SAA offers free-to-member and fee-based online seminars every year, but there may be content that you've missed. Seminars On-Demand provides the opportunity to purchase access to past seminar recordings. This comes with many of the same advantages as live online seminars. Participants will receive access to the video recording for two months, two RPA Continuing Professional Education credit hours, and a certificate of completion.
After completing your purchase, you will receive an email from SAA
staff with a link to the recording. Please allow one business day to complete this process. If you chose the group registration option, you will also receive information about providing access to your group (there is no maximum to the number of people who can be in your group).
Please note that you are not registering for a live event, but rather purchasing access to a past recording.
If you are an SAA member, you also have access to 30+ hours of free on-demand recordings in the Online Learning Archive. Log in to the Member Center and start learning!
Current On-Demand Options
Characterization of Obsidian and Coarse to Fine-Paste Ceramics with Handheld XRF
Recording Date: November 15, 2022
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
Dr. Johnson's research at Caracol, Belize began in 2010 and initiated his training and application of ED-XRF on over 2,000 ancient Maya obsidian artifacts. Through this geochemical and technological analysis, he learned the basics of XRF physics, the importance of source reference material, and advanced statistical methods used to assign artifacts to known sources to assess ancient regional trade through time. Concurrent with this project, he worked with an international team to characterize obsidian artifacts from two project locations in Ethiopia. Through these projects, he established relationships with XRF specialists and developed a deeper knowledge of portable XRF instruments. Currently, as a practicing archaeologist in cultural resource management, he is expected to apply XRF analysis to obsidian, other volcanic rocks, and potentially other materials in conventional and in often creative ways. As a member of a laboratory team at Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. and working toward advancing technical reports and research papers, he has stayed current with XRF literature describing analyses of various materials, taught other lab staff the fundamentals of XRF, and trained them to use an XRF instrument.
Marc Marino, MA, RPA, University of Arkansas
Marc Marino’s archaeological training with pXRF as an undergraduate student began with Dr. Lucas Johnson at the University of Central Florida Archaeology Laboratory in 2011. Subsequent training with Dr. Wesley D. Stoner, in both pXRF analysis and statistical analysis of data obtained with Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), built on that foundation at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. His internship at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) with Dr. Brandi Lee MacDonald focused on the trade and exchange of decorated ceramics and obsidian in Aztec Period Mexico (specifically on the independent Tlaxcallan State). While his dissertation research was accomplished using NAA, XRF, and pXRF of obsidian, ceramics, clays, and sediments, Dr. MacDonald also introduced him to other applications of chemical analysis, including the analysis of ochres and pigments. Combined, these experiences have provided exposure to a wide range of projects across broad geographic areas.
- Introduce the method of XRF to those who may or may not have access, but are interested in using XRF to answer anthropological questions relating to obsidian and ceramics.
- Present case studies by which attendees may learn how to perform a specific analysis.
- Outline what is required for XRF analysis of a given material and the limitations of XRF in analyzing certain materials.
- Describe the fundamental physics of XRF and how software transforms XRF spectral to analytical units (i.e., calibrations).
- Explain the basics of analyzing parts per million or weight percent versus untransformed photon peak counts (i.e., statistical procedures).
Exploring Applications of 3-D Printing in Archaeology for Education, Public Outreach, and Museum Exhibits
Recording Date: June 02, 2022
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
Dr. Means's scholarly pursuits include reconstructing American Indian village spatial and social organizations, the research potential of archaeological collections, and the history of archaeology across the Americas, especially during the Great Depression. Dr. Means is also director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory, which is creating three-dimensional (3-D) digital models of historical, archaeological and paleontological objects used for teaching, research, and public outreach from across the Americas as well as northern India. He has 3-D scanned Ice Age animal bones from across North America, including some that were collected by Thomas Jefferson and a mastodon tooth that belonged to Ben Franklin and found in Philadelphia. Dr. Means is the author of Circular Villages of the Monongahela Tradition (2007) and editor of and contributor to the Shovel Ready: Archaeology and Roosevelt’s New Deal for America (2013), as well as numerous articles on the Monongahela tradition, New Deal archaeology, and applications of three dimensional (3-D) scanning and printing to archaeology, especially public outreach.
Three-dimensional (3-D) printing is increasingly infiltrating all aspects of society, from manufacturing and medicine to STEM education on K-12 levels. This seminar will explore the basics of 3-D printing and how archaeologists
can integrate 3-D models and printed materials into all aspects of their discipline, from the field to the laboratory, and into the classroom and the museum. Particular attention will be paid to the following areas:
- how digital 3-D models enhance identification of artifacts and ecofacts in the field and laboratory over 2-D drawings or photographs
- how 3-D printed replicas expand opportunities for teaching and research at all levels of education, but especially for undergraduate teaching
- how 3-D printed replicas can be incorporated into public outreach programs, maximizing access to the past, while minimizing risks to fragile heritage
- how 3-D printed replicas can be integrated into museum exhibits to create a more interactive and tactile element
The 3-D printed past is not something from the far-off archaeology future, but should be seen as very much a part of the archaeological present.
2. Explain where to find or how to create your own digital 3-D archaeological models for printing
3. Explore ways to integrate 3-D printed replicas into all aspects of archaeological pedagogy and outreach
Step by Step: Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act
Recording Date: January 27, 2022
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
J. Signe Snortland holds a B.A. from the University of North Dakota and a M.A. from the University of Manitoba in Anthropology. Snortland is an experienced NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) and Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act) practitioner, as well as a former manager of a federal office. She has led teams preparing environmental impact statements (EISs) in Colorado, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, and Washington. She served as an Environmental Specialist and Area Archaeologist for the U.S Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. Previously she was the Chief Archeologist for the State Historical Society of North Dakota (NDSHPO) and conducted thousands of Section 106 reviews.
Please keep in mind that this course is a snapshot in time, and regulations may change.
2. Learning the relationship between NHPA and NEPA.
3. Increasing awareness of NHPA and NEPA in Indian Country.
Historic Ceramics Identification
Recording Date: October 05, 2021
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
- Distinguish four main ceramic materials (coarse earthenware, refined earthenware, stoneware, porcelain)
- Recognize technological change in pottery production through time
- Recognize decorative change in pottery production through time
Introduction to Bayesian Chronological Modeling
Recording Date: December 03, 2020
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
Carla Hadden is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory at the University of Georgia Center for Applied Isotope Studies. Dr. Hadden specializes in radiocarbon dating, environmental archaeology, and zooarchaeology, and is an Associate Editor for Radiocarbon, the main international journal of record for research articles relevant to radiocarbon techniques. She regularly publishes on radiocarbon method development and archaeological applications in high-impact journals such as Science Advances, American Antiquity, and Radiocarbon, and is regularly called upon to peer review manuscript submissions on radiocarbon dating and Bayesian chronological modeling in archaeology.
Bayesian chronological modeling revolutionized chronology building in archaeology. It provided a robust mathematical framework for incorporating all the dating information available, including radiocarbon dates, stratigraphy, artifact typologies, and the written historical record. The purpose of this seminar is to provide archaeologists with an introduction to the key concepts, assumptions, and terminology used in Bayesian chronological modeling; an overview of the basic structures and applications of age models; and an introduction to the “iterative approach” to sample selection and chronological modeling. We will introduce the audience to the several software options available for age modeling (OxCal, BCal, and various packages implemented in R) and compare their pros and cons. We will not provide a step-by-step “how to” for constructing models in any one program, but participants will receive a workbook and “quick start” guide for modeling in OxCal. This course will enable participants to understand and evaluate age models that they encounter in archaeological literature; will provide a necessary foundation for those interested in exploring how Bayesian models could contribute to their own projects; and will provide resources for those who wish to learn more about constructing chronological models. The intended audience includes those who have no previous experience in Bayesian chronological modeling.
- Understand the basic terminology related to Bayesian chronological modeling, e.g., event; phase; sequence; boundary; MCMC; prior probability; posterior probability; likelihood; parameter; convergence; agreement
- Evaluate and interpret model outputs
- Understand and follow the conventions for reporting modeled dates in technical reports and scientific journals
Perishable Material Culture: An Introduction to Analysis and Documentation
Recording Date: February 04, 2021
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
Dr. Edward A. Jolie, RPA, is the director of the Perishable Artifact Laboratory at Mercyhurst University, one of only a handful of labs globally that specializes in the documentation and analysis of perishable material culture such as string, textiles, baskets, nets, and footwear. His scholarly interests include the archaeology of the Americas (with particular reference to the western U.S.), sociocultural diversity in the past and present, perishable material culture worldwide, Native American-Anthropologist relationships, and ethics in anthropology. Being of mixed Oglala Lakota (Sioux) and Hodulgee Muscogee ancestry, and an enrolled citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, he strives to cultivate collaborative relationships and research partnerships with descendant communities.
Perishable material culture, including items such as string, nets, baskets, mats, footwear, and clothing, has been critical to human lives and livelihoods for tens of millennia, but has historically suffered from a lack of scholarly attention owing to the biases of preservation and gender. This seminar introduces participants to the diversity of perishable material culture that they may encounter in field and museum settings and provides a foundation for pursuing more intensive research on these objects. The instructor will place particular emphasis on the essential knowledge required for the proper recognition, handling, basic analysis, and documentation of perishable artifacts.
- Improve knowledge of the recognition and proper handling of perishable material culture.
- Explore the basic structural and analytical attributes of the major technological classes of perishable material culture.
- Establish the basics of perishable artifact analysis and documentation.