Thesis (PhD (Archaeology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This study investigates the evolution of modern mammalian faunas in the central interior of southern Africa by testing the hypothesis that the evolution of the black wildebeest, Connochaetes gnou, was directly associated with the emergence of Highveld-type open grasslands in the central interior. Southern Africa can be distinguished from other arid and semi-arid parts of the continent by the presence of an alliance of endemic grazing ungulates. The black wildebeest is characteristic of this alliance. Open habitats are essential for the reproductive behaviour of the black wildebeest, because territorial males require an unobstructed view of their territories in order to breed. The specialised territorial breeding behaviour of the black wildebeest is the reason why the black wildebeest is historically confined to the Highveld and Karoo areas and why it is reproductively isolated from sympatric blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus. The finds from a number of fossil-rich localities, dating from the recent past to approximately a million years ago, have been identified. The remains referred to ancestral C. gnou have been subjected to detailed qualitative and quantitative osteological comparisons with cranial and post-cranial elements of modern and fossil reference specimens. This material includes extant southern African alcelaphines and fossil materials of C. gnou, the extinct giant wildebeest, Megalotragus priscus, and North African fossil alcelaphines. The results show that cranial changes in fossil C. gnou, particularly the more forward positioning of the horns, basal inflation of the horns and the resultant re-organisation of the posterior part of the skull, preceded other skeletal modifications. These cranial changes indicate a shift towards more specialised territorial breeding behaviour in the earliest ancestral black wildebeest, evident in the specimens of the c. million year old Free State site of Cornelia-Uitzoek. Since the territorial breeding behaviour of the black wildebeest can only function in open habitat and since cranial characters associated with its territorial breeding behaviour preceded other morphological changes, it is deduced that there was a close association between the speciation of C. gnou from a C. taurinus-like ancestor and the appearance of permanently open Highveld-type grasslands in the central interior of southern Africa. This deduction is supported by the lack of trophic distinction between the modern black and blue wildebeest, suggesting that the evolution of the black wildebeest was not accompanied by an ecological shift. It is concluded that the evolution of a distinct southern endemic wildebeest in the Pleistocene was associated with, and possibly driven by, a shift towards a more specialised kind of territorial breeding behaviour, which can only funtion in open habitat. There are significant post-speciation changes in body size and limb proportions of fossil C. gnou through time. The tempo of change has not been constant and populations in the central interior underwent marked reduction in body size in the last 5000 years. Vicariance in fossil C. gnou is evident in different rates of change that are recorded in the populations of generally smaller body size that became isolated in the Cape Ecozone. These daughter populations, the result of dispersals from the central interior, became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.

British colonization of the Bahamian island of Eleuthera began in the mid-­‐ seventeenth century with the arrival of Puritans who came from Bermuda, seeking refuge from religious persecution. Funded by a group of British investors called the Eleutherian Adventurers, This first group of settlers shipwrecked and took refuge in a cave, now known as Preacher’s Cave, where they adapted to the island’s maritime tropical environment. Archaeological excavations conducted at Preacher’s Cave recovered a large quantity of faunal remains. This thesis presents an analysis of these materials and compares the resultant findings to existing historical records pertaining to this settlement. Whereas historical sources document chronic shortages of imported food supplies, the archaeological faunal assemblage demonstrates that the Preacher’s Cave settlers relied primarily upon available resources of the sea and nearby habitats. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

xviii, 326 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT GN799 .F6 H46 2002 / Archaeological evidence indicates that cold storage of bison meat was consistently practiced on the eastern Snake River Plain over the last 8000 years. Recent excavations in three cold lava tube caves have revealed a distinctive artifact assemblage of elk antler tines, broken handstones, and bison bone in association with frozen sagebrush features. Similar evidence has also been discovered in four other caves within the region. A patch choice model was utilized in this study to address how the long-term practice of caching bison meat in cold caves may have functioned in prehistoric subsistence patterns. Because the net return rate for bison was critical to the model, the hunting success of fur trappers occupying the eastern Snake River Plain during the early 1800s, as recorded in their daily journals, was examined and quantified. According to the model, the productivity of cold storage caves must be evaluated against the productivity of other patches on the eastern Snake River Plain, such as ephemeral ponds and linear river corridors from season to season and year to year. The model suggests that residential bases occurred only within river resource patches while ephemeral ponds and ice caves would contain sites indicative of seasonal base camps. The predictions of the model were tested against documented archaeological data from the Snake River Plain through the examination of Geographic Information Systems data provided by the Idaho Bureau of Land Management. The results of this analysis indicate that seasonal base camps are directly associated with both ephemeral and perennial water sources, providing strong support for the model's predictions. Likewise, the temporal distribution of sites within the study area indicates that climate change over the last 8000 years was not dramatic enough to alter long-term subsistence practices in the region. The long-term use of multiple resource patches across the region also confirms that, although the high return rates for bison made them very desirable prey, the over-all diet breadth for the eastern Snake River Plain was broad and included a variety of large and small game and plant foods. Bison and cold storage caves were a single component in a highly mobile seasonal round that persisted for some 8000 years, down to the time of written history in the 19th Century. / Committee in charge: Dr. C. Melvin Aikens, Chair; Dr. Lawrence Sugiyama ; Dr. Jon Erlandson ; Dr. Dennis Jenkins ; Dr. Cathy Whitlock ;

KwaGandaganda is an Early Iron Age (EIA) site in the .Mngeni valley (KwaZulu-Nata~ South Africa). Three cultural phases, Msuluzi, Ndondondwane and Ntshekane, dating between AD 620- AD 1030 were identified. The objective was to establish the extent of animal exploitation during the EIA in KwaZulu-Natal by means of faunal analysis, using internationally accepted methods. The collection included 41 006 fragments of which 22.9% were identifiable. A large number of species (68) were identified, including Rattus rattus. The collection yielded the largest quantity of ivory chips ever found on an EIA site in southern Africa, as well as an extensive variety of pathological specimens, mostly from Bos taurus. Several possible divining bones were present in the sample. Herd management, hunting strategies, gathering activities, fishing and trading of animal goods during the EIA were discussed, while the consequences of the unique excavation methods (i.e. the use of bulldozers) were also commented upon. / Anthropology and Archaeology / M.A. (Anthropology)

Text in English and abstract in English, Afrikaans and isiZulu / This archaeozoological study was undertaken to distinguish between the two hare species of South Africa, Lepus capensis (Cape hare) and Lepus saxatilis (scrub hare), from fragmentary archaeological faunal remains. It was previously not possible to taxonomically differentiate between these species. The research focused on Lagomorpha remains previously identified in Later Stone Age assemblages from two rock shelters, Blydefontein and Meerkat, in the Karoo. Analyses of modern skeletal material housed in museum collections demonstrated that there are indeed morphological and morphometric differences between Lepus capensis and Lepus saxatilis. The Lagomorpha material from the two archaeological assemblages were then re-examined utilising the newly established protocols. The reanalyses proved that it is now possible to distinguish between the two hare species even when in fragmentary form. It is also possible to identify Pronolagus. The dietary and likely cultural roles of the Lagomorpha and other small mammals in archaeological contexts are also explored. / Hierdie argeosoölogiese studie is onderneem om te onderskei tussen die twee haasspesies in Suid-Afrika, Lepus capensis (vlakhaas) en Lepus saxatilis (kolhaas), aan die hand van gefragmenteerde argeologiese fauna-oorblyfsels. Dit was nie voorheen moontlik om hierdie spesies taksonomies van mekaar te onderskei nie. Die navorsing fokus op Lagomorpha-oorblyfsels wat voorheen geïdentifiseer is in rotsskuiling-versamelings wat uit die Laat Steentydperk dateer. Die genoemde rotsskuilings is gevind by Blydefontein en Meerkat in die Karoo. Ontledings van moderne skeletmateriaal in museumversamelings het getoon dat daar wel morfologiese en morfometriese verskille tussen Lepus capensis en Lepus saxatilis is. Lagomorpha-materiaal afkomstig van die twee argeologiese versamelings is toe herondersoek aan die hand van nuut gevestigde protokolle. Die herontledings het bewys dat dit nou moontlik is om te onderskei tussen die twee haasspesies, selfs indien hulle gefragmenteerd is. Dit is ook moontlik om Pronolagus te identifiseer. Die rolle wat die Lagomorpha en ander klein soogdiere in argeologiese kontekste in dieet en kultuur vervul het, is ook ondersoek. / Ucwaningo maqondana nezitho zomzimba ezisalayo uma isilwane sesifile lwenziwelwa ukuba kukwazeke ukuhlukanisa phakathi kwalezi zinhlobo ezimbili zonogwaja eNingizimu Afrika, okuyiLepus capensis kanye neLepus saxatilis ngokubheka izingcucu zezinsalela zazo. Kwakungelula kudala ukuhlukanisa lezi zinhlobo zesilwane ngokwamaqoqo okwakheka noma okwenza kwazo. Ucwaningo lugxile kwizinsalela zohlobo lweLagomorpha olwaluvame ukubonakala ngenkathi yakudala okwakusetshenziswa kuyo amatshe ukwakha izinto (iStone Age) emiphemeni emibili eyayakhiwe ngamadwala eyayihlangene eyayaziwa ngokuthi yiBlydefontein neMeerkat esigodini esisagwadule esiseNingizimu Afrika, iKaroo. Ukuhlaziywa kwezingebhezi zemizimba yezinto ezigcinwe kwizigcinamagugu lwaveza ukuthi impela ukhona umehluko ekwakhekeni kanye nasezilinganisweni zogebhezi lwekhanda ngokomumo kumbe ugebhezi lwesiqu somzimba phakathi konogwaja abawuhlobo lweLepus capensis neLepus sexatilis. Uhlobo lweLagomorpha lwasesakhiweni semipheme ehlangene lwabe seluhlolwa kabusha kusetshenziswa izinhlobo ezintsha eziseqophelweni. Ukuhlaziywa kabusha kwaveza ubufakazi bokuthi sekuyinto engenzeka kalula ukuhlukanisa phakathi kwalezi zinhlobo ezimbili zonogwaja ngisho ngabe sezitholakala sezingcezungcezu. Kuyinto engenzeka kalula futhi ukubona uhlobo lwePronolagus. Indlela yokudla kanye nemisebenzi ehambisana nosikompilo kohlobo lweLagomorpha kanye nezinye izilwane ezincelisayo nakho kuyabhekwa. / Anthropology and Archaeology / M.A. (Archaeology)

In large-scale civil structures, a limited number of sensors are placed to monitor the health of civil structures to reduce maintenance, communication and energy costs. In this thesis, the problem of optimal sensor location placement to infer the health of civil structures is explored. First, a comparative study of approaches from the fields of control engineering and civil engineering is conducted . The widely used civil engineering approaches such as effective independence (EI) and modal assurance criterion (MAC) have limitations because of the negligence of modes and damping parameters. On the other hand, control engineering approaches consider the entire system dynamics using impulse response-type sensor measurement data. Such inference can be formulated as an estimation problem, with the dynamics formulated as a second-order differential equation. The comparative study suggests that damping dynamics play significant impact to the selection of best sensor location---the civil engineering approaches that neglect the damping dynamics lead to very different sensor locations from those of the control engineering approaches. In the second part of the thesis, an initial attempt to directly connect the topological graph of the structure (that defines the damping and stiffness matrices) and the second-order dynamics is conducted.

2 v. (xxiii, 627 p.): ill., maps. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: KNIGHT E78.O6 E53 1994 / A major concern of Columbia Plateau archaeology has been the development of the ethnographic "Plateau pattern." Observed during historic times, this lifeway focused on permanent riverine winter villages and intensive use of anadromous fish, with ephemeral use of interior tributaries and uplands for hunting and root gathering. Constrained by a salvage-driven orientation, past archaeological research on the Plateau has been biased towards major rivers, leaving aboriginal lifeways in the interior to be interpreted on the basis of ethnographic analogy, rather than archaeological evidence. The present study utilizes museum collections from the Pine Creek basin, a small tributary of the John Day River, to provide information on prehistoric lifeways in a non-riverine Plateau setting. Cultural assemblages and features from two sites, 35WH7 and 35WH14, were described, classified, and analyzed with regard to temporal distribution, spatial and functional patterning, and regional ties. At 35WH14, evidence of semisubterranean pithouses containing a rich and diverse cultural assemblage suggests long-term and repeated residential occupation of this site by about 2600 B.P. This contrasts with the ephemeral use predicted for the area by ethnographic accounts. Faunal remains identified from 35WH7 and 35WH14 show a persistent emphasis on deer, and little evidence for use of fish; this non-riverine economic base represents a further departure from the ethnographic "Plateau pattern." At both 35WH14 and 35WH7, large pithouses are not evident in components dating after 900 B.P., reflecting a shift to shorter sojourns at these sites. Use of the Study Area as a whole persists, however, and is marked by a proliferation of radiocarbon-dated occupations between 630 and 300 B.P. Clustering of radiocarbon dates from ten sites in the Study Area shows correlations with regional environmental changes. Both taphonomic and cultural factors are discussed. Reduced human use of the area after 300 B.P. is reflected in an abrupt decline in radiocarbon-dated occupations and the near-absence of Euroamerican trade goods. The role of precontact introduced epidemics is considered. Further consideration of spatial and temporal variability in Late Archaic Plateau prehistory is urged. / Committee in charge: Dr. C. Melvin Aikens, Co-chair; Dr. Don E. Dwnond, Co-chair; Dr. Ann Simonds; Dr. Patricia F. McDowell