includes all Session Abstracts and Individual Abstracts

387 Pages·2012·4.49 MB·English

ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING 1

SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACTS

[1] FORUM ■ PRESIDENT'S FORUM: ARCHAEOLOGY AND [7] POSTER SESSION ■ GEOPHYSICS SOLVING
THE MEDIA: A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
Archaeological discoveries around the globe provide
science journalists with a steady source of stories of wide [8] POSTER SESSION ■ SOUTH AMERICA
public appeal. Archaeologists rely on media to extend the
reach of their work and its significance to a wider [9] POSTER SESSION ■ USING LIDAR IMAGES
audience. On the other hand the relationship between
the media and archaeology is often fraught with [10] FORUM ■ RESEARCH IN THE FIELD: WHAT TO DO AND
miscommunication and lost opportunities. A panel of WHAT NOT TO DO IN RUNNING AN ARCHAEOLOGY
prominent +science journalists representing various PROJECT
media (television, radio, popular and scientific journals, (SPONSORED BY STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE)
and newspapers) and archaeologists with extensive Whether you are beginning to write a dissertation or kick-
experience in media relations explore this complicated starting your career, running your own field project can
relationship and how to improve it. be an exciting but perilous process. Knowing how to run
a proper research project—from gaining the proper
[2] GENERAL SESSION ■ RESEARCH ON LATE ARCHAIC AND permissions to obtaining the necessary funding and
POVERTY POINT PERIODS hiring a good crew—is critical to any successful career,
especially a research-based field like archaeology. A
[3] FORUM ■ CAPACITY-BUILDING FOR ARCHAEOLOGY IN well-run project with good data results can make or break
THE 21ST CENTURY: HOW WILL PEOPLE MANAGE THE your research. This Student Affairs Committee
INFORMATION EXPLOSION? sponsored forum is designed to advise students on how
(SPONSORED BY DIGITAL DATA INTEREST GROUP) to successfully run a field project from beginning to end.
Archaeology is experiencing a digital information
explosion. We ask how archaeology is prepared, with [11] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE AURIGNACIAN IN THE CLASSIC
human resources, to meet the challenges of an REGION: NEW EXCAVATIONS, INSIGHTS AND APPROACHES
information-saturated environment. Databases, online Comparisons between the Aurignacian (Upper
archives, and grey literature proliferate, redefining Paleolithic) and the Mousterian (Middle Paleolithic) are
collaboration, publication, and public stewardship. often used to discuss the “transition” to modern human
Today’s university students (supposed “digital natives”) behavior in Europe. However, the Aurignacian exhibits
often have poor information literacy. Data management extensive chronological, spatial and technological
requires advanced skills with desktop and Web variability. This variability must be understood using
applications. How can we prepare the next generation of modern excavation and analytical techniques before
archaeologists to cope with more data and changing these data can be used in comparisons. This symposium
tools? How does this information affect peer reviewed focuses on the Aurignacian as an independent entity.
publication? How do we build broad technical and The papers present results from recent inquiry
organizational capacity to better understand the (excavation, experimentation, analysis) into the nature of
archaeological record? the European Aurignacian adaptation. Most are centered
on the “classic region” (southern France), though other
[4] SYMPOSIUM ■ DAVID H. KELLEY AND HIS areas will be discussed.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MESOAMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
David H. Kelley was an inspiration for his diverse and [12] FORUM ■ THE IMPACT OF SPECIAL PURPOSE
provocative approach to the pre-Columbian past. INSTITUTIONS ON THE FUTURE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Throughout his long professional career, Kelley Archaeology is experiencing a rise in the creation of
maintained a wide range of academic interests that special purpose organizations. Joining established
influenced Mesoamerican studies worldwide. Best known organizations are new institutes of archaeology,
for his fundamental role in the decipherment of Maya independent organizations focused on advancing
hieroglyphic writing, he was also a leader in segments of the archaeological endeavor and the
Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy. Never limited to expansion of leading CRM firms into fundamental
thinking within the ‘box,’ due, in part, to his vast and research. These organizations bring new funding models
eclectic knowledge, Kelley helped to shape the field of and some already secured significant endowments. The
Mesoamerican archaeology during the 20th century. The impact of any individual organization may be limited;
papers in this session discuss the wide-ranging nature combined, they may lead archaeology in new directions.
and continuing influence of Kelley’s significant Directors from a number of leading organizations will
contributions. articulate their vision, assess their successes and
critically examine collective impact of their organizations
[5] POSTER SESSION ■ BIOARCHAEOLOGY IN THE ANDES on the future of archaeology.

[6] POSTER SESSION ■ GEOARCHAEOLOGY
2 ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING

[13] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE ROOTS OF CREOLE NEW ORLEANS: with topics ranging from hunter-gatherer economics,
GARDENS AND MARKETS OF THE FRENCH QUARTER social networks and interaction, bioarchaeological
In the last 10 years, the archaeology of New Orleans has variation, human agency, consultation, and
been significantly enriched by several collaborative methodological advances.
projects, particularly on colonial sites located in the
French Quarter. These include the site of St. Anthony's [18] GENERAL SESSION ■ HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF
Garden behind St. Louis Cathedral, which serves as the WESTERN NORTH AMERICA
centerpiece for an ongoing comprehensive project aimed
at deepening our understanding of how the city’s early [19] SYMPOSIUM ■ POLITICAL STRATEGIES IN PRE-
African, Native American, and European residents COLUMBIAN MESOAMERICA
exchanged knowledge about medicine, gardening, food Anthropological discussions of power and authority in
and domestic technologies. Papers will present results of human societies frequently emphasize the need for rulers
new analyses on St. Anthony’s Garden, the Rising Sun to differentiate themselves from other members of their
Hotel, and related sites in the French Quarter. community. The acquisition, maintenance, and exercise
of political authority, however, are likely more complex,
[14] SYMPOSIUM ■ FORENSIC ARCHAEOLOGY: RECENT multifaceted processes. This session will explore the
CASES, CURRENT RESEARCH notion that those who are set apart as rulers must
As forensic archaeology continues to be utilised by crime simultaneously demonstrate their sameness – to their
scene investigators and law enforcement officials, case followers, to past rulers, and to contemporaneous rulers
studies are of great use to those engaged in forensic of other communities. Specifically, the session will
work. This session aims to highlight recent projects from consider political strategies used in Pre-Columbian
those active in the field. In addition, those involved in Mesoamerica and will examine whether and how rulers
academia and postgraduate study have the opportunity adopt strategies that resolve this apparent contradiction.
to address areas untouched by current practitioners. This
session also features research projects that are of benefit [20] SYMPOSIUM ■ STONES, BONES, AND PROFILES I:
to forensic work and criminal justice. CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF GEORGE C. FRISON
AND C. VANCE HAYNES
[15] SYMPOSIUM ■ RECENT INVESTIGATIONS OF THE Over the past five decades George Frison and Vance
PACBITUN REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT, CAYO Haynes have become the most prominent pioneers in
DISTRICT, BELIZE North American Paleoindian archaeology and Quaternary
The Pacbitun Regional Archaeological Project (PRAP) geoarchaeology. The pioneering contributions of these
has been conducting investigations in and around the National Academy of Sciences members have created
Prehispanic Maya site of Pacbitun, Cayo District, Belize foundations of knowledge upon which their students and
for the past four field seasons. This project represents others continue to build, and have stimulated new ways
the first investigations at the site in approximately 15 of perceiving the early prehistory and ecology of North
years. Much of this recent research has focused on the America. This session seeks to honor them with
previously unexplored periphery, but has continued in the presentations on topics that exemplify their works
formally excavated epicenter. This symposium provides a individually or jointly. Such topics include the peopling of
forum for current project members and previous Pacbitun the Americas, experimental archaeology, flaked stone
researchers to present their results on a wide range of studies, geoarchaeology, and Plains/North American
topics including artifact production, causeways, caves, Prehistory.
rock shelters, and minor centers.
[21] SYMPOSIUM ■ COORDINATE APPROACHES TO
[16] SYMPOSIUM ■ RESOURCES, NETWORKS, MIGRATIONS IN EPICLASSIC AND POSTCLASSIC
LANDSCAPES, AND FAMILY: RECENT DIRECTIONS IN MESOAMERICA
HUNTER-GATHERER RESEARCH Ethnohistoric, linguistic, biological, and archaeological
This session showcases recent work investigating data coupled with imagery and epigraphy identify the
intertwined questions related to hunter-gatherer Epiclassic through Middle Postclassic periods (6th to
demography, subsistence, social relationships, and 14th centuries AD) of Mesoamerica as a particularly
landscape use. The presenters explore a range of topics tumultuous time. Many processes triggered population
related to these questions, utilizing both archaeological movements as older cities declined and new ones arose,
and ethnographic data as well as a variety of modeling and as climatic or political change altered human
methods. New World and Old World examples are relations with the landscape. These short and long
considered. distance migrations provide Mesoamericanists with
important theoretical and methodological opportunities to
[17] SYMPOSIUM ■ CRITICAL THINKING IN ARCHAEOLOGY: address the interrelationship between material culture,
PAPERS IN MEMORY OF DEE ANN STORY biology, language, and social identity. This session takes
For over four decades Dee Ann Story had a significant advantage of Mesoamerica’s rich documentation to
influence in archaeological research carried out by pursue goals of broader anthropological relevance.
students and colleagues as she urged them to critically
assess biases, methods, and alternative explanations of [22] GENERAL SESSION ■ RESEARCH IN THE YUCATAN
data. While her research largely focused on the Caddoan PENINSULA
cultures of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana,
Dee Ann encouraged critical thinking regardless of the [23] SYMPOSIUM ■ ART MAKES SOCIETY
topic. In this session, former students and colleagues Archaeologists have investigated ‘art’ as meaning,
discuss how she aided and shaped their own research symbols and representations, or cognition. Alternative
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING 3

approaches include ‘art and agency’ models or work on IN ARCHAEOLOGY
aesthetics. We propose a new direction: Art is action; it is (SPONSORED BY COSWA)
something people do as well as view. And action and Women’s roles in archaeology have varied. Women have
practice are social: people act together, with or against founded and pioneered major avenues of research and
others. Art is participatory, creating a focus or setting for methodology, been relegated to labwork, discouraged
relational action. It unites, divides or positions people. from fieldwork due to sexism and traditional gender roles,
‘Art’ objects and images – material culture - form an and mentored the next generation. This symposium
essential part of the materiality of groups, mediating reflects on the experiences of women in archaeology and
social relations. Participants explore these ideas with on those who have benefited from their knowledge.
case studies from around the globe. Questions addressed include: Have changing gender
norms affected views of women in archaeology?; Has a
[24] SYMPOSIUM ■ PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE 21ST shift occurred in recognizing sexism within archaeology?;
CENTURY Do experiences differ between CRM, government, and
(SPONSORED BY PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY INTEREST academia?; In what ways might mentorship of male
GROUP) students by female professors differ?
It has become increasingly common for public
archaeology to no longer be viewed as synonomous with [29] GENERAL SESSION ■ BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSES
CRM and/or public education, but instead as the process IN SOUTH AMERICA
whereby archaeology enters the public discourse. Under
this definition, archaeologists are not viewed as [30] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE SOUTHERN MESOAMERICAN
conducting research on behalf of the public, but rather as HIGHLANDS AND PACIFIC COAST IN PERSPECTIVE: RECENT
mediators in the process whereby stakeholders and other RESEARCH
interest groups negotiate the meaning of the past. The The last years has seen an increase of research in the
goal of this symposium is to educate professional Highlands and Pacific Coast of Chiapas, Guatemala, and
archaeologists about the benefits and challenges of El Salvador. This symposium will present results from
public archaeology by presenting examples of archaeological projects that include data on settlement
archaeological programs or projects in which the public survey, excavations, and analysis. These enlarge our
has been successfully engaged. knowledge of the understanding of the rise and fall of
social complexity in southern Mesoamerica. Papers will
[25] SYMPOSIUM ■ TRANSFORMATIONS DURING THE focus on the Preclassic, Classic and Postclassic periods,
COLONIAL ERA: DIVERGENT HISTORIES IN THE AMERICAN showing the importance of understanding regional
SOUTHWEST developments linked to our larger comprehension of
The American Southwest during the colonial period was Mesoamerica social processes.
a time of complex negotiations between and among
indigenous groups and Spanish intruders. Many [31] SYMPOSIUM ■ TRIBAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION
transformations occurred during this period in response OFFICES: ISSUES AND LESSONS LEARNED
to these new interactions and intrusions, forever (SPONSORED BY IGIP AND CNAR)
changing the course of history throughout the region. Tribal Historic Preservation Officers face a multitude of
This session draws together scholarship from across the special issues and hurdles when it comes to managing
Southwest to better understand these transformations and protecting varied tribal cultural resources. These
and focuses on three divergent social and geographic issues are seldom heard or discussed within the larger
contexts: Pueblo communities, Spanish colonial field of archaeology, nevertheless, these issues are of
settlements in the New Mexico colony, and colonialism paramount importance to all archaeologists and their
and missionization in the Pimeria Alta. Case studies help lessons can and should be used by other archaeologists
us to understand the divergent histories that were when working collaboratively with tribal nations and
wrought by colonization. communities to help improve historically tense
relationships. The issues discussed in this symposium it
[26] SYMPOSIUM ■ RITUAL PRACTICE IN THE ANDES is hoped, will create a dialogue and open possible
While ritual has been a widely researched topic in the avenues for further collaborative research between
humanities and social sciences, archaeologists still THPO, their offices, and archaeologists.
debate whether the practice of ritual is distinguishable
from the activities of everyday life in the material record. [32] SYMPOSIUM ■ COLLECTIVE BURIALS, COLLECTIVE
The goals of this symposium include: (1) explore the IDENTITIES?
methods (e.g. architecture, ceramic, landscape, Collective burials – such as those of Neolithic Europe -
paleoethnobotany, zooarchaeology) to identifying ritual are generally presumed to reflect a collective identity
practice; and (2) discuss the influence of ritual practice shared by the individuals housed in these burials. Put
on the formation, reproduction, and change, not only of another way, the spatial contiguity of individual burials is
the social structure but also of community life in past assumed to indicate social proximity. What is the basis of
Andean societies. Current research will be presented this assumption, and what are the problems with it? How
from various archaeological contexts and time periods in does our understanding of collective burials change
the Andes. when high-resolution chronologies are obtained of
multiple individuals from a tomb? This session presents
[27] GENERAL SESSION ■ ARCTIC AND SUBARCTIC current thinking on collective tombs, focusing on those in
ARCHAEOLOGY Neolithic Europe, and draws on recent results of
chronological studies and ethnographic comparisons.
[28] SYMPOSIUM ■ REFLECTING ON THE ROLE OF WOMEN
4 ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING

[33] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER: SHAPING interest is on the rise as archaeologists realize the
LIFEWAYS IN SOUTH TEXAS FOR 10,000 YEARS: RECENT potential of these sites. Publications show that
ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER BASIN approaches differ widely based on the background and
In the past few years there has been an increase in training of the archaeologist. This session acts as a
archeological excavations along the San Antonio River, discussion for this developing subdiscipline while
due primarily to the San Antonio River Improvement examining methodological approaches, theoretical
Project and enhancements which will bring an influx of frameworks for interpreting cave sites, and recent
new recreational opportunities, development and tourism findings.
along the San Antonio River. These investigations have
greatly increased our knowledge of settlement patterns in [42] SYMPOSIUM ■ CULTURAL LANDSCAPES AS HISTORIC
this area from the PaleoIndian period through Spanish PROPERTIES. MANAGING NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU
Colonial times. This session focuses on some of these TRAINING LANDS WITHIN A BROADER SPATIAL CONTEXT
newly discovered sites as well as research at Spanish (SPONSORED BY NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU)
Colonial sites that are directly and indirectly related to Cultural resources such as archaeological sites or
this project. historic structures do not exist in a vacuum, but are more
often than not part of a larger network of continuous
[34] SYMPOSIUM ■ FORT ROSALIE: AN OUTPOST ON THE activity and land use. In order to appropriately manage
FRENCH COLONIAL FRONTIER historic properties under Army National Guard (ARNG)
Founded in 1716, Fort Rosalie was a node of order, jurisdiction, it is necessary to consider them within a
communication, and trade of the Natchez Region, the broader spatial context, what is called a landscape
Mississippi Territory, and eventually the State of perspective. This may require consideration of several
Mississippi. It was also an early center of government different types of resources (such as a group of
prior to the establishment of civilian government. In 1729, structures, archaeological sites, and natural features as
it became the flashpoint of conflict between the Natchez they change over time) as a single integrated system of
Indians and French colonials, which brought an end to cultural activity.
the French agricultural colony at Natchez, and to the
Natchez Indians. This session presents data and [43] GENERAL SESSION ■ PLAINS ARCHAEOLOGY
information recovered from excavations conducted by the
National Park Service’s Southeast Archeological Center [44] GENERAL SESSION ■ PAPERS ON EXPERIMENTAL
at the Fort Rosalie site, Natchez National Historical Park. ARCHAEOLOGY

[35] POSTER SESSION ■ ETHNOBOTANY AND PLANT USE [45] GENERAL SESSION ■ STUDIES SPANNING THE
ARCHAIC AND WOODLAND PERIODS
[36] POSTER SESSION ■ MAPPING, GIS, GPS
[46] SYMPOSIUM ■ FROM SOURCE TO CENTER: RAW
[37] POSTER SESSION ■ NEW GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIAL ACQUISITION AND TOOLSTONE DISTRIBUTIONS
APPROACHES TO PALEOENVIRONMENTS AND (SPONSORED BY PREHISTORIC QUARRIES AND EARLY
SETTLEMENTS MINES INTEREST GROUP, ARCHÆOLOGIC USA, LLC)
(SPONSORED BY GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL INTEREST GROUP) Quarry locales are often separate from where people
This session is dedicated to new geoarchaeological lived. In such cases, toolstone procurement may require
research and is sponsored by SAA’s Geoarchaeology organized task groups to obtain the raw material and
Interest Group. Participants consider a wide range of bring it to reduction areas or ultimately to use and then
applications including paleoenvironmental reconstruction, discard zones, rather than ad hoc opportunism. This
ancient agriculture, site formation, historical settlement symposium examines patterning and cases that diverge
and prehistoric monuments. This research is global in from the expected, to better understand the relationship
context and employs both traditional between places where populations use their tools and
(paleoenvironmental, coring) and emerging (chemical the locations where raw materials are found. In turn, by
residue analysis, XRF) methods looking closely at these relationships, archaeologists may
come to new conclusions about the technological
[38] POSTER SESSION ■ PALEOENVIRONMENTAL systems within which tool making plays a key role.
RESEARCH
[47] SYMPOSIUM ■ COLOR IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST,
[39] POSTER SESSION ■ PALEOENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AD 1150-1600
IN SOUTH AMERICA Color is important in every culture, past and present, yet
archaeologists have little understanding of how ancient
[40] GENERAL SESSION ■ IROQUOIAN STUDIES Southwesterners used color. The papers in this session
examine the prevalence (and absence) of different colors
[41] SYMPOSIUM ■ SUBMERGED CAVE ARCHAEOLOGY: in various media, from ceramics, painted murals, and
METHODS, THEORY, AND RECENT FINDINGS rock art to textiles, plaster, and painted figurines. They
Submerged caves present different challenges and also address the technical and material constraints of
opportunities than traditional underwater sites. Springs, pigments and dyes used in different media. Each paper
flooded caverns, sinkholes, cave lakes, and siphons are focuses on a specific time, place, and medium,
significant as features in ancient landscapes and combining to create a picture of the use of color in the
sheltered environments that protect cultural material from ancient Southwest from the mid-12th century through the
nature’s dynamic forces. A relatively small number of protohistoric
submerged cave sites have been published; however,
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING 5

[48] FORUM ■ DEVELOPING STANDARDS FOR ETHICAL aspects of society, especially identity within these trans-
MANAGEMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS frontier polities. The aim is to arrive at a preliminary
(SPONSORED BY COMMITTEE ON MUSEUMS, COLLECTIONS, vision of the development of these societies along the
AND CURATION) whole of Inca Empire.
Stimulated by the Society for Historical Archaeology’s
recent proposal to develop inter-organizational standards [53] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE ARCHAEOLOGY AND LEGACY OF
for collections management, and in the context of the THE 1862 HOMESTEAD ACT AND RELATED USE OF THE
curation crisis, the Committee on Museums, Collections, GENERAL LAND OFFICE RECORDS FOR THE BUREAU OF
and Curation invites SAA members to participate in an LAND MANAGEMENT
open forum focused on the ethics of managing 2012 marks the bicentennial of the General Land Office
archaeological collections in the field and the repository. and the sesquicentennial of the Homestead Act. As part
Building on SAA’s Ethical Principle No. 7 (Records and of the Bureau of Land Management's commemoration of
Preservation) and related implementation guidelines, we these events. Without them the West today would not
plan to discuss culling, deaccessioning, in-field analysis, exist as we know it. The presenters will discuss their use
and standards for evaluating collection significance. The of the GLO records for research, investigations of the
goal is that participants come away better prepared to historic remains of homesteads, capturing reminiscences
represent SAA in discussions with other organizations. of homesteading descendents, and sharing these
heritage resources with the public.
[49] GENERAL SESSION ■ ETHICS BOWL
[54] SYMPOSIUM ■ INSIGHTS FROM SMALL STATE
[50] SYMPOSIUM ■ MISSISSIPPIAN IN MISSISSIPPI: CHIEFLY DYNAMICS AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS: PAPERS IN
POWER AND MONUMENTALITY IN THE NORTHERN YAZOO HONOR OF BARBARA L. STARK
BASIN For almost four decades, Barbara Stark has made
Prehistoric archaeological sites and earthen monuments important contributions to an impressive variety of topics
in Mississippi’s northern Yazoo Basin constitute an and methods in Mesoamerican archaeology enhancing
anthropogenic landscape that is patently distinctive within our knowledge of coastal adaptations, craft production,
the greater Mississippian Southeast. While platform urban forms, gardens, interregional interaction, and the
mounds were constructed throughout the Southeast, the effective application of settlement pattern research. The
density of Mississippian mounds, and the frequency of conceptual and methodological breadth of Stark’s
their construction, makes the Yazoo Basin unique. Using research on small state dynamics in Veracruz has
theoretically informed analyses of archaeological data, inspired generations of students and colleagues in
this session focuses on monumentality and landscape as Mesoamerica and beyond. The papers in this session are
a medium that embodies the organizational abilities of directly inspired by topics, ideas, and methods introduced
institutionalized leaders. By coordinating the formation of by Stark and include presentations by Stark’s colleagues
this anthropogenic landscape, leaders reinforced and and past and present graduate students.
institutionalized systems of social organization and
power. [55] SYMPOSIUM ■ STONES, BONES, AND PROFILES II:
CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF GEORGE C. FRISON
[51] SYMPOSIUM ■ WHAT ROLE DID CHANGING AND C. VANCE HAYNES
TEMPERATURES PLAY IN THE SUCCESS OF NORTH Over the past five decades George Frison and Vance
AMERICAN FARMING SOCIETIES IN THE LAST PREHISPANIC Haynes have become the most prominent pioneers in
MILLENNIUM? North American Paleoindian archaeology and Quaternary
Prehispanic agriculture in North America depended geoarchaeology. The pioneering contributions of these
heavily on three plants: maize, beans, and squash. Since National Academy of Sciences members have created
all except the domesticated squash used in eastern foundations of knowledge upon which their students and
North America were tropical in origin, temperature others continue to build, and have stimulated new ways
probably constituted a major limiting factor in their of perceiving the early prehistory and ecology of North
northwards expansion. Here we review evidence for America. This session seeks to honor them with
changing paleotemperatures in North America from AD presentations on topics that exemplify their works
500 to 1500 and compare that with evidence for the individually or jointly. Such topics include Paleoindian
range of, and degree of dependence on, these cultigens prehistory, faunal exploitation, bone bed taphonomy, and
across North America, to assess how the success of Plains/North American Prehistory.
farming societies in each area was affected by changing
temperature regimes. [56] SYMPOSIUM ■ ANSWERING PSEUDOARCHAEOLOGY:
PROACTIVE DIALOGUE AND RESEARCH IN RESPONSE TO
[52] SYMPOSIUM ■ BEYOND THE IMPERIAL FRINGE: EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR AND ESOTERIC
EXPERIENCING THE INCA EMPIRE FROM THE OUTSIDE ARCHAEOLOGICAL CLAIMS
Empires are ubiquitous to human history. Empire implies, In popular media and culture, extraordinary and esoteric
at the simplest level, a relationship between colonisers claims, dubbed “pseudoarchaeology,” dominate the
and colonised; yet there is another relationship, that of image of the human past. The success of these
the empire to the uncolonised. This third group alternative narratives demonstrates a latent interest in
encompasses those beyond immediate imperial control, archaeology that the scientific community has not been
veritable trans-frontier communities. This session then able to satisfy. Past efforts to confront
investigates the people on, and beyond the edge of the pseudoarchaeological claims have focused on dismissal
Inca Empire and how they interacted with this new and redirection to questions of more viable research
imperial presence; emphasising changes across all interest to scholars, a tactic that has not borne much fruit.
6 ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING

This session instead points to a more proactive model of and society. In this symposium we also aim to integrate
research and presentation directly aimed at the interpretation of skeletal materials with their
“alternative” questions regarding the human past that are archaeological contexts.
popular in public discourse.
[61] SYMPOSIUM ■ CURRENT TRENDS IN BELIZEAN
[57] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE "NETWORKED" FEAST ARCHAEOLOGY
Examining the feast requires interrogating its surrounding In recent years, a tremendous quantity of new
networks--networks of integration with social practice and archaeological research has been conducted in Belize,
cultural boundaries--and asks how meanings are Central America, shedding new light on the lives of the
maintained, strengthened and restructured. At the same Ancient and Colonial Period Maya, as well as those who
time, the individual calculus of conspicuous consumption preceded the Maya and colonized this region in the 17th-
draws us towards economic networks, such as 19th centuries. Researchers are focusing on multiple
production, distribution and ownership. The objective of lines of investigation; excavating newly discovered sites,
the "networked feast", then, is to understand the compiling greater regional analyses, applying cutting-
variegated negotiations that are incorporated through edge investigative methods, and undertaking
these events while investigating the networks that they comparative approaches. This session brings together
synthesize. By delimiting and reinterpreting categories of papers on some of this recent work from various sites
feasting, we seek to provide a theoretical and throughout Belize, and highlights the important research
methodological roadmap that will help guide future contributions emerging from this nation.
research.
[62] GENERAL SESSION ■ MEXICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
[58] SYMPOSIUM ■ INTERDISCIPLINE FOR THE PAST:
ARCHAEOMETRICAL STUDIES IN MESOAMERICA [63] GENERAL SESSION ■ NEAR EAST AND EUROPE,
Archaeometry is a wide field of research that is defined EPIPALEOLITHIC THROUGH CHALCOLITHIC
as the application of scientific techniques to the analysis
of archaeological material. In Mesoamerica, [64] GENERAL SESSION ■ PAPERS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL
archaeometrical studies have been developed as a METHODS
disciplinary link between anthropological and natural or
exact sciences, for the analysis of movable and [65] GENERAL SESSION ■ CONTRIBUTIONS IN PUBLIC
unmovable cultural objects. The present symposium is EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
intended to discuss the advance of an interdisciplinary
field of study that implies a close collaboration between [66] SYMPOSIUM ■ AN INCONSTANT LANDSCAPE:
archaeologists and other scientific disciplines, and as an ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT EL ZOTZ,
approach that uses modern instrumental techniques to GUATEMALA
extract historical, cultural, and technological information Archaeologists have been investigating the ancient Maya
from archaeological and historical materials and contexts site of El Zotz and its surrounding landscape for six
of Mesoamerican heritage. seasons. This symposium uses such data to study
concentrated Maya settlement in a region of conflict and
[59] SYMPOSIUM ■ UNIQUE MORTUARY RITES: alliance with larger polities. There will be two parts to the
INTERPRETATIVE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR session: 1) a set of papers examining the El Zotz
NON-MODAL FUNERARY PRACTICES landscape on a period by period basis; 2) a set of papers
Most archaeological approaches to mortuary practice by project specialists focusing on topics such as the
tend to focus on the identification of patterns of variability paleoenvironment, ceramics, and lithics. The goal of this
that allow us to examine the social, political, and/or session is to construct a coherent narrative of cultural
ideological dimensions that governed mortuary behavior and landscape change around El Zotz.
in the past. However, interpretations based on modal
patterns are often challenged by unusual funerary [67] POSTER SESSION ■ HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF
contexts, such as ossuaries, cenotaphs, and NORTH AMERICA
dismembered bodies. The goal of this symposium is to
shift our attention to these distinctive and often [68] POSTER SESSION ■ LA RECONNAISSANCE:
overlooked mortuary cases in order to reconsider our ARCHAEOLOGY IN TRINIDAD'S NORTHERN RANGE
methodological and interpretive framework. Incorporating Recent archaeological research in Trinidad's Northern
such examples offers key insights into the fluid and Mountain Range has yielded exciting new results about
sometimes contested relationships between the living Amerindian lifeways in the island's interior. Most previous
and the dead. research on the island has focused on shell mound sites
along the coast. These previous studies have
[60] SYMPOSIUM ■ BIOARCHAEOLOGY OF ASIA emphasized inter-island exchange networks and
There is a growing interest in bioarchaeological research importation. Archaeological research at the
in Asia (e.g. Oxenham and Tayles, 2006, Robbins- multicomponent La Reconnaissance site paints a more
Schug, 2011). This region poses some unique research nuanced view and indicates that while certain artifact
issues, including complex population interaction and styles are shared with other parts of the Caribbean,
movement, and subsistence strategies. This session artifact manufacture emphasized local resources and
explores these issues by presenting work that production.
investigates migration and population movement and the
effect that the intensification of agriculture and emerging [69] POSTER SESSION ■ NEW VOICES HEARD:
socio-political intensification had on past peoples' health CONTEMPORARY STUDIES IN AFRICAN, AFRICAN
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING 7

AMERICAN, AND APACHE ARCHAEOLOGY remarkable past.
Africans, African Americans, and Apaches have long
been underrepresented in archaeology, both as [75] SYMPOSIUM ■ ZOOARCHAEOLOGY OF COASTAL
practitioners and as subjects of research. While the last MESOLITHIC
ten years have witnessed great strides in investigations Mesolithic archaeology has greatly developed in the last
of these diverse communities, the number of voices years producing a great amount of new
heard remains small. Recent studies by students at zooarchaeological data. Archaeofaunal studies from
Howard and other universities, however, promise to help these sites are fundamental to shed a new light and
change that situation. This session brings together understanding to the Paleoeconomy and Paleoecology of
research by undergraduate and graduate students on Mesolithic coastal hunter-gatherers. We would like to
different archaeological problems, ranging from studies discuss such topics as animal resources, hunting
of structures and artifacts to considerations of trade and methods, seasonality, and evidence of human pressure
commerce in different communities. Together, they offer and how they can help interpret the social, cultural and
fresh perspectives on pasts that are still only environmental changes of the early and middle
Holocene.
[70] POSTER SESSION ■ RESEARCH ON THE MAYA
[76] SYMPOSIUM ■ RECENT INVESTIGATIONS AT THE
[71] POSTER SESSION ■ STUDIES IN MESOAMERICAN ROLLING FORK SITE: LATE MISSISSIPPIAN IN THE LOWER
ARCHAEOLOGY DELTA
In 2008-2010, the USACE, Vicksburg District contracted
[72] FORUM ■ BIOARCHAEOLOGY IN CULTURAL RESOURCE Panamerican Consultants to investigate a 32-acre parcel
MANAGEMENT: PRACTICE, PROFESSIONALISM, PROSPECTS containing part of the Rolling Fork Mounds, 22SH506, a
This forum addresses the role of bioarchaeologists in Late Mississippian Deer Creek Phase village, with two
CRM, including a range of issues regarding large mounds, a plaza, and habitation areas. The project
professionalism and practice. The discussants work in involved geophysical survey and multiphased
corporate and agency settings in the field, laboratory, excavations and was the first intensive, multidisciplinary
office, and at the negotiating table. They bring their study of a single component Deer Creek phase village.
experience to discuss such questions as: How can Characterization of the artifact and feature assemblages
bioarchaeologists can have a proactive role in planning combined with zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, and
and implementation of fieldwork? What strategies work bioarchaeological analyses give us a detailed
best for in situ and in-field analysis? What is the examination of a late Mississippian occupation in the
bioarchaeologist's role in addressing descendant Lower Delta. This project also represents close
communities’ interests? What ethical and professional collaboration with several Native American Tribes.
issues pertain when publication or data use is prohibited,
and is research fundamentally incompatible with [77] GENERAL SESSION ■ ANDEAN ARCHAEOLOGY
compliance?
[78] GENERAL SESSION ■ ONEOTA AND OTHER UPPER
[73] SYMPOSIUM ■ PATHS TO POWER: STRATEGIES OF MISSISSIPPIAN
HIGHLAND MESOAMERICA’S LATE FORMATIVE AND EARLY
CLASSIC RULERS [79] GENERAL SESSION ■ ARCHAEOLOGY IN FLORIDA
The Formative/Classic transition was a time of great
demographic upheaval for Mexico’s highland [80] GENERAL SESSION ■ ETHNOBOTANICAL AND
communities. As the competitive chiefdoms of the Late PALEOENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES IN NORTH AMERICA
Formative failed to keep pace with growing population
density, increasing social inequality, intensified [81] FORUM ■ DIGITAL DATA STANDARDS AND "BEST
territorialism, and environmental degradation, rulers PRACTICES" NEEDED FOR ACCESS TO AND PRESERVATION
experimented with new ways of constructing and OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL INFORMATION
maintaining power. This symposium seeks to explore the With ever greater frequency, archaeologists produce and
nature of this experimentation by examining building use archaeological information and data in digital
projects, ritual practice and specialized production in the formats. Grants programs, curation agreements,
context of shifting exchange networks and political background research, comparative studies, and
alliances. syntheses of archaeological information require better
access to and long-term preservation of digital
[74] FORUM ■ REFLECTIONS FROM THE GLITTERING SEA: archaeological data. Some standards and “best
NEW RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS INTO THE HUMAN AND practices” already exist, others remain to be developed.
ECOLOGICAL HISTORIES OF THE CALIFORNIA ISLANDS Participants will discuss existing standards, efforts
While the Baja and Alta California islands were home to underway to provide better or needed standards, and
a variety of indigenous societies, there are similarities in related key topics from the perspectives of data-
the ways these peoples inhabited and interacted with generating, funding, preservation, and regulatory
their island homes over the course of millennia. Despite agencies, as well as organizations that have created and
parallels, some chose different pathways to resolve utilized standards.
comparable challenges. It is in examining and discussing
these convergences and divergences through cultural [82] FORUM ■ RECENT RESEARCHES ON THE
residues and environmental data (past and present) from ARCHAEOLOGY OF SOUTH INDIA: SACRED AND POLITICAL
these special, bounded landscapes that will aid the ways LANDSCAPES OF KARNATAKA FROM THE EARLY HISTORIC
in which we attempt to elucidate and retell this TO EARLY COLONIAL PERIODS
8 ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING

This panel will discuss the identification of long term excavation methods used, the research objectives, or all
continuities and shifts in the use and re-use of sacred three? This session will address the issue of why
and political landscapes in Karnataka through a excavation methods and recording systems used in field
consideration of both material culture and historical archaeology are the way they are, seeking to identify the
analysis. We argue that landscapes are constituted by causes of diversity and its impact on the results of
and continually constitute human actions (after Bender archaeological investigations.
1993). Uthara Suvrathan highlights the Early Historic (ca.
300 BC-ca 500 AD) landscape of Banavasi in west- [91] SYMPOSIUM ■ HISTORICAL ECOLOGY, LANDSCAPE
coastal Karnataka. Hemanth Kadambi discusses the CAPITAL, AND "SENSES OF PLACE"
Early Medieval period (ca. 550AD-ca. 900 AD) in North Historical ecology examines the complex historical
Karnataka. Elizabeth Bridges discusses the Medieval relationship between communities and their natural and
(ca. 900 AD-ca 1700 AD) Vijayanagara empire and their engineered landscapes. Presently, this perspective’s
Early Colonial Nayaka subordinates and successors. archaeological application outside of the Americas is
limited. We examine its application to a broad range of
[83] POSTER SESSION ■ EUROPE, AFRICA, NEAR EAST sedentary and transhumant societies in different regions.
The symposium expands upon the historical ecology
[84] POSTER SESSION ■ LITHIC ANALYSIS framework by examining the intersection of this
framework and work on “senses of place” and how
[85] POSTER SESSION ■ SOUTHWEST “landscape capital” operated in different societies. These
issues are relevant to anthropological theory and today’s
[86] SYMPOSIUM ■ THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SUSTAINABILITY world because they address long-term landscape
This session will explore the current state of sustainability evolution and how local knowledge and place-making tie
research in archaeology. Drawing on research spanning into sustainable land-use strategies.
a wide range of geographic and temporal settings,
attention will be paid to how archaeologists study [92] SYMPOSIUM ■ LIVING ON THE EDGE: LOCAL
sustainability and resilience, theoretical and practical ENTANGLEMENTS IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE(S)
constraints and how we might seek to resolve them. This session seeks to open a dialog between the
Enhanced multidisciplinary approaches to the study of perceived core and its margin, between contemporary
sustainable systems that explicitly employ long term models and past social practice, between Worlds ‘Old’
perspectives on human ecodynamics will contribute not and ‘New,’ and between the scales of local and global.
only to a better understanding of our past but also to Archaeology at the ‘edges’, of complex systems or of
more useful, policy-relevant application of this knowledge historical narratives, provides local insights on the
to tackling the concerns we face today. processes of conjuncture, entanglement, and cooptation.
We will examine and/or problematize systemic
[87] GENERAL SESSION · ARCHAEOLOGY IN GUATEMALA, perspectives on the past, through explorations of local
HONDURAS, AND SOUTHERN MEXICO consumption of exotic goods, mobility, maintenance or
development of frontiers, continuity and change in
[88] GENERAL SESSION · ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCESTRAL livelihoods and craft production, and situations of culture
PUEBLOANS AND PAQUIME contact and overlap at various scales.

[89] SYMPOSIUM ■ COMPLEX PROJECTILE TECHNOLOGY: [93] SYMPOSIUM ■ EXCAVATIONS AT SCHÖNINGEN AND
NEW INSIGHTS FROM ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY, NEW INSIGHTS INTO MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE ADAPTATIONS IN
EXPERIMENTATION AND ARCHAEOLOGY NORTHERN EUROPE
Complex projectile technology is thought to have been a Since the middle of the 1990s Schöningen has stood at
major factor in our species’ evolution, dispersal, and the center of discussions about the lifeways of hominins
adaptive success. Past archaeological efforts to in northern Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. The
investigate the origins of projectile technology using eight wooden spears and the rich faunal remains from
typological approaches have been of limited value the site brought a sudden end to the great hunting vs
because of inadequate middle-range theory about scavenging debate of the preceding decade. The
generative behavioral variability. Why did prehistoric spectacular preservation of the finds from the site has
people use a particular weapon system, or combination provided key insights into a wide range of other
of systems, and not others? This symposium pulls archaeological topics. The site instantly became a
together studies from ethnoarchaeology, experimental mainstay of the cannon of archaeological knowledge.
studies, and the archaeology of both Old and New This symposium presents the results from the ongoing
Worlds to examine the sources of variability in complex excavations and of the state-of –the-art research at
projectile weapons systems. Schöningen. The session aims to go beyond the mythos
of this key site and critically examine the data and
[90] SYMPOSIUM ■ DIG IT! INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN competing hypotheses on topics including:
EXCAVATION METHODS AND RECORDING SYSTEMS paleoenvironments, site formation, chronostratigraphy,
Archaeologists have continually developed new ways to pyrotechnology, lithic economy , subsistence practices
excavate and record, but what’s driven the changes that and social organization.
have been introduced? Has commercialisation led to an
increased emphasis on elaborate systematic recording [94] SYMPOSIUM ■ COMMINGLED AND DISARTICULATED
systems at the expense of critical excavation methods? HUMAN REMAINS: WORKING TOWARDS IMPROVED
Are the strategies adopted for an archaeological THEORY, METHOD AND DATA
investigation driven by the recording system, the Commingled and disarticulated human remains present
ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING 9

unique challenges for bioarchaeology and archaeology. FORBEARERS AND NEIGHBORS: ESSAYS IN HONOR OF
The goal of this session is to explore how new theories, HELEN POLLARD
better methodologies, and creative interpretation of data Once an under-studied corner of Mesoamerica, West
employed by bioarchaeologists and archaeologists. For Mexico has become the focus of intense archaeological
example, bioarchaeologists can benefit not only from inquiry. Providing a useful counterpoint to models based
techniques derived from zooarchaeological method in the in Central and Mayan Mesoamerica, these essays focus
formulation of population size (e.g. MNI, NISP), but also on the unique cultural histories of the larger North and
the frameworks used to mitigate biases introduced into West region and the cultural context of Tarascan
the sample. New approaches to data collection, emergence. In accordance with the legacy of Helen
especially with taphonomic recording, are setting new Pollard, this symposium reflects the collaborative
standards and demonstrate utility in bioarchaeological multidisciplinary and multi-national research of the
analysis. region.

[95] SYMPOSIUM ■ IDENTIFYING TRACES OF CULTURAL [99] GENERAL SESSION ■ PAPERS ABOUT HERITAGE AND
CONTACT, INFLUENCE, AND EXCHANGE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL PROPERTY
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD - A GENERAL ISSUE AS SEEN
FROM MATERIAL IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND SOUTHWEST [100] GENERAL SESSION ■ PAPERS ON PALEOINDIAN
CHINA ARCHAEOLOGY
Recent archaeological research has highlighted the
importance of inter- and intra-regional exchange and [101] SYMPOSIUM ■ ROCK ART: METHODOLOGY AND
contact in the early cultural developments in Southeast INTERPRETATION IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SITE
Asia and Southwest China. This symposium gathers (SPONSORED BY ROCK ART INTEREST GROUP)
papers exploring mechanisms of culture contact, The cultural manifestation we label rock art has the
influence, and exchange within the varied environment of potential of being identified and recorded from wherever
this area as seen from the archaeological record, humanity has traveled. In the pursuit of innovative
investigating inter- as well as intra-regional contact. It instrumental technique, enhanced interpretive insight and
thus provides a platform not only for presenting recent successful approaches to preservation, this Rock Art
advances in the archaeology of Southeast and East Asia, Interest Group sponsored symposium is intended to
but also for discussing theoretical issues of cultural provide a context within which recent archaeologically
contact and exchange networks, and the way they are informed rock art research can be shared.
influenced by geographic preconditions.
[102] SYMPOSIUM ■ SCRIBES & COMMONERS, WAR &
[96] SYMPOSIUM ■ PALEOECOLOGY AND TAPHONOMY OF PEACE: FORTY YEARS OF MESOAMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
FAUNAL LANDSCAPES AT PENN STATE
This symposium seeks to bring together professionals Archaeology at Penn State is well known for its emphasis
working in both the New and Old World in order to foster on the intersection of ecology and cultural complexity.
a new working relationship among those interested in The explanatory perspective of cultural ecology has been
Paleoindian and Paleolithic faunas. Although each region successfully used to conduct dozens of archaeological
and time period is distinct and the same questions projects over the past forty years and to produce
cannot be asked of each site, closer ties within the abundant research that has furthered the knowledge of
taphonomic community can work to address some of the the human condition. Understanding of socio-political
fundamental issues regarding fossil bone accumulations. evolution and conflict has been advanced through an
Renewing efforts in collaborative research will empirical approach to the studies of settlement patterns,
reinvigorate the conversation about taphonomy’s role in household archaeology, and demography, among other
archaeological interpretation by sharing research goals topics. This session will revisit and update some of Penn
and methods that may useful for sites segregated by State’s classic studies of the diverse culture area of
spatial and temporal scales. Mesoamerica.

[97] SYMPOSIUM ■ CEREMONIAL SPHERES OF THE [103] SYMPOSIUM ■ SOCIO-NATURAL SYSTEMS IN
EASTERN WOODLANDS PASTORAL AND AGRO-PASTORAL SOCIETIES:
The ceremonial nature of such Eastern Woodland macro- ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF PASTORAL
assemblages as Red Ochre, Adena, Hopewell, Swift LANDSCAPES
Creek, Mississippian, etc., along with their distributions, This symposium brings together Near Eastern and
is widely recognized as delineating extensive systems of Eurasian archaeologists in order to investigate new
inter-regional interaction in their respective periods. This approaches and research agendas for modeling ancient
symposium takes this ceremonialism as basically and modern agropastoral and pastoral systems. The
religious in nature, and treats their distribution from ca connections between humans, domesticated plants
4000 B.C. to A.D. 1500 as reflecting the dynamics of and/or animals, and the environment or climate are of
ceremonial spheres of panregional religious interaction. fundamental interest. Three distinct levels of investigation
The symposium asks how archaeology can use these have been defined: (1) archaeological,
assemblages to broach religious practices and how or if ethnoarchaeological, geoarchaeological, and
we can relate these ceremonial practices to the paleoecological field research related to adaptive
subsistence and settlement practices of the same strategies of animal husbandry systems; (2) construction
regions." of empirical middle-range models to interrogate specific
aspects of pastoral and agropastoral socioeconomies;
[98] SYMPOSIUM ■ MESOAMERICAN TARASCANS, THEIR and (3) the integration of these middle-range models into
10 ABSTRACTS OF THE SAA 77TH ANNUAL MEETING

formalized, dynamic “system” models of socionatural discussion of monumental architecture, and the contexts
change. in which it may arise.

[104] SYMPOSIUM ■ WARI IN MOQUEGUA-IMPERIAL [109] Poster Session ■ Archaeometry
PROCESSES AND MULTI-ETHNIC INTERACTIONS
The Middle Horizon in Moquegua, Peru was a time [110] POSTER SESSION ■ NORTHWEST, ARCTIC, PLAINS,
characterized by multiple ethnic groups and diverse ROCKY MOUNTAINS
interactions. Both the Wari and Tiwanaku polities
colonized the region and small local groups occupied the [111] POSTER SESSION ■ OBSIDIAN SOURCING STUDIES
coast, middle valley, and sierra. These groups had
different ways of life, in terms of political integration, ritual [112] POSTER SESSION ■ OBSIDIAN STUDIES ACROSS THE
practices, and subsistence economies. The papers AMERICAS: ALASKA TO ARGENTINA AND BEYOND
presented in this session describe preliminary results (SPONSORED BY INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR
from three seasons of excavation at Cerro Mejía and OBSIDIAN STUDIES)
other recent research in Moquegua to understand the Obsidian analyses can inform on transport, trade,
Wari colonial occupation, as well as, the interactions and temporality, and transformations of the archaeological
impacts Wari intrusion had on local groups, and record. The assembled posters span this range of inquiry
Tiwanaku colonists. and provide a diverse set of studies representing
prehistoric records in North, Central, and South America.
[105] SYMPOSIUM ■ WOMEN IN THE PAST: BIOCULTURAL Also included are investigations that provide productive
SIGNATURES OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO AND SACRIFICES FOR comparisons to these New World contexts. Topics
SOCIETY include obsidian geochemical sourcing and hydration
Expanding on the exploration of women in the past and chronometry, as well as studies of reduction technology,
intertwining the disciplines of archaeology, biological site formation processes, and artifact utilization.
anthropology, and ethnography the focus of this session
is to develop a broader understanding of lives and roles [113] POSTER SESSION ■ SCIENCE IN SUPPORT OF
of women in the past. Recognizing that women do carry ARCHAEOLOGY: THE ANALYSTS WHO SPEAK THROUGH
a different biological burden in society than men as a THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS
result of their reproductive roles, it is the goal here to (SPONSORED BY PALEORESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.)
remember that their reproductive abilities do not disable Where would we be without the science to support
them. To do this, the papers in this session identify and archaeological projects? Establishing a record of
examine the various ways in which women contribute to, paleoenvironment, understanding diet and subsistence,
and sacrifice for, society. and obtaining radiocarbon dates are critical for building
the “first layer” of knowledge about people and cultures.
[106] GENERAL SESSION ■ SOCIAL AND POLITICAL Poster examples include: communicating with the public;
IDENTITIES IN NORTHERN PERU an offshore environmental record; early hominid
vegetation record in Tanzania; subsistence remains from
[107] SYMPOSIUM ■ EXCAVATIONS AT 40MI70, A a burned pueblo; chemical signatures for dairy product
MULTICOMPONENT PREHISTORIC SITE ON THE TENNESSEE use; and understanding charcoal loss during AMS
RIVER processing. For best results, snuggle up with your
This symposium will detail various aspects of data analysts and chat with the public—they can be your
recovery excavations at Site 40MI70 in Marion County, biggest advocates!
Tennessee. The site contains stratified Late Archaic and
Woodland components. Work at the site included [114] Poster Session ■ Sourcing Studies on Pottery,
ground-penetrating radar and traditional excavations. Chert & Other Artifacts
Paper topics include geomorphology, geophysics, lithic
analysis, ceramic vessel analysis, ethnobotany, and [115] SYMPOSIUM ■ Indiana Jones Must Die: Collecting
faunal analysis, Section 106, and the experiences of the and Looting in the Media
property owner and the TVA. (SPONSORED BY MEDIA RELATIONS COMMITTEE)
Publications advertise recent archaeological finds for
[108] Electronic Symposium ■ Monumental sale, museums have to return artifacts to previous
architecture in sub-Saharan Africa: Diverse forms, owners, and television, movies and video games often
purposes, and contexts use tomb raiding, looting and treasure hunting. Trading in
Concepts of monumental architecture in archaeology artifacts is and was rampant around the world. Legal and
developed alongside early explorations of states and illegal artifact trading often appears in the news through
empires in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and law enforcement coverage, judicial activities or art news.
Mesoamerica. Subsequent investigations of complex How is artifact trading portrayed in the media? Does the
chiefdoms, and non-hierarchical forms of social use of the artifact trade as a central theme in movies, TV
complexity, revealed diverse public architectural forms in shows and video games harmful or simply an
different social, economic, and environmental contexts. entertainment.
This is especially true in sub-Saharan Africa, where
megaliths, cairns, pillar sites, walled complexes, and [116] SYMPOSIUM ■ Mortuary Practices in the
other architectural innovations created spaces whose American Southwest: Patterns and Inferences from
purposes transcended daily domestic activities, but might Regional Databases
not be considered “monumental” in scale. This session This symposium is a follow-up to a session held at the
uses African examples to initiate a more nuanced 2011 SAA meetings and will build upon the previous