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Title: Aspects of urban design in an ancient Maya center: El Pilar, Belize.
Creator: Wernecke, Daniel Clark., Florida Atlantic University, Kennedy, William J., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: Research on Maya centers have focused on monogenic descriptions assuming a uniqueness of design rather than looking at Maya centers as systems encompassing multiple functions as well as an innate strategy of urban design. The analysis of Maya architecture, in particular, has often become a pseudonym for the study of individual structure's chronology rather than an examination of structures using architectural theory and method. Using data from the site of El Pilar, this thesis examines the...
Show moreResearch on Maya centers have focused on monogenic descriptions assuming a uniqueness of design rather than looking at Maya centers as systems encompassing multiple functions as well as an innate strategy of urban design. The analysis of Maya architecture, in particular, has often become a pseudonym for the study of individual structure's chronology rather than an examination of structures using architectural theory and method. Using data from the site of El Pilar, this thesis examines the restricted ways in which Maya urban centers have been architecturally analyzed in the past and will incorporate those methods, into the wider scope of architectural theory to propose a holistic analysis of one center. This analysis places ancient Maya regional centers, such as El Pilar, in a broader comparative context, one that readily enables comparisons between other regional Maya centers as well as the cities of other world cultures.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15097
Subject Headings: Anthropology, Archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A CERAMIC CHRONOLOGY FOR THE BISCAYNE BAY REGION OF SOUTHEAST FLORIDA.
Creator: MCGREGOR, ARCHIE JAMES., Florida Atlantic University, Sears, William H., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: A chronology for the region surrounding Biscayne Bay in Southeast Florida is presented using all suitably reported ceramic material and the quantitative seriation method. The intention is to go beyond the present chronology of distinct ceramic periods to one that more clearly presents the development of the prehistoric ceramic continuum of the region. Exploration is made of the possibility of establishing ceramic areas as bases for future work toward the development of culture areas in...
Show moreA chronology for the region surrounding Biscayne Bay in Southeast Florida is presented using all suitably reported ceramic material and the quantitative seriation method. The intention is to go beyond the present chronology of distinct ceramic periods to one that more clearly presents the development of the prehistoric ceramic continuum of the region. Exploration is made of the possibility of establishing ceramic areas as bases for future work toward the development of culture areas in Southern Florida prehistory. To this end, comparative seriation material from the Everglades and Gold Coast regions is discussed.
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Date Issued: 1974
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13667
Subject Headings: Anthropology, Archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A Middle Woodland ceramic typology for Hatteras Island, North Carolina.
Creator: Block, Dorothy A., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This study presents a comprehensive ceramic typology for the Middle Woodland period (300 B.C.-A.D. 800) on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. It provides graphic illustrations of relative frequencies for ceramic series and types for five sites on Hatteras Island and two sites on Colington Island to the north. These data are then synthesized with comparative data from Roanoke Island and eight sites along the adjacent mainland coastal plain. They show that a significant southern influence was in...
Show moreThis study presents a comprehensive ceramic typology for the Middle Woodland period (300 B.C.-A.D. 800) on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. It provides graphic illustrations of relative frequencies for ceramic series and types for five sites on Hatteras Island and two sites on Colington Island to the north. These data are then synthesized with comparative data from Roanoke Island and eight sites along the adjacent mainland coastal plain. They show that a significant southern influence was in place on the barrier islands and coastal mainland during the Middle Woodland period. The border between the northern and southern culture regions during the Middle Woodland can be drawn at the Tar-Pamlico drainage rather than at the Neuse River to the south.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13276
Subject Headings: Anthropology, Archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: CONTEMPORARY ARCHEOLOGICAL VISUALIZATION: ANCIENT PALIKÉ IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
Creator: Babcock, Catherine J., Bargsten, Joey, Florida Atlantic University, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: Exploring the intersection of archeological and artistic visualization and the impact of digital technologies on these disciplines, the author details an endeavor to communicate the essence of the sanctuary of Paliké in Catania, Sicily through digital reconstruction and animation. Emulating the creative process of the famous panoramic artist Yadegar Assisi, and drawing upon first-hand observation and research of the archeological site Rocchicella di Mineo, the author recounts the artistic...
Show moreExploring the intersection of archeological and artistic visualization and the impact of digital technologies on these disciplines, the author details an endeavor to communicate the essence of the sanctuary of Paliké in Catania, Sicily through digital reconstruction and animation. Emulating the creative process of the famous panoramic artist Yadegar Assisi, and drawing upon first-hand observation and research of the archeological site Rocchicella di Mineo, the author recounts the artistic journey of creating impactful archeological visualizations which, although driven by rapidly evolving technology, can remain relevant. This manuscript chronicles the process and describes the production methods used to convey the essence of the ancient city of Paliké both accurately and expressively.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014169
Subject Headings: Archaeology, Visualization
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A Call for Latin American Public Archaeology: Decolonizing Study in Valdivia, Ecuador.
Creator: Falcón, Wilmer Isaac Revelo, Martínez, Valentina, Harris, Michael, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: This study examines post-processual, critical theory, and decolonial perspectives applied to archaeology to establish an alternative practice that here is termed “arqueología comprometida” (committed archaeology). Considering the history of archeology in Latin America, its current context and the logic of archaeological practice, the objective of this contribution is not only to offer an assessment of the processes of making history, but to also provide a collaborative study relevant to both...
Show moreThis study examines post-processual, critical theory, and decolonial perspectives applied to archaeology to establish an alternative practice that here is termed “arqueología comprometida” (committed archaeology). Considering the history of archeology in Latin America, its current context and the logic of archaeological practice, the objective of this contribution is not only to offer an assessment of the processes of making history, but to also provide a collaborative study relevant to both decolonial and public archaeology. The study is carried out in the Comuna Ancestral Valdivia (Ancestral Commune of Valdivia) (ACV), located in the province of Santa Elena, on the Ecuadorian coast. Historical analyses are structured to be critically evaluated from a decolonial perspective in order to characterize archaeology and to understand its wider and less obvious influence on societies. The alternative way of doing archeology proposed in this study incorporates the achievements and memories of local comuna members into the official history of the site and to establish a project focused on the material development of the local museum. In summary, this is an ethical and epistemological reflection of archaeological practice using anthropological methods to think through and propose a public archeology project that can be relevant and useful for people historically affected by colonial legacies in Latin America.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014284
Subject Headings: Archaeology, Santa Elena (Ecuador : Canton), Public archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE EARLY POTTERY OF SAN ANTONIO, DEPARTMENT OF CHINANDEGA, NICARAGUA.
Creator: Willis, Kelsey I., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: I analyzed the potsherds (n=732) recovered from the 2009 archaeological excavations at the site of San Antonio in Chinandega, Nicaragua. I classified the pottery in accordance with the Type: Variety-Mode system that is used almost exclusively in Mesoamerica and the Greater Nicoya Sub-Region. Identifications of known ceramic wares, groups, types, and varieties were made through comparisons with reference specimens from type collections housed at several institutions. New taxa were defined as...
Show moreI analyzed the potsherds (n=732) recovered from the 2009 archaeological excavations at the site of San Antonio in Chinandega, Nicaragua. I classified the pottery in accordance with the Type: Variety-Mode system that is used almost exclusively in Mesoamerica and the Greater Nicoya Sub-Region. Identifications of known ceramic wares, groups, types, and varieties were made through comparisons with reference specimens from type collections housed at several institutions. New taxa were defined as needed in accordance with the established protocols of the Type: Variety system (e.g., Smith et al. 1960) and as subsequently amended (e.g., Rice 1976). In the thesis, I describe the composition of the pottery assemblage from the earliest complex found at the site because it represents the most significant finding from the analysis. I identified a suite of Late Preclassic ceramic groups and types identical to those known from western El Salvador and eastern Guatemala including abundant Jicalapa Usulután, Pinos Black-brown, Santa Tecla Red, and Olocuitla Orange, all of which form part of the Chul Complex of that region. Statistical analysis implies that the ceramic complex most similar to that of San Antonio are not those from adjacent regions, such as the Uapala Complex of eastern El Salvador or the Aviles Complex of Rivas (Healy 1980), but rather those further west, i.e., the Chul Providencia Complex of Santa Leticia. The near identity of the San Antonio materials to those of the Chul Complex, which is part of the Providencia Ceramic Sphere, leads us to denominate them the Cosigüina Providencia Complex. Current dating places the Chul Complex chronologically between 400 B.C. and 50 B.C. (Inomata et al. 2014). The early occupation of San Antonio may extend into the succeeding Caynac Complex as well (ca. 50 B.C. to A.D. 50 or 100). The pottery suggests that inhabitants of the site were probably ethnically an ancestral Ch’olan or proto-Ch’orti’ Maya group (Sharer 2009).
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00003898
Subject Headings: Archaeology
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: 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)

Title: Predictive modeling of archaeological site location in Cuba.
Creator: Watson, April A., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This work aimed at aiding academic and CRM professionals in archaeology by developing a predictive model of prehistoric sites on the southeastern coast of Cuba. The variables in this model were identified by previous archaeological research at Guantâanamo Bay Naval Station. Both GIS analysis and weights of evidence testing were conducted on the model. The results of the GIS and statistical analysis allowed for refinement of the model. Cuba is central to understanding the prehistoric...
Show moreThis work aimed at aiding academic and CRM professionals in archaeology by developing a predictive model of prehistoric sites on the southeastern coast of Cuba. The variables in this model were identified by previous archaeological research at Guantâanamo Bay Naval Station. Both GIS analysis and weights of evidence testing were conducted on the model. The results of the GIS and statistical analysis allowed for refinement of the model. Cuba is central to understanding the prehistoric settlement of the Caribbean. The model explored not only site occurrence and environmental correlations, but also looked at intersite correlations. It was determined that site occurrences are strongly linked to low elevation, proximity to other sites, south-facing areas, mangroves, and geologic formations. This model may add to the understanding of the prehistoric settling of Cuba, as well as the interactions between native groups.
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Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3174309
Subject Headings: Geographic information systems, Archaeology, Methodology, Archaeology, Geographic information systems
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Bioarchaeological Implications of Porotic Hyperostosis in the Pre-Columbian Societies of Coastal Ecuador.
Creator: Rivas, Daniel Gonzalo Alava, Ellis, Meredith B., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: This thesis focuses on identifying the presence of porotic hyperostosis in a sample made up of 119 individuals to a) assess the possible causes of porotic hyperostosis in the ancient Ecuadorian coastal societies, b) reconsider porotic hyperostosis as a nutritional stress marker, and c) propose bartonellosis as an alternative cause for the appearance of porotic lesions in the skull over 4,000 years in the Northern Andes. By applying the BoPLE (Bone Porous Lesions Evaluation) method, results...
Show moreThis thesis focuses on identifying the presence of porotic hyperostosis in a sample made up of 119 individuals to a) assess the possible causes of porotic hyperostosis in the ancient Ecuadorian coastal societies, b) reconsider porotic hyperostosis as a nutritional stress marker, and c) propose bartonellosis as an alternative cause for the appearance of porotic lesions in the skull over 4,000 years in the Northern Andes. By applying the BoPLE (Bone Porous Lesions Evaluation) method, results obtained and clinical evidence propose that parasite infections and iron deficiencies are two of the probable causes of porotic hyperostosis in the prehistory of the Ecuadorian coast. Furthermore, the results suggested that a female skull associated with Valdivia culture phase II (3,300 – 2,800 BCE) is Ecuador's oldest record of this symptom. Likewise, the clinical characteristics of bartonellosis suggests it to be a plausible cause of porotic hyperostosis in ancient Ecuador.
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Date Issued: 2024
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014374
Subject Headings: Hyperostosis, Human remains (Archaeology), Human remains (Archaeology)--Ecuador, Bartonellosis
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Care in Medieval Transylvania: A Bioarchaeological Study.
Creator: Heron, Megan A., Ellis, Meredith A. B., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines the skeletal remains of two disabled adults collected from the Bogoz archaeological site (1100-1700) in Mugeni, Romania. Mugeni (in Hungarian, Bogoz) is home to an ethnic culture known as the Szekely, whose history has been lost (Bethard 2019, p. 254). This thesis conducts a microhistorical bioarchaeology of caregiving behaviors for Burial 13 and Burial 150 to concurrently reinsert disabled individuals into the historical narrative and to contribute to Szekely history....
Show moreThis thesis examines the skeletal remains of two disabled adults collected from the Bogoz archaeological site (1100-1700) in Mugeni, Romania. Mugeni (in Hungarian, Bogoz) is home to an ethnic culture known as the Szekely, whose history has been lost (Bethard 2019, p. 254). This thesis conducts a microhistorical bioarchaeology of caregiving behaviors for Burial 13 and Burial 150 to concurrently reinsert disabled individuals into the historical narrative and to contribute to Szekely history. Four theoretical backgrounds- microhistory, social bioarchaeology, osteobiography, and the Bioarchaeology of Care- are synthesized to organize analysis. First, this thesis documents biological identifiers, pathologies, mortuary treatment, and the physical, socio-cultural, and economic lifeways (Tilley & Schrenk 2017, p. 2). Then, models of care are developed to analyze multiscalar intersectionalities to understand the broader implications of medieval and early modern Transylvania (Peltonen 2001, p. 348; Walton 2008, p. 6). This approach will serve as an example for the continued investigations of care provisions for disabled and/or impaired persons, contributing to the historical narrative (Bethard et al. 2019, p. 267; Hosek 2019, p. 47).
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Date Issued: 2024
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014371
Subject Headings: Human remains (Archaeology), Archaeology, Medieval, Székely, Szeklers--History
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE MANTEÑO OF BOLA DE ORO: PAST HUMAN RESILIENCY TO CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH REMOTE SENSING, EXCAVATION, AND CHRONOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF LANDSCAPE MODIFICATIONS.
Creator: Garzón-Oechsle, Andrés E., Johanson, Erik, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Geosciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description: The term "collapse" has become a widely used term that oversimplifies the intricate histories of human-environment interactions. It has contributed to the belief that civilizations in the Americas and the tropics could not endure over time. However, the Manteño civilization of the Ecuadorian coast challenges this notion. Flourishing for a thousand years (ca. 650–1700 CE), the Manteños inhabited the neotropics at the gates of one of the world's most influential climatic forces, the El Niño...
Show moreThe term "collapse" has become a widely used term that oversimplifies the intricate histories of human-environment interactions. It has contributed to the belief that civilizations in the Americas and the tropics could not endure over time. However, the Manteño civilization of the Ecuadorian coast challenges this notion. Flourishing for a thousand years (ca. 650–1700 CE), the Manteños inhabited the neotropics at the gates of one of the world's most influential climatic forces, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). To thrive, the Manteños needed to navigate the extremes of ENSO during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, ca. 950–1250 CE) and the Little Ice Age (LIA, ca. 1400–1700 CE) while capitalizing on ENSO's milder phases. This research uses change detection analysis of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) on Landsat satellite imagery under various ENSO conditions from 1986 to 2020 in southern Manabí, where the 16th-century Manteño territory of Salangome was situated. The findings indicate that the cloud forests found in the highest elevations of the Chongón-Colonche Mountains provide the most resilient environment in the region to adapt to a changing climate. Further investigations of the cloud forest of the Bola de Oro Mountain using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAV) equipped with LiDAR, ground-truthing, and excavation uncovered a landscape shaped by the Manteños.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014225
Subject Headings: Climate change, Remote sensing, Archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Environmental archaeology: Locational analysis of Paleoindian and Archaic period sites in south Florida utilizing geographic information systems.
Creator: Turck, John A., Florida Atlantic University, Kennedy, William J.
Abstract/Description: The interrelatedness of archaeology, geography, and environment, in conjunction with the utilization of modern technology has become evident. This thesis employs the main principles of Environmental Archaeology while utilizing Geographic Information System technology to analyze the distribution of Paleoindian and Archaic period sites in south Florida. The following research demonstrates populations preferred certain areas to others, and environment played a considerable role in this...
Show moreThe interrelatedness of archaeology, geography, and environment, in conjunction with the utilization of modern technology has become evident. This thesis employs the main principles of Environmental Archaeology while utilizing Geographic Information System technology to analyze the distribution of Paleoindian and Archaic period sites in south Florida. The following research demonstrates populations preferred certain areas to others, and environment played a considerable role in this preference, as indicated by the patterns that arose when site locations were analyzed based on environmental variables. These patterns in site locations were used to determine the most likely and least likely areas of south Florida for finding new archaeological sites. This thesis also provides an evaluation of the varions environmental and archaeological data sets used, concluding that paleoenvironmental reconstruction is a worthwhile goal, greatly enhancing modern environmental data sets used in this study.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13072
Subject Headings: Environmental archaeology, Excavations (Archaeology)--Florida, Archaeology--Geographic information systems, Paleo-Indians--Florida--Antiquities
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A cultural affiliation assessment of archaeological sites within the Loxahatchee Scarp area using discriminant analysis techniques.
Creator: Wheeler, Skye B., Florida Atlantic University, Kennedy, William J.
Abstract/Description: This study seeks to investigate the problem of the cultural boundary between the Kissimmee-Lake Okeechobee and the East Okeechobee culture areas. The problem is addressed here using sites along the geographical region known as the Loxahatchee Scarp, focusing mainly on three sites, Whitebelt I (8PB220), Whitebelt III (8PB222) and JR244 (8MT1327). This study compares ceramic type data using the multivariate statistical analysis of discriminant analysis. The relative frequencies of ceramic types...
Show moreThis study seeks to investigate the problem of the cultural boundary between the Kissimmee-Lake Okeechobee and the East Okeechobee culture areas. The problem is addressed here using sites along the geographical region known as the Loxahatchee Scarp, focusing mainly on three sites, Whitebelt I (8PB220), Whitebelt III (8PB222) and JR244 (8MT1327). This study compares ceramic type data using the multivariate statistical analysis of discriminant analysis. The relative frequencies of ceramic types from the test sites are compared to other sites with generally accepted cultural affiliations. The ceramic frequencies are used in order to sort each sites level into several culture areas, those include the Glades, Indian River, Kissimmee-Lake Okeechobee and East Okeechobee culture areas. The results of this study demonstrated the utility of using discriminant analysis in the sorting of levels within sites into appropriate culture areas. The analysis suggests that although ceramics are a key component in determining where that site fits into the vast scheme of known archaeological culture areas, ceramics alone are a poor determinator without considering other factors, such as lithic or shell tools.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13016
Subject Headings: Discriminant analysis, Excavations (Archaeology)--Florida--Kissimmee, Excavations (Archaeology)--Florida--Okeechobee, Lake, Archaeology--Methodology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Salango Project.
Creator: Astler, Garrett, Harris, Michael S.
Abstract/Description: A film documenting Florida Atlantic University's Department of Anthropology Salango field program that has trained over 300 students in field archaeology outside Guayaqil, Ecuador in the coastal village of Salango.
Date Issued: 2011
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUIR000233
Subject Headings: Salango Site (Ecuador), Archaeology
Format: Video file

Title: In the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes: A Ceramic Analysis of the Santa Cristina Site, Chinandega Nicaragua.
Creator: Testa, Taylor C., Brown, Clifford, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: Nicaragua falls on the edge of what is often referred to as Mesoamerica’s “southern periphery.” Only a small amount of archaeological research has been conducted in Nicaragua, and there has been little of it in the northwestern portion of the country. Because of this, there are no local ceramic typologies or sequences which can make the identification and classification of artifacts difficult. The proposed research focuses on investigating the ceramic assemblage from the Santa Cristina...
Show moreNicaragua falls on the edge of what is often referred to as Mesoamerica’s “southern periphery.” Only a small amount of archaeological research has been conducted in Nicaragua, and there has been little of it in the northwestern portion of the country. Because of this, there are no local ceramic typologies or sequences which can make the identification and classification of artifacts difficult. The proposed research focuses on investigating the ceramic assemblage from the Santa Cristina archaeological site located in the Department of Chinandega, in northwest Nicaragua. The goal of this research will be to create a ceramic typology for the site, taking into consideration ceramic wares, groups, types, and varieties that have already been identified in other parts of Central America and defining taxa that have not been previously identified. Establishing the ceramic typology and defining taxa will help establish cultural affiliations as well as chronological markers.
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Date Issued: 2020
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013496
Subject Headings: Chinandega (Nicaragua), Ceramics--Analysis, Archaeology
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An osteological analysis of human remains from Cusirisna Cave, Nicaragua.
Creator: Philmon, Kendra L., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: Cusirisna Cave was discovered in the 1870s by Dr. Earl Flint, an explorer for the Harvard Peabody Musuem. The human remains and artifacts found in the cave were collected and sent to the museum, where they have remained since, unanalyzed. In December 2011, Dr. Clifford T. Brown and I analyzed the osteological material and artifacts because we thought they might be related to the Preclassic cave complexes of neighboring Honduras, an idea originally suggested by Dr. James Brady. I analyzed the...
Show moreCusirisna Cave was discovered in the 1870s by Dr. Earl Flint, an explorer for the Harvard Peabody Musuem. The human remains and artifacts found in the cave were collected and sent to the museum, where they have remained since, unanalyzed. In December 2011, Dr. Clifford T. Brown and I analyzed the osteological material and artifacts because we thought they might be related to the Preclassic cave complexes of neighboring Honduras, an idea originally suggested by Dr. James Brady. I analyzed the human remains while Dr. Brown studied the artifacts. This thesis presents the results of the analyses and compare the findings to other mortuary complexes in Mesoamerica. Despite the paucity of material culture, information regarding context, and the small sample size, I propose Cusirisna as a place of exceptional ritual importance. This project adds to our understanding of cave bioarchaeology, mortuary practices in Mesoamerica, and the prehistory of Nicaragua.
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Date Issued: 2012
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358967
Subject Headings: Forensic anthropoloby, Human remains (Archaeology), Paleopathology
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: Analysis of Cranial Modification in Coastal Ecuador.
Creator: Henderson, Alexis Marie, Ellis, Meredith, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Anthropology, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Abstract/Description: This thesis analyzes cranial modification from various sites and locations within coastal Ecuador. This research aims to identify the various types of tabular cranial modification and understand the methods used to classify each subtype of tabular modification. From this, I discussed the different types of modification and then used that information to contrast between North American and South American bioarchaeological methods of classifying cranial modification. Additionally, I...
Show moreThis thesis analyzes cranial modification from various sites and locations within coastal Ecuador. This research aims to identify the various types of tabular cranial modification and understand the methods used to classify each subtype of tabular modification. From this, I discussed the different types of modification and then used that information to contrast between North American and South American bioarchaeological methods of classifying cranial modification. Additionally, I reconstructed the biological profiles of some of the crania. The importance of this research is to introduce a method of identifying cranial modification that has been previously used in South American bioarchaeology to North American bioarchaeology. Furthermore, information on cranial modification regarding the coastal populations of Ecuador is lacking. The data in this thesis contributes a significant amount of knowledge about this practice, allowing this project to provide new information to the field of anthropology and the country of Ecuador.
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Date Issued: 2022
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014097
Subject Headings: Bioarchaeology, Skull, Human remains (Archaeology)--Ecuador
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A paleopathological survey of ancient Peruvian crania housed at the Peabody museum of archaeology and ethnology at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts: a special emphasis on scurvy.
Creator: Chamoun, Tony J., Broadfield, Douglas C., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: This thesis is a paleopathological survey of ancient Peruvian crania housed at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Chapter one discusses the significance of this research, work prior to this thesis’s formulation, and defines paleopathological and bioarchaeological terms relevant to this thesis. Chapter two presents this thesis’s materials and methods. Of the 196 Peruvian crania in this study sample, 11 case studies are presented....
Show moreThis thesis is a paleopathological survey of ancient Peruvian crania housed at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Chapter one discusses the significance of this research, work prior to this thesis’s formulation, and defines paleopathological and bioarchaeological terms relevant to this thesis. Chapter two presents this thesis’s materials and methods. Of the 196 Peruvian crania in this study sample, 11 case studies are presented. Chapter three reports a case of probable scurvy and likely anemia comorbidity. This case study is accompanied by a critical analysis and review of the literature surrounding scurvy, a detailed macroscopic examination, and a rigorous differential diagnosis process. Chapter four offers cases representing pseudopathology, hematopoietic disease, infectious disease, joint disease, neoplastic disease, trauma, and trauma-induced disease. Chapter five presents a summary of this thesis.
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Date Issued: 2014
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004273, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004273
Subject Headings: Human remains (Archaeology) -- Peru, Human skeleton -- Abnormalities -- Peru, Paleopathology, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Format: Document (PDF)

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