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Title: Phosphate Analysis of Prehistoric Structures in Rio Blance, Ecuador.
Creator: Reneau, Brittany L., Brown, Clifford T., Graduate College, Martinez, Valentina L.
Abstract/Description: Archaeologists have identified many prehistoric structures affiliated with the Manteño culture 500 CE to 1532 CE of coastal Ecuador, but the function of those constructions is rarely understood. The majority of the buildings have not yet yielded clear evidence of their function. As part of an ongoing project by Florida Atlantic University to explore the function of these buildings, I conducted systematic soil phosphate testing in and around two archaeological structures and, for...
Show moreArchaeologists have identified many prehistoric structures affiliated with the Manteño culture 500 CE to 1532 CE of coastal Ecuador, but the function of those constructions is rarely understood. The majority of the buildings have not yet yielded clear evidence of their function. As part of an ongoing project by Florida Atlantic University to explore the function of these buildings, I conducted systematic soil phosphate testing in and around two archaeological structures and, for ethnoarchaeological comparison, four contemporary households. The two prehistoric structures are located 200 meters from each other and on two different river terraces within the same river valley. They are part of a larger site C4-084. I found clear spatial patterning in phosphate concentrations in and around the archaeological structures. The concentrations were higher inside the structures, while outside they decreased with distance from the structure. Statistical testing and spatial analysis have proved the two structures were used for different purposes
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005164
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Quantitative analysis of Munsell color data from archeological ceramics.
Creator: Ruck, Lana, Brown, Clifford T.
Date Issued: 2015-09
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/flvc_fau_islandoraimporter_10.1016_j.jasrep.2015.08.014_1638557097
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Lévy flights in Dobe Ju/’hoansi foraging patterns.
Creator: Liebovitch, Larry S., Brown, Clifford T., Glendon, Rachel
Date Issued: 2007-02-01
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/165800
Subject Headings: Hunting and gathering societies--statistical methods, Khoisan (African people), Forage, Human Migration Patterns, Human ecology--Africa, Human settlements--Mathematical models, Search theory
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Analysis of chert artifacts from residential households at Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico.
Creator: Gregory, Katherine Winifred., Florida Atlantic University, Brown, Clifford T.
Abstract/Description: This thesis describes a macroscopic analysis of the chert artifacts from several households at Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico, in order to determine whether or not there was behavioral variation among the households. The chert artifacts were excavated during the 1992 field season during Dr. Clifford T. Brown's dissertation research and this thesis expands upon his findings. The presence of behavioral variation would provide evidence of a social organization at Mayapan and support Brown's findings...
Show moreThis thesis describes a macroscopic analysis of the chert artifacts from several households at Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico, in order to determine whether or not there was behavioral variation among the households. The chert artifacts were excavated during the 1992 field season during Dr. Clifford T. Brown's dissertation research and this thesis expands upon his findings. The presence of behavioral variation would provide evidence of a social organization at Mayapan and support Brown's findings that the prehistoric Yucatec Maya government was a segmentary state. Two analyses were performed on the chert artifacts: a general chert analysis and an informal tool analysis. The general chert analysis was performed on 3,777 artifacts from nine households, while the informal tool analysis was performed on 1,151 artifacts from four households. The informal tool analysis was conducted on artifacts that were observed to have use wear during the general chert analysis.
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Date Issued: 2006
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13333
Subject Headings: Social archeology--Yucatán (Mexico : State), Stone implements--Analysis., Stone implements--Social aspects., Tools, Prehistoric--Analysis.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Working Spondylus at Rio Chico.
Creator: Skinner, Raymond Keith, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: Debitage from the reduction of Spondylus valves into pieces useful for craft production was recovered at the site of Rio Chico, Manabi Province, Ecuador, from multiple occupations that represent different cultural periods of Coastal Ecuador. The material is analyzed and interpreted from a production context and defines basic production characteristics for each cultural period represented. Changes in these characteristics seen within the sequence are highlighted and then compared against...
Show moreDebitage from the reduction of Spondylus valves into pieces useful for craft production was recovered at the site of Rio Chico, Manabi Province, Ecuador, from multiple occupations that represent different cultural periods of Coastal Ecuador. The material is analyzed and interpreted from a production context and defines basic production characteristics for each cultural period represented. Changes in these characteristics seen within the sequence are highlighted and then compared against changes found in the regional exchange system defined by Martin (2000). The results indicate that the greatest level of variability and the least processing intensity occurred within the youngest occupation (later Mantefio) and the greatest amount of change through time occurred between the earlier and later Mantefio period. It also suggests that the local production processes did not change in response to changes in the regional exchange system. Instead, responses to changes in the regional trade context could have involved geographic expansion of the Spondylus habitat they exploited by initiating, or expanding an already existing, trade route with Mesoamerica.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000964
Subject Headings: Ecuador--Río Chico--Antiquities, Spondylus, Indians of South America--Ecuador--Antiquities, Excavation (Archaeology)--Ecuador--Río Chico
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Epidemiology of Spina Bifida in Ireland: an Anthropological Approach.
Creator: O'Donnell, Kathryn A., Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: A sample of 97 human skeletal remains from Ireland were examined to investigate the etiology of spina bifida, a form of neural tube defect. It is unclear whether the disease results from environmental or genetic causes. Collections of human remains from three sites dated to nineteenth century were studied in an attempt to identify the period during which the prehistoric rates of spina bifida rose to modern levels. In these collections, nineteenth century spina bifida rates were higher than...
Show moreA sample of 97 human skeletal remains from Ireland were examined to investigate the etiology of spina bifida, a form of neural tube defect. It is unclear whether the disease results from environmental or genetic causes. Collections of human remains from three sites dated to nineteenth century were studied in an attempt to identify the period during which the prehistoric rates of spina bifida rose to modern levels. In these collections, nineteenth century spina bifida rates were higher than either prehistoric or modern rates. Thus, nineteenth century Ireland experienced peak rates of spina bifida. Nutrition in modern day Ireland has vastly improved, and the frequency of spina bifida has decreased; however, the amount of neural tube defects has not diminished to rates found in the United States or even England. Inquiry into Ireland's connection with spina bifida will increase understanding of the persistence of high rates in modern times.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000944
Subject Headings: Abnormalities, Human--Ireland, Spina bifida--Epidemiology--Ireland, Neural tube--Abnormalities--Ireland
Format: Document (PDF)

$The broken past: fractals in archaeology$

Title: The broken past: fractals in archaeology.
Creator: Liebovitch, Larry S., Brown, Clifford T., Witschey, Walter R. T.
Date Issued: 2005-03-01
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/165780
Subject Headings: Fractals, Nonlinear Systems, Chaos, Archaeology--Mathematical models
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Assessment of Sexual Dimorphism on the First and Second Ribs: Exploring Geometric Morphometrics.
Creator: Bhramdat, Henna D., Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: Estimating the sex of unknown human skeletal remains is important to the fields of forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and other specialties. I studied sexual dimorphism on the first and second ribs to estimate sex from skeletal remains. I employed two approaches. I used geometric morphometrics to analyze landmark and semilandmark coordinate points to examine the overall shape of the ribs. I also examined the sternal end of the ribs for size using the superior-inferior height (SIH) and...
Show moreEstimating the sex of unknown human skeletal remains is important to the fields of forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and other specialties. I studied sexual dimorphism on the first and second ribs to estimate sex from skeletal remains. I employed two approaches. I used geometric morphometrics to analyze landmark and semilandmark coordinate points to examine the overall shape of the ribs. I also examined the sternal end of the ribs for size using the superior-inferior height (SIH) and anteriorposterior breadth (APB) in a binary logistic regression (BLR) model. Differences in male and female first and second ribs are undetectable when landmark coordinate points are used to capture shape variability, but significant differences in the shape of the ribs, however, are detected through the use of semilandmark coordinate points. Using semilandmark points to estimate sex presented an accuracy rate of 80.7% from the first rib, and 72.9% from the second rib. The use of the sternal end presents consistent results in its ability to estimate sex with an accuracy rate of 84.2%. The BLR model reveals significant differences between males and females than the geometric morphometric approach; it is more applicable for discerning sexual dimorphism of unknown individuals. This study reveals that while geometric morphometrics provides a powerful approach to assessing morphological differences, it is not always better than simpler methods, in this case, simple measurements analyzed through BLR.
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Date Issued: 2018
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005976
Subject Headings: Sexual dimorphism (Animals), Ribs, Morphology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A Network of Ideas: Brokerage and Success Among Visual Artists in South Florida.
Creator: Hoyos, Patricia, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This study looks at artists’ careers as paths defined by their relative position in a dynamic professional network where innovation and creativity are highly regarded. Today, the theoretical and empirical study of networks has demonstrated that in some professions the individuals’ position in the network can facilitate or constrain their success. In studies about diffusion of information, for instance, some authors have found that individuals connected to a greater variety of sources are more...
Show moreThis study looks at artists’ careers as paths defined by their relative position in a dynamic professional network where innovation and creativity are highly regarded. Today, the theoretical and empirical study of networks has demonstrated that in some professions the individuals’ position in the network can facilitate or constrain their success. In studies about diffusion of information, for instance, some authors have found that individuals connected to a greater variety of sources are more creative and perform better. I explored this idea by looking at a network of visual artists and art institutions in Miami, and found a positive correlation between position and success, though, not explained by variety exclusively. In the network, artistic success is a function of connecting both across artistic categories and a hierarchical system; therefore, in an art world, creativity and innovation are mediated by key members, who distribute information and resources through affiliation, prominence and brokerage.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004605, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004605
Subject Headings: Art and society., Arts and society., Popular culture., Arts--Psychological aspects., Social capital (Sociology), Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.), Art patronage--United States--Florida.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Defining population characteristics of the Belle Glade culture: skeletal biology of Belle Glade mound (8PB41).
Creator: Smith, Catherine, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: The prehistoric Belle Glade Culture, dwelling around Lake Okeechobee in interior Florida, is one of the most understudied cultures in North America. The purpose of this study is to define population characteristics about this culture through skeletal analysis of the collected remains from the type site for the culture, Belle Glade Mound (8PB41). To address the confounding factors of fragmentation and commingling, recently developed methods, statistical analyses, and specially designed...
Show moreThe prehistoric Belle Glade Culture, dwelling around Lake Okeechobee in interior Florida, is one of the most understudied cultures in North America. The purpose of this study is to define population characteristics about this culture through skeletal analysis of the collected remains from the type site for the culture, Belle Glade Mound (8PB41). To address the confounding factors of fragmentation and commingling, recently developed methods, statistical analyses, and specially designed software for such analyses of confounded collections were used in undertaking this study. A biological profile was developed that includes age-at-death estimations, sex estimations, stature estimations, and ancestral estimations in order to create a paleodemographic summary that more adequately describes this unknown population.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004467, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004467
Subject Headings: Belle Glade (Fla.) -- Social aspects, Ethnoarchaeology -- Florida -- Belle Glade, Forensic anthropology, Human remains (Archaeology) -- Florida -- Belle Glade, Paleopathology, Physical anthropology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Determining functionality and living patterns: a phosphate analysis of two prehistoric structures in Río Blanco, Ecuador.
Creator: Reneau, Brittany L., Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: Archaeologists have identified many prehistoric structures affiliated with the Manteño culture (500 CE to 1532 CE) of coastal Ecuador, but the function of those constructions is rarely understood. As part of an ongoing project by Florida Atlantic University to explore the function of these buildings, I conducted systematic soil phosphate testing in and around two archaeological structures and, for ethnoarchaeological comparison, four contemporary households. The two prehistoric structures are...
Show moreArchaeologists have identified many prehistoric structures affiliated with the Manteño culture (500 CE to 1532 CE) of coastal Ecuador, but the function of those constructions is rarely understood. As part of an ongoing project by Florida Atlantic University to explore the function of these buildings, I conducted systematic soil phosphate testing in and around two archaeological structures and, for ethnoarchaeological comparison, four contemporary households. The two prehistoric structures are located 200 meters from each other and on two different river terraces within the same river valley. They are part of a larger site (C4-084). I found clear spatial patterning in phosphate concentrations in and around the archaeological structures. The concentrations were higher inside the structures, while outside they decreased with distance from the structure. Statistical testing and spatial analysis have suggested the two structures were used for different purposes.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004154, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004154
Subject Headings: Archaeology -- Methodology, Ethnoarchaeology -- Ecuador -- Río Blanco, Excavations (Archaeology) -- Ecuador -- Río Blanco, Manabi (Ecuador : Provence) -- Antiquities, Río Blanco (Ecuador) -- Antiquities
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: EVALUATING EVALUATION: A STATISTICAL INVESTIGATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE SAMPLING.
Creator: Simon, Danielle Ashley, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: The evaluation of archaeological sites is an essential, routine, and commonplace part of archaeological practice. Evaluation is usually a preliminary step carried out prior to a decision about preservation, destruction, or more intensive investigation. In most cases, archaeologists sample sites when conducting evaluations, often to reduce the cost of the research, but also to minimize the adverse effects to sites that may be significant. The literature on sampling in archaeology, with a few...
Show moreThe evaluation of archaeological sites is an essential, routine, and commonplace part of archaeological practice. Evaluation is usually a preliminary step carried out prior to a decision about preservation, destruction, or more intensive investigation. In most cases, archaeologists sample sites when conducting evaluations, often to reduce the cost of the research, but also to minimize the adverse effects to sites that may be significant. The literature on sampling in archaeology, with a few noteworthy exceptions, does not address critical issues concerning how much to sample to achieve a valid and reliable evaluation of a site, or, alternatively, how much material must be recovered for that same purpose. This thesis studies the spatial and numerical distributions of ceramic material recovered from three prehistoric archaeological sites that have undergone several phases of intensive testing to understand the variables that influence effective sample sizes for evaluation.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013510
Subject Headings: Archaeological sites, Sampling, Evaluation
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Inferring function: A Study of three prehistoric structures in El Pital, Puerto López, Manabí, Ecuador.
Creator: Builes, Alexander J., Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This thesis focuses on the possible functions of three stone structures associated with the Manteno culture (500-1532 A.D.) of coastal Ecuador. The ceramic distributions of each structure were compared (C4-044-1, C4-096-2 and C4-097-2) and the diagnostic sherds were analyzed by form according to Mester's and Rowe's ceramic classifications (Mester 1990; Rowe 2005). The statistics suggest that each of the structures served different functions. C4-044-1 likely domestic, C4-096-2 probably...
Show moreThis thesis focuses on the possible functions of three stone structures associated with the Manteno culture (500-1532 A.D.) of coastal Ecuador. The ceramic distributions of each structure were compared (C4-044-1, C4-096-2 and C4-097-2) and the diagnostic sherds were analyzed by form according to Mester's and Rowe's ceramic classifications (Mester 1990; Rowe 2005). The statistics suggest that each of the structures served different functions. C4-044-1 likely domestic, C4-096-2 probably functioned as a kitchen and C4-097-2 was a storage area. A χ2 test suggests that the ceramic forms from C4-044-1 differ significantly from those recovered from C4-096-2. Diversity indices indicate that C4-044-1 has the highest diversity of vessel forms and that its diversity differs significantly from the other structures. The correspondence analysis reinforces these results, with the high segregation of the lots and vessel forms .
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004485, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004485
Subject Headings: Distribution archaeology -- Ecuador, Ethnoarchaeology -- Ecuador, Excavations (Archaeology) -- Ecuador, Indians of South America -- Ecuador -- Antiquities, Jama River Valley (Ecuador) -- Antiquities, Manabí (Ecuador) -- Antiquities
Format: Document (PDF)

$The topology of archaeological site distributions: the lacunarity and fractality of prehistoric oaxacan settlements$

Title: The topology of archaeological site distributions: the lacunarity and fractality of prehistoric oaxacan settlements.
Creator: Flanagan, Kelin, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: Survey is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, it needs to be both effective and efficient. Some archaeologists have argued that current survey techniques are not effective (Shott 1985, 1989), but most archaeologists continue to employ these methods and therefore must believe they are effective. If our survey techniques are effective, why do simulations suggest otherwise? If they are ineffective, can we improve them? The answers to these practical questions depend on the topological...
Show moreSurvey is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, it needs to be both effective and efficient. Some archaeologists have argued that current survey techniques are not effective (Shott 1985, 1989), but most archaeologists continue to employ these methods and therefore must believe they are effective. If our survey techniques are effective, why do simulations suggest otherwise? If they are ineffective, can we improve them? The answers to these practical questions depend on the topological characteristics of archaeological site distributions. In this study I analyze archaeological site distributions in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, using lacunarity and fractal dimension. Fractal dimension is a parameter of fractal patterns, which are complex, space-filling designs exhibiting self-similarity and power-law scaling. Lacunarity is a statistical measure that describes the texture of a spatial dispersion. It is useful in understanding how archaeological tests should be spaced during surveys. Between these two measures, I accurately describe the regional topology and suggest new considerations for archaeological survey design.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004109, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004109
Subject Headings: Excavations (Archaeology) -- Methodology, Fractals, Social sciences -- Mathematical models, Stochastic processes
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Manteño of the Cloud Forest: Settlement Patterns and Spatial Analysis of Manteño Stone Architecture in the Las Tusas River Valley in Manabí, Ecuador.
Creator: Garzón-Oechsle, Andrés E., Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: The present study identifies settlement patterns of the Manteño culture within the cloud forest of southern Manabí by surveying, recording and analyzing the stone architecture found within the drainage basin of the Las Tusas River, Ecuador. The statistical methods used were: Triangulated Irregular Networks or TIN (for topography interpretations), K-means (to determine natural groups for structures based on their dimensions, shape, and wall thickness), Ripley’s K (to determine spatial nature...
Show moreThe present study identifies settlement patterns of the Manteño culture within the cloud forest of southern Manabí by surveying, recording and analyzing the stone architecture found within the drainage basin of the Las Tusas River, Ecuador. The statistical methods used were: Triangulated Irregular Networks or TIN (for topography interpretations), K-means (to determine natural groups for structures based on their dimensions, shape, and wall thickness), Ripley’s K (to determine spatial nature of these groups) and Kernel Density (to visualize their spatial organization). The cloud forest ecotone of southern Manabí was an anthropogenic landscape during the late Integration period. The alluvial valleys of the upper Rio Blanco drainage basin do not represent a hinterland or a periphery occupation but a series of Manteño nucleated settlements raised on terraces and interconnected by strings of linear settlements and dispersed settlements throughout the rugged terrain of this landscape.
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Date Issued: 2018
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013001
Subject Headings: Manabí (Ecuador), Archaeology--Ecuador--Antiquities, Land settlement patterns, Spatial analysis (Statistics), Manteño
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Sedentism, Agriculture, and the Neolithic Demographic Transition: Insights from Jōmon Paleodemography.
Creator: Noxon, Corey, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: A paleodemographic analysis was conducted using skeletal data from Jōmon period sites in Japan. 15P5 ratios were produced as proxy birth rate values for sites throughout the Jōmon period. Previous studies based on numbers of residential sites indicated a substantial population increase in the Kantō and Chūbu regions in central Japan, climaxing during the Middle Jōmon period, followed by an equally dramatic population decrease, somewhat resembling changes that occurred during a Neolithic...
Show moreA paleodemographic analysis was conducted using skeletal data from Jōmon period sites in Japan. 15P5 ratios were produced as proxy birth rate values for sites throughout the Jōmon period. Previous studies based on numbers of residential sites indicated a substantial population increase in the Kantō and Chūbu regions in central Japan, climaxing during the Middle Jōmon period, followed by an equally dramatic population decrease, somewhat resembling changes that occurred during a Neolithic Demographic Transition (NDT). The Jōmon are viewed as a relatively sedentary, non-agricultural group, and provided an opportunity to attempt to separate the factors of sedentism and agriculture as they relate to the NDT. Skeletal data showed fairly stable trends in birth rates, instead of the expected increase and decrease in values. This discrepancy calls into question the validity of previous studies. The stable population levels suggest that sedentism alone was not the primary driver of the NDT.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004895, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004895
Subject Headings: Neolithic period--Japan., Japan--Antiquities., Japan--History--To 645., Demography--History--To 1500., Human remains (Archaeology), Demographic anthropology., Paleolithic period--Japan., Jōmon culture--Japan., Hunting and gathering societies--Japan., Pottery, Jōmon.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Prehispanic Obsidian Exploitation in the Department of Chinandega, Nicaragua.
Creator: Colón, Justin Bradford, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines the fabrication and provenance of 2,871 obsidian artifacts collected from twelve prehispanic archaeological sites in four physiographic zones throughout the Department of Chinandega, the northwesternmost department of Nicaragua. This research represents the first systematic study of obsidian artifacts in the region and focuses on two aspects of the obsidian artifacts. First, I present a macroscopic technical analysis of artifacts collected from twelve sites in the...
Show moreThis thesis examines the fabrication and provenance of 2,871 obsidian artifacts collected from twelve prehispanic archaeological sites in four physiographic zones throughout the Department of Chinandega, the northwesternmost department of Nicaragua. This research represents the first systematic study of obsidian artifacts in the region and focuses on two aspects of the obsidian artifacts. First, I present a macroscopic technical analysis of artifacts collected from twelve sites in the Department. The second part of the thesis presents a collaborative geochemical provenance study of obsidian procurement across these sites. Results indicate that most prehispanic sites participated in multiple sets of long-distance trade networks centered on obsidian as early as the Late Preclassic, up until the Late Postclassic, exploiting trade from four obsidian sources to the north. Analyses show that populations in the Department primarily, though not exclusively, utilized a core-flake industry that was worked on-site with material from the Güinope source in Honduras. A limited number of prismatic blades and a few other formal tools sourced from two additional further sources (La Esperanza in Honduras and Ixtepeque in Guatemala) appear almost exclusively as imported finished products more recently in the archaeological sequence. Additionally, the archaeological sites situated in the eastern coastal plains of the Department contained the largest variety of source material, followed by the sites of the northern foothills, a single site in the Nicaraguan depression, and lastly a single site in the Maribios volcanic front. Although ceramic analyses from the collection are partially complete and developing, this region is best understood as a cultural mosaic connected to the Mesoamerican populations in the north.
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Date Issued: 2018
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013005
Subject Headings: Chinandega (Nicaragua : Department), Obsidian, Archaeology, Provenance studies
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Less Is More: Three Traits to Reveal a More Accurate Aging Method.
Creator: Miller, Megan Marie, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: Recently a new strategy for age-at-death estimation has been developed. In Stephanie Calce’s 2012 article, ‘A New Method to Estimate Adult Age-at-death Using the Acetabulum,’ she redesigns the previous attempts made by Rissech et al. (2006). Her technique simplifies Rissech et al. seven traits by condensing them into three easily identifiable traits. The aim of this paper is to determine that Calce’s original intent to create a more user-friendly and comprehensible scoring method was...
Show moreRecently a new strategy for age-at-death estimation has been developed. In Stephanie Calce’s 2012 article, ‘A New Method to Estimate Adult Age-at-death Using the Acetabulum,’ she redesigns the previous attempts made by Rissech et al. (2006). Her technique simplifies Rissech et al. seven traits by condensing them into three easily identifiable traits. The aim of this paper is to determine that Calce’s original intent to create a more user-friendly and comprehensible scoring method was successful. My focus is to reveal if Calce’s technique is effective between different populations or whether interpopulation variation renders it an unstable approach to age estimation. I tested Calce’s forensic method of aging human skeleton’s on a random sample of skeletons of known age from the Hamann-Todd collection. In the test, Calce’s method proved to work well. As it is simpler than previously proposed methods, investigators should consider adopting it under appropriate circumstances.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004963, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004953
Subject Headings: Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, Acetabulum (Anatomy)., Age Determination by Skeleton., Forensic Anthropology., Human skeleton.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: BONE TOOLS OF THE HUTCHINSON SITE (8PB17041), PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA.
Creator: Grillo, Robert, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: The Hutchinson site, a Late Archaic/Early Woodland habitation site first excavated in 2017, produced over a hundred bone tools. This research analyzes the assemblage using morphological, typological, spatial, and statistical methods. By understanding tool manufacture and use at Hutchinson, this analysis illuminates the poorly documented prehistory of the South Florida interior and prehistoric technological adaptation in the absence of lithic material.
Date Issued: 2021
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013736
Subject Headings: Archaeology--Florida, Tools, Prehistoric, Bone implements, Prehistoric
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Size-Frequency Distributions of Experimentally Reproduced Levallois Debitage.
Creator: Hutchison, Diana, Brown, Clifford T., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: In archaeology, size distributions of lithic debitage can convey information about reduction stage and possibly other aspects of reduction trajectories and activities. Previous investigations have used inadequately robust methods to identify and characterize fractal power law size distributions in experimental and archaeological debitage assemblages. In this study, weights and maximum dimensions of individual, experimentally reproduced “preferential” Levallois debitage specimens were recorded...
Show moreIn archaeology, size distributions of lithic debitage can convey information about reduction stage and possibly other aspects of reduction trajectories and activities. Previous investigations have used inadequately robust methods to identify and characterize fractal power law size distributions in experimental and archaeological debitage assemblages. In this study, weights and maximum dimensions of individual, experimentally reproduced “preferential” Levallois debitage specimens were recorded by core and preparation-exploitation stage. Rigorous statistical methods were used to assess distribution conformities to power law (fractal), lognormal and exponential models. Results show that Levallois debitage size distributions are complex and do not fit any simple model closely; however, MLE derived power law parameters coarsely but effectively describe most data, while exponential distributions characterize the extreme right tails. Moreover, distributions tend to form a “characteristic shape” when graphed, which persists across cores and stages. These findings may aid in identifying and evaluating Levallois materials in the archaeological record.
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013927
Subject Headings: Debitage, Experimental archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

FAU Theses and Dissertations (17)	+ -
FAU College Collections (4)	+ -
FAU Graduate Student Research (1)	+ -

Fractals (2)	+ -
Abnormalities, Human--Ireland (1)	+ -
Acetabulum (Anatomy). (1)	+ -
Age Determination by Skeleton. (1)	+ -
Anthropology (1)	+ -

Archaeological sites (1)	+ -
Archaeology (1)	+ -
Archaeology -- Methodology (1)	+ -
Archaeology--Ecuador--Antiquities (1)	+ -
Archaeology--Florida (1)	+ -
Archaeology--Mathematical models (1)	+ -
Art and society. (1)	+ -
Art patronage--United States--Florida. (1)	+ -
Arts and society. (1)	+ -
Arts--Psychological aspects. (1)	+ -
Belle Glade (Fla.) -- Social aspects (1)	+ -
Bone implements, Prehistoric (1)	+ -
Chaos (1)	+ -
Chinandega (Nicaragua : Department) (1)	+ -
Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) (1)	+ -
Debitage (1)	+ -
Demographic anthropology. (1)	+ -
Demography--History--To 1500. (1)	+ -
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