This study used OSL dating to examine the chronological relationship between two adjacent archaeological sites at the Hare Hammock complex in northwest Florida. High-resolution vertical sampling was performed at 10cm intervals in profiles, one corresponding to a Swift Creek burial mound, and the other to a Weeden Island ring midden. This was done in order to determine the timing of occupations at the sites and look for patterns in radiation dosimetry. The Swift Creek mound was found to have a mean OSL age of 1835 +/- 68 years, consistent with archaeological expectations of the site and the accepted range of Swift Creek culture. The subsequent Weeden Island occupation was also found to have OSL ages within expectations, with a mean age of 1049 +/- 43 years that overlies a single age of 1511 +/- 372 years, corresponding to the Late and Early Weeden Island periods, respectively. The general coherence with radiocarbon dates and ceramic chronologies affirms the veracity of these OSL ages, which were obtained using a very recently developed dosimetric technique that applies Al2O3:C cylinders as in-situ dosimeters. These dosimeters indicated that the sediments at Hare Hammock contain significant heterogeneity in beta dose rates. This study finds that, under these circumstances, the best age results are obtained when applying the refined dosimetric technique which combines the beta dose rate from NAA/DNC and gamma dose rate from Al2O3:C dosimetry. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2011. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-149). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona is a peer-reviewed monograph series sponsored by the School of Anthropology. Established in 1959, the series publishes archaeological and ethnographic papers that use contemporary method and theory to investigate problems of anthropological importance in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and related areas.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2003. / Title from title page screen (viewed Mar. 29, 2004). Thesis advisor: Walter E. Klippel. Document formatted into pages (ix, 135 p. : ill. (some col.)). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-127).

Thesis (M.A.)--Simon Fraser University, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-113).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1995. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [279]-331).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Barbara, 1988. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 411-440).

Thesis (M.S.)--Southern Methodist University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2002. / Title from title page screen (viewed Feb. 27, 2003). Thesis advisor: Lyle W. Konigsberg. Document formatted into pages (xii, 208 p. : ill., maps (some col.)). Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-202).

The Mesoamerican residential mound is a basic unit of archaeological analysis. The way mounds form has implications for reconstructing past social organization. Studies of formation processes assume that characteristics of refuse are the result of depositional history. Tracing the history of archaeological deposits is the first step toward understanding the social and economic milieu of the prehistoric household. The traces of mound formation processes particularly are evident in ceramics. This study examines measures such as density, mean size, and variation in size and wear, to determine their utility in ascertaining depositional history, including discard practices, erosion, and trampling. The measures are tested with the Exploratory Data Analysis method using visual inspection of the data for patterns and examination of exceptional cases. Density by weight and mean sherd size were found to be particularly useful and simple measures for differentiating archaeological deposits. The characteristics of artifacts in a deposit provide the basis for reconstructing the formation of mounds. Earthen residential mounds like those of Veracruz are low and broad and usually lack imperishable construction materials. Unlike Maya housemounds, which often use fill for mound construction, earthen mound formation resembles (on a smaller scale) the formation of tells, the remains of ancient villages and towns in Western Asia. For both tells and earthen mounds, the erosion of houses forms the bulk of mound sediments. Residential mound growth is more by gradual accretion than by deliberate construction, and is due to six main formation processes. These are: (1) the erosion of wattle-and-daub construction material, which contribute to mound sediments; (2) the gradual accretion of sediments and artifacts; (3) horizontal erosion of daub and artifacts; (4) secondary refuse deposition; (5) the occasional use of fill to expand or level the mound; and (6) the development of a humic topsoil layer commonly damaged by plowing. Through refuse characteristics it is possible to reconstruct mound growth, use of space, and the location of structures and refuse dumps. These formation processes distinguish earthen mound development in many parts of Mesoamerica.