firing process.
Wang, Fen [66] see Song, Yanbo
Walton, Alisa [147] see McCarthy, Elizabeth
Walton, Marc, Karen Trentelman (Getty Conservation
institute), Brendan Foran (Aerospace Corporation) and
Apurva Mehta (Stanford Synchrtron Research Laboratory)
[253]
Characterization of Fifth Century B.C. Athenian
Pottery Black Gloss Slips
It is widely accepted that the contrasting red and black colors of
Athenian fine wares produced in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.
result from cycling between oxidizing and reducing conditions
during firing. This theory was largely based on ceramic replication
experiments performed in the first half of the 20th century. In an
effort to better understand the production technology of Athenian
pottery slips, we interrogated the microstructure and chemical
composition of sherds from the J. Paul Getty Museum using
modern analytical techniques: x-ray fluorescence (XRF)
spectroscopy, laser ablation inductively coupled mass
spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), scanning transmission electron
microscopy (STEM) with focused ion beam (FIB) milling
preparation, and synchrotron-based x-ray absorption spectroscopy
(XAS). We have found that from the degree of vitrification of the
clay phylosilicate lamellae in the slip layer, it is possible to
reconstruct the firing sequence under which the ceramic was
produced. Using trace element analysis we were also able identify
unique compositions for adjacent decorations, suggesting the
application of different batches of clay slip. From these data we
have started to develop a new model for how these vessels were
being produced in the workshop, thus augmenting the
archaeological understanding of this important ancient art form.
Walz, Jonathan (Rollins College)
[266]
Of Paradigms and Powerplays: Shells and
Shell Artifacts in the Archaeology of Hinterland
East Africa, 750–1550 C.E.
This project begins to grapple with the socially embedded nature
of African objects. I report on shells, beads of shell, and other
residues excavated from central coastwise East Africa, 750–1550
C.E. In northeastern Tanzania, marine shells and locally produced
beads of landsnail shell challenge extant scientific paradigms
about regional political economies during the “Iron Age.” Survey
and excavations at multiple archaeological sites located in the
lower Pangani (Ruvu) Basin, including Kwa Mgogo and Gonja
Maore, suggest that discs made from the shells of giant African
landsnails played an important role in intergroup relations and
regional political economies as early as the late first millennium
C.E. These and other seemingly mundane objects - often ignored
in site reports and interpretations of regional interactions - provide
insights about craft production, exchange, and shifting political
economies through time. Engaging with these objects begins to
make an alternative regional past for coastwise East Africa.
[52]
Discussant
Wambach, Thomas (University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV))
[267]
Bent Out of Shape: Warping In Virgin Branch
Ancestral Puebloan Ceramics
Within the Ancestral Puebloan, Virgin Branch, region of the
American Southwest, there exists a significant amount of warped
bowls. While the cause of the warping is unknown, one possibility
is that it resulted from accidental over-firing during the firing
process. A second possibility is that they were intentionally warped
Wang, Fen and Shiling Yuan
[66]
Reconstructing the Food Structure of Ancient
Coastal Inhabitants from Beiqian Village: Stable
Isotopic Analysis of Fossil Human Bone
The Beiqian site located in Jimo city, a few kilometers from the
modern coastline was excavated in 2007, 2009 and 2011. A large
number of human bones from the early Dawenkou period were
unearthed. Through C and N stable isotopic analysis, the food
structure of the “Beiqian” ancestors was reconstructed and the
influence of terrestrial and marine resources on their lifestyle was
discussed. Based on the δ13C and δ15N stable isotopic values of
human bone collagen, the analytical results obtained through a
ternary mixed model reveal that the food sources of the Beiqian
ancestors included about marine species (probably shellfish and
fish), C4 plants (possibly millet), and land animals. These results
indicate they lived mainly from fishing and farming, supplemented
by hunting or poultry raising. Compared with other sites in the
same period, the stable isotope results show that 5000–6000
years ago, the lifestyles of ancestors in the Yangtze River basin,
Yellow River basin, Northern coastal area and inland area were
very different. The ancestors from the Yangtze River basin
focused on rice farming and fishing, whereas the ancestors in the
Yellow River basin farmed millet and raised animals. Those in
coastal areas relied mostly on farming and marine fishing.
Wang, Qiang and Kamijyou Okamoto
[66]
Grinding Stone Tools and Subsistence Pattern
in Neolithic Shandong Coast: A Case Study of
the Beiqian Site
We conducted a comprehensive study of the grinding stone tools
of the Neolithic Beiqian site on the Shandong coast, China,
including imitative experiments，chaine operatoire analysis,
microwear analysis and starch analysis. The results not only allow
us to understand the procedures of manufacturing these tools,
they also provide new evidence for studying their functions as well
as the subsistence patterns. The analysis suggests that these
stone tools were used for both grinding nuts into flour and
processing cereals. These data offer new lines of evidence for a
better understanding of the subsistence patterns on the Neolithic
Shandong coast.
Wang, Haicheng (University of Washington)
[179]
Bronze Typology and the Ambitions of
Archaeology
Over three decades ago, Jessica Rawson described a ritual
revolution, as she called it, in the conduct of Western Zhou
ancestral offerings. As she conceived it, radical changes in the
ritual apparatus--bronze vessels and bells--took place in a short
period of time, perhaps only a generation. Nowadays her theory is
almost universally accepted as fact. But can stylistic dead
reckoning have the kind of precision her argument requires? Can
we really synchronize a series of steps in bronze design with a
sequence of events mentioned in texts? Taking the betterdocumented religious revolution of the Egyptian king Akhenaten
as a comparison, this paper will reexamine Rawson's arguments
for sudden and coordinated change and make some suggestions
about framing questions that we can reasonably expect
archaeology to answer.
430
Wang, Youping
[179]
The Chronology of the Paleolithic in Central
China
This paper will discuss questions of chronology of the Paleolithic in
Central China. Over the past 20 years, several hundreds new
Paleolithic sites have been found from the southern part of
Shaanxi to the central part of Henan in Central China. Ten
thousands stone artifacts and other information related
Pleistocene human activities were collected from those sites. The
research resulted in new discoveries indicating that the pebble tool
industry occupied the leading position when early human came to
this region. The flake tool industry also was found, and apparently
succeeded the pebble tool tradition during the middle of the Late
Pleistocene, and then a blade and micro-blade industry dominated
both in the cave and open air sites. A basic chronological frame
has been established recently by the studies of high-resolution
magnetostratigraphic investigation, OSL, AMS C14 as well as
loess chronology. However, for a better understanding of both the
development of lithic technology and human evolution in this
region, there is still more chronological research to be done.
Ward, Drew (Georgia State University) and Terry Powis
(Kennesaw State University)
[36]
Preliminary Investigations of a Late Classic
Maya Granite Workshop at Pacbitun, Belize
The Ancient Maya site of Pacbitun is centrally located between the
two major ecozones of the Belize River Valley and the Mountain
Pine Ridge in West-Central Belize. In June 2012, investigations
began on a group of mounds, known as the Tzib Group, located
outside of the core zone of Pacbitun in order to investigate the
group's potential for housing ground stone tool workshops.
Excavations into Structure 1 of the group uncovered roughly 1,000
kilograms of granite debitage and scatter, as well as large
quantities of mano and metate perform fragments varying in size
and stage of production. In analyzing the possibility of a ground
stone production center, this paper seeks to expand upon previous
research at Pacbitun pertaining to resource acquisition, craftspecialization, and exchange as a result of the site’s central
location in the valley during the Late-Classic period (AD 600-900).
Furthermore, the documentation of such a workshop will shed light
on the techniques associated with the manufacture of implements
essential to the possessing of the ancient Maya’s staple crop,
maize.
Ward, Susan [158] see Setzer, Teddi
Warden, Robert [92] see De Smet, Timothy
Ware, John and John Kantner (School of Advanced Research)
[110]
A Tale of Two Institutions: Synthesis and
Publication in the Greater Southwest
The School of Advanced Research (SAR) and the Amerind
Foundation are pioneering Southwestern research institutions. In
the early to mid-twentieth century SAR conducted major
excavation projects in northern New Mexico, along the Rio
Grande, in Chaco Canyon, and on the Pajarito Plateau. The
Amerind excavated sites throughout the Southwest Borderlands,
in southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern
Mexico. Both institutions curtailed major excavation efforts in the
1970s to assume new roles in the synthesis and publication of
archaeological knowledge. The advanced seminar model was
developed and refined by SAR in the 1970s and adopted by the
Amerind in the 1980s. SAR has grown into a major publishing
house while the Amerind still publishes mostly through university
press partnerships. Both institutions are now experimenting with
online digital publications. This paper follows the careers of two
very different institutions whose missions have converged in
recent years to ensure that knowledge about deep history is
synthesized and disseminated. It concludes with a speculative
look at the uncertain future of knowledge synthesis and scholarly
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
publishing.
Warinner, Christina (University of Oklahoma)
[172]
Paleopathology and Paleodiet in the Era of
Metagenomics
High-throughput sequencing has opened up dramatic new
opportunities in paleopathology and paleodietary analysis. This
paper explores how the emerging field of paleometagenomics is
changing the way we think about ancient disease and diet and
how archaeological studies can contribute to a medical
understanding of health and nutrition today.
[172]
Chair
Warnasch, Scott (NYC OCME), Christopher Rainwater (NYC
OCME) and Christian Crowder (NYC OCME)
[193]
The Application of Archaeological Methods to
Crime Scenes and Mass Disasters in New York
City
In the past few decades, forensic investigations have become
more accurate and detailed as the tools and methods for evidence
collection and analysis have increased in sophistication. However,
significant gaps in the level of investigation, documentation and
methodology of outdoor scenes, buried contexts and mass
disasters are still prevalent. Archaeologists have been applying
their unique skills to these situations for several years yet many
scene investigators remain unaware or unconvinced of the
practical benefits of these specialists. The anthropology unit at the
New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has
played a crucial role in conducting a variety of archaeology-based
investigations and has made significant strides in integrating
archaeologists and anthropologists into the investigation,
documentation and recovery process. The archaeologist’s role
often goes beyond the mechanics of scene processing to include
interpretation of temporal and physical contexts. The best example
of the myriad applications of archaeology in a forensic context is
the on-going recovery excavations at the World Trade Center site.
The OCME’s excavation not only demonstrated, on a large-scale,
the practicality and effectiveness of archaeology, but illustrated the
challenges of conducting a mass disaster recovery without the
methodology, organization and perspective that properly trained
archaeologists can provide.
Warner, Jacob (Louisiana State University) and David
Chicoine (Louisiana State University)
[236]
Discard Patterns and Trash Flow at the Early
Horizon Center of Caylán
The disciplines of behavioral archaeology and garbology have
been applied to various sites both ancient and modern in an
attempt to explain the cultural practices and habitation patterns of
various groups. A variety of settlement types have been studied
across several continents and involving different ethnic groups.
However, very few studies have been applied to South America,
especially relating to the development of urban sites and social
structure, despite the plethora of available archaeological sites.
This poster intends to apply behavioral archaeology as well as
some aspects of garbology to understanding the actual social
structure and physical layout of the site of Caylán, an Early
Horizon urban settlement located along the north-central Peruvian
coast. Specifically, how did the settlers at Caylan dispose of their
waste material, and how can we understand such patterns in
relation to lifestyle and habitation practices, including the
seasonality of residence at the site?
Washam, Ryan (University of Cincinnati)
[265]
Archaeology in Distress: Federal Land
Management and Vulnerable Landscapes
The Upper Basin of the south rim of the Grand Canyon presents
an excellent cross-section of different federal agencies’ (Grand
Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest) approaches to
land management. Though the environment and cultural
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
landscape are relatively similar between the two jurisdictions,
different priorities lead to dissimilar land management practices.
Evidence shows that divergent land management practices
between agencies have profound effects on the level of
disturbance across an archaeological landscape.
In order to inform the discussion of disturbances across the Upper
Basin, a vulnerability study was conducted to identify areas of
disruption in the archaeological record and the stressors that
ultimately caused this damage. The study uses satellite remote
sensing data, and GPS data, to analyze trends in ground
disturbance and forest use that directly influence cases of
inadvertent vandalism to archaeological sites. As a result of this
analysis, a disturbance framework for the Upper Basin is
presented that draws heavily from current ideas in vulnerability
theory. Using this framework, conclusions can be drawn about the
influence of federal land managers on archaeological disturbance.
Watamaniuk, Lelia (McMaster University)
[42]
Measuring Variation as an Indicator of
Differential Stress in Bioarchaeology
Considerable attention has been paid to bone loss in
paleopathology, but with the number of disparate methodologies
used to measure bone amount, the ability of researchers to
compare data from several sources is limited. This study
proposes the use of the coefficient of variation (CV) as a means by
which to compare different types of data more directly. The
coefficient of variation is a unit-less value that shows the amount
of variation in a data set. Samples with larger CVs will indicate a
wider spread range of values around a mean. Large variation in
bone amount values potentially indicates a differential response to,
or experience of, living conditions between individuals within a
group or between temporally or geographically differing groups.
Four studies using different methods to assess bone amount were
selected, and compared using CV values. Re-examination of this
skeletal data based on CV values permitted the authors to focus
on groups where bone loss occurred beyond the typical patterns of
age, and to propose the use of CV to evaluate possible sources of
differential stress between and among the groups studied.
[42]
Chair
Watanabe, Yoichi [214] see Sakai, Masato
Waterhouse, Olivia (Barnard College) and Jason De León
(University of Michigan)
[121]
Trying to Understand What It Feels Like to
Literally Walk in Someone’s Shoes: An
Experimental-Ethnographic-Archaeological
Approach to Migrant Shoes
Undocumented migrants who attempt to cross the Sonoran Desert
of Arizona can often walk an upwards of 70 miles while traversing
a rugged and varied terrain. People usually undertake these trips
in cheaply manufactured shoes that are poorly suited for longdistance hiking. While in transit these shoes may become severely
damaged and require ad hoc repairs. Moreover, migrants often
sustain injuries to their feet (e.g., debilitating blisters) as a result of
wearing these shoes. In this poster we present data from a
phenomenological experiment on footwear conducted during the
2012 field season of the Undocumented Migration Project and a
laboratory analysis of the physical properties of cheap sneakers to
examine the relationship between various terrains and the
resulting wear-patterns produced on footwear commonly worn by
migrants. These data are then compared to ethnographic data on
the embodied experiences of border crossers and use-wear data
from migrant shoes recovered in the desert. We argue that our
combined experimental-ethnographic-archaeological approach
provides new phenomenological insight into some of the physical
traumas that border crossers typically experience. In addition, this
analysis of shoe use wear patterns has important implications for
understanding other contemporary, historic, and ancient
431
migrations.
Waters, Michael (Texas A&M University)
[90]
An Examination of Clovis and Goshen
Chronology
Clovis is dated from 13,000 to 12,600 cal yr B.P. at thirteen sites
scattered across North America. Four Clovis sites are reported to
date to 13,600 cal yr B.P. This includes the Aubrey site, Texas,
the East Wenatchee site, Washington, the Sheaman site,
Wyoming, and the Casper site, Wyoming. New dating and
analysis of the early dates from these four sites do not support the
idea that Clovis is older than 13,000 cal yr B.P. New dates from
the Mill Iron site, Montana, show that the Goshen occupation
dates to 12,400 cal yr B.P. and is not contemporaneous with
Clovis.
Waters-Rist, Andrea (Leiden University, Faculty of
Archaeology), Vladimir I. Bazaliiskii (Department of
Archaeology and Ethnography, Irkutsk), Andrzej W. Weber
(Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta,), Olga I.
Goriunova (Department of Archaeology and Ethnography,
Irkutsk) and M. Anne Katzenberg (Department of
Archaeology, University of Calgary, )
[194]
Evaluating the Biological Discontinuity
Hypothesis for Mid-Holocene Populations from
Cis-Baikal, Siberia, Using Dental Non-Metric
Traits
Southern Siberia has been a crossroads for human groups for
millennia, resulting in complex population histories with
considerable genetic admixture. This study examines the
hypothesis of biological discontinuity between Early Neolithic (EN)
and Late Neolithic-Bronze Age (LN-BA) populations from the CisBaikal, Siberia, using dental non-metric traits. Dental non-metric
traits are highly heritable and evolutionarily stable and are
frequently used by bioarchaeologists to investigate biological
relationships between populations. It is also possible to use trait
frequencies to generate hypotheses about a population’s
geographic origin. Different frequencies of several dental nonmetric traits, significant chi-square results, and a Mean Measure of
Divergence analysis, support the hypothesis that EN and LN-BA
populations are genetically discontinuous. EN individuals have trait
frequencies consistent with Asian (Sinodont division) populations.
LN-BA individuals have several dental non-metric traits that are
more similar in frequency to European groups, suggesting the
population may have come from an area to the west or south of
Lake Baikal. Finally, there is less variation between EN and LN-BA
groups along the Angara River suggesting this as a region of
possible gene flow between populations. These dental non-metric
results support and supplement other measures of population
affinity, including material culture, cranial morphology, and mtDNA.
Watkins, Joe (University of Oklahoma)
[141]
Spanning the Oceans: Indigenous Archaeology
and Its Role in Indigenous Heritage Issues
The acceptance of the Ainu as an indigenous population of Japan
created a tacit recognition of the need to better integrate Ainu
history with Japanese pre-contact history, especially in Japan's
northern-most island of Hokkaido. Indigenous archaeology as it is
developing globally has the possibiities of contributing to the
enhanced discussion of the Ainu's relationships with the
archaeological cultures as accepted in Japan as well as to
contribute to strengthening the Ainu relationship with the
archaeological past of the island of Hokkaido. This paper will
present the changing role of Indigenous archaeology in Japan as
well as then way that the Ainu can fit within other Indigenous
people in archaeology's global enterprise.
[174]
Discussant
432
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Watson, Lucía (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico)
[29]
Rebuilding “The Necropolis of Ancon,” Central
Coast of Peru: New Information in the Twentyfirst Century about an Excavation of the
Twentieth Century
This paper presents new information about The Necropolis of
Ancon which is located on the central coast of Peru. The
Necropolis of Ancon is one of the biggest and most extensive PreHispanic cemeteries in the Andes. It was excavated by Julio
C.Tello- Father of the Peruvian Archaeology- from 1945 to 1949,
but he could not finish his task because of his death.
during the Preclassic Period and later again in the Late Classic
and Postclassic Periods. The main features and associated
artifacts consist of various burials types, offerings, and trash
middens. A comparative analysis will also be made of the burial
offerings between burials associated with the Preclassic and those
associated with the Late and Postclassic Periods. This analysis
will then be used to take a look at possible changing identities
portrayed in the burial setting over time.
After a year and half of work at the National Museum of
Anthropology, Archaeology and History of Peru, digitizing all of
Julio C.Tello field notes, drawings and maps about his excavation
in The Necropolis of Ancon, we can now put together all of this
information. By these means, and using a geographic information
system (GIS), we can visualize spatial distribution of the 1570
tombs and 1455 artifacts which belong to the different periods of
occupation in the cemetery (from 200 b.c to 1534 A.C) and have a
better idea of spatial distribution of the different cultural groups
and the status of the people who used The Necropolis of Ancon.
Weaver, Eric [144] see Dunning, Nicholas
Watson, James [218] see Harry, Karen
Wattenmaker, Patricia (University of Virginia)
[30]
Peer Polity Dynamics and the Expansion of
Bureaucracies in Third Millennium
Mesopotamia
This paper explores some of the ways that peer polity dynamics
played a driving role in the formation and expansion of state
bureaucracies in Upper Mesopotamia. Archaeological and textual
data documenting the nature of interactions between various
polities provide the basis for considering the centralized and
specialized administrative infrastructure needed to establish and
maintain such inter-polity relations. Particular attention is paid to
the nature and timing of exchange rituals, religious ceremonies
and warfare. Arguably, the unstable inter-polity relations that
characterized the political landscape of third millennium
Mesopotamia were embedded in, and sprang from, deeply held
cosmological and religious beliefs shared by the multiple
independent polities that flourished during this time.
Watts, Christopher (University of Western Ontario)
[24]
Becoming Animal in Iroquoian Corporealities
This paper examines the archaeological and ethnographic
evidence for therianthropic change among various Iroquoianspeaking groups in the lower Great Lakes region of North
America. In doing so, it highlights the consubstantiality of human
and animal bodies and the extent to which passage between
forms was the norm rather than the exception within Iroquoian
corporealities. When considered cross-culturally, and with inputs
from continental philosophy, these findings are used to argue
against a view of the Iroquoian body as a fixed physiological
container, as well as traditional notions of shamanism based on
altered states of consciousness.
Watts, Jack [70] see Willis, Lauren
Watts, Shelley (Brigham Young University)
[234]
Guajilar: Recovery and Burial Offerings
A poster presenting the Maya archaeological site of Guajilar
located in southern Chiapas, Mexico. Guajilar was excavated in
the field seasons of 1976 by Thomas Lee, and in 1978 by John
Clark and Douglas Bryant (under the direction of Thomas Lee).
The poster presents unpublished excavation information and
artifacts recovered from both seasons. The site was occupied
Wayne, Robert K. [20] see Thalmann, Olaf
Weaver, Jr, Donald E. [18] see Billo, Evelyn
Weber, Andrzej [77] see Friedman, Lindsey
Weber, Andrzej
[194]
Understanding Middle Holocene Hunter–
Gatherer Diets in Cis-Baikal, Siberia, Using the
IsoSource Mixing Model
Over the last 20 years bone samples of roughly 500 middle
Holocene hunter–gatherers (c. 8800–4000 cal BP) from the CisBaikal region, Siberia, have been tested for carbon and nitrogen
stable isotope ratios in order to characterize their dietary regimes
and subsistence patters. The results, have demonstrated a
substantial amount of variation both in spatial and temporal terms.
The spatial variation comprises the four main micro-regions of CisBaikal (Angara, Lena, Little Sea and Tunka) while the
chronological variation comprises differences between the three
main culture-historical periods (Early and Late Neolithic, and Early
Bronze Age, with the Middle Neolithic not represented in the data
set). In just about every case, these vectors of spatio-temporal
variation are different thus suggesting also different causal
mechanisms. On the Angara the main vector of change involves a
shift from a fish–game diet in the Early Neolithic to the game–fish
diet in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. In the Little Sea
area the main vector of variation involves the co-existence of two
distinct diets (game–fish and game–fish–seal) during each period.
Application of the Iso-Source mixing model to better understand
this variation represents the next step in this ongoing research.
Weber, Jill (The University Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology, UPenn)
[228]
Equid Burials at Umm el-Marra, Syria in the
Mid-Third Millennium, BC: Sacrifice, Symbol, or
Substitution?
The burial of at least 30 equids in the midst of an elite, human
burial complex at Umm el-Marra, Syria, is investigated. These
equids have been identified as hybrids known through textual
documentation to be associated with kings and gods. Their context
and their identification mandates that we view their placement as
part of the performance of ideology and power, as well as a
document of ancestry and succession, that accompany mortuary
ritual. Were they sacrifices? Did they function as symbolic
statements of power and control over the populace? Were they
substituted for human elites in either death or sacrifice? Variation
between equid installations (burials) - in their style, numbers,
inclusion of other items, and ages of equids found - suggests that
equid burials could have functioned as sacrifices, symbols, and
substitutions.
Weber, Martin (UC Berkeley)
[239]
Rethinking Collapse: Crafting Post-Imperial
Identities in the Early Iron Age Northern Levant
The transition from the Late Bronze to the Iron Age in the Northern
Levant (approximately 12th century B.C.E.) is commonly
characterized as a classic instance of political collapse, resulting in
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
a radically altered economic and socio-political environment. Yet,
archaeological and epigraphic data betrays a high degree of
continuity in terms of architectural concepts, artistic forms and
political ideologies, complicating the notion of a rapid loss of
social, political and economic complexity usually associated with a
state’s collapse. Early Iron Age public architecture and carved
stone monuments from sites in northern Syria and southern
Turkey, such as Karkemish, Zinçirli or Tell Ta’yinat, alternatively
express the political and economic potential of these emergent
political ideologies. Not only do they highlight the complicated
interrelations between traditional and innovative forms of political
ideology that local elites employed in order to reorganize the
region within the context of deteriorating imperial control. New
political ideologies were actively created in the form of a hybrid
artistic program that served the specific aspirations and claims of
their royal sponsors and later came to be challenged by emergent
non-royal elites.
Weber, Steve
[245]
Discussant
Webster, David [58] see French, Kirk
Webster, Laurie (University of Arizona)
[67]
Pathways to Hopi: Cultural Affiliation and the
Archaeological Textile Record
Few cultural affiliation studies in the United States have
considered textiles and basketry in depth, but studies conducted
for the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office have shown these
classes of material culture to contribute important lines of evidence
linking the Hopi people to their diverse ancestral past. In this
presentation, textile and kiva mural data are used to examine
evidence for Hopi ancestral connections to multiple regions and
archaeological cultures of the northern and southern Southwest.
Wedding, Jeffrey (Desert Research Institute), David Smee
(Desert Research Institute) and Alex Heindl
(DesertWalkabouts, Inc.)
[122]
Archaeologist’s Field Guide for Identifying Cold
War Era Military Food Cans
Since World War I the basic unit of food for United States military
personnel in the field has been the military combat ration. The
desert regions of southern Nevada, southern California, and
northwestern Arizona were testing grounds for large scale,
unrestricted open desert military maneuvers from World War II
through the Cold War. Identification of field ration component
artifacts left at military sites in this region can quickly help
establish with which of these two nationally significant historical
periods the sites are associated. This poster displays examples of
the individual combat ration component cans from the latter
Twentieth Century for purposes of providing a basic guide to
distinguishing and dating the military ration cans from the Cold
War period between 1947 and 1991.
Weinberg, Camille [268] see Nigra, Benjamin
Weinstein, Laurie (Western Connecticut State University) and
Diane Hassan (Danbury Museum and Historical Society)
[277]
Southern New England Indians in the American
Revolution
This paper examines the context for native southern New England
involvement in the Revolutionary War. Some of the questions we
ask: What Natives fought in this war? Why did Indians enlist? With
what kinds of communities were these men (and women)
associated? And how does our research help illuminate the
archaeology of Middle Encampment, a Revolutionary War site that
we have been surveying, mapping, testing and excavating for the
433
past 8 years?
Weisler, Marshall (University of Queensland)
[255]
A Comprehensive Approach to Dating Human
Colonization of Pristine Landscapes
If there is one question that polarizes the Pacific archaeological
community, then agreeing on the timing of first human colonization
of pristine islands would certainly rank amongst the most
contentious of issues. Sides are invariably split between “early”
and “late” colonization models. This is of no small importance
since the archipelagoes and islands of East Polynesia were
amongst the last landfalls on Earth settled by humans with major
economic, social, and political changes occurring, in some
instances, over a handful of centuries. Indeed, as cogently
outlined recently in How Chiefs Became Kings (2010), Patrick
Kirch argues for a rapid and radical transformation of the Hawaiian
chiefdom to a state level society during the late 16th to early 17th
centuries AD after occupation of the archipelago—the largest in
tropical Polynesia—for a mere 500 years or so. In this paper the
chronology of leeward Moloka‘i (Hawaiian Islands) is summarized
by privileging more than 30 years of field research by the author
and a comprehensive dating program with 200+ U-series and ~50
AMS radiocarbon age determinations providing a solid framework
for assessing general island settlement models.
[255]
Chair
Weisler, Marshall [263] see Lambrides, Ariana
Welch, Daniel (Texas A&M University)
[5]
Discontinuity in the Stratigraphic Record of
Samoan Volcanic Glass Artifacts
A recent archaeological study of Tongan and Samoan volcanic
glass artifacts illustrates a non-integrated distribution sphere
during the Ceramic Period ca. 2900-1500 BP. Current data
suggest that this signals the presence of mutually exclusive intraarchipelago distribution spheres that lie in contrast with post
ceramic period patterns of integrated exchange. While
chronological and spatial patterns of volcanic glass distribution are
becoming clearer in Tonga, refined temporal and spatial research
is needed in the Samoan islands. This paper examines the
stratigraphic record of volcanic glass artifacts from multicomponent deposits to refine the chronology of volcanic glass
distribution patterns in the Samoan Archipelago. The implications
for a discontinuous record of volcanic class procurement are
discussed as it applies to hypotheses of an in-situ cultural
transformation via a proto-Polynesian population.
Welch, Paul (Southern Illinois University)
[30]
Moundville's Economy, Version Two
Generalizing from the work of Timothy Earle as well as
Christopher Peebles and Susan Kus, in 1977 Henry Wright
published a model of the ways producers and consumers were
distributed and connected within a chiefdom economy. My 1983
dissertation tested that and other published models against data
from the Moundville polity in Alabama. Finding that none of the
extant models was a perfect match with the data then available, I
proposed a new model tailored to fit the Moundville data.
Research in and around Moundville by subsequent generations of
graduate students has done to me what I did to Wright: show that
the model did not fit the reality. After reviewing this history of
changing understanding of the articulation between producers and
consumers in the Moundville polity, I assess the impact of Wright’s
intellectual legacy on this branch of archaeological research.
Welch, John R. [64] see Altaha, Mark
434
Welch, John (Simon Fraser University), Karl Hoerig (Fort
Apache Heritage Foundation), Mark Altaha (White Mountain
Apache Tribe) and Ramon Riley (White Mountain Apache
Tribe)
[110]
Fort Apache Heritage Foundation
Chartered in 1998 under the Constitution of the White Mountain
Apache Tribe and recognized as a nonprofit by the US Internal
Revenue Service, the Fort Apache Heritage Foundation (FAHF)
has the mission to create opportunities for White Mountain
Apaches through the Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School
National Historic Landmark. Unlike organizations that measure
success by achieving predetermined goals, FAHF responds
dynamically to community needs and interests without
compromising recognized professional standards for research or
for conserving the media, objects, and structures under FAHF
control. In the last decade our organization has transitioned from
externally focused preservation advocacy, including litigation, to
community-based programming, site management, research, and
jobs creation. Current initiatives run the gamut from the removal of
overhead power lines and fuel storage tanks from the historic
district to leadership in creating a Western Apache Cultural Atlas
and investigating the history of looting at Fort Apache. Although
our mission is not archaeological per se, and history will be the
judge of FAHF as a bellwether, we see many reasons for
individual communities to seize leadership in determining what
aspects of collective inheritance are to be carried forward and how
best to do so.
[192]
Moderator
Weller, Olivier [96] see Manolakakis, Laurence
Weller, Olivier (CNRS), Alfons Figuls (IREC - Universidad
Autonoma Barcelona (SP)) and Fidel Grandia (Universidad
Politecnica Superior d'Enginyeria Manr)
[147]
La primera explotación minera de sal gema en
el mundo: La "Vall Salina" de Cardona
(Cataluña, España)
En este póster se hace balance de los resultados obtenidos sobre
la primera explotación del mundo de sal minera desarrollada
alrededor de la Muntanya de Sal de Cardona (España), la única
montaña de sal gema de Europa Occidental. Se considera que
esta actividad minera se inició entre 4.500-4.200 a.C. y fue una
explotación a cielo abierto durante el Neolítico medio catalán.
Se han analizado los procesos de producción utilizados en la Vall
Salina y los procesos mecánicos que intervienen en la extracción
de la sal a partir del análisis de 225 herramientas de piedra pulida.
Por último, se valora los flujos de intercambios existentes durante
el Neolítico medio y la importancia socio-económica de la sal
gema de Cardona.
Welling, Menno [76] see Thompson, Jessica
Wells, Joshua J. [188] see Kansa, Eric
Wells, Joshua (Indiana University South Bend)
[188]
Archaeology Is Data Coding or It Is Nothing:
Relationships between State and
Governmental Archaeological Site File
Structures and Professional Definitions through
the Digital Index of North American
Archaeology (DINAA)
Governmental archaeological site files in North America are
important loci for documentary information on known
archaeological sites. Their most basic function is to contain data
about site types and information quality pursuant to heritage
preservation legislation at the federal level, but potentially state
and local levels as well. However, as a matter of practice these
files, often as relational databases, contain many other data fields
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
that describe important archaeological findings, and other data
that serve environmental and bureaucratic functions for
management and protection of heritage resources. The ways in
which data about archaeological sites are recorded and
communicated have an important origin in theoretical models
about past behavior, and also have important implications on the
professional comprehension of the data at large and the use of the
data to rank planning and preservation priorities. The NSF-funded
Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) project
(involving the University of Tennessee, Indiana University South
Bend, and the Alexandria Archive Institute) presents preliminary
findings about how a large, contiguous area of the United States
can be understood at multiple points in history and prehistory
based upon the combined efforts of thousands of projects
spanning decades of professional survey and excavation.
[188]
Chair
Wells, Christian (University of South Florida)
[253]
Integrated Archaeometric Analysis of the
Context and Contents of an Ulúa-style Marble
Vase from the Palmarejo Valley, Northwest
Honduras
Recent excavations in the Palmarejo Valley of northwest
Honduras uncovered a rare Ulúa-style marble vase in a residential
mortuary assemblage. The find is significant, because the majority
of marble vases in southern Mesoamerica come from looted
collections or else were excavated before the advent of modern
archaeological practices. Integrated archaeometric analysis of the
context and contents of the vase reveal new insights into the use,
meaning, and chronology of these objects. Analyses included:
bioarchaeological assessment and multielemental stable isotope
analysis (d13C, d18O, and 87Sr/86Sr) of dental enamel from the
human remains using gas-ratio MS and MC-ICP-MS; pollen
analysis and acid-extractable soil phosphate chemistry using
molybdate colorimetry of the contents of the vase; and AMS
radiocarbon dating of organic material associated with the human
remains and the vase. This paper reports the results of these
studies, highlighting the challenges involved in sample collection
and preparation as well as quantitative analysis and interpretation
of the data. Through integrated archaeometric analysis, this
research makes an important contribution to understanding the
role of Ulúa-style marble vases in ancient Mesoamerican
societies.
Wells , Edward [276] see Harle, Michaelyn
Wendrich, Willeke [129] see Koopman, Annelies
Wendrich, Willeke (UCLA)
[129]
Chair
Werness-Rude, Maline (Humboldt State University)
[19]
Burned, Bundled, Buried: The Substance and
Context of Paracas Ceramic Offerings
The Paracas (ca. 900 BC – AD 1) of south coastal Peru are widely
recognized for ceramics bearing patterned designs created from
incised clay that was often post-fire painted. Analyses of
containers, effigies, figurines and musical instruments recovered
intact in tombs, have largely centered on temporal and
iconographic concerns, and in evaluating prestige. A number of
archaeological contexts offer an alternative view of ceramics and
their significance in public and domestic spheres. In this paper, I
discuss the role of ceramics in ritual offerings and analyze them in
tandem with the other forms and mediums they accompany. The
contexts for these offerings differ from those of funerary ritual in
which whole objects are placed with the dead. My analyses
indicate that the end cycle of ceramics is diverse, that their
substance is valued in whole and fragmentary form, and that their
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
spatial orientation is significant. I offer insight into how ceramics as
substances interact and complement other materials in offerings
and how this bears upon our interpretation of specific
iconographies and design symbols and their respective meanings.
[19]
Chair
Wernke, Steven (Vanderbilt University) and Julie Adams
(Vanderbilt University)
[235]
Views From Above: Using UAVs and Mobile
GIS to Map a Colonial Settlement in Highland
Peru
A wide range of medium-scale archaeological phenomena—from
large settlements to agricultural and infrastructural systems—are
traditionally mapped either schematically or via time- and laborintensive high resolution methods. Aircraft-mounted LiDAR
provides fast, high resolution mapping capabilities, but is out of the
budgetary reach of many projects. This poster presents results
from initial test flights, imagery capture, three dimensional
photogrammetric mapping, and mobile GIS-based attribute
registry of architecture at a large, complex colonial planned
settlement (Mawchu Llacta de Tuti) in highland colonial Peru.
First, the operating parameters of the Aurora Flight Sciences
packable, fixed-wing SKATE Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
system employed in this high altitude setting (4100 m) are
presented, as well as the imagery capture and photogrammetric
processing workflows. Second, the poster provides an overview of
the tablet-based mobile GIS system used to digitize a site plan
(based on the imagery from the UAV) and register 64 architectural
attributes from each structure. The results from initial testing
suggest that in the near future, inexpensive and packable UAVand mobile GIS-based systems will significantly enhance and
expedite high resolution data registry of archaeological sites and
landscape features.
Wernke, Steven [235] see Norman, Scotti
Wescott, Konnie (Argonne National Laboratory) and Stephen
Fosberg (Bureau of Land Management)
[91]
Mitigation Planning for Addressing Unavoidable
Impacts of Solar Energy Development: A Shift
from Project Scale to Regional Scale
The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently
released the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (Solar
PEIS). The Solar PEIS addresses the environmental impacts of
establishing a solar energy program that encourages concentrated
development in BLM-administered Solar Energy Zones (SEZs).
The Solar PEIS also provides a series of programmatic-level
design features to mitigate (through avoidance and minimization)
as many potential impacts as possible. The BLM is now embarking
on a mitigation pilot to address the mitigation of specific
unavoidable impacts that are possible within the SEZs. Cultural
and tribal issues are among those impacts that may be
unavoidable. The BLM is working with a variety of stakeholders,
including affected tribes; federal, state, and local agencies; and
the public to determine how best to mitigate these impacts. A
regional approach is proposed. With the pilot for a regional
mitigation plan for the Dry Lake SEZ in Nevada and the Solar
Programmatic Agreement, the BLM is striving to facilitate
consultation for handling mitigation issues as efficiently as
possible. This work is supported by the BLM under interagency
agreement, through DOE contract DEAC02-06CH11357.
[91]
Chair
Wesler, Kit [284] see Roe, Lori
Wesson, Cameron [6] see Lobiondo, Matthew
435
Wesson, Cameron (Lehigh University)
[100]
Searching High and Low: Finding Poverty in the
Past
As a discipline, archaeology generally has been silent concerning
the presence of poverty in the past. Is our collective silence
simply tacit recognition that poverty is a difficult concept to define
and identify using archaeological data, or might it reveal a great
deal more about contemporary archaeological practice and the
manner in which knowledge is produced within our discipline?
This paper examines the potential for archaeologists interested in
various forms of social inequality to operationalize poverty as a
means of understanding human social interaction. Drawing upon
archaeological data from Southeastern North America, I suggest
that archaeological research directed at poverty–in all its various
material manifestations–holds the potential to radically alter our
understanding of social, economic, and political inequalities and
open a vast undiscovered intellectual terrain upon which to
examine the past.
[100]
Chair
West, Catherine (University of Maine) and Fred Andrus
(University of Alabama)
[172]
High-Resolution Sampling of Saxidomus
gigantea in the Kodiak Archipelago
Using a combination of sclerochronology and oxygen isotope
analysis, this paper presents the preliminary results of a
paleoenvironmental study using archaeological Saxidomus
gigantea shells from Kodiak, Alaska. While shell carbonate can
provide data to reconstruct marine temperatures and productivity,
we hypothesize that the oxygen record presented here is driven by
seasonal freshwater runoff. Detailed, chronological sampling
provides a bi-weekly record that can be examined through time to
look for changes in prehistoric climate and environmental
conditions.
West, Eric [274] see Rolett, Barry
Westby, Kira [182] see Bathurst, Rhonda
Wester Davis, Sharon (University of North Florida)
[43]
House Societies in the Post-Chaco Era: The
Use of Mortuary Practices to Define Space
The fall of Chaco in the late 11th to early 12th century caused
burials practices at Chacoan outliers to change, sometimes
dramatically. At the Aztec Ruins, for example, the locations for
Chacoan period burials were nearly as likely to be inside a
structure as outside. Post-Chaco, these burials were almost all
located within a structure. I examine how burials found at the
Chacoan Great House sites such as Salmon Ruin, Aztec Ruins,
and Pueblo Bonito may have changed the meaning of space for its
residents. Did space use alter after the inclusion of a burial? Did
domestic rooms become ritual spaces? How did burials alter
continued domestic space? I also look for evidence that the
internment of ancestors, or a continued veneration of the
previously interred, created a deeper connection to rooms, room
blocks, or even whole sites.
Weston, Darlene, Roberto Valcárcel Rojas (Departamento
Centro-Oriental de Arqueología, CISAT), Menno Hoogland
(Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, The Net) and
Corinne Hofman (Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University,
The Net)
[254]
Communities in Contact: Health and
Paleodemography at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba
Cuba was among the first areas in the New World where contact
occurred between indigenous Amerindian populations and
436
Europeans. As the cemetery of El Chorro de Maíta encompasses
indigenous use of the site through the pre-Columbian and postcontact period, it affords an opportunity to examine the influence of
European contact on the health and paleodemography of the
Amerindian population. Analysis of the 133 individuals at the site
has revealed a population almost free of skeletal pathology, apart
from a few cases of joint degeneration and minor trauma. The high
proportion of young adult and child burials, coupled with a low
number of mature adult burials is highly suggestive of a
catastrophic mortality profile. The mortality profile and the relative
paucity of pathological skeletal lesions suggests that acute
infectious disease may have been an etiological factor in the
construction of the site’s demography, as it is frequently believed
that pre-Columbian Amerindian communities lacked immunity to
the diseases brought to the New World by the first Europeans. The
dynamic nature of Amerindian and European interactions can also
be seen via analysis of the site’s variable mortuary practices,
emphasizing the importance of combining osteological,
taphonomic, and artifactual data when analyzing cemetery sites.
Westwood, Lisa (ECORP Consulting, Inc.)
[13]
World Heritage List Designations of Early
Space Exploration Heritage Sites
In 1972, near the apex of the Apollo era, the General Conference
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) adopted the World Heritage Convention
in a pioneering effort to protect universally important monuments,
buildings, archaeological sites, and natural and cultural
landscapes from being depleted. At that time and within that
context, cultural heritage was defined by its location relative to
then-current political boundaries on Earth. We now can broaden
that view to encompass many other historic properties on Earth,
on the Moon, and beyond. In applying a cultural landscape
approach to early space exploration heritage, is it possible to
designate a World Heritage List district of sites and properties that
spans not only multiple countries, but planetary bodies as well?
[13]
Chair
Weyrich, Laura (University of Adelaide), Christina Alder
(University of Sydney), Keith Dobney (University of
Aberdeen), Alan Walker (The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute)
and Alan Cooper (Univeristy of Adelaide)
[217]
Ancient Dental Calculus Reveals Shifts in the
Human Oral Microbiome Corresponding with
Neolithic Farming and the Industrial Revolution
Links between the human microbiome and health have become
increasingly apparent, although we still know little about how these
bacterial communities were shaped over time. Morphological
signs of oral disease indicate that the adoption of Neolithic farming
(~10,000 yBP) and the introduction of industrially processed
carbohydrates (~1,800 AD) had a major impact on the oral
microbiome. Here, bacterial DNA from ancient dental calculus, or
calcified dental plaque, was sequenced from early Neolithic
(~5,500 BC) to Medieval (~1,550 AD) Europeans and modern
humans to identify changes in the human oral microbiome over
time. Although oral bacterial composition remained surprisingly
constant between Neolithic and Medieval times, several carogenic
bacterial species associated with periodontal disease were
identified in Neolithic and Medieval Europeans, consistent with
evidence of increased periodontal disease during the transition to
farming. In contrast, oral microbiota from modern Europeans were
significantly less diverse and dominated by carogenic bacteria,
indicating a significant shift in the oral microbe during the Industrial
Revolution. These data suggest that shifts in diet and farming
may have molded the oral microbiome and contributed to modern
chronic oral disease. Dental calculus provides a unique
opportunity to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the human
oral microbiome and bacterial pathogenicity.
Whalen, Verity [138] see Kellner, Corina
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Whalen, Verity (Purdue University)
[214]
What Came before Wari: Late Nasca
Interregional Interaction and Community
Politics
The late Early Intermediate Period (ca. AD 550-750) on the south
coast of Peru marked a key historical moment. The indigenous
Nasca society had undergone a period of sociopolitical change,
exacerbated by prolonged drought, which culminated in the
colonization of the region by the Wari empire. Here we present
new data from Cocahuischo, a settlement in the Tierras Blancas
Valley, which illuminate the historical context of this important
instance of colonialism. At 10 hectares, Cocahuischo was the
major Tierras Blancas settlement during the late Early
Intermediate Period and is located less than 2km from Pataraya,
the Wari way station that was established in Tierras Blancas
during the subsequent Middle Horizon. Excavations and
architectural analysis of domestic spaces were undertaken at the
site to investigate the nature of Late Nasca society, which is still
largely unstudied, and to historically situate the Wari colonial
encounter in Nasca. Cocahuischo provides a local perspective on
a time of rapid social change during which increasingly
cosmopolitan actors challenged traditions and intentionally or not,
set the stage for Wari colonialism.
[214]
Chair
Wheeler, Sandra (University of Central Florida), Tosha Dupras
(University of Central Florida) and Lana Williams (University
of Central Florida)
[74]
The Largest Percent: Bioarchaeological
Analysis of Children and Childhood from the
Kellis 2 Cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt
Infancy and childhood have long been recognized as critical
periods of increased physiological stress, morbidity, and mortality,
and have therefore been the focus of much discourse in
bioarchaeological investigations. In archaeological populations
where child mortality is high, children often represent the largest
percentage of recovered physical remains. However, textual and
indirect archaeological evidence of childhood from the RomanoChristian period (c. 100-360 AD) has been used as the primary
method in reconstructing lives, experiences, and deaths of
children. Mortuary context and excellent preservation within Kellis
2 cemetery provide the rare opportunity to examine childhood from
conception to adulthood. At present, 765 individuals have been
recovered, 490 of which are juveniles. Results indicate that
children of Kellis experienced variable birthing practices, specific
and nonspecific stressors, violence and trauma, and that even the
very youngest (e.g., 16 gestational weeks) and those with
congenital conditions (e.g., anencephaly, osteogenesis
imperfecta), were buried in the same context. This paper
emphasizes the necessity of addressing issues of children’s lives
and mortality directly through analyses of physical remains. In
addition, melding multiple lines of evidence including mortuary
treatment, diet, growth and development, and health and disease,
are vital to understanding textual aspects of childhood experiences
in antiquity.
Wheeler, Sandra [219] see Williams, Lana
Wheeler, Ryan (Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology)
[259]
Thinking about Animals in Ancient Florida
Archaeologists and anthropologists have long recognized that
humans have a complex relationship with animals that is
intertwined with, and goes beyond, a need for food and raw
materials. Exploring these relationships is important to deepening
our understanding of American Indian cultures and orienting
questions about decision making and thought in the past. This is
certainly true in ancient Florida, where animals and animal parts
are depicted in many media, interred (sometimes with humans),
and crafted into objects that may reflect social, political, or
religious symbolism. Two case studies—the panther in ancient
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Florida and animal interments at the Miami Circle site—are used
to explore themes of shamanism, sacrifice, rank, kinship, and
food. In most cases these traditional categories are unsatisfying in
understanding the more complex metaphysical dynamic between
animals and humans and the resulting material remains.
[259]
Chair
Whistler, Emily (California State University, Los Angeles)
[35]
The Middle Holocene Presence of Short-Tailed
Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) and Northern
Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) on San Nicolas
Island, CA
Short-tailed albatross and northern fulmar have been recorded in
several middle Holocene sites on the Channel Islands, including
Eel Point (CA-SCLI-43), Little Harbor (CA-SCAI-17) and Thousand
Springs (CA-SNI-11). The northern fulmar is an occasional visitor
to the Channel Islands during its wintering months, although shorttailed albatross is rarely encountered. A recent discovery of an
intact bird processing feature on San Nicolas Island (SNI) yielded
the highest number of skeletal elements of short-tailed albatross
(n=322) and northern fulmar (n=405) from any single component
on the Channel Islands. In this paper, we present detailed
information on this feature, compare it to other sites on the island,
and discuss the potential ecological and environmental factors
contributing to the presence of these relatively uncommon birds on
SNI. Ethnographic accounts suggest that Aleutic peoples hunted
albatrosses and fulmars using watercraft, clubs, bolas, and nets,
all of which were used regularly on the Channel Islands. Birds,
often understudied in archaeology, provided food, raw materials,
and spiritual enrichment to peoples across the globe. The species
we present on here are just two examples of the complex
relationships that have developed between humans and birds on
the Channel Islands.
[35]
Chair
Whitaker, Adrian (Far Western Anthropological Research
Group, Inc.)
[2]
Using Theories of Plant Food Intensification to
Explain Shifts Toward an Emphasis on Small
Shellfish Taxa
Shellfish as a resource offer a perfect mix between the best
attributes of both plant and animal resources. Like vertebrates,
shellfish are high in protein and fat. Like plants, they are generally
found in a known and fixed location, can be gathered by all
members of a group including children and the elderly, and are
relatively free from the propensity to over-exploitation seen with
larger mammals and birds. As such, we argue that economic
theories of intensification derived for plant foods may offer more
appropriate models for explaining widespread evidence for an
economic emphasis on small-sized shellfish taxa, which provide
individually low returns on foraging. We draw on the record from
California to explore the utility of such a research orientation.
Examples of mass harvesting we present include bean clams
(Donax gouldii) and black turban snails (Tegula funebralis) in
southern California, California hornsnail (Cerithidea californica) in
the southern San Francisco Bay, and barnacles (Balanus spp.)
and chiton (Cryptochiton stelleri) in northern California. Finally, we
examine how our findings might be applied to similar phenomenon
elsewhere in the world.
[2]
Chair
Whitaker, Adie [12] see Andolina, Darren
White, Carolyn
[73]
The Paniolo Project in the Context of Cultural
Heritage in Hawaii
The cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands is rich and diverse.
Historical archaeology plays an important role in preserving and
437
exposing that cultural heritage, though it is sometimes
overshadowed by scholarly work of earlier periods. This paper
explores recent work on 19th century ranching in Hawaii in the
context of cultural heritage. How does current work on 19th
century ranching sites on Hawaii’s Big Island intersect with the
discourse of cultural heritage as constructed on a wide and global
scale? Multiple sites on the slopes of Mauna Kea have been the
subject of fieldwork undertaken by the University of Nevada, Reno
and University of Hawaii Hilo and are used to explore the
relationship between historical archaeology and cultural heritage in
Hawaii.
[73]
Chair
White, Christine [79] see Olsen, Karyn
White, Cheryl (Consultant in Anthropology /Archaelogy)
[115]
Paths, Places, and Names: Ethno-archaeology
and Maroons in Suriname, SA
Throughout the New World gran maroonage has been a defining
characteristic of seventeenth and eighteenth century Maroon
culture. And during this formative period these bands of runaway
slaves relied on African traditions of place naming to determine
strategic routes, to what is today considered ancestral Maroon
settlements. In the tropical rainforest of Suriname, South America
Maroons utilized the intricate riverine system to traverse this small
pocket of Amazonia. The following discussion will evaluate the
African tradition of place naming, as an identifier of strategic
Maroon settlements and attachment to land in Suriname’s
rainforest interior. In addition, ethnographic data of oral accounts
and ethno-archaeology may help determine the role of place
naming, associated ritual activity and patterns of settlement to the
Amazonian landscape. Moreover, as with traditional historical
archaeology the creolization paradigm acts as a pivot point for
Africa-centered themes of: African ideology, place names, social
constructs, perceptions of blackness, and the expression of
kinship in relation to spatial patterns. These combined
methodological efforts may lead to a better understanding of why
and where Maroons chose a settlement as they made their way to
freedom.
White, Paul (University of Alaska Anchorage), Patrick Martin
(Michigan Technological University) and William Hedman
(Bureau of Land Management)
[184]
Hazardous Heritage: Assessing the Legacy of
Abandoned Mines in Alaska’s Fairbanks
District.
In recent decades, federal and state agencies in the United States
have increasingly targeted historic mines for assessments of
safety hazards and environmental contamination. Although
remediation can occur during this process, archaeologists are
seldom involved in early stages of site inventories and in some
cases are ignored altogether. In 2010, the Bureau of Land
Management entered into a cooperative agreement with
archaeology programs at two universities to inventory abandoned
mines in the Fairbanks District, central Alaska. Gold was
discovered near Fairbanks in the early 1900s, and the region
subsequently witnessed decades of intensive exploration, with
miners leaving dredge tailings, waste rock piles, and numerous
pits and shafts in their wake. Field seasons in 2011 and 2012
surveyed approximately 4,000 acres of federal lode and placer
claims and documented in excess of 1,000 mining-related
features. This poster presents the archaeological findings,
highlighting the district's heritage value as well as leading safety
hazards. Noted here are also the qualitative and quantitative
differences between safety hazard inventories generated by
archaeologists and by environmental scientists.
White, Joyce (Univ of Pennsylvania Museum)
438
[216]
Where Did the Early Bronze Technology in
Thailand Come from?
The methodology by which archaeometallurgists address the topic
of the spread of metallurgy is undergoing a paradigm shift. Close
attention must be paid to tracing not just paths by which an alloy or
a metal object type spread, but rather paths by which a
technological system spread. This system is revealed in
manufacturing chaînes opératoires. Considerable progress has
been made in delineating variant chaînes opératoires for
producing bronze artifacts in prehistoric Thailand. This paper
specifies the evidence needed from neighboring areas, particularly
in south and southwest China, in order to go forward in the
investigation of the origins of bronze technology for Southeast
Asia.
Whitehead, William (Ripon College)
[132]
Paleoethnobotany in the Middle Horizon: A
Review and Look Forward
Paleoethnobotany (PEB) is a vital part of understanding the
economy, diet, and interaction between ancient cultures. The
state of knowledge in PEB for the Middle Horizon will be reviewed,
and the implications for understanding the human modified
landscape and economy will be summarized. Middle Horizon
cultures such as the Hauri and Tiwanaku will be discussed and
how PEB as allowed us to understand these nascent empires in a
wider and more complete context. New research on domesticated
plants such as maize, quinoa, and potato will be presented, and
how this research has changed the way we think about
domestication in the Middle Horizon. The future of research for
the Middle horizon will also be explored with areas of research
needed highlighted.
[232]
Discussant
Whitehead, William [183] see Twaroski, Rebecca
Whiteley, Peter
[67]
The Native Shaping of Anthropological Inquiry
How anthropological questions are devised and evolve has often
been seen in a vacuum. In keeping with the scientific project,
archaeologists and anthropologists frame their questions in a
fashion that appears conceptually autonomous, driven only by a
self-generating logic. How does a social formation change? What
are the structural consequences of prescriptive cross-cousin
marriage? And so on. Yet more often than not, ever since L.H.
Morgan and Ely Parker, anthropology’s most important insights
have grown directly out of indigenous interests and perspectives,
through which Native analytical thought has shaped disciplinary
inquiry itself. This paper addresses some contributions of Leigh
Kuwanwisiwma to that dialectic.
Whitley, David (ASM Affiliates, Inc.)
[18]
Hawai’ian Cupules and Numic Vulva-Forms:
Aspects of Gender and Rock Art
Cupules and vulva-forms are two of the stylistically simplest, yet
most common, rock art motifs. Vulva-forms are widely assumed
feminine-gendered and linked generically to “fertility,” implying that
procreation is the only feminine symbolic possibility. Nineteenth
century Hawaiian ethnography links Poho (cupules) to mothers
and their ritual disposal of their child‘s umbilicus. Detailed attention
to ethnography and culture-specific symbolism suggests more
nuanced meanings: the Numic vulva-form as representative of the
inherently dangerous nature of female sexuality, and the Poho
was symbolic of the Piko (naval), the Hawaiian’s center of being.
Whitley, Catrina [276] see Skinner, Alan
Whitley, Catrina (Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of
NM)
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
[286]
Female Kiva Societies in the Taos Valley:
Mortuary and Bioarchaeological Evidence
The incorporation of a wider range of bioarchaeological data with
mortuary practices can provide a clearer method for
archaeologists to perceive social structure. In isolation, each can
provide an interpretation of an individual’s position within their
community, but results from each study may be contradictory. For
example, evidence of egalitarianism in mortuary ritual may not be
a complete reflection of the complexity inherent within a group.
Likewise, poor health may not always indicate lower social position
or lack of prestige. Only by merging the two lines of evidence can
a more complete understanding of social structure and how an
individual’s social position can affect their health and life
expectancy be revealed. This paper presents a concrete example
of the need to combine mortuary and bioarchaeological data to
garner a more complete interpretation of health, risk, and social
structure by using data from Pot Creek Pueblo (AD 1260-1320) in
the Taos Valley. Inclusion of osteological datasets, beyond simple
sex and age divisions, with the mortuary datasets and architecture
revealed a structured division of labor among the females,
resulting in one labor group potentially having ritual prestige.
However, the prestige and status of these females did not buffer
them from poorer health.
Whitmore, Alissa (University of Iowa)
[96]
Sewing in the Baths? Archaeological Evidence
for Cloth-Working in Roman Public Baths
While ancient texts provide information on Roman bathing
practices, as well as some non-bathing activities which took place
in the baths, these sources are often silent on activities and social
groups deemed too “common” to merit discussion. My research
examines artifact assemblages found in Roman public baths and
their drainage systems, and these lost or discarded possessions of
bathers can shed significant light on everyday activities in the
baths. Cloth-working utensils, including needles, awls, spindle
whorls, loom weights, and weaving plates, have been found
among artifact assemblages from nearly a dozen Roman public
and military baths in Italy, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
While some of these objects come from unstratified or possibly
intrusive contexts, other artifacts are from proveniences that can
be securely dated to the bath’s period of use, suggesting that
cloth-working was among the typical activities which took place in
some public baths. The presence of these objects not only
illustrates an activity which ancient texts ignore, but also has
implications for our understanding of the social groups,
predominately women and the lower classes, that performed this
work in the baths.
Whitridge, Peter (Memorial University of Newfoundland)
[136]
Animals and the Sensory Envelope of Inuit
Lives
The absolute centrality of animals to Inuit foodways is wellattested zooarchaeologically, but it is also clear that animals
represented much more than a source of nourishment. In the
botanically impoverished Arctic, shelter, clothing, boats, tools and
fuel were often largely assembled from animal products, and
domestic dogs were important hunting and travel aides. As the
core economic activity, hunting organized social relations within
families and communities, and Eastern Arctic belief-systems
centered around a chimerical deity who was once married to a dog
or a raven and controlled the availability of game. And at the level
of daily practice, animals thoroughly infiltrated the Inuit sensorium:
the feel of hide, feathers and sinew, the sound of dogs barking and
a seal exhaling in its breathing hole, the smell of fur clothing and
meat cooking, the taste of seal broth and dried caribou, and the
sight of all these things. Attending to the sensory entailments of
human-animal relations forces archaeologists to imagine the
phenomenological complexity of the Inuit lifeworld and the primacy
of non-human animals within it, and draws out webs of
unanticipated associations between people, animals, things,
activities and representations.
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Whittaker, John (Grinnell College), Kathryn Kamp (Grinnell
College) and Byl Bryce (Southwest Archaeology Research
Alliance)
[39]
Projectile Points from the “Magician” Burial
Projectile points are a rare but recurring feature of important
burials in the Southwest. The so-called “Magician” of Ridge Ruin,
an adult male with numerous unusual grave goods, has affected
our ideas about prehistoric society throughout the region. One
unique aspect of the burial, an assemblage of over 400 projectile
points, has received little attention. These points are both
consistent with, and different from, contemporary point
assemblages from sites in the region, and offer another body of
evidence to interpret the burial in light of current understandings.
Whittaker, Joss (University of Washington)
[84]
Trade Frontiers in the Aru Islands, Indonesia
The Aru Islands, lying in eastern Indonesia on the boundary
between island Southeast Asia and Oceania, show evidence for
remarkably vigorous trade given their remoteness from larger
regional trading centers. This trade began at least in the late
fifteenth century, before European contact, and continued
afterward, as a profusion of Chinese and European ceramics and
glass attests. Using surface finds in two Aru villages (Ujir and Kota
Lama Wokam), combined with information from ethnographic and
historical documents, this paper examines Aru’s significance as a
distant outpost of at least four extensive trading networks:
Chinese, Islamic, Portuguese, and Dutch. In addition, this paper
explores the significance of Aru’s position astride two broadly
recognized archaeological and ethnological regions. The mixture
of Southeast Asian and Oceanian cultures evident in Aru raises
questions about the sharpness of distinction between these two
regions on their supposed shared boundary.
439
found clustered along the lakeside in association with charcoal,
and small post molds. Small semi-lunar knives were found paired
with thumbnail scrapers, and occasionally tiny points, in food
preparation areas, and hearths. They were used from the Late
Archaic to the Late Woodland. Semi-lunar knives and thumbnail
scrapers have been associated with fishing from the Middle
Archaic, and probably earlier. This collection of small points, tiny
semi-lunar knives, and thumbnail scrapers were part of the fishing
industry at Richardson Park.
Wiersema, Juliet (University of Texas, San Antonio)
[19]
Moche Architectural Vessels as Diagrams of
Sacred Space
Of the hundreds of thousands of surviving Moche sculpted and
painted ceramic vessels, some of the most compelling depict
miniature representations of architecture. These objects (known as
architectural vessels) are significant to our understanding of this
culture because they preserve information about Moche ritual
structures which has been irreparably compromised by centuries
of treasure hunting, erosion, and cataclysmic events. My research
has revealed that Moche architectural vessels not only document
otherwise lost aspects of Moche monumental architecture but also
present us with schematic diagrams of specific and identifiable
structures, directing us to the precise location of shrines or oracles
in full-scale Moche architecture. Through the careful selection and
inclusion of sculpted and painted details, Moche potters developed
a visual language that allowed them to transform an earthenware
container into a specific and identifiable architectural space.
Wiessner, Polly [248] see Slater, Philip
Whittlesey, Stephanie (Harris Environmental Group)
[64]
The Legacy of Behavioral Archaeology at
Grasshopper
Behavioral Archaeology emerged at the UA Field School at
Grasshopper under the influences of Jefferson Reid and Michael
Schiffer. Behavioral Archaeology, especially as it was practiced at
Grasshopper, affected the professional research of an entire
generation of archaeologists. In this paper, I discuss its influences
on my own research at Grasshopper and beyond, the important
melding of academic and cultural resource management research
under Behavioral Archaeology's umbrella, and the significant
principles that behavioral archaeologists developed or expanded
in the post-Grasshopper years. Some of these include the cultural
landscape approach, the archaeology of ritual and ideology,
migration theory, ethnic identity, and ethnic coresidence.
Whittlesey, Stephanie [175] see Reid, Jefferson
Wiber, Melanie [24] see Blair, Susan
Wieland, Lynn-Marie
[217]
Fishing Tools at Richardson Park
Richardson Park is located on a ridge above Lake Mamanasco in
Ridgefield, Connecticut. Lake Mamanasco is a kettle pond whose
shore was home to Native Americans for 10,500 years. The period
of heaviest occupation was during the Late Archaic. The hearths,
dwellings, and storage pits are from this period. Work areas for
tool making, working hides, cooking, and working wood tools date
from the Middle Archaic. There are diagnostic tools from the Late
Paleo to Late Woodland. Expedient tool industries are
represented by flake cores, bipolar cores, blade cores, and utilized
expedient flakes. Among these formal and informal tools are small
points, thumbnail scrapers, and tiny semi-lunar knives. They were
Wiggins, Kristina [150] see Andrefsky, William
Wigley, Sarah [78] see Levi, Laura
Wilcox, Michael (Stanford University)
[169]
Origins, Influences and the Future: Indigenous
Archaeology and the Narratives of History
Indigenous Archaeology can be broadly defined as an emergent
set of practices that consciously attempt to connect (or reconnect)
indigenous peoples with landscape, material culture, ancestors
and narratives of the past- with the understanding that these links
are vital to the health of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous
Archaeology has been both celebrated as the future of the
discipline and criticized as exclusive, anti-scientific or “intellectually
unviable”. What factors have led to the development of this
approach? How might the involvement of Indigenous Peoples
transform the discipline?
Wilcox, Timothy (Stanford University)
[169]
Challenging Imposed Boundaries: A
Decolonization of Dine’ History
A multitude of boundaries exist on the land, bodies, and histories
of Native Americans. These boundaries are manifested in colonial
definitions of what it is to be Native American: reservations, blood
quantum, federal recognition, and the construction of
archaeological cultures and typologies. No tribal nation is immune
to these impositions and the knowledge produced by
archaeologists has affected the ways Indigenous populations are
perceived. These perceptions have real consequences. In the
case of the Navajo Nation or Dine’, established site, pottery and
lithic typologies need to be reevaluated so that these boundaries
can be reassessed or dissolved. Recent scholarship, by
Southwestern and Navajo Archaeologists, has initiated this
440
process by examining topics ranging from the creation of a
culturally sensitive Navajo archaeology to a closer examination of
the archaeological record using contemporary theoretical
foundations and scientific instrumental analysis. This paper will
highlight these discussions and my own work which will take a
comprehensive look at Navajo pottery production through
technological style and communities of practice frameworks. In
addition, I will incorporate new ethnographic data and my own
experience as a traditional potter to show that these boundaries
are amorphous and dynamic.
Wildt, Jennifer (Boston University)
[21]
Peopling the Plazas at Xultun, Guatemala
Plazas play a significant role in society by bringing together
members of a community to renew their group identity and
accumulate shared experiences. In ancient Maya cities, plazas
were the centers of ritual, economy and social life, but studies
tying them directly to the individuals who utilized them are lacking.
To address this gap, this paper includes excavations of three
distinct plazas and an adjacent residential area at the Classic
period site of Xultun, Guatemala. This study of plaza architecture
will focus on understanding meaning in built environments and the
role of performance in ancient Maya society in order to determine
the types of rituals and ceremonies that took place in each plaza.
Connecting these individuals to particular types of rituals will allow
me to draw conclusions about the roles that ritual played in their
lives and ultimately address the functionality of plazas in Classic
Maya society.
Wilkerson, Emily (Sunstone Archaeological Consulting) and
Ania Baran (Katzie Development Corporation)
[266]
Challenging Past Assumptions Regarding
Beads in the Salish Sea: Preliminary Bead
Assemblage Analyses at DhRp-52
Salvage excavations at archaeological site DhRp-52
(Southwestern British Columbia) recovered over 100,000 stone
disc beads from site deposits in 2006 and 2007. DhRp-52 is a
unique multi component pre-contact village site situated in Katzie
Traditional Territory. While not unique to DhRp-52, similar types
of beads have been found at other sites within the Gulf of Georgia
region. When found, past assumptions and hypotheses
suggested these types of beads to be labour intensive; to occur
more often in later Marpole deposits; to most commonly occur in
mortuary contexts; to all be made from slate; and to indicate the
presence of status at a site. The quantity, variety, and distribution
of beads at DhRp-52 challenges these past assumptions and may
provide new insights concerning the role stone disc beads may
have played for Charles Culture populations. This research builds
upon previously developed bead analysis techniques by
supplementing them with a combination of morphometric analysis
and GIS distribution analysis to better understand how the bead
assemblage is associated with site structure and to reflect upon
how the site, and its bead assemblage, fits within regional
chronology.
Wilkins, Jayne [76] see Schoville, Benjamin
Wilkins, Jayne (University of Toronto)
[76]
The Early MSA 500 ka: Evidence from Kathu
Pan 1, South Africa in the Context of the
African Archaeological Record
The stratum 4a Fauresmith-designated assemblage at Kathu Pan
1 (KP1) in the Northern Cape of South Africa provides early
evidence for many Middle Stone Age (MSA) innovations, including
systematic blade production, Levallois core reduction, and lithictipped spears. The stratum 4a assemblage has been
chronometrically dated by OSL to 464±47 ka and combined Useries/ESR to 542 +140/-107 ka. While surprising, these data are
not contradictory with the African archaeological record. Other
archaeological occurrences dated to between ~500 and 300 ka
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
also contain MSA elements. Handaxes persist for a long time in
Africa, until ~130 ka, but after ~500 ka, they occur in association
with MSA technologies. At KP1, the stratum 4a Fauresmith
handaxes are more weathered and patinated than the rest of the
4a assemblage, suggesting the possibility the handaxe component
is intrusive. The relatively recent advances in chronometric dating
together with weak archaeological visibility during the early Middle
Pleistocene could explain why the MSA has not been previously
reported from contexts >300 ka. The rough temporal correlation of
the appearance of MSA and hafted spear technologies with the
divergence of the Neanderthal and human lineages ~800-400 ka
gives a parsimonious explanation for technological similarities
between MSA and Middle Paleolithic assemblages.
Wilkinson, Darryl (Columbia University)
[134]
The Estate Archipelago of Tawantinsuyu
One of the core institutions of the Inka polity was the system of
royal estates of the imperial heartland around Cuzco. This paper
considers the appropriateness of the metaphorical
conceptualization of these installations as an archipelago - that is,
as a subset of bounded sites and parcels of land that were distinct
with respect to other kinds of state installations or settlements in
adjacent zones. In addition, John Murra's use of the terms
'verticality' and 'vertical archipelagos' to describe Andean
communities will be assessed in terms of their implications
regarding the royal estate phenomenon. Finally, island metaphors
with respect to imperial polities will be considered more generally,
asking: what are the unspoken, but often assumed connotations of
such modes of description? Does invoking figurative islands
always imply literal insularity and isolation? How might alternative
terms such as 'network' or 'system' shift the implicit
understandings that are conveyed?
[134]
Chair
Willems, Willem (Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University)
[257]
Learning by Doing. Dilemmas in Practice and
Other Heritage Education Issues
The paper will explore some of the ways in which in the Heritage
Management programme at Leiden University works. Students do,
of course, need a firm background in the varied issues that are
relevant to heritage management around the world. But just as the
study of the past needs fieldwork, the study of the role of the past
in the present cannot be restricted to theory. The paper will
examine student projects at Robben Island SA, and in Palestine.
[31]
Discussant
Williams, Kevin [40] see Anselmi, Lisa
Williams, Sarah (Washington State University)
[50]
Palynological Investigations during the Colonial
Reducciones at Magdalena de Cao Viejo, Peru
A palynological analysis was conducted on thirty-five pollen
samples from the Spanish colonial town of Magdalena de Cao
Viejo at El Brujo Archaeological complex on the north coast of
Peru. Samples were collected from a variety of contexts at this
archaeological complex, including the colonial church and
domestic compounds. This project focuses on the impact of the
colonial reducciones, a period of colonial upheaval and forced
migration during the 16th century. Forcing the natives into
planned communities would have involved a shift in plant use for
consumption and building purposes that would be reflected in the
pollen record. Palynological analysis also provides insights into
anthropogenic and natural changes in environmental conditions on
the local and regional scale. There has been a dearth of
palynological research during colonial times in this region.
Therefore, this paper will provide informative data for the
interpretation of the colonial reducciones.
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Williams, Patrick (Chicago Field Museum) and Donna Nash
(UNCG)
[61]
Ritual Practice and Wari State Expansion
The role of ritual and religion in the expansion of archaic states is
often overlooked in favor of militaristic or economic explanations.
We explore the role of ritual practice in the reproduction of social
order at the Wari (600-1000 CE) colony in Moquegua, Peru. We
focus on activities of ritual importance in three distinctive types of
ceremonial architecture around Cerro Baúl: Wari D-shaped
temples, Tiwanaku tripartite monuments, and huaca shrines. All
take place contemporaneously on and around the Wari citadel
situated on the 600 meter tall mesa on the southern Wari frontier.
We argue that the diverse rites in these complexes promote the
promulgation of distinct elite identities within the cosmopolitan
sphere of what constituted Wari provincialism. However, it is the
inclusiveness of ritual practice in the Wari centers that is most
distinctive of Wari doctrine. It is through this incorporation of elite
diversity in particular places on the landscape that Wari was able
to weave together the foundations of the Andes’ first empire.
Williams, Alexandra
[120]
Household Organization in the Fur Trade Era:
Spatial and Socioeconomic Relationships of
Housepit 54
As a link between micro and macro social processes, households
are fundamental units of society that yield powerful explanatory
potential. Yet, few studies have approached household
organization during the critical Colonial period within the Middle
Fraser Canyon. The 2012 excavation of Bridge River’s Housepit
54 offers rare opportunities to investigate such spatial
arrangements and implied socioeconomic relationships. I will
perform spatial analyses drawing on lithic, faunal, and feature data
to determine whether the interior of Housepit 54 was organized by
shared activity or individual family areas. This investigation will
enhance our understanding of household archaeology during the
Fur Trade Era.
Williams, Kimberly and Lesley Gregoricka (University of
South Alabama)
[190]
Third Millennium B.C. Mortuary Practices of
Northern Oman: Placement and Use of Space
in Mortuary Monuments
The Social, Spatial, and Bioarchaeological Histories of Ancient
Oman research project examines the mortuary archaeology of a
rural region in northern Oman, focusing on the Al Khubayb
necropolis located along an ancient trade route rich in mortuary
monuments spanning the third millennium BC. Excavation of
undisturbed tombs in concert with geospatial modeling of the more
than 300 tombs on the necropolis, radiocarbon dating, and
examination of monument architecture have shed light on the
creation and use of this mortuary landscape.
This paper presents evidence of the mortuary rituals at Al
Khubayb and compares these data with what is known from better
studied and documented sites often associated with
contemporaneous large urban centers. Evidence about the use of
variable mortuary architecture and mortuary rituals at this location
contributes new information about the rural people who were
integral to local trade and movement of goods to and from nearby
ports. By extension, this informs our understanding of the
interaction of these semi-nomadic people with larger agents of
Mesopotamia and beyond.
Williams, Cheraki
[198]
Louisiana’s Continuing Education in Online GIS
Louisiana SHPO strives to provide pertinent archaeological
information to researchers through an online GIS. The Hurricane
Katrina disaster solidified SHPO’s need to develop the GIS and
address access issues quickly. SHPO staff was provided minimal
441
training in GIS while an outside company created the shapes,
database, and website. Since 2005, SHPO has identified several
challenges that need to be addressed regarding digital data
maintenance, data sharing, and the value of the website to
researchers. With the initial online GIS nearing completion, SHPO
has made changes and additions to the online data and is delving
into data sharing issues. An improved version of the website will
be launched in 2012.
It is apparent that continued education is necessary if Louisiana
SHPO is going to provide effective, updated GIS tools. Louisiana
SHPO is exploring web-based training options to help researchers
get the most value from online data. While budget constraints
hinder the opportunity for additional SHPO staff training, education
is essential for both providing archaeological digital data and using
it effectively. Continuing education is critical for both sides of the
SHPO/researcher. Finding educational solutions for SHPO and
researchers is a continuing challenge for Louisiana.
Williams, Lana (University of Central Florida), Sandra Wheeler
(University of Central Florida) and Tosha Dupras (University
of Central Florida)
[219]
Solar or Social? The Seasonal Birthing Cycle of
Kellis 2 Cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt
Seasonality in birth and mortality is one of the most fundamental
and enduring phases in life’s rhythms, often embodying the
interplay among physiology, environment and human decisions
that give a population its particular shape. Latitude and solar
cycles are recognized as being primarily responsible for seasonal
amplitude in births, with comparable regions of the world
displaying similar patterns. However, based on a few surviving
census documents, it has been suggested that patterns of infant
birth for Roman Egypt are seasonally reversed from other
Mediterranean regions. Excellent preservation within Kellis 2
cemetery allowed for reconstruction of seasonal infant birth and
mortality (n = 124) and mortality for birthing-age women (n = 86)
during the Romano-Christian period (c. 100-360 AD), offering a
unique opportunity to test this claim and shed light on local social
and environmental interactions influencing seasonal birth
amplitude. Results indicate that seasonal patterns of birth for
Roman Egypt were most likely offset by social behavior related to
perceptions of fertility and annual inundation of the Nile. This
emphasizes the necessity of addressing issues of mortality and
fertility directly through analyses of physical remains and that
multiple lines of evidence are vital to understanding aspects of
sexual and reproductive behavior.
Williamson, Ronald F. [65] see Birch, Jennifer
Williamson, Ronald (Archaeological Services Inc.) and Robert
MacDonald (Archaeological Services Inc.)
[221]
Echos of the Iroquois Wars: Contested
Heritage and Identity in the Ancestral
Homeland of the Huron-Wendat
The Wendat (Huron) and Haudenosaunee (Five Nations Iroquois)
were two of the most powerful tribal confederacies initially
encountered by Europeans during the seventeenth century in
eastern North America. Traditional rivalries between these and
neighboring Algonquian groups escalated as they were all drawn
into a complex web of global geopolitics and economics locally
fueled by competition for trade in beaver pelts. After the dispersal
of the Wendat from southern Ontario in 1650, the Haudenosaunee
briefly held the north shore of Lake Ontario, but by 1700 the region
was held by Algonquians including Ojibwa and Mississauga
nations who had come from northern Ontario. Power struggles
amongst the First Nations and their European allies continued well
into the eighteenth century, but these gradually abated and by the
mid-nineteenth century, encroachment by European settlers had
largely circumscribed First Nations communities. Nevertheless,
old rivalries die hard, and today beaver pelts have been replaced
by archaeological sites as contested commodities in the ongoing
quest for land, rights, resources, and power. This paper explores
442
the role that archaeological heritage plays in the modern-day
identity politics of Aboriginal people in southern Ontario.
Willian, Jay [51] see Hurst, Winston
Willis, Lauren (University of Oregon), Leslie Reeder-Myers
(Southern Methodist University), Jon Erlandson (University of
Oregon), Torben Rick (Smithsonian Institution, National
Museum of Natura) and Jack Watts (University of Oregon)
[70]
Edible Native Plants on the Northern Channel
Islands, California
Traditionally, archaeologists have characterized California’s
Northern Channel Islands as relatively depauperate in terrestrial
flora and fauna compared to mainland California. Archaeologists
have used this characterization to support arguments for lower
population densities on the islands, the emergence of elite control
of island-mainland trade, and the marginality of the islands for
resource availability and human settlement. This characterization
can be traced as far back as the earliest Spanish accounts of the
region, with the only accounts of Chumash terrestrial plant
resource use recorded during the early 20th century. Our
understanding of native island plant resources is hindered by
biases in early Spanish accounts, and the fact that Chumash
accounts of plant uses were recorded a century after the Island
Chumash were forcefully relocated to the mainland and after
overgrazing by introduced livestock during the 19th and 20th
centuries. We compiled a comprehensive list of edible plants
native to the Northern Channel Islands, including terrestrial and
marine species. Combined with predictive models of prehistoric
plant communities, our study challenges the supposed marginality
of the Northern Channel Islands throughout the late Pleistocene
and much of the Holocene.
Willis, Mark [125] see Brown, David
Willis, William (Radford University)
[148]
Geochemical Comparison of Lithic
Assemblages from Different Geographic
Localities in Virginia
The geochemical sourcing of lithic materials allows for a greater
understanding of the mobility of archaeological populations, their
interaction with other groups, and the optimality of their resource
acquisition strategies. While instrumental neutron activation
analysis is often a preferred method for geochemically
characterizing lithic materials, portable X-ray fluorescence devices
may do an adequate job exploring these properties. This study
utilizes a Niton XL3T600 series portable XRF unit to study the
geochemical characteristics of lithic assemblages from sites in
Virginia that are located along three different river systems. It is
hypothesized that with this unit, geochemical groupings can be
identified through the usage of multivariate statistical techniques.
Geographic location and qualitative characteristics of the artifacts
themselves are used as grouping variables and the reliability of
these variables as predictors of geochemical composition is
explored. It is also hypothesized that artifact assemblages from
within each site will be made up of predominately geochemically
similar artifacts which should be consistent with what is expected
of an optimized resource acquisition strategy. The implications of
the results, as well as the limitations with the methodology of this
study are discussed and an extensive geochemical survey of local
lithic resources is called for.
Willoughby, Pamela (University of Alberta)
[8]
The Stone Age Prehistory of Iringa, Tanzania
Iringa is a Region (province or state) in the Southern Highlands of
Tanzania. It is wlel known for the number of large rock outcrops,
some of which contain caves or shelters. These contain an
archaeological record extending from the early Middle Stone Age
to historic and modern times. The members of the Iringa Region
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Archaeological Project (IRAP) have excavated at two rockshelters,
Magubike and Mlambalasi, and have identified many more
rockshelter and open air sites. Excavations at Magubike have
shown that it was first occupied early in the Middle Stone Age,
then more or less continuously afterwards. There are also signs
that it was occupied during the late Pleistocene, when cold, dry
conditions led to the reduction of human and animal populations in
lowland regions of East Africa, especially in the Rift Valley. This
population reduction is seen in the mitochondrial DNA sequences
of living people, and may explain the lack of modern humans
outside of Africa until around 50,000 years ago. This poster
documents the archaeological sequence at Magubike and how it
relates to the possibility that the Southern Highlands contained an
Ice Age refugium for modern humans.
[8]
Chair
Wills, Richard [251] see Pietruszka, Andrew
Wilson, Gregory [6] see Gracer, Allison
Wilson, Meredith (Stepwise Heritage and Tourism, Australia)
[163]
Markers of Mortality: Exploring Spatial
Patterning in the Rock Art of Vanuatu
Drawing on a large corpus of rock art sites from Vanuatu as well
as comparative material from other areas in the Pacific, this paper
explores the way in which rock art demarcates space both across
the landscape and within sites. The rock art of Vanuatu is unusual
in that it acts as a net for a range of elements and styles of rock art
that appear historically or geographically discrete elsewhere in the
region, providing a rich archive of the rules and conventions of
place marking found throughout the western Pacific. Broad
patterns can be discerned in the distribution of techniques and
motifs, and their positioning, that allow us to propose social and
cultural contexts for the production of rock art. In particular the
paper emphasises an enduring relationship between western
Pacific rock art and mortuary practice.
Wilson, Douglas (Portland State University/National Park
Service)
[261]
The Fort and the Village: Landscape and
Nationality in the Colonial Period of Fort
Vancouver
Fort Vancouver, located in southwestern Washington, was the
headquarters and supply depot for the Hudson’s Bay Company in
the Pacific Northwest, essentially its colonial capital between
1825-1845. It continued as a subsidiary retail and trade outlet until
1860 and coexisted with the first U.S. Army fort in the region until
the U.S. Army burnt or otherwise destroyed most of its structures.
The documentary records for Fort Vancouver suggest a spatial
segregation between the fort and the village along class lines
which separated the elite managers of the company from its
employees (engagés). The physical structure of the post
reinforces this economic and ethnic hierarchy in a manner similar
to other major fur trade posts of the period in Canada (e.g., Upper
Fort Garry). Archaeological and ethnohistoric data, however, tend
to blur these sharp lines as artifacts, pollen, and other data reveal
a more complex colonial milieu tied to the unique multicultural
nature of the settlement and ties to indigenous and other nonwestern communities. It is argued that the development of a
unique Fort Vancouver community tied to British interests led to its
demise during the period of American colonial settlement in the
1850s.
Wilson, Nathan (Arizona State University) and Xochitl Leon
Estrada (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico)
[275]
Teotepec and the Tuxtlas in the Formative
Period
The Sierra de los Tuxtlas region of southern Veracruz, Mexico,
was characterized by substantial regional population increase
during the Formative Period (1400 BC-AD 300) before Terminal
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Formative Period volcanic activity induced significant regional
population decline (and abandonment in some areas of the
region). By the Late Formative Period, incipient political
hierarchies had developed, headed by La Joya and Chuniapan de
Abajo within the Catemaco River Valley. The site of Teotepec,
located 5-6 kilometers east of the Catemaco River Valley,
possesses evidence of substantial Formative Period occupation as
well. Information from Teotepec can therefore provide a more
comprehensive perspective of Formative Period occupation in the
Tuxtlas. Using data from the Proyecto Arqueologico Teotepec’s
(PAT) recent field work at the site, we will attempt to understand
the sociocultural context of the site and elucidate its place within
the political-economic landscape of the Formative Period Tuxtlas.
Winburn, Amanda
[272]
Social Class, Trauma, and Geographical Origin
of Elite Individuals from Cancuén, Guatemala
This study examines 31 elite Maya individuals from the site of
Cancuén (Petén, Guatemala), a Classic period lowland port city
located on the interface between the highlands and lowlands, to
evaluate frequencies and kinds of skeletal trauma and establish
whether they were local or non-local. This skeletal sample is of
particular interest because Cancuén was attacked and defeated in
799 AD, which directly preceded the “collapse” of the lowland
Maya and marks this violent event as one with potential
widespread implications. Skeletal trauma evidence suggests that
many of the 31 elite individuals were violently killed (e.g. cranial
blunt force trauma and rib fractures) and may represent a
massacre. The bodies were deposited in a cistern. Strontium and
oxygen stable isotope data is used to determine the geographic
origin of the victims; are they “foreigners” from the highlands or are
they local lowlanders? Sex-based patterns in those isotope ratios
are used to document marriage and migration patterns. This
research provides a systematic examination of the relationship
between Maya elite social status, violence, and geographical
origin, and it contributes to insights into the social implications of
highland-lowland relationships in the Maya region.
Windes, Thomas [139] see Bellorado, Benjamin
Windy Boy, Alvin, Robert O'Boyle (University of Montana),
Charles Bello (Environmental Planning / Historic
Preservation Sec) and Duncan Standing Rock Sr. (Elder
Chippewa Cree Cultural Resource Preservation)
[265]
Tribal / Federal Partnership – Chippewa Cree
Tribe and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA): Two Case Studies of Effective
Hazard Mitigation and Cultural Resource
Management on the Rocky Boy Reservation,
Montana
The impact of natural disasters on cultural resources is well known
in Western U.S. Indian Country. Tribal governments are often
challenged in their ability to address such concerns. This poster
addresses mitigation measures funded by FEMA through the
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program in partnership with the Chippewa
Cree Tribal Council and the Historic Preservation Office (THPO).
Two projects are presented, both identified in the Tribe’s MultiHazard Mitigation Plan.
The first repairs damage / stabilizes Crier’s Rock, a traditional
cultural property that is deteriorating. Geo-technical analysis and
(green) engineering practices sympathetic to the importance of the
site are employed, resulting from THPO input / conditions,
guidance from elders, and cooperation from the BIA and Montana
SHPO.
The second is an educational awareness project where funding
mitigates against the loss of Chippewa Cree history and culture by
training anyone who works on the Reservation. The project is
overseen by THPO staff and combines a variety of innovative
methods (weighted on traditional knowledge and Federal
compliance). This project speaks directly to the Mission Statement
443
of the Tribe’s Cultural Resource Preservation Dept. – “To maintain
and inspire traditional values relating to the Ojibwa and Ne-hi-yahw through established principles: Culture, History, Language and
Life.”
Windy Boy Sr., Alvin [265] see OBoyle, Robert
Windy Boy, Sr., Alvin J. [262] see Bello, Charles
Wingard, John, Margaret Purser (Sonoma State Universisty),
Katherine Dowdall (California Department of Transportation)
and Otis Parrish (Kashia Band of Pomo Indians)
[111]
Archaeologists, Localized Communities, and
Emerging Models of Community Engagement
The concept of cultural resources has expanded over the last two
decades beyond that of “archaeological sites” and “architectural
features” to include places that are valued by localized cultural
groups within a larger society. This increasingly puts heritage
managers (including archaeologists) in positions of collaboration
with small communities whose valued places are being
disproportionately impacted. A body of literature is accumulating
that describes projects that are taking an explicitly broad,
collaborative approach to heritage management. We compare two
examples, a diasporic community from Fiji and a traditional one
from California, that represent an emerging type of heritage
research that is both multi-disciplinary and community-based.
Using community engagement models, the projects each
developed mechanisms that maximize community participation
including: 1) defining what elements of the local heritage count as
important; 2) making decisions about how to best preserve,
steward, or possibly revitalize those elements; and 3), developing
concepts that are supportive of the community’s relationship to
their valued places. Of particular importance is the concept of
cultural landscape which was used in each case to contextualize
and define places valued by these communities, and to
understand how the communities engage in active continuity with
those places through time.
[111] Chair
Winslow, Deborah (National Science Foundation)
[133]
"We Shape our Dwellings, and afterwards Our
Dwellings Shape Us"
In 1994, Richard Blanton published Houses and Households. It is
a typical Blanton tour de force. The scope is grand: peasant
domestic life and the physical structures in which that life is
conducted for 26 communities in six different areas of the world.
As in his better known work on world and regional systems,
Blanton salvages theories and methodologies from outside of
anthropology, retrofits them to new uses, sees what wonders
emerge, and then generously shares the possibilities with the rest
of us.
Here I take advantage of that generosity to solve a puzzle from my
own research in a community of potters in Sri Lanka. The potters
prosper in part because they are surrounded by abundant high
quality clay. Nonetheless, they rigorously limit access to the
inferior clay of a clay commons. Why do they bother? When I used
Blanton’s graph theoretic methodology to analyze the new houses
the potters’ prosperity has allowed them to build, I found my
answer. As Blanton observed, material objects both constrain the
activities of those who access them and communicate to those
who do not. Here, I present methods, data, and message, the
latter surprisingly consistent from houses to commons.
Winter, Marcus [145] see Zapien Lopez, Victor
Winter, Marcus (Centro INAH Oaxaca), robert markens (unam
mexico) and cira martínez-lópez (centro inah oaxaca)
444
[252]
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Late Postclassic Turquoise Mosaic Artifacts
from Oaxaca
Artifacts with turquoise mosaics affixed to wooden backings have
been found in several Late Postclassic archaeological sites in
north-central Oaxaca, from the Valley of Oaxaca to the Sierra
Mazateca. In addition to objects documented from Tomb 7 at
Monte Albán and Tombs 1 and 3 at Zaachila, examples include
masks from the Cueva de Ejutla (Mixteca region) and Cueva
Cheve (Cuicatec), shields from Cueva Cheve and the Cueva de
Tenango (Mazatec), an earspool and a spindle whorl from the
Cueva de Ejutla) and rectangular plaques from Cueva Cheve.
Loose tessarae were found in the Cueva del Diablo near Mitla
(Zapotec) and at Yucuita in the Nochixtlán Valley (Mixtec). We
describe materials used in the mosaics, discuss artifact function
and suggest possible exchange mechanisms through which the
objects were procured
A team of archaeologists and geologists at the University of Illinois
has spent over fifteen years analyzing quarry samples and
artifacts from the Midcontinent. Using PIMA spectroscopy, X-ray
diffraction and selected chemical techniques, we have identified
previously unknown sources of pipestone in northern Illinois and
Missouri and characterized sources in Wisconsin (Barron and
Baraboo counties), Ohio (Feurt Hill and Portsmouth), Minnesota,
and Kansas.
Wintz, Erik [186] see Rice, Omar
Witt, Thomas (SWCA) and Kathleen Corbett (SWCA )
[152]
That Old Gold Mine Is Sitting on a Gold Mine:
Preserving History in the Face of Active
Industry
The machines, methods, and technology used today in the Cripple
Creek and Victor mining district, high in the Colorado Rockies,
bear little or no resemblance to those gold miners used there over
a century ago. Located in a community whose two largest
economic drivers are active gold mining and tourism, both the
mining companies and the local communities are invested in
preserving the history of the mining operations in the area. As the
Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company expands its active
operations, it is faced with the problem of how to preserve the
history of the historic mining district and at the same time pursue
the mineral resources providing the economic impetus for the
expansion. With most of the mine expansion located outside of
federal lands and federal oversight, much of the work in these
areas falls outside of Section 106 compliance requirements. By
supporting local museums, procuring archaeological and
architectural surveys and documentation, and relocating and
refurbishing historic structures and buildings, the Cripple Creek &
Victor Gold Mining Company is helping to preserve the local
history of gold mining, often outside of regulatory requirements,
even when preservation in place is not possible.
Wirth, Cynthia (Zemi Foundation) and Kelley Scudder-Temple
(Zemi Foundation)
[91]
Shipwrecks, Pirates, Governments, and
Archaeologists: Is Collaboration the Key?
In the spring of 2012 the government of The Bahamas passed the
Underwater Heritage Shipwreck Act. This legislation allows for a
limited number of licensed excavations to be conducted by
salvage companies under the supervision of appointed
archaeologists and government officials. Due to the conflicting
interests between salvage operations and the academic
community few archaeologists have been willing to risk their
academic credentials by working within the scope of these
initiatives. This paper addresses the experiences of archaeologists
who have attempted to develop a comprehensive research
proposal that provides for collaborative efforts between salvers
and archaeologists. Focusing on the question, 'Are commercially
driven archaeological excavations comparable to terrestrial rescue
archaeological initiatives or will this simply become another
instance of destruction for profit?'
Our major findings are that prehistoric peoples sometimes chose
their raw material for reasons other than proximity to a source of
carvable pipestone, and that the Ohio sites of Tremper Mound and
Mound City have completely different patterns of pipestone use
despite their proximity to each other. Work continues to better
understand the range of variation within individual sources and
changes in pipestone use over time.
Wiseman, James. R. [288] see Burke Davies, Clare
Wismer-Lanoë, Meredith (University of Iowa), Brooke Arkush
(Weber State University), Matthew Hill (University of Iowa),
Emlyn Eastman (University of Iowa) and François Lanoë
(University of Arizona)
[183]
Exploring Late Prehistoric Subsistence Change
at the West Fork Rock Creek Site (10Oa275),
Idaho
Site 10Oa275 is located along the West Fork of Rock Creek within
the Curlew National Grassland of Oneida County, Southeastern
Idaho. Excavations conducted by Weber State University from
2009-2011 identified at least 11 living floors yielding various
artifacts and a large faunal assemblage (NISP = 17,038). The site
was occupied repeatedly as a short-term camp between A.D. 750
and 1800. Researchers from the University of Iowa and University
of Arizona conducted a detailed analysis of the faunal remains,
which range from large-game, such as bison and elk, to micromammals. This project explores shifts in the dietary contribution of
the various game taxa at the site through time. Faunal analyses
provide an important window into the dynamic subsistence
practices of Native American foragers in the western Rocky
Mountains prior to the Fur Trade Era.
Wisseman, Sarah, Thomas Emerson (University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign), Randall Hughes (Illinois State
Geological Survey) and Kenneth Farnsworth (University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
[124]
Pipestone Utilization in the Midcontinent
Woehlke, Stefan (University of Maryland College Park) and
Kathryn Deeley (University of Maryland College Park)
[241]
A New Look at West African Spirit Practices in
Annapolis, Maryland
The presence of magic practices inspired and derived from Africa
is known across the Americas. They have been called Hoodoo,
conjure, and West African Spirit practices in the United States and
are seen archaeologically in Annapolis, Maryland from the early
18th to the 20th century. Since 1990, Archaeology in Annapolis
has excavated many bundles indicative of African traditions from
the City’s core, what is now the Historic District of Annapolis.
These bundles, derived from diverse African backgrounds,
represent varied contexts, time periods, and practices that
demonstrate how West African religions were adapted to new and
evolving environments. These deposits are critically reexamined
using recent findings while returning to theorists such as
Malinowski, and Evans-Pritchard. This paper describes the range
of spirituality expressed through material culture in Maryland’s
capital city and explains how the evolution and variation in West
African spirit practices resulted from the mixing of traditions, and
their application to the new and changing contexts of their forced
captivity as well as freedom in Maryland’s Capital City.
Wojcik, Kathryn (Portland State University) and Virginia
Butler (Portland State University)
[68]
Tracking Fish Response to Abrupt
Environmental Change at Tse-whit-zen, a
Precontact Village on the Olympic Peninsula of
Northwest Washington State
Evidence of large earthquakes occurring along the Pacific
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Northwest Coast is reflected in coastal stratigraphy from Oregon to
British Columbia, where there also exists an extensive
archaeological record of Native American occupation. Tse-whitzen, a large pre-contact village dating between 2000 and 300
years B.P. located on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State,
was excavated with exceptionally fine stratigraphic control allowing
for precise comparison of these natural and cultural records. A
collaborative project is underway studying human response to
environmental change through the analysis of Tse-whit-zen faunal
remains, which provide a link to impacts on animal populations
and in turn human subsistence. Here we report on the >10,000
fish remains from one 2x2 m excavation block; this assemblage
spans several different earthquake events, allowing study of
changes in relative taxonomic abundance through time that may
coincide with earthquakes or other environmental changes.
Results indicate use of a wide range of marine fish taxa including
various sculpins (Cottidae), flatfish (Pleuronectiformes), herring
(Clupea pallasi) and salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.), illustrating a
highly diverse diet. Besides impacts from earthquake-related
events, our study will review potential for human-caused resource
depression, resource intensification, and implications for
conservation biology.
Woldekiros, Helina (Washington University in Saint Louis)
[225]
Salt Trading and Interaction between the
Ancient Aksumites of the Northern Ethiopian
Highlands and their Lowland Pastoralist
Neighbors
Salt is a commodity that has had economic, political, and symbolic
value since ancient times. As a result, salt has affected local,
regional and interregional relationships and contributed to complex
socio-economic organization in many regions of the world. It has
been hypothesized that the salt trade also played an important role
in the economy of ancient Ethiopia. The restricted distribution of
salt, the ecological setting and the organizational requirements of
the Afar salt route would have presented early Ethiopian
agriculturalists and pastoralists with a unique set of options for
trade and exchange. This paper presents results from excavation
and analysis of ancient caravan camp sites and settlement sites
along the contemporary salt route. These results show patterned
locations of camp sites, caravan trails, and caravan provisioning
settlement sites following natural rivers. Material culture
radiocarbon dated to this time documents the presence of grains
and ceramics from the highlands and provides the first
archaeological data on regional and interregional interaction
through diversity in obsidian sources, ceramic types and foods
consumed on the route. This paper also provides the first evidence
for ancient trade on the Afar salt route.
[225]
Chair
Wolf, John
[180]
Chavin Iconographic Representations: Design
Innovation, Social Dynamism and Underlying
Cognitive Structures
Chavín de Huántar, temporally, is positioned at an intersection
between prior systems of shamanistic belief and practice and an
emerging institutionalized religion. Iconography (whether displayed
on architectural features, ceramic vessels, textiles, etc.) serves as
external memory stores for culturally significant representations
and beliefs that are filtered by unique human cognitive abilities.
“Shamans” or traditional healers and/or interpreters of natural and
supernatural phenomena are accorded “authority” by their social
group based on perceived achievement. This is an “authority”
based on trust. The emergence of a religious elite reflects a
different type of authority, one that is effectively “seized” (coopted), held and perpetuated through social-cultural-political
manipulation. This manipulation includes reference to older myths
(stories) and practices (rituals). Iconographic representations are
public productions that utilize a “short-hand” or mnemonic of the
myth (story) and are culturally bound symbols evocative of the
445
myth. This paper examines particular elements of Chavín
iconography, in order to identify fundamental representations and
explore the pathways of design innovation, dynamism and their
underlying cognitive structures.
Wolff, Christopher (SUNY-Plattsburgh) and Thomas Urban
(University of Oxford)
[189]
Reimagining/Reimaging Stock Cove: A
Geophysical Survey of the Stock Cove Site,
Newfoundland
The Stock Cove Site of Newfoundland is a large, multicomponent,
deeply stratified site containing evidence of almost every culture to
have inhabited the island. Because of the richness and complexity
of the site our ability to utilize it to answer specific questions can
be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material recovered in
even small-scale excavations–often material not directly relevant
to our more focused research questions–and the large spatial
extent of the site. This can siphon time and money away from
particular research goals and often runs contrary to archaeological
ethics of least disturbance. For these reasons, we chose to use
geophysical techniques at Stock Cove in an attempt to obtain
information about subsurface cultural and natural deposits that
could focus future research and minimize site disturbance. This
poster presents results from a survey using ground penetrating
radar and magnetometry, and includes a brief discussion of the
utility of these techniques in subarctic landscapes. Multiple
features and structures were discovered at Stock Cove that will
help focus future research at the site and which demonstrate the
growing potential of non-traditional techniques in archaeological
research.
Womack, Andrew (Yale University)
[154]
Detecting Degradation in Archaeological Sites
Using Satellite Remote Sensing: A Case Study
on the Chengdu Plain, Sichuan, China
Over the last twenty years archaeologists have begun to utilize
satellite remote sensing capabilities for identifying and mapping
archaeological sites from space; few however have explored the
possibilities of using this technology to monitor change in
archaeological sites over time. I utilized very high resolution
(CORONA; Google Earth) and medium resolution (ASTER)
satellite imagery in an effort to detect change over time at eight
Neolithic sites on the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan, China. First,
CORONA images from 1971 are compared with modern Google
Earth images to determine if site features visible above the
modern ground surface have degraded over time. Second, ASTER
imagery from 2001 and 2011 is classified and compared to
determine changes in land use patterns around sites. Conclusions
are then drawn about both the usefulness of these methods for
archaeology and the state of preservation of archaeological sites
on the Chengdu Plain.
Wong, Megan (University of British Columbia), Megan Wong
(University of British Columbia), David Burley (Simon Fraser
University) and Michael Richards (University of British
Columbia)
[5]
Prehistoric Tongan Diet and Stable Isotopes:
An Evaluation of Subsistence Hypotheses
There are currently two major hypotheses surrounding
subsistence theory of diet in the prehistoric Tongan past. The first
is referred to as the strandlooper hypothesis, which states that
Lapita people focused primarily on the consumption of coastal
resources with little emphasis placed on horticultural activity. The
second, referred to as the horticultural hypothesis, states that
Lapita people colonized the Kingdom of Tonga with a transported
landscape. This transported landscape, composed of a variety of
cultivated plants, would indicate a reliance on horticultural food
production. This poster focuses on the evaluation of both
subsistence hypotheses through isotopic investigation. Human
remains, recovered form the 2007 excavation at the Tongan
founder colony site of Nukuleka (2900-2850 cal BP), are analyzed
446
using stable carbon and nitrogen analysis. Results will be
analyzed to determine the strength and validity of the two
competing hypotheses.
Wong, Megan [5] see Wong, Megan
Woo, Eun Jin [22] see Jeong, Yangseung
Wood, Spencer [106] see Maschner, Herbert
Woodburn, Michael (St. Mary's College of Maryland), Liza
Gijanto (St. Mary's College of Maryland) and Sarah Platt (St.
Mary's College of Maryland)
[178]
“There Is no Juju, There Is only Islam”: Oral
Histories and Pots at Brufet, The Gambia
Archaeologists are often faced with competing narratives of the
past that lead to multiple interpretations of the archaeological
record. The collective memories of the majority versus the
subaltern are at odds in many contexts. In July 2012, a preliminary
survey of the island of Brufet in the Foni region of The Gambia’s
south bank was conducted. The goal of this project was to
determine the occupation history of the island derived from local
oral histories suggesting that this island was the original
settlement of the nearby village of Berefet. While conducting a
pedestrian survey, a large quantity of ceramic sherds and several
partially buried, nearly intact ceramic vessels were found and
collected on the surface. When local village residents were
interviewed, their answers regarding the purpose and use of these
ceramics, the history of the island, and its significance within the
village history as a whole varied from individual to individual based
upon their relationship to the current ruling family. The relationship
between these oral histories, the documentary record, and
archaeological survey illuminates details not only pertaining to the
history of the island, but also outlines the contemporary political
relations within the modern village.
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Gould’s work and engagement with diverse publics and
indigenous peoples, as well as recent contributions to the
developing field of forensic archaeology. Gould’s life work and
research is a testament to the importance of archaeology, and our
skills as archaeologists, not only towards the investigation of past
lifeways, but also, to the applied use of archaeology in the
investigation and resolution of contemporary human challenges
and needs.
Woods, Aaron
[218]
Fremont? Virgin Branch Puebloan Farmers? Or
Something in Between? A Cross-Cultural
Analysis of Material Culture and Human
Remains from Parowan Valley, the St. George
Basin, and the Moapa Valley
Portions of the eastern Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, southern
Utah, and southern Nevada were home to two archaeologically
defined groups: the Fremont and Virgin Branch Puebloan farmers.
This paper focuses on the perceived cultural border between the
two groups, which can be differentiated from one another by their
material cultures and subsistence patterns. In this paper, we
examine the frontier regions of these cultures to examine the
degree of interaction in these border zones. By assessing key
differences and similarities between the Fremont and Virgin
Branch Puebloan archaeological records, we attempt to delineate
blended and separate cultural traits which are essential for
understanding the degree of cultural interaction between the two
groups. We rely on both archaeological and bioarchaeological
methods. Analysis of typological and stylistic characteristics of the
material remains provides clues to group identity, while
examination of the human remains and mortuary practices
provides insight into identities of individuals within the culture.
[101]
Chair
Woods, Aaron [175] see Toney, Elizabeth
Woodworth, Marshall [227] see Damick, Alison
Woodfill, Brent (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)
[165]
Collaborative Archaeology and Community
Development at Salinas de los Nueve Cerros,
Guatemala
In 2009, a small team of archaeologists was invited by local
Q'eqchi' Maya villagers to visit the archaeological site of Salinas
de los Nueve Cerros in order to begin to develop it for ecotourism.
Although the site is located in Coban, one of the most populated
municipalities in Guatemala, it has been largely overlooked by
development projects, which have tended to focus on “rural”
municipalities or on Coban's urban center, which is located over 5
hours away by public transportation. As the project has evolved,
we have solidified and amplified the collaborative nature of the
project through the presence of a full-time applied anthropologist
and following through on a variety of development projects
spearheaded by local leaders. This paper focuses on the project's
successes, failures, and lessons learned over 4 years of
community archaeology and development.
Woodhouse-Beyer, Katharine
[230]
Advocating Archaeology: Richard A. Gould's
Contributions to Applied Archaeology and
Archaeological Engagement
Richard A. Gould’s career contributions to anthropological
archaeology are considerable, including his national and
international archaeological fieldwork experience, significant
contributions to such fields as archaeological theory, underwater
archaeology, and ethnoarchaeology, and his strong dedication to
teaching and mentorship. This SAA paper focuses on how Richard
Gould’s long-time research it is theoretically and methodologically
engaged - and applied. Topics of specific discussion include
Worman, F. Scott (University of New Mexico), Patrick Hogan
(University of New Mexico) and Alexander Kurota (University
of New Mexico)
[224]
Burned and Blown Away: Hearth-Mound Sites
at White Sands National Monument
Recent research at White Sands National Monument highlighted
the importance of integrating geoarchaeological research with
remote sensing, survey, and excavation in order to interpret the
archaeological record correctly. The unique geology of the
dunefield provides clues about the ages of sites, and
geoarchaeological research helps to reveal both their landscape
context when they were occupied and the resources that drew
people to the area in the past. The study also has significant
implications for understanding site formation processes – both
those that lead to preservation and the processes that determine
the trajectory of decay and eventual destruction of the traces of
past occupations. Research in the gypsum dunefield presents
unique challenges, and our work to overcome those challenges
led to further insights that are particularly important for managing
cultural resources in that environment. In addition, the data
generated by our investigations are relevant to answering more
narrowly geological questions. Specifically, they help to reveal the
rate and timing of dune movement and the history of growth of the
dunefield. Finally, there are tantalizing clues that the
archaeological data might provide insight into past environmental
change.
Worne, Heather [40] see Killoran, Peter
Worthington, Brian [130] see Colten, Roger
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
Wren, Colin (McGill University), Andre Costopoulos (McGill
University) and Ariane Burke (Université de Montréal)
[215]
Putting (Hominin) Thought into Hominin
Dispersal
Typical wave of advance models of hominin dispersal focus on
demographic pressure pushing hominins outwards into new
regions. These models lend little agency to hominins and present
them as passively diffusing randomly outwards into the
surrounding environment. Even models that have included some
agency have focused on environmental barriers to waves of
advance. We present an agent-based simulation which gives
hominins the cognitive ability to observe, assess, and select better
environments. The iterative cognitive selection of improved
environments results in a dispersal wave which pulls, rather than
pushes hominins into new regions. We look at the relationship
between environmental variables and behavior in constraining the
pattern of novel environment occupation. In previous work, we
looked at the optimal levels of this cognitive ability, which we call
foresight, for different levels of environmental heterogeneity and
cultural information sharing on dispersal rates and spatial
patterning. Here we adopt an evolutionary approach which
explicitly models the process through which spatial foresight would
evolve as a trait, and what effect a diverse cognitive population
would have on spatial and temporal patterns of dispersal.We apply
the insights gained to the LGM colonization of the Iberian
peninsula.
Wright, Patti [54] see Morrow, Juliet
Wright, Joshua (Stanford University)
[56]
An Island, Survey, Trees, and Pastoralists…
Hmm, this is all a tough act to follow. This paper will address the
changing cultural landscapes of the Island of Keros (Cyclades,
Greece) from the Early Bronze Age to historical periods and
concentrate particularly on the dynamics of the economic
landscapes of the island community and the changing nature of
management and administration. There will be a certain amount
of practical stories about survey, some maps and landscape use
models, cross cultural comparison, a moment on local food, a
sidelong glance at theory and it will end with a sunset.
447
proved to be exceptionally difficult to date. The preservation of
carbon necessary for 14C ages is poor and artifacts normally
exceed the upper temporal limit of the method to provide a reliable
age estimate. The lack of caves north of South Africa and
volcanics south of Tanzania further restricts archaeologists’
abilities to attain age control on site occupations. Increasing
acceptance of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) as a
primary dating method has opened up new possibilities for
obtaining age control on MSA sites in Africa. However, OSL has
been challenging to use in Rift Valley settings due to complex
mineralogical attributes that have led to recurring ageunderestimates relative to other geochronometers and pedogenic
surfaces that affect modeling paleodose rates. This paper
discusses new techniques to use OSL dating to develop an age
model for archaeological settlement of Mwanganda’s Village and
other MSA sites in northern Malawi. Recent advances in the
methodology allow a tighter age control than would have been
possible a decade ago. The new data improve understandings of
human cultural evolution and landscape changes during profound
Middle and Late Pleistocene climatic changes.
Wriston, Teresa (University of Nevada, Reno) and Gary
Haynes (University of Nevada, Reno)
[248]
Isotope Analysis of Ostrich Eggshell from
Impala Shelter, Zimbabwe, and What It Tells
Us about Paleoenvironments, Landscape Use,
and Trade during the Holocene
Ostrich eggshell (OES) is abundant in many sites throughout
Africa and is often used to provide temporal control of
archaeological and geological sites. Nevertheless, Ostrich
eggshell’s use as an isotopic reservoir of paleoenvironmental and
tracer information remains largely untapped. In this pilot study,
rodent teeth and ostrich eggshell beads, pre-forms, and unaltered
fragments from Impala Shelter were analyzed for d13C, d18O, and
d87Sr. These isotopic ratios reveal whether or not OES was
locally obtained and whether its source region varies by stage of
reduction or age. In addition, we apply this isotopic information to
aide in reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions of
northwestern Zimbabwe during the mid-to-late Holocene. Results
of these analyses are promising and suggest that establishing
isoscapes for southern Africa will lead to new insights in Late
Stone Age trade, landscape use, and environments.
Wu, Xiaohong [66] see Jiao, Tianlong
Wright, Rita (New York University)
[133]
Power Systems in the Indus and Near Eastern
States: Testing the Limits of Corporate Political
Strategies
The breakdown of systems of rule in early states has been finely
crafted. For archaeologists, the wellspring of comparative studies
has demonstrated the varied dimensions of power in early states
worldwide. In this paper, I examine the utility of exclusionary and
corporate political strategies in the context of growing evidence for
limitations of power in the Indus and contemporary states.
Introduced by Blanton and his colleagues and elaborated upon in
a later single-authored paper, the concept of a cognitive code and
its limits to the exercise of power are explored in the context of the
social patterns of production and distribution of goods in the Indus
and systems of collective action in other Near Eastern states.
[245]
Moderator
[223]
Discussant
Wright, David (Seoul National University), Jeong-heon Choi
(Korea Basic Science Institute), Jessica Thompson
(University of Queensland) and Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu
(Malawi Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Culture)
[224]
OSL Dating of Landscape Change and Human
Evolution in Northern Malawi
Open-air Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in southern Africa have
Wu, Chunming (Xiamen University)
[179]
An Archaeological Perspective on the Bronze
Culture and Early Civilization of Indigenous Qi
Min (七闽) in Southeast China
The Bronze cultures of the Tieshan Type and Hulinshan Type
investigated in Fujian and eastern Guangdong of southeast China
could be the remains of indigenous Qi Min (七闽) which were one
of a series of native ethnic groups in southeast China during the
early stages of Chinese civilization. The cultural remains related to
both cultural types include macro settlement patterns, stone tool
workshops, ranked cemeteries, and assemblages of bronze and
pottery artifacts. These remains are preliminarily dated to 30002400 BP and definitely less developed than those further to the
north associated with the Wu Yue (吴越) and Shang & Zhou (商周)
dynasties. They reflect a mixture of continuity of native traditions
from local Neolithic cultures and immigration from northern states.
The investigation and research on these remains, including a
discussion of the chronology of these remains, show dynamics of
the cultural changes of these early Bronze Age societies in
southeast China and cultural interaction between the central
empire and southeast shoreline region.
Wu, Xiaohong (Peking University)
448
[179]
Radiocarbon Dating of Different Archaeological
Cultures in China
The importance of radiocarbon dating begins with its current
earliest effectiveness around 40/45,000 years ago and thus we
can date sites that mark the onset of the Chinese early Upper
Paleolithic. It is critical because the lithic industries of this period in
China do not demonstrate rapid technological and typological
changes as in western Eurasia. Terminal Pleistocene and early
Holocene sites in the different eco-zones of China record a greater
variability (such as microblades industries in the north and cobbletool assemblages in the south) and deciphering contemporaneity
and interactions are essential as several of these localities were
later the first to start cultivation of millet and rice, or continue to
survive on sub-tropical and tropical plant foods. The same holds
for the incipient phases of animal domestication. The study of
Neolithic farming societies requires the establishment of accurate
chronology indicating the rhythm of the spread of the agricultural
package and survival of contemporary hunter-gatherers. As village
societies evolved locally forming regional cultures, knowledge of
their relationships can not rely only on pottery typology and
relative chronology without numerous radiocarbon dates.
Publishing numerous 14C dates will improve our understanding of
‘when’ and ‘where’ the variable foundations for the Chinese
civilization were laid.
Wyatt, Andrew (Middle Tennessee State University) and Joan
C. Crenshaw (Middle Tennessee State University)
[57]
“Our Dead Are Never Dead to Us…” Southern
Maya Lowland Chultunes as Burial Chambers
Chultunes are artificially constructed underground chambers found
throughout the Maya area and most commonly associated with
elite and commoner residences. These chambers take different
forms and are often found with a capstone either in place or
disturbed by later occupants or looting. Although they have
alternately been proposed as sweatbaths, fermentation chambers,
or other ritual and utilitarian functions, accepted wisdom considers
them as storage chambers for food or water. However, empirical
evidence provides little support for this hypothesis. The size and
the environment within chultunes are not conducive to the storage
of food, and human remains are often found in chultunes, although
they are often disturbed or filled with refuse. A more likely
hypothesis suggests that chultunes functioned as artificial caves
and were utilized as burial chambers for important individuals. This
paper will present data compiled from chultun excavations
throughout the Maya area to suggest their primary function as a
burial chamber and offer a quantitative analysis of different chultun
forms and associated artifacts. By presenting evidence that
chultunes are ritually significant I propose that additional care
should be taken during excavations, and that a greater focus
should be placed on chultunes in archaeological explorations.
[57]
Chair
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
northern part.The Paleolithic stone industries in South China are
rather different from those in North China. However, they are close
to those in Southeast Asia. This may be mainly due to the fact that
in Pleistocene times, there were similar physical environments in
South China and Southeast Asia, and similar environments could
make human populations in different regions create similar
cultures.
Xin, Jia [179] see Guanghui, Dong
Yackshaw, Sophia and Jason De Leon (University of
Michigan)
[121]
Necroviolence, Taphonomy, and the Ethics of
Killing Animals to Understand What Happens to
the Corpses of Undocumented Border Crossers
Since 2000, an average of 200 deceased border crossers a year
have been recovered along the southern Arizona and Northern
Mexico border. However, given that there is no systematic attempt
to recover the remains of missing migrants by law enforcement,
corpses are often located in remote and inaccessible areas, and
bodies are often destroyed by animals or environmental
conditions, this average is thought to grossly underestimate the
actual number of deaths each year. As part of a 2012 field
experiment to better understand the taphonomic conditions that
destroy migrant bodies, three female juvenile pigs were
euthanized, dressed in clothes resembling those of migrants, and
exposed to different desert environmental conditions for six weeks.
In this paper we highlight how this longitudinal taphonomic data
has helped us to better understand the speed of decomposition,
as well as the post-mortem violence (i.e., necroviolence) that
wreaks havoc on the bodies of those who die in the desert. We
also discuss how this experiment has forced us to engage with the
ethical dilemma of attempting to study violence experienced by
humans while simultaneously inflicting it upon three animals.
Yacubic, Matt (University of California Riverside) and Nate
Meisnner (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)
[36]
Regional Trends in Obsidian Artifacts: A Look
at the Central Peten During the Postclassic and
Early Colonial Periods
The technological and chemical analysis of artifacts from the Maya
sites of Zacpetén, Ixlú, and Nixtun-Ch’ich’ has produced new
information on the production, exchange, and use of obsidian
artifacts in the Central Petén Basin during the Postclassic and
Early Colonial periods. During this time, the ancient Maya had a
complex system of local and regional economies that exchanged a
wide variety of goods. Some of these items were transported over
long distances by a highly organized merchant class, while other
goods were locally produced and locally exchanged by individual
crafters. This paper will examine the dichotomy between the local
and regional economies at a time of increasing factionalism and
ethnopolitical differentiation in the Petén Lakes region.
Xiaohong, Wu [179] see Guanghui, Dong
Xie, Guangmao (Guangxi Institute of Cultural Relics and
Archaeology)
[179]
The Paleolithic Culture in South China
South China is a very important region in prehistoric archaeology
in Asia. In this vast region, a great number of Paleolithic sites have
been discovered, hundreds of thousands of stone artifacts have
been recovered. They cover a time span from the Lower
Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic age. These stone industries
have common characteristics: the raw materials for making tools
are cobbles mainly of sandstone, quartzite and quartz; the method
for making tools is mainly direct percussion; most of the tools are
often flaked unifacially; types of tools are mainly choppers, picks,
scrapers, handaxes, and spheroids. Choppers/chopping tools are
predominant in tool assemblage．Apart from this, differences
among them are also exist.Although the stone artifacts from this
region as a whole belong to the pebble tool culture, flake
assemblages are also found sporadically, especially in the
Yaeger, Jason (University of Texas at San Antonio)
[144]
Household Archaeology and Population
Mobility in the Mopan River Valley, Belize
Archaeologists have generally understood the population histories
of Maya settlements as a series of population estimates for each
time period the site was occupied. These estimates usually are
based on a determination of the number of houses occupied
during each period. While useful for inferring general patterns of
rise and decline and for population comparisons across sites, such
estimates rarely address the micro-scale differences in population
histories among settlements within a polity, nor the rates of and
reasons for the establishment and abandonment of settlements.
This paper compares the settlement histories of two major centers
(Xunantunich and Buenavista) and three smaller settlements (San
Lorenzo, Callar Creek, Chan Noohol) to demonstrate the degree
of variability in population histories in the Mopan valley. The
broader political context of these settlements allows us to consider
the origins of founding groups and destinations of those who left
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
these settlements, and to suggest some of the reasons for the
population mobility. Clear patterns show that poorer households
were more likely to abandon settlements first. Finally, the paper
undertakes a finer-grained analysis of the excavation data from
these settlements to reconstruct the pace and timing of the
abandonment processes, and internal logics behind abandonment.
[287]
Discussant
Yakel, Elizabeth, Ixchel Faniel (OCLC Research), Eric Kansa
(Open Context and University of California-Berkeley) and
Sarah Kansa (Alexandria Archive Institute (AAI) and Open
Contex)
[247]
Digital Archaeological Data: Curation,
Preservation, and Reuse
Archaeologists face major changes in the ways they collect, use
their own and reuse others’ “data” in the digital era. Spreadsheets
documenting finds, digital journals linked to images of a site, CAD
drawings side by side with GIS shape files documenting the site
over time are all increasingly common data appearing on
archaeologists’ laptops. The importance of all this descriptive
information is underlined by archaeology’s often destructive
methods and cultural property policies that may restrict the
accessibility of finds for later study. On the flip side, digital data is
deceivingly easy to share with colleagues; yet at the same time it
also creates new complexities for data reuse, i.e., the use of data
by someone other than the original collector. This presentation will
discuss four aspects of archaeological work that affect the reuse of
digital data: documentation practices, data sharing norms,
contextual information needs, and digital preservation. We will
then contrast archaeologists’ experiences with those of
quantitative social scientists who have shared digital data for over
fifty years. Our findings are based on interviews with 66
archaeologists and quantitative social scientists and the data
reuse and preservation literature.
Yamahara, Toshiro [208] see Nakazawa, Yuichi
Yamahara, Toshiro
[258]
Early Pottery in East Hokkaido, Japan
This presentation shows typological and technological
characteristics of pottery and other remains at the terminal
Pleistocene to the early Holocene transition in the east area of
Hokkaido island, and interprets current results in terms of the
relationship with the archaeological culture of the surrounding
area.
Yanevich, Alexandr [69] see Lanoë, François
Yang, Dongya [38] see Hardy, Evan
Yankowski, Andrea
[249]
Salt Production in Southeast Asia: A
Comparative Approach
Using archaeological, ethnographic, historical and experimental
data, this paper explores salt making in two Southeast Asian
communities - one located in the Mun River Valley of Northeast
Thailand and the other on the Island of Bohol in the Central
Philippines. I examine the local technologies adapted in each of
these communities and the environmental and social factors that
have shaped the industries. I also explore the impact of these
technological choices on the types of archaeological sites and
artifacts we find related to salt making in Southeast Asia, and
explore the social and economic impact of this industry to the
development of the region.
449
Yao, Alice (University of Chicago)
[56]
HTW and Phenomenology
The study of ancient settlement systems and political landscapes
continues to be indebted to Henry Wright’s pioneering work. The
Wright approach now has a wide global footprint as his students
continue to carry out this research across distant cultures and time
periods. While Henry Wright has never been one for trends in
archaeology, he rightly deserves credit for encouraging his
students to contemplate the experiential basis of landscapes,
without ever having used the P word. In particular, his emphasis
on historicized landscapes, a threading rather than bracketing of
historical and prehistoric settlements, alerts archaeologists to think
about how actors made connections between sight and
movement, past and present, space and place. This paper shows
how his influence has unconsciously shaped the research program
in southwestern China.
Yaremko, Jason (University of Winnipeg)
[254]
Diaspora, Transculturation, and the Layers of
Indigenous Existence in the Caribbean: Cuba
as Microcosm
This paper examines three case studies in post-contact
indigenous migration in the Caribbean, with a focus on three
groups of Amerindian immigrant peoples - southeastern cultures
(Calusa, Creek, Seminole, and other indigenous cultures),
southwestern peoples (Apaches, Puebloan), and Yucatecan
Mayas - and the varied forms of migration, existence, struggles,
adaptation, negotiation, and persistence of various Amerindian
individuals, groups and communities in colonial Cuba, toward an
understanding of the dynamic and implications of this indigenous
diaspora in the Caribbean Basin. In the case of Cuba, such a
perspective has often been overlooked in part because of the
historical acceptance and endurance of the extinction trope by
most Cuban and foreign scholars (concerning both indigenous and
immigrant Amerindians). In turn, this has been facilitated by an
emphasis in Cuban historiography on a national history based on
unity, in turn based on a theoretical racial integration (“Cubanidad”
or “Cubania”) that has historically restricted discussion and debate
about other cultures in Cuba beyond that of Africa-Cuba, and, to a
limited extent, Chinese indentured labour. Amerindian passages to
Cuba - voluntary and involuntary - predated these other diaspora,
eventually intersecting with them through transculturation. This
study examines the “other,” Amerindian, diaspora.
Yasui, Emma (University of Toronto)
[136]
Flakes as Tools: Examining Jomon Period
Subsistence and Lithic Technology in
Hokkaido, Japan
This paper examines the relationship between stone tools,
resources, people, and activities at the intra-site and individual
dwelling level during the Jomon Period. Within this larger subject
is the question of how Jomon lithic technology was incorporated
into daily practices, such as the acquisition and preparation of
food. In my preliminary analysis of a chipped stone tool
assemblage from the Yagi site in southwestern Hokkaido,
generalized flake tools appear to form a considerable portion of
the lithic sample. Reports from the original Yagi Project (19781980) also note the systematic use of broken flakes, and the
potential importance of expedient technology. The exact
significance of these findings requires further attention, along with
greater consideration of the wide variety of formal chipped and
ground implements associated with Jomon sites. Through a fine
scale approach I evaluate the place of morphology as an indicator
of human activity, as well as the applicability of broader patterns in
Jomon subsistence practices to particular locations in time and
space. To examine these topics I combine the intra-site spatial
distributions of a lithic assemblage, including ground and chipped
tools, with information gained through use-wear and residue
analysis of samples from pit dwellings.
450
Yeatts, Michael (Hopi Tribe)
[67]
Maintaining Hopi Stewardship of the Grand
Canyon
In 1991, the Hopi Tribe became involved in the development of the
Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statement. This work
entailed documentation of the cultural and historic importance of
the Grand Canyon and its resources to the Hopi people, clans and
societies. Fortuitously, this work began in the era when Bulletin 38
was hot off the press and the 1992 Amendments to the National
Historic Preservation Act would soon codify the concept of a
Traditional Cultural Property into the cultural resource
management arena. It was also the beginning of the tenure of
Leigh Kuwanwisiwma as the director of the Hopi Cultural
Preservation Office. The Hopi Tribe’s participation in the EIS and
subsequent monitoring and management activities for the past 22
years provides a case study of the evolving roles of tribes in
cultural resource management and how cultural resources are
defined.
Yellen, John E. [11] see Ranhorn, Kathryn
Yerka, Stephen [188] see Wells, Joshua
Yeske, Kate (Colorado State University, CEMML) and Julie
Esdale (Colorado State University, CEMML)
[88]
Archaeology and Geomorphology of Interior
Alaskan Rock Shelters
Three rock shelter sites have been identified in the Yukon-Tanana
Uplands of Interior Alaska. Archaeological surveys and
excavations have recovered lithic assemblages at the bases of
Birch Creek schist outcrops. This poster explores site-specific
rock shelter morphology and evolution that would have led to their
use as prehistoric shelters. Stratigraphic data from unit excavation
uncovered complex deposition revealing site formation processes.
Lithic debitage analysis is indicative of projectile point resharpening reflecting short-term, seasonal, hunter-gatherer activity
areas.
Yesner, David (University of Alaska Anchorage)
[77]
Understanding Hunter-Gatherer Behavior in
Beringia: Applications of Zooarchaeological
Research
Recent zooarchaeological data from eastern Beringia allow
comprehensive reconstruction of landscape perception and
behavior on the part of both the initial colonists and those who
recolonized after the Younger Dryas hiatus. Data from key sites in
interior Alaska such as Broken Mammoth, as well as sites in the
Alaska/Yukon borderlands such as the Little John site, allow
reconstruction of spatiotemporal variability in subsistence and
settlement, and simultaneously allow reconstruction of key
elements of hunter-gatherer behavior, including settlement
strategies and potential impacts on animal populations. These
data can then be used to generate larger-scale theory regarding
landscape use and resilience of early Beringian populations.
Yesner, David [82] see Seager-Boss, Fran
Yi, Kisung (Korea National University of Cultural Heritage,
Department of Archaeology)
[22]
From Stone to Wood: Cultural Transmission of
New Technologies and Changes in Tools
Rapid changes in technologies and tools that are related to
changes in a particular subsistence economy can affect major
social changes. For instance, in the middle Bronze Age, people in
Korea began to again use wooden hoes. This adoption is
interpreted as part of the process of rapid dissemination of
cultivation techniques and tools in addition to rice agricultural from
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
China. In contrast, stone hoes, having been employed in Korea
since the Neolithic, were employed not only for farming but also for
building homes. The adoption of wooden hoes was therefore a
regression back to a less efficient material. It is argued here that
the re-adoption of the less efficient wooden hoe is best explained
by the spread of rice farming and non-selective acceptance of
tools by a particular social group.
Yi, Seonbok [22] see Lee, Sang-Hee
Yi, Seonbok (Seoul National University)
[222]
Blade Industry at Rashaan Khad, Eastern
Mongolia
Testing at Rashaan Khad in eastern Mongolia revealed the
existence of a blade industry by ca. 40,000 cal B.C. Although the
bulk of the deposit has been severely disturbed especially by
animal burrowing activities, Upper Pleistocene deposit survived
partially. Unequivocal evidence of cut-marks identified from
ungulate long bone fragments indicates habitual in situ butchering
activities. Stone tools were made with small (usually ≥10cm) chert
cobbles of greenish-bluish tint derived from the bedrock. Perhaps
reflecting the scarcity of raw material, even tiny chips and chunks
were exploited intensively with evidence of retouch or utilization.
Overall, the evidence seems to suggest that anatomically modern
population were already in existence there by the beginning of the
OIS 3. Given the paucity of comparable industries in Northeast
Asia during the period, it might be that the bulk of the mid latitude
region of the continental East Asia had been populated by modern
humans rather late in time.
Yim, Robin (University of Missouri - Columbia), Rebecca E.
Shattuck (University of Missouri - Columbia), Kelsi Wilson
(University of Missouri - Columbia) and Kyle D. Waller
(University of Missouri - Columbia)
[286]
Evaluation of Mortuary Variation and WellBeing during the Middle and Late Missouri
Mississippian
Investigating the relationship between health and social status has
long been an elusive goal for Mississippian archaeologists.
Mortuary variation is frequently assumed to be directly correlated
with the physical well-being of an interned individual. Under this
assumption, lesion frequencies have been compared among high,
middle, and low-status groups. Yet, this approach may obscure
subtle evidence of health inequality in non-hierarchical
Mississippian societies. Here, we propose an alternative
approach that draws on paleoepidemiology to reveal complex
relationships between well-being and mortuary variation in the
middle and late Mississippian period. We investigate the impact of
mortuary variation on individuals’ age at death and preexisting
health conditions. Transition analysis and Gompertz-Makeham
mortality models are used to estimate age-specific risks of death.
Effects of covariates, including mortuary variation and lesion
presence, are examined using the Usher model and Cox semiparametric hazard models. The method proposed here allows
identification of diachronic change in the relationship between
mortuary practices and well-being that likely occurred in Missouri
populations during the latter half of the Mississippian period.
Yoffee, Norman (UNLV UNM ISAW-NYU)
[101]
Discussant
Yoneda, Minoru (The University Museum, the University of
Tokyo), Yuichi Naito (University of Tubingen), Takashi
Gakuhari (JSPS / University of Tokyo), Chiaki Katagiri
(Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum) and Naomi
Doi (University of Ryukyus)
[138]
Island Adaption on the Rykyu Islands from
Pleistocene to Early Holocene
The Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa prefecture, Japan) located in the
most southern part of the Japanese Archipelago has a unique
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
history of adaption to small coral islands (> 1300 km2). We
compare the historical change of subsistence on these islands by
measuring carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen, in
comparison with contemporaneous populations on the Japanese
main island. These data show the more drastic temporal change in
the subsistence on Ryukyus and their uniqueness even in both
hunting-gathering-fishing and agricultural societies. The reason
why people adopted the rice agriculture significantly later in this
region is generally explained by the geological setting on islands,
but our data show independent continuity of the adaptation
strategies in the transition to agricultural societies on Ryukyus and
main islands. It seems that the agriculture was reasonable only in
limited areas of prehistoric Japan. Some newly found Pleistocene
human remains from Ishigaki Island indicate an interesting history
of subsistence development in Ryukyus in light of the maritime
adaptation and human dispersal in the Pacific region.
[194]
Chair
Yoneda, Minoru [194] see Shimoda, Yasushi
Yonekura, Kaoru (The University of Tokyo)
[196]
Rock Properties and Material Selection and
Utilization of Flaked Tools in Paleolithic Japan
In prehistoric Japan, shale was one of the major materials used to
make flaked stone tools, along with obsidian and andesite.
Although this type of rock is known to exist in a wide range of
colors, textures, mineral and chemical compositions, and
mechanical properties, detailed material characteristics of
archaeological shale artifacts have not been analyzed so far. For a
comprehensive understanding of material selection and
exploitation, the composition, microhardness, and microstructures
of actual shale artifacts obtained from an Upper Paleolithic site in
northeastern region of Honshu were analyzed. The analysis
showed that only homogeneous shale composed of a high ratio of
fine α-quartz were selectively used for blade manufacture.
Moreover, without exception, these materials have high hardness
of approximately 7.0–8.0 GPa. These hardness values of shale
blades are almost equal to those of some modern-day stainless
steel knives, and additionally, they are also quite similar to those
of the other major materials―obsidian and andesite. The results
suggest that specific rock materials with certain compositions,
structure, and mechanical properties were preferentially selected
for manufacturing tools. Thus, detailed material data of prehistoric
tools have the potential to give us valuable information on
prehistoric material selection and exploitation.
Yoo, Yongwook (Chungnam National University)
[22]
Blank Acquisition and Its Manipulation for
Making the IHRA Handaxes, Korea
The Imjin-Hantan River Area (IHRA) handaxes of Korea are
characterized by certain morphological features including, but not
restricted to: (1) a very thick form with a globular base and overall
limited retouch; (2) several simple (but not repetitive or consistent)
percussions are performed on blanks (consisting mostly of
cobbles), and this technique is responsible for the rather crude,
partially bifacial, and unfinished shape (i.e., much of the cortex still
remains); (3) very little consideration is given to thinning, platform
preparation, and the design and shaping of the final product; (4)
the direction of shaping percussion is centripetal, in contrast to the
scalar/parallel direction of the classic Western Old World
Acheulean handaxe; (5) its assumed function as an effective tool
is questionable; given that its lateral margins do not form sharp
angles, and that its pointed tip is rather an opportunistic feature
rather than a deliberate outcome.
The IHRA handaxes were produced on locally available quartz
and quartzite river cobbles. The poor working quality of these river
cobbles might have hindered the production of suitable large flake
blanks. As such, blanks were restricted to sizable cobbles; and
451
their high and round platform angle did not facilitate a prolonged
flake removal sequence.
Yost, Chad [236] see Scott Cummings, Linda
Young, Charlotte (University of Exeter)
[29]
Spatial and Temporal Differences in
Photographing Archaeological Sites in the MidTwentieth Century
Archaeological landscapes captured by the camera is a significant
area of research, as it is these images which have had a great
impact for the visualization of archaeology, its methods and
practices, according to the historical context in which the images
were created and published. My PhD project questions how
archaeological photographs shape our knowledge of the past, and
influence our visual perceptions of archaeology as a discipline
during the mid-twentieth century. Using agency theory, art
theories, theories of viewing and contextual hermeneutics, my aim
is to gain a greater understanding in the thought processes and
scientific and artistic influences which shaped archaeological site
photographs from the 1950s to 1970s, in relation to the great
changes occurring in the study of New Archaeology in Britain and
America. In this paper, I will discuss data gathered from several
surveys on archaeological site photographs I have conducted in
British and American, Classical and Prehistoric, archaeological
journals during this period. The results from these surveys
highlight the extent to which archaeological photographs mirror the
developments and debates in New Archaeology in the 1960s,
including spatial and temporal differences in the visual
representation of gender, racial, colonial, artistic and scientific
aspects.
Young, Tatiana (Temple University)
[197]
Architecture and Its Reflection of State
Organization and Settlement Pattern in the
Cochuah Region during the Terminal Classic
Period
A change in architectural style is often a result of changes in
power and political organization. During the Terminal Classic
Period which the Cochuah region exhibited changes in the
settlement pattern, in sites layout, and in architectural
components. The organization of space, directions, the location
and the architectural design of buildings underwent some changes
during this period. All registered sites in the Cochuah region were
occupied during this period. In addition to occupation increase,
the study area experienced a construction boom during this period
as well. The preliminary data points out to the changes in the
nature of political organization in the Cochuah Region during the
Terminal Classic Period. Changes in the settlement pattern
appearing during the Terminal Classic Period were produced by
modification of nature of state, which was shifting from centralized
to segmentary.
Youngblutt, Sarah
[7]
The Angkorean Ethnoscape: Reconciling the
Disjuncture between Public Discourse and the
Archaeological Record through an Analysis of
Angkorean Sites of World Heritage in Thailand,
Laos and Cambodia
The Angkorian Empire has been geographically and temporally
contextualized to suit political, economic and social agendas.
Monumental sites of heritage as included on the ‘ancient
landscape’ of Angkor contribute to ongoing constitutions of
national, cultural and ethnic identities. A problem that exists for
scholars around the world lies within the presentation of these
sites themselves. As they cover an expanse including all of
452
contemporary Cambodia, most of Thailand, nearly half of Laos
and a southern section of Vietnam, the sites have been
instrumental in accommodating the production of both national and
cultural discourse from a variety of stakeholders. My doctorate
work studies how three nation states (Thailand, Laos and
Cambodia) respond to having monumental heritage from the
ancient Angkorian landscape within their borders through the
analysis of multi-stakeholder discourse about both Angkorian
WHS and the larger cultural landscape. I hypothesize that the
activity of multiple stakeholders, who perceive and define areas of
Angkorian heritage in different ways has contributed to the
presentation of multiple interpretations of the Angkorian Empire,
obstructing a much needed archaeological settlement analysis of
the ancient Angkorian cultural landscape.
Younie, Ashlee (University of Nevada, Reno) and Kelly
Edmiston (University of Nevada, Reno)
[73]
Personal Adornment of Hawaiian Cowboys: A
Reflection of Occupation and Trade
The Hawaiian cowboy – or paniolo – is a central figure in the
history of ranching on the slopes of Mauna Kea on the Big Island
of Hawaii, where excavation of a late-nineteenth century ranching
station known as Laumai`a Cabin (50-10-24-26825) yielded a
button associated with a Boston, Massachusetts brand of rain
slicker designed for use in the saddle. The common addition of
this imported piece of gear to the traditional, recognizable paniolo
“uniform” – palaka shirt, leather leggings, and lei hatband – not
only speaks to the demands of the cowboy occupation but also
connects the personal adornment decisions of the anonymous,
individual Hawaiian cowboy to the turn-of-the-century globalized
economic system. This paper demonstrates that this button not
only contributes to our understanding of its owner's occupation
and participation in global trade but also his personal identity as a
cowboy.
Yu, Pei-Lin (National Park Service--Rocky Mountains CESU)
[127]
Children as Formational Agents in the
Archaeological Record: Some
Ethnoarchaeological Observations
Is it possible to distinguish children's behavior in the
archaeological record? What roles do children play as active site
formational agents and what are the implications for
archaeological investigation? Ethnoarchaeological descriptions of
playing, technological behavior (hand-me-down, scavenging and
re-use; skill acquisition), use of space, subsistence and social
roles (gender differentiation; share-out) from neotropical foragergardeners are used to develop a frame of reference and predictive
statements about archaeological correlates of children’s behavior.
Yuan, Shiling [66] see Wang, Fen
Yun, Ho-Pil [289] see Lee, J. Rachel
Zapien Lopez, Victor, Alma Montiel Ángeles (INAH) and
Marcus Winter (INAH)
[145]
La cerámica de las fases Bicunisa, Goma y
Kuak y los orígenes del urbanismo en el Istmo
Oaxaqueño
Las recientes investigaciones indican que el urbanismo en el
Istmo Oaxaqueño surgió independientemente del urbanismo en
los altos de Oaxaca. Describimos la cerámica de las fases
Bicunisa (500-300 a.C.), Goma (300-100 a.C.) y Kuak (100 a.C.200 d.C.) y los patrones de asentamiento correspondientes,
incluyendo el surgimiento de Tres Picos, el primer centro urbano
de la región con arquitectura pública a gran escala, algunos
edificios con más de 15 m de alto, juegos de pelota y múltiples
estructuras habitacionales distribuidas en un área aproximada de
150 ha. Los datos indican que la región mantuvo relaciones más
estrechas con grupos del sur de Veracruz y el este de Chiapas y
Tabasco, esto debido posiblemente a que pertenecían a un grupo
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
ligado a la familia mixe-zoqueana que habitó el área.
Zaragoza, Diana (INAH)
[160]
Dzipac the Primordial God in the Huastec
Region: A Study through Ceramic
Representations
The Huastec region, inhabited by several ethnic groups, shared
what is considered the original god in their myths. I will refer to the
symbols depicted in the ceramic corpus from the archaeological
sites where the god is present. We don’t know where the original
is from, the time period for the initial appearance nor which of the
ethnic groups worshiped first; but is still uncommon that several
groups shared the same god.
Zaro, Gregory [256] see Houk, Brett
Zavala, Bridget (Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango)
[97]
Up Above and Not So High: Setting Variation
and Cerros de Trincheras in the Northwest/
Southwest
In the past three decades, researchers have documented much
variability in both the temporal and geographic scope of cerros de
trincheras (hills with dry-masonry walls and/ or terraces) built in
the U.S. Southwest and Northwest Mexico. This paper shows that
there are also contrasts within the appropriation of elevated
landforms and the crafting different places. Here I focus on varied
aspects of daily life on elevated landforms in different valleys from
Durango, Mexico to southern Arizona to demonstrate diversity in
site configuration and site location. These contrasts show us that
the corporalized experience of up-hill village life was different
beyond regional and temporal aspects. Through architecture and
the use of the natural topography the residents created particular
spaces that had different meanings. The builder's choices of
where to build resulted in some spaces with specialized roles at
the site and river valley level which this paper tries to
contextualize. Furthermore I also explore the relationship between
the appropriation of elevated settings in general and the unique
experience of living on particular hills.
Zavodny, Emily (Penn State University), Brendan J. Culleton
(Penn State University), Sarah B. McClure (Penn State
University) and Douglas J. Kennett (Penn State University)
[68]
Stable Isotope Analyses of Domesticated
Animal Bone and Teeth in Croatian
Archaeology
We review the current state of stable isotope studies in Croatia,
emphasizing the use of stable isotopes in domesticated animal
bone and teeth to address questions surrounding their origin and
spread during the Early to Late Neolithic (ca 6000-3500 BC).
Ongoing isotope work on materials from Neolithic Dalmatia allows
us to assess the possibilities and limitations of using poorly
preserved bone for stable carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur
isotope studies, and the selective use of ultrafiltration or XAD
purification for certain isotope systems. We then summarize what
we know and can expect to learn about the Croatian Neolithic
using available methodologies.
Zeanah, David (California State University, Sacramento)
[250]
A Technological Reanalysis of the Ground
Stone Technology at Puntutjarpa Rockshelter
Ground stone artifacts are found in all three of the stratigraphic
zones of Puntutjarpa Rockshelter, but both the chronology of the
deposit and the functional identity of the tools as seed grinders
have been challenged. Starch residues and use-polish on many of
the artifacts suggests seed processing occurred throughout the
Holocene. Reanalysis using technological attributes designed to
monitor investment in manufacture, transport, use, and curation of
milling equipment confirms that the specialized seed-grinders
ethnographically associated with wet milling of seeds are absent
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
from the assemblage. Implications for the antiquity and variability
of seed-based economies in arid Australia are discussed.
Zedeno, Nieves [64] see Montgomery, Barbara
Zedeño, Maria (University of Arizona) and Jesse Ballenger
[116]
Late Prehistoric Communal Bison Hunting
along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front:
Implications for Territory Formation among BigGame Hunters
Detailed information on the design and construction of multiple
driveline complexes with associated domestic and non-domestic
facilities along the Two Medicine River Valley in north-central
Montana provide a solid foundation for revisiting deeply set
notions of terrestrial big-game hunter territorial organization and its
social and ideological implications. We present a unique valleyscale analysis of the layout and construction of 11 complexes,
which were built and utilized between ca. AD 1000-1800, and
derive preliminary conclusions about the nature and politics of land
tenure among communal bison hunters.
Zeder, Melinda (Smithsonian Instituton)
[212]
Niche-Construction Theory and the Broad
Spectrum Revolution
More than 40 years ago Kent Flannery coined the term Broad
Spectrum Revolution (BSR) in reference to a broadening of the
subsistence base of Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in the Near
East that preceded and helped pave the way for the plant and
animal domestication and agricultural emergence. Set within a
demographic density model that projected differential rates of
population growth and emigration in different resource zones of
the Near East, Flannery’s BSR quickly became a global construct
linking resource diversification and intensification to imbalances
between population and environmental carrying capacity. In recent
years the BSR has proven especially attractive to researchers
working within an optimal foraging theory (OFT) framework in
which diversification and intensification of subsistence only occurs
within the context of resource depression, caused by either
demographic pressure or environmental deterioration. This OFT
perspective is increasingly being called into question as numerous
examples of diversification and intensification are being
documented in contexts of resource abundance shaped, in part,
by deliberate human efforts at ecosystem engineering intended to
promote resource productivity. An alternative approach, framed
within a newer paradigm, niche construction theory (NCT),
provides a more powerful explanatory framework for the BSR in
the Near East and elsewhere.
[32]
Discussant
Zeder, Melinda [283] see Smith, Bruce
Zegarra, Edward (Binghamton University)
[268]
Ceramic Production in the Wari Heartland: The
Search for an Understanding of the
Relationship between Type and Function Using
Statistical Analysis Programming
Seeking to determine the relationship between vessel types and
their functions, this poster will use a ceramic database from the
Wari site of Conchopata as a case study to present how SAS
statistical programming can be utilized to do more than group,
parse, and analyze large datasets of vast collections of material
remains. Examining both practical and symbolic function through
the incorporation of use-wear attributes, this investigation aims to
move beyond frequency of forms in assemblages to reach
preliminary understandings about purpose of manufacture across
an assortment of ceramics compiled over the course of 20 years of
excavations at the site.
453
Zeidler, James (Colorado State University)
[221]
Presenting Archaeological Heritage: Identity
and Interpretation in Heritage Tourism
Development and Marketing
This paper addresses the fundamental question of how the
interpretive component of a large archaeological tourism project
can best accommodate the often disparate knowledge base and
heritage interests of potential tourists drawn from regional,
national, and international contexts. In developing tourist
attractions for an outdoor “archaeological park” centered on the
site of San Isidro, Ecuador, a primary challenge, situated both at
the local level and within the heritage tourism design team itself,
has been balancing the role of interpretation based on scientific
archaeological research versus interpretation based on more
popular but often unscientific views of the local archaeological
record. Very often, this discrepancy plays out in terms of an
emphasis on archaeological contexts based on sustained
archaeological research in the area, versus a focus on
archaeological objects, where the latter are usually derived from
looting activity and heavily inform local heritage identity. In this
scenario, interpretative goals can easily bifurcate into parallel
realities—one accommodating an international scientific
community and scientifically informed tourists, and the other
accommodating local, regional, and national heritage identities.
This paper discusses how these disparate interpretive threads can
be effectively conjoined into a uniform archaeological narrative
through the current heritage identity politics of the Ecuadorian
nation-state.
Zejdlik, Katie (Indiana University)
[57]
Modern Medical Literature and the Lived
Experience of a Trophy Victim
Both Mississippian and early modern Europeans removed ears
and scalps as trophies. Clinical complications resulting from
scalping and ear removal are rarely discussed in the
anthropological literature. Modern medical research identifies how
trauma to the scalp and ear result in physical, behavioral and
emotional responses at individual, familial and community levels.
Medical studies can be used as a proxy for understanding the
physical experiences of past peoples who underwent similar
trauma. For example, facial palsy can result from facial nerve
damage during ear removal. The inability to control facial
expression would have had wide ranging social effects.
Additionally, early historic accounts link “brain fever”, to erratic
behavior and abnormal physical symptoms in scalping victims.
These behaviors may be the result of subdural hematoma or
meningitis caused by infection of cranial veins damaged during the
traumatic event. The application of medical research in
investigation of prehistoric experience provides a data supported
perspective for obtaining a substantive interpretation of behavior in
the past.
Zepeda, Elizabeth [63] see Sugiura, Yoko
Zhang, Grace Hua [38] see Hardy, Evan
Zhang, Hua (Simon Fraser University), Jigen Tang (Institute of
Archaeology, CASS, Beijing, China), Yuling He (Institute of
Archaeology, CASS, Beijing, China), Mark Skinner
(Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University) and
Deborah C. Merrett (Department of Archaeology, Simon
Fraser University)
[38]
Degenerative Joint Disease of Late Shang
People in Anyang, China (ca. 1250 – 1046
B.C.)
This paper reports the analysis of degenerative joint diseases
(DJD) on 350 human skeletal remains recovered from Anyang, the
454
capital of the Late Shang Dynasty in China. The remains span
about 200 years (ca. 1250 – 1046 B.C.), but archaeologically can
be divided into early and late phases. The distribution and
severity of DJD were carefully documented for each skeleton as
well as age, sex, and social status. Multivariate odds ratios assess
differences across three age groups, eleven joint systems and two
temporal phases. Our data indicate that 1) the frequency of DJD
increased from early phase to late phase; 2) increase in DJD was
greater in males than females, and 3) individuals of higher social
status are more affected than those of lower status. This study
suggests that mechanically strenuous lifestyle was significantly
intensified in the late phase, consistent with worsening socioeconomic conditions. While it seems reasonable to see males
more affected by the laborious lifestyle, it is unexpected that
people with higher social status suffered more from DJD.
However, we believe that the latter may be well interpreted by the
osteological paradox.
Zhang, Li
[84]
Ritual, Migrations, and State Formation in Early
China: A Case Study of the Huadizui Site
The archaeological record from Huadizui, which is located on the
eastern edge of the Luoyang Basin, during the formative phase of
the Erlitou culture documents a special type of event that had not
existed around the Songshan region of China before then: largescale feasting and rituals connected with sacrificing. My research
has shown that artifacts from two pits at this site indicate highclass ritual paraphernalia including ritual vessels used in pairs.
And another pit may be evidence of related food preparation and
cooking. This is further supported by the lithic and fauna remains.
This site was only used for this a very short time and thereafter
seemed to be sealed for the entire Erlitou period. What is more
interesting is that there is abundant evidence that the events at the
Huadizui site had connections with societies from the Northern
Zone. Furthermore, other sites of this period also indicate
migrations from other regions into the Luoyang Basin, all of which
is connected with the rise of the Erlitou state.
Zhang, Changping
[179]
Text-Based Periodization Orientation on the
Study of Western Zhou Chronology
Due to mountains of historical texts like shiji, text-based
chronology in China has stretched to 841BC, late Western Zhou
dynasty, and has a rough frame covered both Shang and Western
Zhou Dynasties. This frame roots in the knowledge of Chinese
scholars.
Before test-based dating techniques invented, Chinese scholars
have already periodized Western Zhou cultures and materials like
bronzes based both on style analysis and text-based chronology.
Guo Moruo, a famous historian, invented so-called standard
bronze dating method, dating bronzes into some kings’ regime
according to specific events, and also relative style of the bronzes.
This method was treated as a classical chronology study in
Western Zhou culture.
Text-based dating might lead chronology study to the other
attending. One inscription on the bronze might indicate a specific
king, but the bronze with the same style of shape or decoration
doesn’t refer to the same king, only refer to the similar period
indeed. Dating a bronze to a king of Western Zhou dynasty,
means dating the bronze to an absolute chronology instead of an
archaeological relative periodization, with a doubted presumption
that stylistic changes refer to the kings’ regime.
Zhao, Cindy Xin [38] see Hardy, Evan
Zhao, Xin (Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, Beijing, China), Antonia T Rodrigues
(Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University), Dawei
Cai (Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology, ),
Jing Yuan (Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
Socia) and Dongya Yang (Department of Archaeology, Simon
Fraser University)
[68]
Ancient DNA Analysis of Domesticated Horses
from Ancient China
This research characterizes the genetics of ancient domesticated
horses from archaeological sites in China in order to trace the
origin and spread of horse in ancient China. DNA was successfully
extracted from a total of 59 ancient horse bone or tooth samples in
dedicated ancient DNA labs at Institute of Archaeology CASS,
Simon Fraser University and Jilin University following vigorous
protocols for contamination prevention. The analyzed DNA
samples were from nine Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, including
Yinxu site in Anyang. Both mtDNA and nuclear SNP markers for
coat colors were targeted. The mtDNA data had a high success
rate (85%), revealing 38 haplotypes belonging to 6 haplogroups;
the SNP data (with limited success) showed different coat colors
(chestnut, bay, black and buckskin). This on-going project will
provide an excellent opportunity to compare the current generated
data with previously published ancient and modern DNA data from
inside and outside China to reveal changes in phylogenetic
patterns through time and space in ancient China.
Zhao, Zhijun
[179]
Origin of Dryland Agriculture in North China
China is one of the major centers for the origin of agriculture in the
world. There are several independent sub-centers of origin within
China, and an important one is North China along the Yellow River
areas where the origin of dryland agriculture is centered, with
foxtail millet and broomcorn millet the most representative crops.
Flotation technique, an effective way of extracting plant remains,
was introduced to and has ben implemented within Chinese
archaeological works in the past decade. As the result, a
tremendous amount of plant remains have been recovered from
many archaeological sites, including millets and other crops. The
new archaeobotanic data provide direct archaeological evidence
for the study of origin and development of dryland agriculture in
China. This paper attempts a synthesis of these new
archaeobotanic data while providing some new ideas about the
origin of dryland agriculture in North China.
Zhijun, Zhao [179] see Guanghui, Dong
Zhuang, Yijie [66] see Kidder, Tristram
Ziegler, Kim Laura [260] see Conlogue, Gerald
Zimmerman, Kasia (Simon Fraser University)
[20]
“A Part of the People”: Tla’amin čɛʔno (Dogs)
through Time
Humans share a fascinating relationship with dogs that extends
farther back in time than with any other domesticated animal.
Throughout the course of this relationship, dogs have served a
vast array of human needs. Archaeological investigations,
ethnographic records, and oral histories indicate that Coast Salish
peoples once maintained two types of dogs: the hunting (or
village) dog, and the wooly dog. Tla’amin First Nations, who are
part of the Northern Coast Salish peoples, had a unique type of
hunting dog that was specially trained for hunting deer. The
foundation for this study is the knowledge about dogs, past and
present, held by members of the Tla’amin community. I
documented this knowledge during an interdisciplinary fieldschool
conducted in partnership between the Tla’amin First Nation, Simon
Fraser University, and the University of Saskatchewan. Data from
the zooarchaeological record of dog bones recovered from
Tla’amin territory is integrated with community knowledge to
understand how the Tla’amin human-dog relationship reflects
landscape use more broadly. This study emphasizes the value of
community involvement in formulating and conducting
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 78th ANNUAL MEETING
archaeological investigations, in order to produce research that is
relevant to, and valued by, community members and
archaeologists.
Zimmerman, Lisa [25] see Richards, Patricia
Zimmerman, Larry (IUPUI/Eiteljorg Museum)
[118]
Discussant
Zimmermann, Mario [113] see Fernandez Souza, Lilia
Ziolkowski, Mariusz (University of Warsaw), Fernando Astete
(Direccion Regional de Cultura, Ministerio de Cultu), Slawomir
Swieciochowski (Centre for Precolumbian Sudies, University
of Wars) and Jacek Kosciuk (Technical University of
Wroclaw)
[200]
Astronomy in the Inca Capital: between wishful
thinking and reality
Cusco, la capital del Imperio Inca, contenia los mas importantes
conjuntos ceremoniales, expresiones del sistema ideologicoreligioso, base de todo el sistema de poder estatal. Una de las
principales componentes de este sistema eran los conocimientos
astronomicos-calendaricos, que se manifestaban tanto en la
orientacion especifica de dichos conjuntos y/o sus elementos
constitutivos, como en las actividades ceremoniales,
administrativas, economicas etc coordenadas por el sistema
calendarico estatal. Si las consideraciones generales presentadas
en las lineas anteriores son comunmente aceptadas por los
especialistas en la materia, existen importantes divergencias entre
los diferentes autores en los que toca a las manifestaciones
practicas de estos conocimientos. Dicho en otras palabras: que,
como y para que fines se estaba observando en el Cusco? Unos
de los temas mas acaloradamente debatidos son la supuesta
funcion astronomico-calendarica del sistema de los ceques, de la
ubicacion de las sucancas, de la funcion astronomica de
Coricancha etc. En el texto se abordara de manera critica algunos
de estos temas, en base a nuevas investigaciones de campo
realizadas recientemente por el Autor.
Zipkin, Andrew (The George Washington University), Mark
Wagner (The George Washington University) and Alison S.
Brooks (The George Washington University)
[117]
The Role of Loading Agent Particle Size and
Mineralogy in Formulating Compound Hafting
Adhesives
Residue analysis of stone tools from Sibudu Cave, South Africa
dating to between 26-60 kya and experimental reconstructions of
hafting glues have suggested that Middle Stone Age people added
an ochre (iron-containing earth pigment) loading agent to the plant
resin used to construct composite tools. In addition, it has been
proposed that ochre particle size is a critical variable in
determining the efficacy of these hafting adhesives. The study
reported here addresses the effects of ochre particle size,
amongst other variables, on the Work of Adhesion exhibited by
adhesives based on Acacia senegal resin. Using resin, distilled
water, and various loading agents, we formulated multiple
adhesives and used them to construct overlap joints which were
then subjected to tensile loading until failure. Quartz, clay
minerals, and iron oxide ranging from clay particle to coarse sand
size were evaluated as loading agents. Results indicate that iron
content is unrelated to Work of Adhesion since the strongest glues
contained quartz or no loading agent at all, when comparing
agents in the clay-sized particle class. We suggest that the
selection and transport of ochre was not driven primarily by its use
as a component of hafting adhesives.
455
Zipsane, Henrik [72] see Hansen, Anna
Zirkle, Heidi (University of Minnesota)
[94]
Modeling Daily Patterns of Visibility Using 3D
Models of Jeffers Petroglyphs
All visitors to Jeffers Petroglyphs find that the ability to see
petroglyphs changes enormously throughout the day. However,
systematic recording of exactly when different petroglyphs appear
and
disappear has presented significant logistical challenges. The
scans from the Jeffers Petroglyphs are registered to a digital
elevation model of the site, and are properly positioned in 3D
space. 3D models allow for rapid processing of large numbers of
petroglyphs. This paper presents results of a study exploring the
effects of light direction on visibility throughout the day. First,
animated movies are created using Lightwave 3D and the Sunsky
Plugin to recreate the movement of sunlight across petroglyph
models from sunrise to sunset. Next, frames are selected from
each movie and exported as JPGs for analysis in MATLAB.
Visibility is measured in terms of set thresholds of grayscale pixel
values. The proportions of pixels represented in each pixel
threshold are compared against other JPG frames from the movie,
thus quantifying the changes in visibility of a petroglyph across a
span of time. Visibility patterns are compared among the
petroglyphs in selected groupings, and for specific petroglyphs
during the different seasons.
Zobler, Kari (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
[285]
Identity at the Margins: Preliminary Excavation
Results from the LIP (950 –1470 C.E.) Site of
Talambo, Jequetepeque Valley, Peru
Talambo was a Lambayeque and subsequent Chimú center of
rural occupation and canal management located at the neck of the
lower Jequetepeque Valley during the Late Intermediate Period
(950 –1470 CE). In addition to its role as an important
administrative settlement for coastal valley populations, the site’s
location at the crossroads between coast and highlands provides
an important opportunity to examine sociopolitical configuration,
exchange relations, and ethnogenesis in a border region. I
address how rural administration and identity negotiation function
in marginal regions through preliminary excavation results from the
Late Intermediate Period occupation at Talambo.
Zubrow, Ezra [131] see Keeler, Dustin
Zúñiga, Belem [248] see Velazquez, Adrian
Zurita-Noguera, Judith (Instituto de Investigaciones
Antropológicas UNAM), Raúl Valadez Azúa (Instituto de
Investigaciones Antropológicas UNAM), Bernardo Rodríguez
Galicia (Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas UNAM),
Diana Martínez Yrízar (Instituto de Investigaciones
Antropológicas UNAM) and Emilio Ibarra Morales (Instituto
de Investigaciones Antropológicas UNAM)
[234]
Evidencias botánicas y zoológicas de los
periodos Xolalpan tardío y Metepec en el sitio
arqueológico de Teopancazco, Teotihuacan
(siglos V y VI dC)
En las investigaciones del centro de Barrio Teopancazco,
Teotihuacan México, ha tenido especial relevancia el estudio de
los restos animales y vegetales, que han recuperado evidencia
importante sobre la organización de quienes ocuparon el sitio. En
este trabajo presentamos algunos resultados de estos estudios.
Durante el siglo IV dC (fase Xolalpan temprano) este espacio se
especializó en la manufactura de vestimentas rituales, restos
óseos (incluyendo herramientas de hueso), macrorrestos
vegetales, polen y fitolitos recuperados sugieren la elaboración
de adornos, tocados, pigmentos y estucos. Los restos faunísticos
456
y botánicos pertenecientes al final del periodo Xolalpan (segunda
mitad del siglo V dC) indican cambios en la organización social y
en la producción artesanal del sitio que reflejan rituales de
terminación, violencia e incluso abandono. Posteriormente (fase
Metepec, siglo VI dC) estos materiales muestran un nuevo orden
enfocado hacia actividades domésticas y muy poca evidencia de
trabajo artesanal, tal como lo manifiesta la abundancia de restos
de especies locales y escasa presencia de organismos foráneos.
Zutter, Cynthia (MacEwan University) and Amy Reedman
(MacEwan University)
[70]
Northern Labrador Archaeobotany: Views from
Black Island
The use of local ecology within prehistoric Inuit communities of
northern Labrador for dietary and medicinal purposes, fuel, and
household elements has contradicted traditional views of plant use
in Northern Canadian Archaeology. How Labrador Inuit share
similarities and differences in uses of local flora within and
between groups, is investigated through the analysis of
archaeobotanical materials from18th-century house contexts
located at the Khernertok site (Black Island, NL) and others from
the Nain and Okak Regions. This project contributes to the further
understanding of the traditional uses of the Arctic tundra and shrub
ecology amongst the Inuit people and adds to evidence stating the
significant importance of this biome to the overall subsistence of
this dynamic culture.
Zwyns, Nicolas (University of California-Davis)
[222]
IUP United: Toward the Definition of a SiberoMongol Initial Upper Paleolithic Technocomplex
The Altai region has yielded a cluster of Late Pleistocene stratified
sites that illustrate a shift from Middle to Upper Paleolithic
behaviors along with the presence of at least three different
hominins: the Denisovans, the Neandertals and the Modern
Humans. Based on the analysis of lithic assemblages from KaraBom and Ust-Karakol Upper Paleolithic open-air sites, a set of
techno-economic and typological features is combined and put
forward to provide the Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) with an explicit
definition. When defined as such, the IUP occurs as a
chronological horizon of consistent and complex technical
behaviors observed in Siberia but also in Northern Mongolia.
Preliminary assemblage comparisons support the existence of a
united IUP technocomplex. Furthermore, the similarities observed
testify to long distance movements and/or contacts between
human groups from these regions starting from the Glacial
Interstadial 12. In the chrono-cultural model proposed, the IUP
technology disappears from Southern Siberia and Northern
Mongolia prior to the Heinrich IV cold event and is subsequently
replaced by Early Upper Paleolithic assemblages starting from
Glacial Interstadial 8.
[222]
Chair
Zych, Thomas (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
[25]
Stylistic and Compositional Variability in Pottery
from the Northeast Platform Mound at Aztalan
By the start of the 12th century A.D., the Aztalan Site in southeast
Wisconsin was home to Middle Mississippian immigrants from the
south and local Late Woodland residents. The amalgamated
population coexisted, maintained defensive works, and
constructed earthen monuments in the spirit of Middle
Mississippian mound construction. One such mound is located
within the domestic complex of the site in the northeast corner of
the palisaded area. Here, Wisconsin Historical Society
excavations during the 1960s produced evidence that the
presumably Mississippian mound was built over an existing Late
Woodland structure.
This paper explores aspects of social interactions that
accompanied construction of the northeast mound, complimenting
ongoing discussions regarding social identity, materiality, and
diversified social relationships of the late pre-Contact period in the
ABSTRACTS OF THE 78TH ANNUAL MEETING
midcontinent. Accordingly, this paper pairs a morphometric and
stylistic analysis of pottery recovered from the mound with
compositional analysis of the same materials using a Bruker
Tracer III-V+ portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyzer.
Results suggest construction of the northeast mound may not be a
simple case of Middle Mississippian coercion or cooptation.
Rather, the existing Late Woodland construction was transformed
into a new space, unique to Aztalan, and to the complex social
relations of the sites’ hybrid population.