Experimental (Other Keyword)
1-13 (13 Records)
In this paper I use a combination of experimental replication, microscopic use wear analysis, and morphological analysis to investigate questions about the differences in hafting technology between Clovis, Folsom, and Midland projectile points. The transition from Clovis to Folsom culture is still poorly understood, and changes in hafting technology are part of the transition. In addition, the question of why fluted (Folsom) and unfluted (Midland) projectile point forms are found in the same...
Experimental Maize Farming in Range Creek Canyon, Utah (2016)
This paper examines the economic trade-offs between dry farming maize vs. maize farming using simple surface irrigation for Fremont farmers occupying Range Creek Canyon, Utah, from AD 900 to 1200. A maize farming experiment was conducted focusing on changes in edible grain yield as irrigation water was varied between farm plots. The benefits of irrigation were clear; higher yields. Experiments designed to construct irrigation ditches and dams, using only technology available to the Fremont,...
Faux for Fact: An Experimental Ceramic Restoration Process (2015)
This poster entails research conducted with experimental restoration processes on ceramic materials. The focus of this research is in determining a potentially ideal adhesive for use on ceramic cultural remains within the restoration process. The restoration process can be very invasive and destructive, thus to perform experiments with various chemicals on faux artifacts will ultimately help the archaeologist further understand the proper techniques that need to be carried out in order to...
Functional Implications of Backed Piece Variability for Prehistoric Weaponry in the Middle Stone Age (2017)
MSA backed pieces are often thought to be components of projectile armaments, however our limited understanding of their functional characteristics as projectiles precludes understanding the adaptive problems they may have solved. Despite widespread acknowledgment of raw material differences and inter- and intra-assemblage morphological variability, whether backed piece morphology reflects functional, economic, or stylistic variation has a paucity of empirical support. Here, the functional...
Getting into the Groove: Replicating the Southern California Cogged Stone (2015)
Cogged Stones are an ambiguous artifact often associated with Bolsa Chica in Orange County, California. Scientific Resource Surveys, Inc., has been involved in the study of the Bolsa Chica mesa for over 30 years resulting in the longest privately funded cultural resource investigations in Southern California. This poster highlights one facet of SRSinc’s, current studies on the cogged stones. It has been purposed that the manufacture of cogged stones took place on the Bolsa Chica mesa at the...
Human volunteers and mechanical arms: Quantitative and comparative analysis of bone surface modifications created by humans and machines (2015)
Zooarchaeologists use traces on bones to understand something about the ecology and subsistence behaviour of our ancestors. Although we may not be equipped with the proper interpretive analogues to understand the possible range of roles hominins had in past ecosystems, numerous taphonomic studies have investigated the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of natural and cultural bone surface modifications (BSM). Most experimental taphonomic research relies on 'naturalistic' simulated...
Investigation of Thermal Alteration of Dry Bone via Spectroscopic Analysis (2023)
This is an abstract from the "Animal Resources in Experimental Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The initial status of bone prior to burning and thermal alteration influences the resultant chemical and structural composition, monitored in this study with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) attachment. Fresh, fully hydrated mammalian cortical bone and dry mammalian cortical bone, with...
Manufacturing Basketmaker III Bone Objects (2015)
Bone tools are an important component in the study of the archaeological record worldwide. They have become especially useful in the study of perishable objects. This is because they are one of the few preserved items left behind that were required for processes such as weaving, and leatherworking. This research seeks to identify and replicate the manufacturing techniques required to produce a selection of bone objects that were found at the Dillard and Switchback sites, which are from the...
The Meanings of "Litter" in Yosemite National Park (2015)
The concepts of "nature" and "culture" have been carefully critiqued by anthropologists over the last few decades, but they still remain in the forefront of the public debate over the environment and how best to preserve it. The question of how modern people see the natural and cultural realms is at the heart of this issue. This project explores the line between these ideas by analyzing the behavior of one segment of the modern public: visitors to Yosemite National Park. Employing the...
A petrographic and material science approach to understanding temper selection in the prehistoric ceramic sequence of the Scioto River Valley, Ross County, Ohio. (2017)
This research elucidates the complex nature of pottery tempers used in the Scioto River Valley of south central Ohio. The data suggest that during the Late Prehistoric Period indigenous potters began using composite temper types with concretionary hematite as a secondary temper — most often found alongside shell as the primary temper. This project involved two phases 1) petrographic research and 2) mechanical properties testing. The initial research phase involved a detailed analysis of the clay...
Projectile Dysfunction (2016)
There is an undeniable trend of a gradual decrease in projectile point size over time. About 1000 years ago, these points significantly change in size. Most archaeologists today posit that this sudden change has to do with the invention or adoption of the bow and arrow; however without a large sample of preserved wooden bows, arrows, or darts, there is no way to say for certain that this notion is correct. Via a controlled archery experiment, projectile point performance and function will be...
Projectile Dysfunction: A Controlled Archery Experiment to Determine the Presence and Replacement of the Bow and Atlatl Technologies in Prehistoric North America (2017)
There is an undeniable trend of a gradual decrease in projectile point size over time in prehistoric North America. About 1000 years ago (1kya), this morphologic decrease seems to plateau at a very small size, until projectile points were no longer used. Most archaeologists today posit that this sudden change has to do with the invention or adoption of the bow and arrow; however, without a large sample of preserved wooden bows, arrows, or darts, it is difficult to say for certain that this...
Walking in the Footsteps of Scottish Prisoners of War - Methods and Approaches in Recreating and Documenting a Forced March (2023)
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Following the Battle of Dunbar on the 3rd of September 1650, about 4,000 Scottish prisoners of war were forced to march south to England. Their destination - the nearest building sizeable enough to imprison a vast number of individuals: Durham Cathedral. Over the span of a week, the Scots marched over one hundred miles, with...