The Ralph Solecki Collection: Revisiting Forgotten Materials in an Urban New York Landscape

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ralph Solecki, made famous for his work arguing for the “humanity” of the Neanderthals of Shanidar Cave, contributed invaluably in his early career to Northeastern American archaeology by excavating sites in the New York metropolitan area which would soon become inaccessible due to urban expansion. First collected in the 1930s, the materials in the collection span from the Transitional/Late Archaic to the early 1800s, including indigenous pottery and lithics as well as European manufactured products. This poster addresses research of a collection that is being visited for the first time in 19 years. Using different ceramic analysis techniques, our research will focus on determining regional extents of communities of practice in terms of ceramic design and looking at how cultural transmission can highlight the mobility of indigenous people in the Northeast during the Woodland period. Analyzing this collection, which represents materials largely either buried under urban architecture or hidden away in museum collections, will open opportunities for fresh perspectives about this period of time in Northeastern history.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39769.0