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Paleodemography of Highland Beach: Reexamining the Demographic Parameters of a Native American Population from Southeastern Florida

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Date Issued:
2015
Abstract/Description:
The field of paleodemography has long been debated by those who wish to discredit the field and those who practice it. In 1999 and again in 2000, researchers who performed paleodemographic analysis met in Rostock, Germany to fix the clearly present issues and change the way research is conducted in the future Hoppa and Vaupel 2002. The product of these meetings resulted in what is now known as the Rostock Manifesto. While many scholars accept the change in the suite of methodologies carried out under the new guidance, little has been said on the effectiveness of the manifesto. This research argues the manifesto is not a fool-proof adaptation to paleodemography. This is exemplified through the comparative examination of previous and current paleodemographic research conducted on the same archaeological sample using the new methods that work in conjunction of the Rostock Manifesto. Using the specific age-at-death estimation technique outlined by the Rostock Manifesto, a large number of individuals, in a sample of 128, could not be examined by the strict methodological constraints. This preliminary conclusion argues the need for more useful methods to determine the demographic parameters of pre-historic societies and ultimately the ineffectiveness of the Rostock Manifesto. More research should be performed to test the reliability and accuracy of these findings.
Title: Paleodemography of Highland Beach: Reexamining the Demographic Parameters of a Native American Population from Southeastern Florida.
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Name(s): Hennessey, Christopher
Graduate College
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Poster
Date Created: 2015
Date Issued: 2015
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 1 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The field of paleodemography has long been debated by those who wish to discredit the field and those who practice it. In 1999 and again in 2000, researchers who performed paleodemographic analysis met in Rostock, Germany to fix the clearly present issues and change the way research is conducted in the future Hoppa and Vaupel 2002. The product of these meetings resulted in what is now known as the Rostock Manifesto. While many scholars accept the change in the suite of methodologies carried out under the new guidance, little has been said on the effectiveness of the manifesto. This research argues the manifesto is not a fool-proof adaptation to paleodemography. This is exemplified through the comparative examination of previous and current paleodemographic research conducted on the same archaeological sample using the new methods that work in conjunction of the Rostock Manifesto. Using the specific age-at-death estimation technique outlined by the Rostock Manifesto, a large number of individuals, in a sample of 128, could not be examined by the strict methodological constraints. This preliminary conclusion argues the need for more useful methods to determine the demographic parameters of pre-historic societies and ultimately the ineffectiveness of the Rostock Manifesto. More research should be performed to test the reliability and accuracy of these findings.
Identifier: FA00005883 (IID)
Collection: FAU Student Research Digital Collection
Note(s): The Sixth Annual Graduate Research Day was organized by Florida Atlantic University’s Graduate Student Association. Graduate students from FAU Colleges present abstracts of original research and posters in a competition for monetary prizes, awards, and recognition.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005883
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.