My study sought to acquire quantitative data from the surface of lithic tools and use that data to discriminate tools used on different contact materials. An experimental archaeological wear production method was conceived, whereby I and several volunteers produced wear on chert, heat-treated chert, and obsidian flakes by using those flakes on several contact materials. The flakes were then analyzed using a laser scanning confocal microscope, which recorded three-dimensional surface data from each tool. The data was analyzed using cluster analysis to find the ideal combination of parameters which correctly discriminated the flakes based on use-wear data. After finding acceptable parameters which grouped flakes appropriately through cluster analysis, those groups were subjected to a discriminant analysis. Each analysis returned a p-value under .05, meaning that the clustering based on the parameters Sq and Sfd produced by the cluster analysis was not random, but indicative of these variables' ability to discriminate lithic use-wear. The major advantage of the approach developed in this study is that it can quantitatively discriminate use-wear produced by different contact materials on flakes with no a priori information at all. / by Elliott Farber. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

L’un des plus célèbres préhistoriens français du XXe siècle, professeur au Collège de France, était aussi un prêtre. A l’instar de l’abbé Henri Breuil, un certain nombre de préhistoriens ont revendiqué deux parts de leur identité : celle qui relevait de leur appartenance à une communauté scientifique et celle qui procédait de leur engagement pour le catholicisme. La conjonction ''et'' de l'intitulé rend compte d'une somme variée de choix subjectifs et de ce qui s'est joué dans l'interface. Grâce à l’analyse de leurs archives privées, nous questionnons leurs rapports à leurs communautés d'élections dans un contexte marqué par les progrès de la sécularisation en France et par un climat de méfiance s’élevant contre les incursions de la modernité scientifique au sein de l’Église. L’empreinte de leur foi sur leurs interprétations des données archéologiques, ainsi que leurs efforts pour construire des scénarios acceptables des origines humaines constituent deux observatoires intéressants de cette interface. Deux historiographies sont rapprochées, celle de l'histoire culturelle et religieuse et celle de l'histoire des sciences humaines et de la préhistoire. La longue durée du découpage chronologique, qui débute en 1859 avec la reconnaissance des travaux de Jacques Boucher de Perthes, et s'achève en 1962 avec le Concile Vatican II, permet d'observer la succession des différentes générations, les fidélités revendiquées ainsi que les déplacements opérés. / In the second part of the XIXth century in France, the context of secularization created a dividing line between theological and scientific discourses about human origins. In spite of this, several archaeologists publicly displayed their Catholic faith during this period. These archaeologists felt a connection, rather than a boundary, between their faith and their scientific research. They viewed the Bible as symbolic rather than literal and sought in prehistoric remains proofs that supported their Catholic beliefs. Thus, their faith had a certain influence on their interpretations of prehistoric man. Although several facts seemed to testify against historicity of Genesis, Catholic archaeologists always tried to resolve incoherencies and establish acceptable scenarios. They did this for themselves and to support fellow Catholics alarmed by anticlerical objections. I examine these connections but also another boundary: what could be said and what could not be said in the French Catholic community about prehistoric origins in the context of the Modernist crisis.

The prehistory of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is poorly understood and the region today is home to the Yupiit, whose traditional lifeways revolve around animals. However, the fur trade and Christianity limit the use of ethnographic data to fully understand pre-contact human-animal relationships and subsistence in particular. The discovery of the prehistoric site of Nunalleq (15th-17th c. AD), therefore provides a unique opportunity to address this issue and opens a window to explore human responses to the Little Ice Age. In this research, a zooarchaeological analysis was undertaken to investigate animal exploitation at Nunallleq, potential changes in subsistence strategies and the nature of the faunal assemblage. Results suggest that people at Nunalleq focused primarily on salmon, marine mammals and caribou with migratory waterfowl possibly playing an important role at specific times of the year. This tripartite subsistence strategy appears to have provided the inhabitants of the site with the flexibility and necessary coping mechanisms to face potential environmental-related stress during the Little Ice Age by relying more on other resources, such as seals and caribou, when experiencing a reduced availability of salmon. The choice to settle at Nunalleq may have been strategic in order to have good access to multiple key resources simultaneously and it is suggested that perhaps the possible decline in salmon may be related to prehistoric warfare in the region. It is also highlighted that bone working and dog gnawing contributed to the formation the Nunalleq faunal assemblage. This raises further questions as to the nature and meaning of arctic and subarctic archaeofaunas and highlights the importance of multiple lines of evidence to document past human-animal relationships. This study better informs our understanding of Nunalleq forming a baseline for further subsistence studies in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-10-06T16:50:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Hérom Silva de Cezaro_.pdf: 7425261 bytes, checksum: ef10a566734d3a111f111a775c4725f5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-06T16:50:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hérom Silva de Cezaro_.pdf: 7425261 bytes, checksum: ef10a566734d3a111f111a775c4725f5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-18 / Nenhuma / A presente Dissertação de mestrado tem por objetivo fazer o mapeamento, o registro, a análise tipológica e técnica dos sítios e ocorrências arqueológicas de Arte Pré-histórica registrados nos contrafortes da serra geral catarinense, dentro do polígono do Projeto de Pesquisa Arqueologia Entre Rios: do Urussanga ao Mampituba, da Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense-UNESC, e sua comparação com os sítios de Arte Pré-histórica registrados por outros autores em regiões próximas. O intuito é perceber similaridades e diferenças entre padrões gráficos, técnicos e ambientais e assim contribuir para o panorama arqueológico e da Arte Pré-histórica do extremo sul catarinense. Na manipulação do material se acentuaram as diferenças entre os sítios e as outras ocorrências registrados em áreas próximas, mas sobrou uma sensação de parentesco entre todos os sítios da região, sua ligação com a ‘tradição pisadas’ de gravuras e, com relação à população executora, sobressaiu a da tradição cerâmica Itararé. / This Master thesis aims to map the record, the typological and technical analysis of the archaeological sites of prehistoric art registered in the foothills of the Santa Catarina general saw, within the research polygon Archaeology project Entre Rios of Urussanga to Mampituba, the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense-UNESC, and its comparison with the prehistoric art sites registered by others in nearby regions. The aim is to understand similarities and differences between graphic patterns, technical and environmental and thus contribute to the archaeological landscape and the Prehistoric Art of the southern tip of Santa Catarina. In handling the material they have widened the differences between sites and other occurrences registered in nearby areas but left a feeling of kinship between all sites in the region, its connection with the 'trodden tradition' of prints and, with respect to the executor population , stood the Itararé ceramic tradition.

The objective of my research was to compile all known burial data from the Fort Walton culture located in northwest Florida (A.D. 1000 to contact) to determine any patterns in burial practices. A thorough literature review of all published material was conducted to obtain the burial data. I also reviewed burial practices of other contemporaneous late prehistoric cultures in the Southeast, including the Pensacola and Rood cultures. The burial data clearly indicate that Fort Walton burial practices varied greatly; 14 different burial types were identified from all of the sites. A similar pattern is seen among Pensacola, Rood and Mississippian ceremonial centers. However, secondary burials were dominant at mixed Fort Walton/Pensacola and Pensacola sites when compared to classic Fort Walton burial sites. This may have been the result of European contact, which might have changed native burial practices in northwest Florida, as a result of disease and displacement; however, future studies are needed to assess this hypothesis. Caches of pottery and burials capped with pottery appear to be a unique characteristic among Pensacola burial sites. Two major dissimilarities observed at Rood burials were the practice of dyeing teeth and a mass burial with an altar. Of all of the Fort Walton sites, the elite burials from the Lake Jackson site most closely resembles the elite burials discovered at Etowah, Moundville, and Spiro, due to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC) goods and the elaborate tombs.

The main focus of this project is to chronicle whether or not social inequality increased among households and community-level interactions in Ucanha, Yucatan, Mexico, at the time it was physically integrated with a larger regional polity headed by Ucí around the Terminal Preclassic/Early Classic (50 BCE – CE 400) transition. My research seeks to identify how social distinctions emerged during the early moments of social inequality and how these distinctions did or did not become a threat to social cohesion, as seen in the Early Classic “collapse” in some areas. Using a relational theoretical perspective, I argue that political authority and economic practices are embedded in moral expectations of a household quality of life that is negotiated by all actors. Trenching and broad-scale horizontal excavations document five variables of social distinction—architectural energetics, feasting, diversity of household assemblage, caching/burial practices, and the use of space—at three dwellings. Gini scores that calculate the distribution of fancy ceramics and labor investments in architecture also contribute to measuring household wellbeing at Ucanha. Results highlight differential, yet relatively high, quality of life during the Late Preclassic and then greater inequality and an overall decreased quality of life by the middle of the Early Classic (CE 400/450 – 600). Excavations from contexts associated with monumental architecture indicate vast labor inputs into Ucanha’s built landscape around the time of broader regional integration. Excavations and multi-elemental chemical analyses from the Central Plaza suggest this large public space was built during the Late Preclassic and was used for a variety of rituals that incorporated the populace through processions and performances. By the first few centuries into the Early Classic, however, the Central Plaza was walled off and access became limited and more tightly controlled. Thus, it appears emergent leaders at Ucanha, as evidenced by the presence of iconography related to centralized decision-making and possibly kingship, were successful in providing a high quality of life for their citizenry in exchange for labor and devoted followers during regional integration. Yet, during the Early Classic, household quality of life diminished, access to fancy ceramics became highly curtailed, and many residential platforms were abandoned likely as a result of leaders failing to meet the expectations of their followers.

Prehistoric life in the Colorado Desert endured a variety of environmental extremes. Episodic flooding and shifts in the course of the Colorado River resulted in the infilling of the Salton Basin and created a large freshwater lake known as Lake Cahuilla. Settlement along the different segments of the lakeshore is considered variable and may reflect accessibility to nearby viable resources. Remains from archaeological excavations at lakeshore sites show that lacustrine resources and fishing opportunities attracted prehistoric groups to the ancient lake. How prehistoric groups organized themselves and utilized lakeshore and nearby resources offer opportunities to explore the subsistence and mobility strategies of populations living in an oscillating environmental context. Using information generated from past Cultural Resource Management projects, the current study analyzes multiple data sets to address questions of a regional scale to more fully understand the effects of cyclical Lake Cahuilla on desert inhabitants. Analysis of existing collections and their associated documentation from late prehistoric habitation sites adjacent to the northwestern maximum shoreline as well as recessional shoreline sites some 30 miles to the south provide additional information on resource availability in a changing environment. It appears that in some circumstances the northwestern lakeshore inhabitants adapted to a changing environment and maintained occupation spanning multiple lake stands. During high stands, subsistence practices focused on lacustrine resources until no longer viable and habitation sites feature specialized subsistence technology reflecting fish procurement and processing. During lake recession, at least short-term habitation was sustained and corresponded to the exploitation of specific fish and waterfowl species. This study will help us better understand the strategies employed by groups who utilized the resources of this fluctuating lacustrine environment. Examination of resource use and mobility patterns practiced by prehistoric Lake Cahuilla inhabitants allows for interpretations of the adaptations necessary for life within this desert region. Ultimately, this research is applicable to broader anthropological queries on a regional scale. The Salton Basin is positioned within a geographical region that likely experienced influence and change from the surrounding environs. Gaining a deeper understanding of the study area will ultimately aid in future research concerning environmental adaptation, exchange relations, and culture change among the neighboring regions of the Mojave and Great Basin deserts, the agricultural Southwest, adjacent mountains and coast lines, and Baja California (Schaefer and Laylander 2007:381). Additionally, an understanding of how resource availability influenced past populations can contribute to ongoing and future studies concerned with resource management in the Colorado Desert and similar xeric environments.

Focusing on the relationship between demography and sedentary behavior, this thesis explores changes to mobility strategies on the Northern Northwest Coast of North America between 11,000 and 5,000 cal BP. Drawing on a regional database of radiocarbon dates, it uses summed probability distributions (SPDs) of calibrated dates as a proxy for population change, in combination with syntheses of previously published technological, paleo environmental and settlement pattern data to test three hypotheses derived from the literature about the development of logistic mobility among maritime hunter-gatherers on the Northern Coast. In all, each of the hypotheses proposes that early peoples on the coast were foragers that utilized high levels of residential mobility, who later adopted collector (logistic) strategies. Two of the hypotheses emphasize the role of population growth and/or packing and resource distribution in this transformation, while the third emphasizes population replacement. Other issues addressed within this thesis are whether or not the forager-collector continuum, as it is used for terrestrial hunter-gatherers, can be applied to those in aquatic settings. Also explored, is the question of whether the available data is sufficient for making and/or testing claims about early mobility patterns in the region. The results of the demographic models suggest that while population levels were volatile, volatility declined through time and that there is no significant trend in either growth or decline of overall population levels throughout the region. This thesis also confirmed that significant changes to mobility, as evidenced by the emergence of semi-sedentary to sedentary living, begin to appear by ~7,000 cal BP. However, there appears to be little, if any correlation between the advent of more sedentary and logistic behavior and any of the variables tested here. Thus this author suggests, in agreement with Ames (1985; 2004) and Binford (2001) that the distribution of resources and labor organization needs within aquatic environments are sufficient without any other drivers for the development and intensification of logistic mobility. The principle analytic contribution of this research comes from the demographic modeling that relied on the construction of summed probability distributions. Though these methods have become commonplace in other settings (namely Europe), this thesis presents the first application of these methods within the time period and region covered. Moreover, this research is one of the only of its kind to address demographic histories within coastal landscapes that utilizes both marine and terrestrial 14C samples. In order to explore possible biases within the database, comparisons of marine and terrestrial SPDs were made between sub-sections of the region (i.e. Haida Gwaii, Southeast Alaska and the Dundas Islands). Though patterning between each of these areas was consistent, these comparative methods revealed an unexpected finding; a massive population crash throughout the region that began between ~9,000-8,800 cal BP and lasted till around 8,400 cal BP. Importantly, this crash was witnessed within all of the individual sub-areas and within SPDs made from both the marine and terrestrial 14C samples, though the reasons behind this collapse and verification of its existence require future research. However, finding this collapse at all further highlighted the need for use of correctly calibrated 14C dates, as the gap in 14C dates effectively disappears when using uncalibrated dates, which has been a longstanding tradition within Northwest archaeology.

Late Period (<1500 >years), high-altitude (>2600 m asl) archaeological sites in northwestern Wyoming prove difficult to date with traditional methods. The presence of Intermountain Ware ceramics at these sites presents an opportunity to use single-grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to date vessel manufacture. These OSL ages also date site occupation as the vessels’ use-life is encapsulated within the standard error of the technique. This thesis develops a protocol to date quartz temper of Intermountain Ware sherds. Additionally, it investigates potential post-depositional thermal resetting of luminescence signals by wildfires. Ceramic sherd samples were obtained from four sites in northwestern Wyoming: Boulder Ridge, High Rise Village, Caldwell Creek, and Platt. Each site, except Caldwell Creek, has existing radiocarbon ages that provide independent age control. Additionally, all sites except Platt were impacted by past wildfires of varying intensity and consequently provide a test of the thermal resetting capabilities of wildfires.The Platt site is also the only site not located at high altitude and therefore, the sample from this site serves as a control in this study. Luminescence results demonstrate single-grain OSL dating of quartz temper from Intermountain Ware ceramics can provide improved accuracy and precision over radiocarbon dating when sherds are not adversely affected by wildfires. These results underscore the need for cultural resource managers to sample from subsurface contexts when inventorying sites impacted by high-intensity wildfires or to locate and identify sites with strong potential for high-intensity wildfires and date them prior to eventual burning. These results also validate single-grain OSL dating of ceramic temper as a valuable chronometric tool for cultural resource managers and archaeologists seeking to build and refine existing site and regional chronologies.

With this thesis, I aim to fill a gap in our knowledge of shell artifacts from the northwest part of the state of Florida. It represents a first look at the range of shell artifacts in the collections of the University of South Florida (USF) obtained during the ongoing program of archaeological investigations in the Apalachicola Valley and surrounding region. There are 46 sites in the study area that have been identified as yielding shell artifacts, of which samples from 27 sites are curated in the USF Archaeology Laboratory. The proposed typology is based on an analysis of over 2300 specimens collected from archaeological sites in northwest Florida, including the Gulf Coast, barrier islands, St. Joseph Bay, and the Apalachicola River drainage. Shell artifacts represent one informative set of strategies that pre- and proto-historic Native Americans used to make a living. Despite this recognition, shell artifacts from northwest Florida have thus far received very little attention when compared with collections from south Florida. The paucity of available chert or other stone raw materials probably helped encourage south Florida peoples to utilize marine shell resources more extensively (White, Fitts, Rodriguez, and Smith 2002:16). The USF Apalachicola collection clearly demonstrates that marine shell played an important role in the lives of prehistoric native peoples from the north Gulf Coast as well. Twenty-two artifact types, including adzes, hammers, and dishes have been identified at 46 sites extending as far as 70 river miles inland. It is hoped that the research here presented will provide an opportunity to expand our knowledge of how past peoples lived in their everyday settings and help anthropologists categorize material culture in a more organized fashion. The provisional typology of shell tools is intended as a foundation for future work in the Apalachicola River area and in neighboring regions.