Science and Archaeology Symposium in Urbana
The Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials (ATAM), a division of the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program (ITARP), will host a regional, one-day conference on archaeological science Friday, November 7, 2008, at the Levis Faculty Center on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, IL.
In its broadest sense, archaeological science, or archaeometry, is the interface between archaeology and the natural and physical sciences. This interdisciplinary field encompasses both the study of early technologies (flint knapping, ceramics, metal-working, weaving, basketry, etc.) and analyses of archaeological materials using modern instrumental techniques. Early archaeometric research was dominated by dating, structural, compositional, and provenance studies of primarily inorganic materials (e.g. stone, ceramics, and metals). As the field has grown, new applications in biochemistry, soil science, medicine, geophysical prospection, and computer imaging have attracted a host of new specialists in areas such as the reconstruction of early environments and diets by analyzing bones and teeth, tracing the migration of peoples via ancient DNA, textile analysis, site mapping, and digital enhancement of ancient writing.
Format: Short, fifteen-minute papers will be presented, and attendees will be invited to bring posters on their archaeometric research from the past three years to display in the conference room.
Costs: FREE (No registration fee). The ATAM program and ITARP will provide projection equipment, poster boards, and coffee and snacks.
For more information: Contact Sarah Wisseman, Director, ATAM Program at the University of Illinois: 217-355-0757 or wisarc [AT] illinois.edu
PROGRAM Program pdf
PAPER ABSTRACTS
"Paleosol carbonate evidence for deforestation in South Asia caused by the Toba super-eruption: Implications for human evolution"
Stanley H. Ambrose (Anthropology, University of Illinois), Martin A.J. Williams, Umesh Chattopadhyaya, Jagannath Pal, Parth R. Chauhan,
The eruption of Toba, Sumatra ~73,000 years ago was the largest explosive eruption of the past two million years. Its impacts on global and regional climate and on human evolution remain controversial. Ash from the Toba eruption, crops out as channel-fill and lake basin deposits across peninsular India, and is present in marine sediment cores from the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the East China Sea. Ice core records show that this eruption marks a six-year long volcanic winter, and the abrupt onset of an 1800-year-long period of the coldest temperatures of the last 125,000 years.
Our results show that the Toba eruption was followed by more than a millennium of drier and cooler climate, with deforestation of some terrestrial ecosystems in South Asia. We hypothesize that other tropical ecosystems may also have been affected. Recent genetic bottlenecks and population subdivisions in humans and other species, and extinctions of several SE Asian mammals, may have been initiated by this event. The genetic structure of modern humans, the course of modern human behavioural evolution, and dispersals out of Africa may have been influenced by the environmental impact of the Toba eruption.
"Coastal Dune Activation, Stabilization and Cycling: The Taphonomy of Buried and Stratified Archaeological Sites in the Lake Michigan Basin"
Alan F. Arbogast, Department of Geography, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (dunes@msu.edu)
G. William Monaghan, Glenn A Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana (gmonagha@indiana.edu)
William A. Lovis, Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (lovis@msu.edu)
Our research is directed at understanding the processes that contribute to the formation and preservation of buried and stratified archaeological sites in coastal dunes, particularly as such formation and preservation relates to the periodic cycling of activation and stabilization episodes. We have systematically dated deposits of coastal eolian sand, and paleosols contained within them, via OSL and radiocarbon dating respectively, to reconstruct these relationships. Samples were drawn from many sites by deep coring and at others by hand where good vertical exposures occur. These dates were augmented with AMS ages derived from carbonized residues on curated ceramics of varying age. Preliminary analyses of these data suggest that geoarchaeological relationships in coastal dunes vary in space and time, with at least four coastal partitions present. In general, older sites are more likely to be preserved in the southeastern part of the lake basin, whereas they are absent northward. We discuss the related contributions of isostatic uplift, lake level fluctuation, and wind direction to this variability.
"Using the PIMA to Identify Source Quarries of Ancient Native American Pipestone Artifacts"
Randall Hughes (Illinois State Geological Survey) and Sarah Wisseman, Thomas Emerson, and Kenneth Farnsworth (Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois)
We use the Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer (PIMA) for rapid and nondestructive collection of large numbers spectra of artifacts and source quarries. These spectra give diagnostic mineralogical compositions that identify the major source quarries of unburned and partially burned artifacts. Because pipestone sources often have similar chemical compositions, analysis by mineral content adds levels of differentiation that derive from different geological histories. We also benefit from earlier studies by XRD, microscopy, and acid-dissolution chemistry, and a team made up of two archaeologists with wide knowledge of Midwest cultural history and an archaeologist and geologist/mineralogist that have extensive experience in chemical and mineralogical analyses. When PIMA results are uncertain, the data and physical aspects of the artifact often suggest the best choice for more costly methods.
"Reversing Hopewell Trading Pattern InterpretationsThrough PIMA Spectroscopic Analysis"
Thomas Emerson, Randall Hughes, Sarah Wisseman, and Kenneth Farnsworth
University of Illinois and Illinois State Geological Survey
Hopewellian archaeological remains clearly document an early flourish of US Eastern Woodland native earthwork construction, sophisticated and symbolic art, and elaborate mortuary ritual. Most early inter-regional interpretations of Hopewell artifact assemblages have argued that this period of robust cultural and artistic diversity was fueled by extensive networks of interaction and exchange that cover much of the U.S. Eastern Woodlands and the Plains. Elaborate effigy Hopewell pipes from southern Ohio were one of the premier exotic artifacts thought to be traded to distant places in the Midwest and Southeast. Recent research by the UI Midwestern Archaeometric Working Group has demonstrated that, when put to the test of scientific analysis, many of the assumptions of these early Hopewell pipe-exchange models were incorrect.
"Danville Porcellanite: A New and Unusual Lithic Resource in the Illinois Basin"
Brad Koldehoff (Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program) and Randall Hughes (Illinois State Geological Survey)
In the early 1970s, researchers from the University of Illinois reported the prehistoric utilization of a previously undocumented reddish chert near Danville, Vermilion County. Two workshop sites located by an amateur archaeologist provided the basis for the identification of this new lithic resource. Recent ITARP investigations in the Danville area furnished an opportunity to reexamine this reddish chert. Based on it macroscopic characteristics and mineral composition (via PIMA), this reddish chert was, in fact, determined not to be chert but rather a type of pyrometamorphic material known as porcellanite (baked shale). Recent efforts to locate natural exposures of this unusual material have been unsuccessful, which leads to the possibility that local shale fragments were intentionally baked (heat treated) to produce this porcelain-like material. This hypothesis, however, is rejected based on the available evidence.
"PIMA Analysis of Red Pipestone Artifacts from Oneota Villages in the Little Sioux Valley of Northwest Iowa"
Richard L. Fishel, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program,University of Illinois
Sarah U. Wisseman, Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials, University of Illinois
Randall E. Hughes, Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, Illinois
Thomas E. Emerson, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program,University of Illinois
The exchange of some Oneota red pipestone artifacts commonly identified as manufactured from catlinite originating from southwest Minnesota likely created fictive kinship alliances between unrelated groups from ca. A.D. 1450 into the early 1700s. Researchers have determined, however, that red pipestone raw material occurs across a wide area within the United States and Canada. Determining the provenance of this red pipestone raw material is thus critical to understanding Oneota trade and alliance building. Using Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer (PIMA) technology to identify the raw material sources of red pipestone artifacts from seven Oneota villages in the Little Sioux Valley of northwest Iowa, we demonstrate that while the local inhabitants had access to the catlinite quarries, they also used a wide range of pipestones from other sources. The possible implications of these multiple source areas are also discussed.
"A molecular anthropology view of the peopling of the Americas"
Ripan S. Malhi, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Analyzing patterns of genetic diversity has contributed to our understanding of the population history of Native Americans. Most of the research has focused on analyzing diversity in the mitochondrial genome and the non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome. Although these studies have been insightful, noticeable discontinuities between the conclusions made from these genetic studies and other anthropological evidence remain. Here we review and critique recent genetic studies that may resolve the perceived discrepancies among the different anthropological sources of evidence used to study the peopling of the Americas. Future hypotheses on the evolutionary history of Native Americans that can successfully be tested will also be given.
"Ancient Dogs, People, Plants, Coprolites: Future Prospects in Ancient DNA"
Eve A Hargrave, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program
Great advances have been made in the study of ancient DNA focusing upon topics such as migration of populations, identification of ancient diseases, and evolution of humans, mammals, and plants. Archaeological collections provide the basis for most of these studies. The Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program has in its collections a number of such archaeological materials including prehistoric dog remains, human dentition, ancient uncarbonized squash seeds, and coprolites. This paper presents a preliminary summary of these collections and discusses how ancient DNA analysis can provide invaluable insights into midwestern prehistory.
"Variation in Strontium Isotope Ratios of Archaeological Fauna in the Midwestern United States: Phase II"
Kristin M. Hedman, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in bone and tooth enamel have been used increasingly to identify non-local individuals within prehistoric human populations and to explore questions of resource procurement worldwide. Archaeological research has long emphasized the role of population movement and exchange in culture change within the Midwestern United States, and strontium analysis is looked at as a possible tool in addressing these questions. Unfortunately, little baseline strontium data is available for this region. We recently completed a pilot study that used archaeological fauna to explore regional variation in strontium ratios in Illinois and adjacent regions. Our results demonstrate measurable variation in 87Sr/86Sr and indicate the potential of strontium analysis for addressing questions of population origin and movement and resource procurement in the Midwestern United States. These results will be presented and future research directions will be discussed.
"Analysis of Maize Phytolith Taphonomy through Experimental Residue Analysis"
Maria Raviele, PhD. Candidate, Department of Anthropology
Michigan State University
Phytolith studies of ceramic residues demonstrate the feasibility of identifying the plants present at the time a residue was created. While these studies demonstrate the presence or absence of a plant, they are unable to quantify the percentage of a plant utilized during the cooking process. Preliminary results obtained in attempting to quantify maize phytolith densities through analysis of experimental residue samples based on the percentage of maize flour used to create the residue will be discussed. Included in this discussion is the issue of how various components of the experimental residues were processed and how this may affect the results obtained.
"Protocols for Conducting Analyses on a Unique Prehistoric Dog Coprolite Sample from Southwestern Illinois"
Dr. Andrew C. Fortier, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program (ITARP), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Coprolites are fossilized feces that are rarely encountered in open-air archaeological contexts in the Midwest. Recent excavations at the Janey B. Goode site by ITARP in metropolitan East St. Louis have recovered at least 100 discrete dry, well-preserved coprolite samples that date from cal A.D. 900-1000. Coprolite analysis can provide valuable information about prehistoric diet, health and genetics. In this case, the samples appear to represent dog feces. Collaborative research within this University will attempt to extract DNA, run blood panels and undertake parasite analyses and conduct more obvious macro analyses of undigested bone, seeds, teeth, hair, shell, fish scale etc. The purpose of these analyses is to reconstruct a gene pool for a specific dog population, and reconstruct dietary and nutritional/health levels for this population. SEM analysis will be conducted to determine the presence of possible bacteria, such as tuberculosis, and parasites, such as hookworm or pinworm, and other forms not found under normal light-aided microscopes. Factors contributing to the preservation of these samples are discussed. Analyses have not yet been initiated, so this paper presents the baseline protocol for undertaking these analyses.
"Mastodon for Dinner? Applying Butchering Evidence in Assessing Human and Megafauna Interaction in the Midwest"
Steven R. Kuehn, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Since the earliest discoveries of Late Pleistocene megafauna remains in North America, the association of these beasts with the early Native American inhabitants has generated much debate. A number of well-documented kill and butchering sites with conclusive evidence of Early Paleoindian utilization of now-extinct megafauna have been identified, but many more sites are questionable. In the Midwest, very often sites contain proboscidean bones but no stone tools, or conversely lithic artifacts (e.g., spear points) but only poorly preserved faunal material. Recently, possible cut marks were identified on 11,000-year-old mastodon bones from western Illinois. This presentation summarizes the preliminary results of this on-going study. The faunal assemblage was subjected to macroscopic and microscopic analysis, as a prelude to further investigation of the cut mark evidence. Key traits in butchering taphonomy are discussed, and plans for future study of the remains are presented.
"Archaeometry Underwater"
Dr. Allan C. Campbell, M.D. (University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria) and Prof. George Bass (Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M)
An illustrated presentation of the use of a broad spectrum
of archaeometry techniques in the pioneering work in nautical archaeology
performed by Dr George F. Bass and his Institute of Nautical Archaeology.
These techniques include methods of mapping underwater shipwrecks and
the analysis of recovered artifacts. These techniques have evolved over the
years with increasingly sophisticated computer applications and analytical
techniques of archeobotony, archeometallurgy, dating techniques and
related studies.
Dr. Campbell has been affiliated with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology since 1988 and serve on the Board as an Associate Director. He had the opportunity to dive on the Ulu Burun wreck in 1991 and to be present at the opening of its permanent exhibition in Bodrum, Turkey in 2000. Artifacts from that wreck will be on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, opening on November 17, 2008. Details of that wreck were published in the December 1987 National Geographic (Vol. 172, No. 6) with numerous subsequent academic articles published elsewhere.
"The Spurlock Museum Cylinder Seal Project"
Wayne T. Pitard ( Spurlock Museum and Program for the Study of Religion, University of Illinois)
The Spurlock Museum has inaugurated a new project to do advanced image documentation of ancient Mesopotamian cylinder seals, starting with the Museum’s own collection of 62 seals. To do this, the Museum has created an Artifact Imaging Center that contains two advanced imaging setups: (1) a 360-degree panoramic camera that allows us to document the entire carved cylindrical surface of the seals; and (2) a Polynomial Texture Mapping Dome, for producing “2.5 D” images of 3-dimensional objects. The project is a collaboration between Illinois and the University of Southern California, and includes extensive research done by undergraduates at both universities.
"From Spain to Egypt? Materials Analyses of an Egyptian Mummy at the Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois"
Sarah U. Wisseman, Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials, University of Illinois
Marie Svoboda, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California
Marc Walton, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, California
A Roman-period Egyptian mummy was analyzed by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Illinois during the early 1990s to study embalming techniques and the age, sex, and cause of death of the child inside the wrappings. Because of the museum's desire to display the mummy after analysis, no autopsy was performed, and initial analyses were conducted using non-destructive medical imaging. However, the deteriorating lower portion of the mummy yielded loose samples of resins, cloth, insects, wood, and bone, as well as pigment from the tinted stucco on the exterior. The red pigment, originally identified as a type of lead oxide, has now been reanalyzed by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Conservation Institute as part of a larger study on high status, "red shroud" mummies. Molecular, trace element, and isotopic analyses of the red pigment from seven of the nine mummies in this group show an identical composition. The pigment was produced outside of Egypt, most likely from metal refining at the Roman silver mines at Rio Tinto, Spain. This finding, in addition to similarities in iconography and decoration, suggests that these "red shroud" mummies may have been prepared in the same embalming workshop.
"More than Just Clay: X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis of Woodland Ceramics and Local Clays from Door County Wisconsin"
Michelle M. Birnbaum, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The use of Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) for sourcing prehistoric ceramics utilizing elemental signatures while useful in some regions is considered much less useful in geographic areas with glacially deposited clays, like those found in Wisconsin, that are not regionally distinctive. This preliminary study utilizes X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to identify the types of clay minerals found in prehistoric North Bay and Heins Creek low temperature fired ceramics from the Beaudhuin Village and the Richter Sites, Door County Wisconsin as well as clay samples collected from various locations on the Door Peninsula. By comparing the types of clays found in prehistoric ceramics to those found in local clay deposits it may be possible to explore local and regional raw material selection patterns and the possible technological choices made by Middle and Late Woodland populations in Door County.
"Refiring the Past: Ancient Maya Ceramic Production"
Lisa J. Lucero, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ceramic production and distribution are widely seen as important dimensions of exchange. Little is known about direct evidence for prehispanic ceramic production in the Maya lowlands. While indirect methods of production have been evaluated, few studies have specifically examined direct evidence, and discussions of production failures are rare. In this paper I discuss the results of a refiring experiment conducted to replicate signatures of failure. Results of this experiment using ancient Maya pottery and prepared briquettes demonstrate distinct and predictable reactions of basic tempers to temperature variation. The implications of these data illustrate why ceramic production remains elusive to archaeologists in the Maya area and the need to develop new strategies to identify ceramic production archaeologically.
"Are they Cooking Pots or Not: The Potential Function of 'Straight-Walled Pots' Recovered from Middle Bronze Age II sites in Canaan"
Alexey Zelin, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The subject of this paper is a group of vessels appearing during the Middle Bronze Age II in Canaan and neighboring regions. These low-quality, hand-made containers have flat bases and upright walls. They are frequently decorated with a rope-like appliqué and have a line of perforations or nodes. In the past, these pots were interpreted as cooking vessels. This interpretation was found tentative due to the appearance of these crude hand-made vessels together with high-quality, wheel-made, globular shaped cooking pots.
Recently, the function of these vessels has been studied in the light of ethnographic data and a number of experiments with modern replicas. The studies show that unlike the globular cooking pots that were exposed to the open fire, the “straight-walled pots” were used for slow cooking inside or on top of hot charcoals.
"Analysis of copper-base metal artifacts from the late prehistoric Hoxie Farm site, Cook County, Illinois"
Kathleen L. Ehrhardt (Illinois State Museum), Douglas K. Jackson (Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program), and James C. Mabon (Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois)
The Hoxie Farm site is a large, late prehistoric site in Cook County, Illinois whose primary occupations relate to fourteenth through sixteenth century, Late Fisher and Huber phase Upper Mississippian components. Over 250 copper-base metal artifacts, primarily nonutilitarian items, were recovered during ITARP excavations at the site several years ago. Later protohistoric or early historic era occupations are also a possibility and therefore European-derived metals could potentially account for some of the artifacts. To investigate this question, a sample of these artifacts was examined using facilities at the University of Illinois. Samples were subjected to analysis methods that varied from simple scratch tests to technical scanning electron microscopy investigations. To investigate the metal working techniques involved in manufacturing the copper-base metal artifacts, a small sample was also selected for microscopic metallographic analysis. The investigations are ongoing and incomplete at this time, but data do indicate a native North American source for all the samples tested. The Hoxie Farm assemblage provides an excellent opportunity to address questions of technology, material composition, and contexts of use of native copper during the late prehistoric era of this region.
"Ceramic Residue Analysis through Gas Chromatography IV.
Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) Analysis Results from Oneota Pottery from the Driftless Area of Wisconsis: Discussion of Dietary Implications"
John Morris (Northern Illinois University and Alchimia Consultants), Constance Arzigian (Mississippi Valley Archaeological Center (University of Wisconsin at La Crosse), and David Ballantine (Northern Illinois University)
Archaeologically interesting data can be gleaned from FAME analysis of residues found on prehistoric potsherds. Fat samples from a number of animals and plants available to Native Americans living in the northern Mississippi Valley area have also been analysed. Chemical analysis consists of transesterification of the natural triglycerides to the methyl esters, followed by gas chromatographic analysis.
Surface residue samples can be collected from potsherds using a minimally invasive procedure. Comparison of data from two different contexts in the La Crosse, Wisconsin area with the reference collection can be interpreted in terms of seasonal variation in the diet of the Oneota people. Samples from the Swennes site (47LC333) and from the Sanford Archaeological District (47LC394) indicate a different pattern for a site occupied during the fall through spring seasons, than that from midsummer occupations.