Graduate Student Posters Receive Awards

At the 2006 Archaeological Sciences of the Americas Symposium, both posters submitted by FSU Anthropology graduate students were awarded "Special Recognition for Excellence". One poster was created by Michelle Markovics and Daniel Seinfeld; the second poster was created by Hanneke Hoekman-Sites, Timothy Parsons, and Samuel Duwe (University of Arizona). The awards were based upon each poster's content and its presentation.

The symposium was sponsored by the Society for Archaeological Sciences (SAS), which was founded in 1977. The SAS represents a broad collection of scholars, and strives to promote interdisciplinary research within the fields of archaeology, biology, chemistry, classical studies, geography, geology and physics. One of its primary goals is to encourage communication among scholars who apply methods from the physical sciences to archaeology. This biennial conference represents an important opportunity for scholars and students to exchange ideas and to foster discussion about archaeological sciences.

Abstracts

Elemental Interaction: Stylistic, Petrographic, Chemical, and Residue Analysis of Copper Age Ceramics on the Great Hungarian Plain

The questions surrounding the social changes that occurred at the transition from the Late Neolithic (ca. 5,000-4,500 BC) and the Early Copper Age (4,500-4,000 BC) in the Carpathian Basin remain largely unanswered. The period is marked by evidence in the archaeological record that indicates a social transformation affecting both the structure of individual households and the organization of cultural groups across the region; at the end of the Neolithic, populations dispersed from large nucleated tell sites to numerous small settlements across the plain.

Over the last seven years, members of the Körös Regional Archaeological project have attempted to shed light on the causes of the shifting settlement patterns and changes in household organization through ceramic analysis aimed at exposing trade relationships, human movement, changes in exploitation of domesticated animals, and the use of secondary products. This research has included stylistic analysis, petrography, and a pilot isotopic neutron activation analysis. Thus far, the results have provided us with as many new questions as answers. However, continuing research including residue analysis, trace-element studies, and further compositional analyses of ceramics on a regional scale may identify previously unrecognized patterns of social interaction.

Geochemical Analyses of Archaeological Material from San Andrés, Tabasco, Mexico

A number of geochemical analyses were conducted on archaeological materials from San Andrés, a Middle Formative Olmec subsidiary elite site located 5km from La Venta in Tabasco, Mexico. The results of stable carbon isotope analyses of absorbed ceramic residue and of deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and dog (Canis familiaris) remains are presented. In addition, data from strontium isotope analysis of faunal and human materials are reported.

These data broaden current understanding of patterns of maize use in feasting contexts and of the interregional exchange of feasting meats at Middle Formative sites in Mesoamerica, allowing new insights into activities in the La Venta hinterland. Initial results indicate a higher proportion of maize use in luxury wares compared to that of utilitarian ceramics. Additionally it was found that the fauna from San Andrés were not consuming maize, perhaps indicating a lack of extensive maize fields surrounding the site.

Graduate Student Article Published in SAS Bulletin

After the 2006 Archaeological Sciences of the Americas Symposium, FSU graduate students Hanneke Hoekman-Sites and Timothy Parsons (along with Samuel Duwe from the University of Arizona) were asked to submit an article to the SAS Bulletin. The resulting article was based on their poster, which was awarded “Special Recognition for Excellence” when it was presented at the Symposium. The SAS Bulletin is the quarterly newsletter for the Society for Archaeological Sciences.

The article, Elemental Interaction: Stylistic, Compositional, and Residue Analyses of Copper Age Ceramics on the Great Hungarian Plain, is based on work the authors did in association with the Körös Regional Archaeological Project (KRAP). Since 1998, KRAP has encouraged students to pursue individual research projects like those described in this article.