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Regression with Archaeological Count Data Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-09-18 Brian F. Codding, Simon C. Brewer
Archaeological data often come in the form of counts. Understanding why counts of artifacts, subsistence remains, or features vary across time and space is central to archaeological inquiry. A central statistical method to model such variation is through regression, yet despite sophisticated advances in computational approaches to archaeology, practitioners do not have a standard approach for building
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Settlement Selection and Inequality in Video Games through an Anthropological Lens Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-09-18 Amy E. Thompson
For thousands of years, humans have been entertained by board games. The earliest documented game boards date to at least 6000 BC in the Near East (Sebbane 2001), and we know the name, Senet, and rules of a board game from Egypt dating to 3500–3100 BC. Aspects of inequality are omnipresent in the dynamics of the competition and cooperation inherent in games. In this review, I assess the digital version
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Aerial, Surface, and Subsurface Multimodal Mapping in Coastal Peru Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-09-18 Kayla Golay Lausanne, David Chicoine, Jeisen Navarro Vega, George F. Lau
This article describes a series of steps to integrate multiple modes of archaeological mapping in arid and agricultural settings. We use the coastal region of Peru as a case study and share our recent field experience at Cerro San Isidro, a multicomponent hill site located in the agriculture-intensive and mid-elevation (about 500 m asl) Moro region of the Nepeña Valley. In June and July 2022, we spent
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A Paperless and 3D Workflow for Documenting Excavations at Insula I.14, Pompeii, Italy Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-05-03 Alex Elvis Badillo, Matthew R. Brennan, Aaron M. Estes, Stephen P. Aldrich, Allison L. C. Emmerson
In the summer of 2022, Tulane University, in collaboration with archaeologists from other institutions, began excavations at the site of Pompeii. The archaeological work was focused on Insula 14 of Region 1, located in the southeastern sector of the site. To overcome the challenges of recording a complex urban excavation, and of working with a collaborative team, we designed and implemented a unique
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Best Practices for Publishing pXRF Analyses Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-19 Kimberly Johnson, Colin P. Quinn, Nathan Goodale, Richard Conrey
With its promise of nondestructive processing, rapid low-cost sampling, and portability to any field site or museum in the world, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry is rapidly becoming a standard piece of equipment for archaeologists. Even though the use of pXRF is becoming standard, the publication of pXRF analytical methods and the resulting data remains widely variable. Despite validation
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Experimental Archaeogaming: A Case Study Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-19 John Aycock, Katie Biittner
Archaeogaming is an area of increasing interest within archaeology. As archaeogaming's theory and practice are being fleshed out, it is worth considering if there are parallels to traditional archaeological methods within the study of video games. Here, we examine one such possibility: is there an archaeogaming equivalent to experimental archaeology? As a case study, we explore the system used for
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The Legality and Ethics of Web Scraping in Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-04-19 Jonathan Paige
Web scraping, the practice of automating the collection of data from websites, is a key part of how the internet functions, and it is an increasingly important part of the research tool kit for scientists, cultural resources professionals, and journalists. There are few resources intended to train archaeologists in how to develop web scrapers. Perhaps more importantly, there are also few resources
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A Systems-Thinking Model of Data Management and Use in US Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Elizabeth Bollwerk, Neha Gupta, Jolene Smith
OverviewArchaeology in the United States is caught in a “curation crisis” (Childs 1995; Childs and Warner 2019; Marquardt et al. 1982; SAA Advisory Committee on Curation 2003; Trimble and Marino 2003) and a “digital data crisis” (or “deluge”) more specifically (Bevan 2015; Clarke 2015; Kansa and Kansa 2021; Katsianis et al. 2022; Kersel 2015; McManamon et al. 2017:239–240; Rivers Cofield et al. 2024)
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A Collections-Based View of the Future of Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Jenna Domeischel, S. Terry Childs
This theme issue has two primary goals: to illuminate the underdeveloped or faltering areas of the discipline as they relate to archaeological collections and to offer tangible paths forward to address the systemic problems identified as they impact the future of archaeology. Present-day archaeology is complicated due to its many sectors of practice: academia/faculty; cultural resource management;
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Investigating the Reliability and Validity of the Portable Osteometric Device Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-05 Eric Anderson, Sierra W. Malis, Anna J. Osterholtz, Molly K. Zuckerman
Metric analysis of skeletal material is integral to the analysis and identification of human remains, though one commonly used measuring device, the osteometric board, has lagged in recent advancement. Traditional boards are bulky and require manual measurement recording, potentially generating intra- and interobserver error. To address these limitations, we tested the reliability, validity, and error
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Reflectance Transformation Imaging for the Recording of Incised Graffiti: A Case Study from the Maya Site of Holtun, Guatemala Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Rachel Gill Taylor, Michael Callaghan, Brigitte Kovacevich, Karla J. Cardona Caravantes, Mary Clarke
Precolumbian Maya graffiti is challenging to document because it is complex, multilayered, and difficult to see with the naked eye. In the Maya Lowlands, precolumbian graffiti occurs as etched palimpsests on parts of substructures such as stucco walls of residences, palaces, and temples that are frequently only accessible through dark and narrow tunnel excavations. Experienced iconographers or epigraphers
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Improving the Usability of Archaeological Data through Written Guidelines Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Anne Austin, Ixchel M. Faniel, Brittany Brannon, Sarah Whitcher Kansa
Archaeologists frequently use written guidelines such as site manuals, recording forms, and digital prompts during excavations to create usable data within and across projects. Most written guidelines emphasize creating either standardized datasets or narrative summaries; however, previous research has demonstrated that the resulting datasets are often difficult to (re)use. Our study analyzed observations
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Lessons from NAGPRA: Preparing Institutions for an African American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Jenna Domeischel, Angela Neller
For nearly a decade, there has been recognition of the need for an African American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (AAGPRA) or similar legislation. Experiences from implementing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) have shed light on challenges that prevent practitioners from achieving the informed, respectful, and expeditious return of remains. Given the likelihood
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Making Archaeological Collections More Findable and Accessible through Increased Coordination Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-19 Angela Neller, Jasmine Heckman, Elizabeth Bollwerk, Kelsey Noack Myers, Josh Wells
Archaeologists seek to improve our understanding of the past by studying, preserving, protecting, and sharing nonreplaceable archaeological resources. Archaeological collections hold information that can assist these aims as long as they are properly cared for, identified, and accessible. One of the most serious barriers is the lack of large-scale coordinated efforts to make archaeological collections
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Archaeological Collections and the Public—It Isn't All about Us Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-17 Katrina C. L. Eichner, Renae J. Campbell, Mark S. Warner
There is much discussion in archaeological circles about challenges associated with the millions of artifacts generated by fieldwork. Most of these discussions are limited to issues within the profession, such as care of collections, accessibility for research, orphaned collections, and shortcomings in training on collections awareness. An underrecognized third party in these discussions is the public
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A Survey of How Archaeological Repositories Are Managing Digital Associated Records and Data: A Byte of the Reality Sandwich Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-15 Sara Rivers Cofield, S. Terry Childs, Teresita Majewski
Archaeologists are taught about the importance of professional recordation and our ethical obligations to those associated records and data. These teachings imply that practitioners are meeting a professional standard of recordation that will stand the test of time, but the ongoing digital revolution is changing the way records and data are created and preserved. Best practices for the management and
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Working Ethically with Ancient DNA from Composites in the United States Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-15 Taryn Johnson, Heather B. Thakar, Joe Watkins, Anna Linderholm
This article discusses ethical frameworks for planning and implementing composite research in the United States. Composites, defined here as archaeological materials with multiple genetic sources, include materials such as sediment, coprolites, birch pitch, and dental calculus. Although composites are increasingly used in genetic research, the ethical considerations of their use in ancient DNA studies
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“Lies My Teacher Told Me”: Overcoming the Ideal–Real Divide in Archaeological Collections Training Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Mark S. Warner, Sara Rivers Cofield
A major problem in collections management is the lack of training about collections in all facets of archaeology. Ignorance about both ethical obligations and practical steps associated with collections is arguably the leading contributor to the ongoing curation crisis. This work summarizes shortcomings in collections training in academia and in cultural resource management, and it proceeds to identify
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Ready or Not Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Rachel Morgan
Debates about the best means of preparing archaeologists continue. This article reviews data from 674 archaeological job postings to assess in-demand archaeological knowledge, skills, and abilities. The needs assessment reveals American archaeology's demand for dynamic, highly skilled professionals capable of identifying, preserving, and protecting the past. The skills demanded in archaeology job postings
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Readers of the Lost Artifacts: The Heaven's Vault Video Game Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-14 Chris J. Ploetz
The award-winning video game Heaven's Vault stands out among a plethora of over-sensationalized representations of archaeology in video games and other media. The main character of the game is a woman of color named Aliya Elasra, whose primary weapon is her mind, which she uses to uncover a centuries-old mystery while unearthing the secrets of an ancient language. Set in a fantastical science fiction–inspired
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Rethinking Cultural Heritage in the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-14 Andrew R. Mason, Andrew Martindale
In 2006, the World Bank's private sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), introduced eight Environmental and Social Performance Standards (PSs) to define IFC clients’ responsibilities for managing their environmental and social risks, including those related to cultural heritage. Since their introduction, the PSs have evolved into a de facto global standard that other development
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Artificial Intelligence and Archaeological Illustration Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-03 Matthew Magnani, Jon Clindaniel
The reconstruction and representation of ancient artifacts and scenes through illustration is a cornerstone in the communication of archaeological findings. Sketches of the past have transformed over time, incorporating broader technological changes, from photography to the digital tools that have become prevalent through the twenty-first century. Most recently, developments in generative artificial
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Incorporating Publication into Graduate Seminars: A Case Study with Digital Reviews in Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-10-31 Amy E. Thompson, Peter J. Cobb
Writing for publication will be central to students’ future careers, so learning this skill should be integral to their graduate training. In a recent graduate seminar, we set up an assignment for which students would write a digital review (DR) and receive periodic feedback on their work through an innovative mock peer-review roundtable workshop. Each student wrote a DR intended for actual publication
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ArchaeoSRP: An R Package for Extracting and Synthesizing Federal Cultural Resources Data for Research and Management Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-10-26 Sean Bergin, Grant Snitker
For much of its history, archaeological research has relied on site-specific projects, regional comparisons, and theory building from case studies. However, recent research themes concerning the emergence of complex social-ecological systems and long-term land-use legacies require a new approach to archaeological data. Large-scale syntheses of archaeological data provide an effective way forward to
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Urine on the Shelves: Odious Materials in Archaeological Collections Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Mark S. Warner, Ray von Wandruszka
For 15 years, the University of Idaho has conducted chemical testing of excavated materials from historical sites throughout North America. The most common artifacts tested are sealed containers. Some come from current excavations, but most are from repository shelves. The immediate purpose of the archaeochemistry work is twofold: to identify the contents of the containers for researchers and to provide
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The Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network (OKPAN) Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-22 Bonnie L. Pitblado, Delaney Cooley, Bobi Deere, Meghan Dudley, Allison McLeod, Kaylyn Moore, Horvey Palacios
As the venues for professional training and education, universities have always shaped the future of the archaeological discipline—for better but also, in important ways, for worse. Historically, university structures promoted practitioner homogeneity and social inequity and, at the largest research-intensive universities, even managed to turn “service” into a dirty word. However, using the same structures
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Large Language Models and Generative AI, Oh My! Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-22 Peter J. Cobb
OverviewWe have all read the headlines heralding, often hyperbolically, the latest advances in text- and image-based Artificial Intelligence (AI). What is perhaps most unique about these developments is that they now make relatively good AI accessible to the average Internet user. These new services respond to human prompts, written in natural language, with generated output that appears to satisfy
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At the Intersections of History: Collaborative, Public Archaeology of the Nineteenth-Century Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop along the Chisholm Trail in Bolivar, Texas Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-06 Alexander Menaker, William Howard Clark, Douglas K. Boyd, Maria Franklin, Halee Clark Wright, Kevin Hanselka
The Bolivar Archaeological Project exemplifies the possibilities of archaeology as service, incorporating descendant communities and local stakeholders into the fabric of the research design and planning for a state infrastructure project. This collaborative, multidisciplinary project attends to marginalized histories to offer a model for how publicly funded cultural resources management archaeology
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Investigating the Effectiveness of Online Bioarchaeology Education through Participant Survey of a Cohort of International Adult Learners Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-23 Stacey M. Ward, Anna-Claire L. Barker, Rasmi Shoocongdej, Naruphol Wangthongchaicharoen, Justyna J. Miszkiewicz, Charlotte L. King, Siân E. Halcrow
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered the adoption of online education across all sectors worldwide, which was particularly challenging for disciplines that rely on hands-on learning such as bioarchaeology. Although the impacts of this rapid transition have been well investigated in fields such as anatomy and forensic anthropology, there has been little research into its effects within bioarchaeology. We
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Indigenous Archaeologies, Shell Heaps, and Climate Change: A Case Study from Passamaquoddy Homeland Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-15 Bonnie Newsom, Donald Soctomah, Emily Blackwood, Jason Brough
Indigenous communities globally are challenged by threats to heritage resources due to residual effects of colonization, outsider encroachment on traditional spaces, and economic and political inequities. The effects of climate change add another dimension to these challenges, not only by altering familiar ecosystems and landscapes but also through the destruction of Indigenous heritage spaces. The
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Embedding Librarians in Archaeological Field Schools Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-11 M. Gabriel Hrynick, Arthur W. Anderson, Erik C. Moore, Mike Meade
Participating in an archaeological field school is one of the only educational experiences that nearly all professional archaeologists have during their training. As a result, field schools are uniquely suited to provide experiential education in emerging skills that all archaeologists will need, such as information and data literacies at all stages of the contemporary research and publishing cycle
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Codesigned Archaeological Research in the Alligator Rivers Region, Northern Territory, Australia Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-17 Lynley A. Wallis, Susan O'Sullivan, May Nango, Djaykuk Djandomerr, Jillian Huntley, Brandi L. MacDonald, Clarry Nadjamerrek, Justin O'Brien
In much of the Western world, collaborative research undertaken by settler archaeologists readily lends itself, at least in part, to a continuation of the colonial project. Yet, against this backdrop, Australia's First Nations’ peoples continue to work with researchers and to drive systemic change in research practice. Community-engaged archaeology, defined here as codeveloped studies of ancestral
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When the Archaeologists Leave: Legacies and Services of the Historical Ecology of the Galápagos Islands Project Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-03 Fernando Astudillo, Edy Becerra, Florencio Delgado, Ross Jamieson, Peter W. Stahl
The Hacienda El Progreso functioned as an important Ecuadorian agro-industrial enterprise in the late nineteenth century. Operating out of San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos archipelago, the plantation exported refined sugar, coffee, cattle products, and other goods to national and international markets. From its beginnings in the 1860s, the plantation established the first permanent human settlement
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Relationship Prediction in a Knowledge Graph Embedding Model of the Illicit Antiquities Trade Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-05-31 Shawn Graham, Donna Yates, Ahmed El-Roby, Chantal Brousseau, Jonah Ellens, Callum McDermott
The transnational networks of the illicit and illegal antiquities trade are hard to perceive. We suggest representing the trade as a knowledge graph with multiple kinds of relationships that can be transformed by a neural architecture into a “knowledge graph embedding model.” The result is that the vectorization of the knowledge represented in the graph can be queried for missing “knowledge” of the
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Field Notes and Fictional Realms Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-05-31 Yesenia Rubi Landa, Amy E. Thompson
OverviewAs an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of our “real” world, video games allow us to leave reality and explore new fictional worlds. These worlds are more enjoyable when they are developed from various digital materials and presented as an official story, which is called “lore.” Lore invites the player to submerge into background stories of fictional worlds, including but not limited to those
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Doing Archaeology without Strings: Capacity Building and Education in Northeastern Ontario Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-05-15 Sarah M. Hazell, Alicia L. Hawkins
In the province of Ontario, Canada, it is estimated that 80% of archaeological sites are Indigenous, yet there are very few Indigenous archaeologists involved in management and decision-making about Indigenous heritage. Systemic barriers, particularly around licensing and regulations for curatorial facilities, continue to prevent Indigenous people from directly managing and protecting their own cultural
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Working with Indigenous Site Monitors and Tribal IRBs: Practical Approaches to the Challenges of Collaborative Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-04-24 Addison P. Kimmel, Steven A. Katz, Marcus Lewis, Elizabeth Wilk
Archaeologists have an obligation to conduct research that is relevant and responsive to the desires, interests, values, and concerns of Indigenous descendant communities. Current best practices for collaborative, community-based archaeologies emphasize long-term engagement and “full collaboration,” including the coproduction of knowledge and total stakeholder involvement. The present-day structures
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Free and Low-Cost Aerial Remote Sensing in Archaeology: An Overview of Data Sources and Recent Applications in the South Caucasus Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Ian Lindsay, Arshaluys Mkrtchyan
Recent years have seen the rapid expansion of airborne and spaceborne remote-sensing products adopted by archaeologists for interpreting ancient landscapes and managing heritage resources. A growing and increasingly specialized literature attests to the promise and availability of commercial and publicly funded satellite imagery, as well as UAV-mounted sensors across a range of resolutions and price
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Cultural Resource Damage Assessment Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-04-03 John R. Welch, Shannon Cowell, Stacy L. Ryan, Duston Whiting, Garry J. Cantley
Unauthorized cultural resource alterations range from looting and grave robbing to contract violations and wildland fires. Such alterations degrade cultural resources’ spiritual, communal, ecological, economic, and scientific values. Alterations often violate communal senses of place, security, and belonging. Alterations complicate jurisdiction-specific management, which is premised on up-to-date information
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The NAGPRA Nexus, Institutional Integrity, and the Evolving Role of Archaeological Laboratories Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-29 Amanda Roberts Thompson, Victor D. Thompson, Carey J. Garland, RaeLynn A. Butler, Domonique deBeaubien, Miranda Panther, Turner Hunt, LeeAnne Wendt, Raynella Fontenot, Linda Langley, Kristine L. Schenk, Mary E. Porter Freeman, Claire Auerbach, Chris Saunders
In November 1995, the Laboratory of Archaeology at the University of Georgia submitted inventories and summaries of Indigenous ancestors and funerary objects in its holdings to comply with the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). However, after this submission, the Laboratory attempts at consultation with federally recognized descendant Tribal communities
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Creating a Software Methodology to Analyze and Preserve Archaeological Legacy Data Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-28 Emily C. Fletcher
Software now allows archaeologists to document excavations in more detail than ever before through rich, born-digital datasets. In comparison, paper documentation of past excavations (a valuable corpus of legacy data) is prohibitively difficult to work with. This pilot study explores creating custom software to digitize paper field notes from the 1970s excavations of the Gulkana site into machine-readable
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Discovery and Excavation of Artifacts from the Bidong Shipwreck, Malaysia Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-27 Baharim Mustapa, Rafidah Razali, Kamarul Redzuan Muhamed, Badri Shah Abdul Ghani, Muhazam Mohamed, Ruzairy Arbi, Farizah Ideris, Khairil Amri Abd Ghani, Azizi Ali, Fatin Izzati Minhat, Muhammad Hafeez Jeofry, Baszley Bee Basrah Bee, Hasrizal Shaari
Underwater archaeological research has been developed less aggressively in Malaysia than in other ASEAN partner countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In past decades, financial constraints have limited the development of underwater archaeology, and the field has been dominated by commercial salvage experts. Malaysia has not addressed many issues or fundamental problems
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Refining Archaeological Data Collection and Management Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Michael Heilen, Shelby A. Manney
Most archaeological investigations in the United States and other countries must comply with preservation laws, especially if they are on government property or supported by government funding. Academic and cultural resource management (CRM) studies have explored various social, temporal, and environmental contexts and produce an ever-increasing volume of archaeological data. More and more data are
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Our Checkered Past Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Phillip O. Leckman, Michael Heilen
Despite advocacy of landscape approaches in cultural resource management (CRM) and critiques of the site concept, CRM data collection methods in the western United States continue to focus on individual archaeological sites as units of observation, analysis, and management. The transect-recording unit (TRU) method strikes a balance between conventional site-based recording methods and site-less survey
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Surface Artifact Scatters, Data Collection, and Significance Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Matthew J. Douglass, LuAnn Wandsnider, Simon J. Holdaway
The three authors research surface archaeological records dominated by low-density scatters and isolated artifacts, archaeological phenomena frequently encountered during cultural resource management (CRM) projects in areas of the United States and Australia. We each began researching surface artifact scatters for different reasons but converged on approaches that emphasize the formation of these forms
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More Than Meets the Eye Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Sarah H. Schlanger
Culturally significant landscapes, which evoke and promote strong feelings of attachment among their constituencies and advocates, pose a management challenge for federal agencies. Current cultural resources laws and policies focus largely on the physical characteristics of individual sites and features. I call here for a management approach that differs from current practice in several important ways
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The National Cultural Resources Information Management System (NCRIMS) Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 F. Kirk Halford, Dayna M. Ables
Despite making great strides over the past 50 years, cultural resources data management and synthesis continues to be elusive and nonstandardized, with each state and agency developing disparate systems that do not easily mesh. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has embarked on a national initiative by creating a National Cultural Resources Data Standard (NCRDS) that works to address many long-standing
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Will It Ever Be FAIR? Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Christopher Nicholson, Sarah Kansa, Neha Gupta, Rachel Fernandez
A fundamental task of archaeology is to address challenging scientific questions related to the complexity of human societies. If we are to systematically understand the processes that affect human societies on multiple spatial and temporal scales, research leveraging existing archaeological data is essential. However, only a fraction of the data from archaeological projects are publicly findable or
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The CARE Principles and the Reuse, Sharing, and Curation of Indigenous Data in Canadian Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Neha Gupta, Andrew Martindale, Kisha Supernant, Michael Elvidge
Reuse and sharing of archaeological data are tied to ethics in data practice, research design, and the rights of Indigenous peoples in decision-making about their heritage. In this article, the authors discuss how the CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles and Indigenous data governance create intellectual space for archaeological research. We show how
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What North American Archaeology Needs to Take Advantage of the Digital Data Revolution Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Scott G. Ortman, Jeffrey H. Altschul
Today, there is a growing movement to use accumulated archaeological information to contribute to discussions of general issues facing human societies, including our own. In this regard, the archaeological record is most unique and helpful when viewed at broad comparative scales. Most relevant data for these sorts of analyses are collected through the cultural resource management (CRM) process. Still
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The Use and Challenges of Spatial Data in Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Carla Klehm
OverviewSpatial data, under the broader umbrella of digital data, is becoming increasingly integral to all stages of archaeological research design and dissemination. As archaeologists lean toward reuse and interoperability, with ethics on their minds, how to treat spatial data is of particular importance. This is because of the complexities involved at every life-cycle stage, from collection to publication
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Lidar-Derived Road Profiles: A Case Study Using Chaco Roads from the US Southwest Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-27 Sean Field
Despite considerable developments in the archaeological application of lidar for detecting roads, less attention has been given to studying road morphology using lidar. As a result, archaeologists are well equipped to locate but not thoroughly study roads via lidar data. Here, a method that visualizes and statistically compares road profiles using elevation values extracted from lidar-derived digital
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Machine Learning–Based Identification of Lithic Microdebitage Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-02-16 Markus Eberl, Charreau S. Bell, Jesse Spencer-Smith, Mark Raj, Amanda Sarubbi, Phyllis S. Johnson, Amy E. Rieth, Umang Chaudhry, Rebecca Estrada Aguila, Michael McBride
Archaeologists tend to produce slow data that is contextually rich but often difficult to generalize. An example is the analysis of lithic microdebitage, or knapping debris, that is smaller than 6.3 mm (0.25 in.). So far, scholars have relied on manual approaches that are prone to intra- and interobserver errors. In the following, we present a machine learning–based alternative together with experimental
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Challenges of Documenting Historic Water Systems: Integrating Open-Source Water Data with Archaeological Datasets in Utah Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-01-31 Anna S. Cohen, Molly Boeka Cannon, Kelly N. Jimenez
Geospatial research in archaeology often relies on datasets previously collected by other archaeologists or third-party groups, such as state or federal government entities. This article discusses our work with geospatial datasets for identifying, documenting, and evaluating prehistoric and historic water features in the western United States. As part of a project on water heritage and long-term views
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Photogrammetry and GIS in Human-Occupied Digital Landscapes Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-01-13 Andrew Reinhard, Sara Zaia
In the last decade, archaeologists have been using human-occupied interactive digital built environments to investigate human agency, settlement, and behavior. To document this evidence, we provide here one method of conducting drone-based photogrammetry and GIS mapping from within these digital spaces based on well-established methods conducted in physical landscapes. Mapping is an integral part of
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TikTok as a Learning Tool for Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-12-20 Yuhana Khan
OverviewSince its launch, TikTok has become one of the world's most popular social media apps. Once primarily used by teenagers, this app is now used by people of all ages; this shift is largely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people transitioned to engaging with others via social media instead of having in-person interactions. Now, anyone who has either the app or access to a web
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An Intersectional Approach to Equity, Inequity, and Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-12-12 Jordi A. Rivera Prince, Emily M. Blackwood, Jason A. Brough, Heather A. Landázuri, Elizabeth L. Leclerc, Monica Barnes, Kristina Douglass, María A. Gutiérrez, Sarah Herr, Kirk A. Maasch, Daniel H. Sandweiss
The year 2020 was an awakening for some. For others, it reiterated the persistent social injustice in the United States. Compelled by these events, 30 diverse individuals came together from January to May 2021 for a semester-long seminar exploring inequity in archaeological practice. The seminar's discussions spotlighted the inequity and social injustices that are deeply embedded within the discipline
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A Photogrammetry-Assisted Methodology for the Documentation of Complex Stratigraphic Relationships Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-09 Brent Whitford, Kamen Boyadzhiev, Miroslav Ivanov, Konstantin Tyufekchiev, Yavor Boyadzhiev
At Tell Yunatsite, a prehistoric settlement mound located in the Upper Thracian plain of Bulgaria, stratigraphic relationships between archaeological deposits are incredibly complex. Such complexity then prompted our exploration into developing a new methodology for the documentation of complex stratigraphic relationships. Here, we present the results of a new photogrammetry-assisted methodology that
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Beyond Chronology, Using Bayesian Inference to Evaluate Hypotheses in Archaeology Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-09-15 Erik R. Otárola-Castillo, Melissa G. Torquato, Jesse Wolfhagen, Matthew E. Hill, Caitlin E. Buck
Archaeologists frequently use probability distributions and null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) to assess how well survey, excavation, or experimental data align with their hypotheses about the past. Bayesian inference is increasingly used as an alternative to NHST and, in archaeology, is most commonly applied to radiocarbon date estimation and chronology building. This article demonstrates
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Professional–Collector Collaboration: Global Challenges and Solutions Advances in Archaeological Practice (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-09-09 Suzie Thomas, Anna Wessman, Bonnie L. Pitblado, Matthew Rowe, Bryon Schroeder
This introductory article foregrounds the articles in this special issue, “Professional–Collector Collaboration: Global Challenges and Solutions,” complementing the special issue “Professional–Collector Collaboration Moving beyond Debate to Best Practice,” also published in Advances in Archaeological Practice. The articles that we introduce here cover examples and case studies from European settings