<p>I apply a contextual analysis to the mortuary data of the Northwest Coast between ca.6000- 1000 BP to show that there are visible temporal and spatial patterns relating to the ways males and females are represented in burials. I have colleted and analyzed the data from 1044 individual burials from 45 burials sites from the north, south and central regions of coastal British Columbia. I examined variables including: burial mode: position of the body: type of interment and the types of grave goods in relation to gender and age groups. The differences between male and female burials are most reflected by the type of grave good(s) and the frequency and type of interment. Although there is no patterning among the burials from the Northwest Coast as a whole, gender-based differences in mortuary treatment are clearly evident within and between regions when the scale of analysis is reduced.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Various hypotheses concerning macroregional spheres of interaction affecting La Quemada's place in Mesoamerican history are evaluated. Pottery and human bone from the 1987-89 La Quemada project are analysed for information on intersocietal interaction. The hypothesis that La Quemada was involved in turquoise trade with the American Southwest (Chaco Canyon) in the Early Postclassic is also examined. The results of these analyses indicate that La Quemada had limited contacts outside its neighbouring valleys. None ofthe materials necessarily represent trade and there is no suggestion that a formally organised system existed. Attempts to find archaeological evidence for the ethnohistorical myths that relate the migration of Nahua speakers northward and the return ofthe Tolteca-Chichimeca to Tula fail to consider the difficulties with associating material remains with ethnic identity. It is not yet possible to explain how La Quemada was integrated into regional and macroregional scales of interaction.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

No description available.

Located on Cape Canaveral within the Indian River region of Central Florida, the Burns Site (8BR85) reveals important information about the Ais, a mobile fisher-gatherer group who occupied the area during the Malabar II Period (A.D.1000 – 1600). As a bridging region between the two largest cultures in Florida (Timucua to the North and Calusa to the South), Central Florida and the Ais, in general, are under-studied concerning paleoethnobotanical research. The research presented here investigated starch residues of ceramic vessel sherds from the Burns Site which were identified through a comparative catalog which was built-in part of this research project. Results proved that microbotanical study of the prehistoric period is feasible in Central Florida, where several different kinds of food plants were found during this study, including important economic plants such as maize (Zea mays), common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), acorn (Quercus sp.), smilax (Smilax sp.), and coontie (Zamia integrifolia). Although this research could not prove (or disprove) agriculture in the region, it did confirm various kinds of food plants were consumed by Ais prehistorically, including some plants without known historical usage. The results of this project indicate that the prehistoric Ais may have lived a different lifestyle than previously believed.

In the Southeastern United States, archaeological sites dating to the Paleoindian period are elusive. This study examined whether the Topper Site (38AL23) in Allendale County, South Carolina has buried, relatively undisturbed Paleoindian deposit using a sample excavation block removed during the 2005-2007 field seasons. Artifact horizons were defined by plotting the density of each bulk provenience against a vertical profile. The vertical displacement of refitted artifacts and the position of diagnostic artifacts were used to test the integrity of these horizons. The results indicate a discrete deposit associated with diagnostic Clovis artifacts. Subsequent analyses tested for horizontal post-depositional movement, and the results suggest isolated bioturbation events and winnowing had occurred. As an additional test of the horizontal integrity of the deposits, a spatial analysis found non-random patterning among the artifact classes. This study concluded that some areas were significantly disturbed, while other areas contained vertically discrete Clovis deposits with the spatial array of artifacts potentially intact.

In the Southeastern United States, archaeological sites dating to the Paleoindian period are elusive. This study examined whether the Topper Site (38AL23) in Allendale County, South Carolina has buried, relatively undisturbed Paleoindian deposit using a sample excavation block removed during the 2005-2007 field seasons. Artifact horizons were defined by plotting the density of each bulk provenience against a vertical profile. The vertical displacement of refitted artifacts and the position of diagnostic artifacts were used to test the integrity of these horizons. The results indicate a discrete deposit associated with diagnostic Clovis artifacts. Subsequent analyses tested for horizontal post-depositional movement, and the results suggest isolated bioturbation events and winnowing had occurred. As an additional test of the horizontal integrity of the deposits, a spatial analysis found non-random patterning among the artifact classes. This study concluded that some areas were significantly disturbed, while other areas contained vertically discrete Clovis deposits with the spatial array of artifacts potentially intact.

Limited research has assessed the lived experiences of juveniles during the Nubian Meroitic Period (300 BCE - 350 CE). Therefore, the focus of this research is to examine dietary patterns throughout development of elite juveniles from Sai Island, Sudan to identify if dietary variations exist throughout development that may be a result of social differences within the juvenile population. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of tooth dentin from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd molars of 11 adult individuals interred at cemetery 8-B-52.B on Sai Island are utilized to examine diet through the life course. As each tooth corresponds to a different developmental stage, the dietary patterns from the entirety of juvenile life can be examined via a longitudinal approach. Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests did not reveal statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in isotopic values between the sexes or molar types. The individual data trends, however, suggest there are differences in dietary patterns between sexes and molar types. A Levene's homoscedasticity test found a statistically significant difference in nitrogen isotopic values between sexes (p = 0.02), indicating a dissimilarity in nitrogen variation between males and females. Carbon isotopic trends suggest that during juvenile life, individuals are primarily consuming either C3 or a mixture of C3 and C4 resources. Overall, the results suggest that disparate variations exist in dietary patterns between sexes during development. Males are observed to have substantially more variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopic values, likely indicating access to a wider variety of resources than females during development. Once individuals reach adulthood, males and females appear to consume more homogenous diets. This research is important as it demonstrates how juvenile life history can be analyzed in the absence of juvenile skeletal remains that are typically not preserved in bioarchaeological assessments.

Mandibles are one of the most common bones encountered in the human archaeological record. Variation in mandibular morphology is often associated with differences in subsistence strategy as masticatory stresses influence bone growth and development. Bone growth is stimulated by bone modeling, the process by which formation and resorption occur through the uncoupled activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, respectively. There is a limited understanding of bone modeling patterns in humans due to a lack of quantitative data and small sample sizes. The aim of this research was to address the question: is there a shared bone modeling pattern in the mandible of Homo sapiens? To address this question, this research analyzed bone modeling patterns during ontogeny in a sample of 48 mandibles from three geographically diverse populations with differing subsistence strategies: Western Europe (France and Germany), Greenland (Inuit), and South Africa (Khoe khoe and San). The sample was divided into four age categories. Epoxy replicas of the bone were analyzed under a digital microscope, and bone resorption was identified and quantified to create digital bone modeling maps. This study found subtle population differences throughout ontogeny, with bone modeling patterns that diverge during adulthood, possibly related to subsistence strategy. This study contributes to research on bone modeling patterns in the craniofacial system of H. sapiens, expanding on our understanding of bone growth dynamics and morphological adaptations.

The focus of this thesis is to learn more about the diets and lives of Nubian individuals who lived on Sai Island during the Meroitic period (250 BC to AD 250) using an approach based in life history, gender, and social identity theory. These individuals were in buried the cemetery 8-B-52.B and they were part of the elite social class. Dietary analysis was conducted by analyzing the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from bulk samples of human bone collagen. A total of 34 bone samples were analyzed, and 31 of those samples were determined to be well-preserved. These data were combined with data from 54 additional 8-B-52.B samples that were generated by Raisor (2020). Mann-Whitney U tests were used to test for statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in this combined 8-B-52.B data set by comparing the carbon and nitrogen isotope values of the individuals divided into groups based on age or sex estimates. No statistically significant differences were found between the male and female individuals for the carbon or the nitrogen values. However, there were statistically significant differences between d13C values of the infants to when compared to all age groups, except the young adults, and the adolescents compared to the young and old adults. There were also statistically significant differences between the d15N values of the perinates compared to all groups, except the young adults, and the infants compared to all age groups. The general trends in the data suggested subtle variation in the diets of the male and female individuals, but most of the isotopic variation in the sample was likely caused by the lingering biological effects of different diets during different ages. Overall, these individuals consumed a combination of both C3 and C4-based foods in varying proportions, and it seems elite Nubians had similar diets after childhood.

The Migration Period (375 to 568 CE) of Central and Eastern Europe was a tumultuous time politically, culturally, and socially. Historical and archaeological evidence provide support for the large-scale movement of multiple tribes and groups, including the Gepids and Avars, although biogeochemical evidence for mobility is currently limited for these populations. Mobility can impact individual and group health and identity, and has socio-political implications for broader regions involved. As such, identifying the extent and scale of mobility within a given population can provide nuanced insights into multiple aspects of life and society in the past. To investigate mobility in a population during and immediately following the Migration Period, bulk stable isotope analysis of stable carbon and oxygen were conducted on skeletal remains of Gepidic and Avar period individuals (n = 24) from the Hungarian site of Berettyóújfalu. Paired tooth enamel and bone bioapatite samples were analyzed, in order to reconstruct both early and later life values. The results of these multi-isotope and multi-tissue analyses indicate that there are statistically significant differences between paired bone (later life) and tooth enamel (earlier life) bioapatite values, providing evidence for change across the life course. Additionally, there is some tentative evidence that the females at the site may have been more mobile than the males, although further research is needed to corroborate this. Broadly, this research provides a meaningful contribution to the growing literature on isotopic variation and mobility in Gepidic and Avar communities, and thus creates a more nuanced image of life in Migration Period Hungary more generally.