North America (Geographic Keyword)
401-425 (3,468 Records)
This paper examines big data patterns of historic archaeological site definitions and distributions across several temporal and behavioral vectors. The Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) provides publicly free and open data interoperability and linkage features for archaeological information resources. In 2015, DINAA had integrated fifteen US state archaeological databases, containing information about 0.5 million archaeological resources, as a linked open data network of...
Big Data, Human Adaptation, and Historical Archaeology: Confronting Old Problems with New Solutions (2016)
How humans respond to climate change has been identified as one of archaeology's grand challenges. Traditionally, archaeologists correlate local or regional environmental reconstructions with human settlement to form post hoc inferences about adaptive and social responses to changes in climate and associated environmental resources. Regardless the logical strength of these explanations, rarely can they be generalized beyond the case study. To offer general statements about human adaptation to...
Bioarchaeological and Archival Investigations of the Milwaukee County Institution Grounds Cemetery Collection: A Progress Report (2013)
Continuing bioarchaeological and archival research on the Milwaukee County Institution Grounds Cemetery collection is presented. As reported elsewhere, the beginning stages of a multidisciplinary analysis of this late 19th and early 20th century institutional cemetery has led to the identification of a number of the 1,649 individuals excavated. Included in this discussion will be new case studies that continue to demonstrate not only the interpretive potential of an integrated archaeological,...
Bioarchaeological Evidence of the African Diaspora in Renaissance Romania (2016)
Little documentary or archaeological information currently exists regarding the presence of people of African descent in Eastern Europe during the historical period. Known to have arrived in Europe with the Romans, free and enslaved Africans were common members of European society by the advent of the Renaissance, especially in the Moorish territories and the Ottoman Empire. In 1952, archaeologists recovered a set of partial remains of 30-35-year-old man during excavations of an Orthodox...
Bioarchaeology and Genome Justice: What Are the Implications for Indigenous Peoples? (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Social Justice in Native North American Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This paper examines the theme of "discovery," used in relation to Indigenous lands and peoples to designate the respective claims of Indigenous peoples and the European peoples that colonized North America. In particular, I look at the domain of "bioarchaeology" and the construct of "genome justice" to explore how DNA science attempts...
Bioarchaeology of Burials Associated with the Elkins Site (7NC-G-174) (2016)
Bioarchaeological interpretations of five burials from a small family cemetery likely associated with one of the domestic structures at the Elkins Site integrate information from in situ data collection and standard laboratory assessment, as well as DNA and stable isotope analysis. Four of the burials (two adult males and two adult females) were tightly clustered and the fifth burial (a male infant) was spatially separated within the cemetery. Despite craniofacial morphology that could be...
The Bioarchaeology of the Columbian Harmony Cemetery Collection (51NE049), Washington, D.C. (2016)
The Bioarchaeology of the Columbian Harmony Cemetery Series (51NE049), Washington, D.C. Archaeological investigations on a portion of the Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C. resulted in the identification of 231 grave features, many of which had been disturbed by a cemetery relocation project that took place in 1960. Information obtained from skeletal and dental analyses have provided information on 19th and early 20th century patterns of burial, postmortem treatment (i.e., embalming...
Biographies of Things, People, and Space at Jesuit Missions: The St. Inigoes Manor Weaver’s House (2018)
A biographical framework for archaeological studies of Jesuit missions in the Americas guides enquiry toward histories of specific artifacts, especially religious objects that were implicated in efforts to gain converts, as well as mission space including manor houses and churches. Additionally, narrative accounts of Jesuit missions lend themselves to biographies, either for the lives of influential missionaries or the missions, that were disseminated through texts such as the Relations. This...
A Biography of Place: Thinking Between Texts and Objects at the Saint Joseph Mission (Senegal) (2018)
Mission archaeology benefits from a rich documentary archive produced by missionaries themselves, church and government officials, sponsors and charitable organizations, and—ideally—converts. Biography emerges as a potent method of organization and mode of analysis, allowing the archaeologist to name, follow, and order traces in the archives and the archaeological record. Thinking about archaeology as crafting a compelling biography of place allows for the articulation of intimacies and...
The Bird-Houston Site, 1775-1920: 145 Years of Rural Delaware (2016)
The Bird-Houston Site is a homestead that was occupied from around 1775 to 1920. During that long span the site was used in various ways by diverse occupants. Two houses stood there; the earlier log house was replaced by a frame house around 1825, and the two houses were far enough apart to keep their associated artifacts separate. The site’s occupants included unknown tenants, white property owners, and, after 1840, African American farm laborers and their families. Excavation of the site...
A Birds Eye View of War: The Role of Historic Maps and Aerial-Based Imagery in the Archaeological investigation of Unaccounted-For U.S. military Personnel. (2017)
As "snapshot" documents of the past, historical maps, aerial photographs, and satellite imagery are a valuable source for the archaeological investigation of major conflicts throughout the past eight decades. Although many of these documents were initially acquired and then maintained in secret in the context of major conflict or clandestine purposes, decades later they are proving to be of much benefit and unintended value for historical and archaeological research. This paper will present an...
The BISC 2 Cargo (Part I)--Contributions and Questions from Ceramics Analysis: Late 18th Century Sequencing and Colonial Trade patterns (2013)
The BISC-2 site uniquely contains thousands of fragments of late 18th century English ceramics dating from the period of transition from stone-glazed salt ware to cream ware, including hundreds of examples of both of these manufactured types that share decorative patterning. The fact that this assemblage (arguably one of the largest of late 18th century ceramics located to date in North America) was created through a wrecking event that occurred quite literally as a single instance in time...
The BISC 2 Cargo Part II--Prestige Cargo or Evidence of Colonial Dumping? An Exploration of What Key Items in BISC 2's Cargo of Ceramics May say About center/periphery trade relations in the Late North American British Empire (2013)
This paper will focus on what a set of very specific items documented in the BISC-2 cargo may indicate about relations between the Bristih imperial center and amongst various levels of its periphery--including Jamaica and North America--during the last third of the 18th century. We will focus in particular on: 1) a coloration pattern that is ubiquitous on the site that has been documented as having a limited production life and as destined for dumping in a colobial market considered less...
Black and White and Red All Over: The Goodrich Steamer Atlanta, 1891-1906 (2017)
Often overlooked in the story of the westward settlement of America, transportation of passengers and cargo through the Great Lakes and northern river systems accounted for a substantial volume of migrant travel. From the mid-1800s through the 1930s, passenger steamers on the Great Lakes were designed to combine luxury and speed. The Goodrich Transit Company, for example, was one of the longest operating (1856-1933) and most successful passenger steamship lines on the Great Lakes. Passage on the...
The Black and White of It: Rural Tenant and African American Enslaved and Free Worker Life at the Rumsey/Polk Tenant/Prehistoric site (2016)
Rich and provocative data on 1740s to 1850s tenant occupations were revealed by Phase II and III archaeological investigations at Locus 1 of the Rumsey/Polk Tenant/Prehistoric site. Documentary research, the recovery of 42,996 historic artifacts, and the discovery of 622 features, provided a rare glimpse into the lives of free and enslaved African American workers and white tenants living side-by-side in the racially charged atmosphere of 18th- and 19th-century Delaware. Artifacts like wolf...
Black Female Slave in the Caribbean: An Archaeological Observation on Culture (2016)
The relationships between white men and black female slaves resulted in the formation of new ethnic identitites and social structures associated with their mixed-heritage or "mulatto" children. Sources like artwork and ethno-historical accounts of mulatto children in areas of the Caribbean and the role of African female slaves lend unique insights into social dynamics and cultural markers of modern populations. This paper examines the historical narratives and archaeological findings of black...
Black Toys, White Children: The Socialization of Children into Race and Racism, 1865-1940. (2016)
Race and racism are learned. While there has existed a myriad of social practices that have been used to socialize individuals into ideologies of race, this paper details the use of material culture directed at children, that is automata, costumes, games and toys. This paper focuses on material culture from the 1860s-1940s depicting Africans/African Americans. These objects produced, advertised and purchased by adults from children’s play served three purposes; 1) to cultivate ideologies of race...
Black Women and Post-Emancipation Diaspora: A Community of Army Laundresses at Fort Davis, Texas (2018)
This paper investigates the role black women at U.S. military forts took in post emancipation diasporic events and movement. Using materials related daily life at a late 19th century, multi-ethnoracial, Indian Wars military fort in Fort Davis, Texas, I show how army laundresses acted as cultural brokers, navigating often contentious social and physical landscapes. With their identity as citizens, women, care-takers, employees, and racialized individuals constantly in flux, these women balanced...
Blackbeard's Beads: An Analysis And Comparison of Glass Trade Beads From The Shipwreck 31CR314 (BUI0003) Queen Anne's Revenge Site Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina (2017)
In 1717, the French slaver La Concorde de Nantes was captured by pirates and renamed the Queen Anne’s Revenge (QAR). It is believed that the pirates removed the enslaved Africans before taking the ship. However, some scholars believe the pirates sold the slaves in North Carolina. One marker of a ships involvement in the slave trade are beads. Physical examination of beads is used to determine the date and country of manufacture and used to correlate a ships involvement in the trade. Thus far,...
Blackbeard’s Beads: Insights into the Queen Anne Revenge’s Former Life as a Slaver through the Presence of Glass Trade Beads (2018)
Glass trade beads are one of the most notable artifacts of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Beads played an important role in African culture spiritually, metaphysically, and historically. Since its discovery in 1996, over 790 whole and fragmented glass beads have been recovered from the Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck. The beads recovered from the Queen Ann’s Revenge have been identified, classified, cataloged, and compared to other bead assemblages recovered from underwater and terrestrial...
Blacksmithing for Fun and Profit: Archaeological Investigations at 31NH755 (2017)
Archaeological investigations at an early 19th century historic site along the banks of the Lower Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina, uncovered evidence of a small blacksmith shop and adjacent domestic occupation. Archaeological features included the footprint of the burned blacksmith shop, approximately 15 by 15 feet in size, along with a dense scatter of charcoal, slag, and scrap iron. Adjacent to this building were structural posts and artifacts that appear to be related to a...
Blazing Trails and Chasing Scoundrels: Kathleen K. Gilmore’s contribution to Spanish Colonial Archaeology in Texas and the Relentless Pursuit of Presidio Captain Felipe Rabago y Teran. (2017)
No history of Spanish Colonial archaeology in Texas is complete without addressing the accomplishments of Dr. Kathleen K. Gilmore. When reviewing her nearly 50-year career as an archaeologist, one is hard-pressed to find a Texas mission, presidio, rancho, or settlement that Dr. Gilmore did not visit, research, excavate, or write about. Among her most important projects were the missions and presidio of San Xavier in present-day Milam County. While researching the site, Dr. Gilmore became...
Blood, Sweat and Queers: Roller Derby and Queer Heritage (2018)
Queer theory is a new and developing realm of heritage management; with the listing of historic places Stonewall National Monument and the Bayard Rustin Residence, queer heritage is attaining broader recognition. Investigations into the broader patterns of queer history will expose additional spaces and places with important associations to queer communities on multiple levels. Roller derby’s queer-normative environment has become a center of community-building in the last twenty years,...
Blood-Residue Analysis of Musket Balls from Sackets Harbor Battlefield of the War of 1812: Results and Implications (2016)
In the early morning of May 29, 1813, British and Canadian provincial troops launched an amphibious assault on the American shipbuilding facility and fortifications at Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario in northern New York. An ABPP grant sponsored a wide-scale metal-detecting survey of the battelfield and detailed artifact analysis of the resulting assemblage. Besides shedding new light on the battle’s controversial narrative, the study also subjected musket balls to blood-residue analysis to...
Bloody Sharp Rocks: Optimization of aDNA Extraction from Experimental Lithic Artifacts (2021)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Species detection using DNA recovered from lithic artifacts could indicate the manner in which tools were utilized and ultimately enhance our understanding of the mobility strategies and subsistence patterns employed by past peoples. Geneticists and archaeologists in the 1980s and 1990s managed to successfully extract DNA from lithics, using both modern...