Seminars On-Demand

Archaeological Database Creation and Management Basics

Recording Date: November 07, 2023

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

Alanna Ossa, PhD, RPA, SUNY Oswego, Department of Anthropology

Dr. Ossa has over 22 years of experience in archaeology including 11 years in a Cultural Resource Management setting. Before joining SUNY Oswego as tenure-track faculty, she worked for ACS (Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd.), the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Comparative Archaeology, the Department of Anthropology at Arizona State University, the Office of Cultural Resource Management at Arizona State University, and the Cultural Resource Management Program at the Gila River Indian Community. To date, she continues to do consulting work through Logan Simpson Design for the Gila River Indian Community. From 2001 to 2008, she worked as an archaeological database consultant for the Cultural Resource Management Program at the Gila River Indian Community. Prior to that, she taught an intensive course in SQL (Structured Query Language) to IT professionals. For the purposes of the course, she wrote a brief SQL Tutorial and introduction. As ACS’ Senior Ceramic Analyst, and lab manager prior to joining the faculty at SUNY Oswego, she analyzed ceramic materials and wrote the reports on ceramic materials from testing, data recovery, and monitoring projects, and was responsible for curation from beginning to end. She has experience with collections from central Arizona, central New Mexico, the Northeast (Iroquois), and several locations in Mexico including the Gulf coast (Veracruz), central Highlands, and the West coast.

This class is designed for both beginners and experienced users of archaeological data or collections focused databases. In this class you will learn how to treat your database creation as a component of research design based on common units in archaeology analysis and collections. You will learn the basic archaeological database and collections database architecture and apply these to relational database design. By the end of the class, you should be able to recognize basic principles of effective database organization and be able to avoid common pitfalls in database organization and curation practice. We will practice and identify guidelines for effective data fields, analysis forms, and practice how to deal with database changes (and analysis changes) using an example database. Participants in this course will be encouraged to come with their own data questions and structures to practice with during the practicum portion.

1. Describe how database creation is an important component of research design in archaeology
2. Identify basic archaeological database architecture using common examples from real-life databases
3. Demonstrate how to apply relational database structures to common archaeological organizational challenges using museum and research project examples
4. Outline strategies to handle database changes by creating flexible data structures as applied to archaeological data with practical examples

Reading Flake Scars to Understand Lithic Technologies and Past Human Behavior

Recording Date: May 09, 2023

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

Terry Ozbun, MA, RPA

Terry Lee Ozbun, AINW Senior Archaeologist, studied lithic technology under Dr. Jeffrey Flenniken and was awarded the Crabtree Memorial Scholarship in Lithic Technology during graduate studies at Washington State University. Terry has published articles and taught classes in lithic technological studies for over 30 years.

Meghan Johnson, MA, RPA

Meghan Johnson is a flintknapper and lithic analyst at AINW. Meghan has taught classes on lithic technological studies for seven years. Meghan’s research aims to identify lithic reduction strategies employed in the Pacific Northwest through technological analysis and experimental replication. Her current research interest focuses on cobble chopper production and use.

Kelley Prince Martinez, MS, RPA

Kelley Prince Martinez is a lithic specialist in technological ground stone analyses in the Pacific Northwest. Martinez is experienced in conducting macroscopic and microscopic ground stone analyses, combined with experimental replication and use wear studies, to understand raw material selection, ground stone tool manufacture, use, and recycling strategies.

Nick Hlatky, MA, RPA

Nicholas Hlatky has studied lithic technology in the U.S. Southwest, Micronesia, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Nicholas has examined a diverse range of lithic assemblages across these regions, including Clovis, Folsom, and early Archaic period assemblages. He focuses on understanding technological organization through debitage assemblages.

This seminar will provide insight into stone tool production and lithic attribute analysis methods. It will be organized around specific flake attributes and their interpretive power for understanding the processes and techniques used by ancient (and modern) people to make and use stone tools. The course will cover key concepts in interpreting past lithic technological behavior and aims to enhance participants' skills in identification and description of diagnostic lithic artifact attributes.

Key attributes such as remnant ventral surfaces and the characteristics of platforms, compression rings, and radial striations are qualitative more than quantitative and therefore better “read” than measured. Diagnostic attributes vary by technology and their identification allows for reconstruction or modeling of reduction sequences. Reduction sequences (aka chaîne opératoire) represent patterns of learned human behavior and can be evaluated for accuracy through experimental replication. Reading ancient artifacts allows us to discover technologies from the clues left by ancient practitioners of those technologies.

This course is designed for professional archaeologists, students of archaeology, and non-professionals interested in lithic technological analysis.

1. Develop skills in recognizing technological attributes of stone tools and technologically diagnostic debitage
2. Enhance ability to differentiate between natural and human-created flakes
3. Connect attributes to specific reduction technologies and the relationships between individual artifacts and the larger technological systems of which they are a part.

Assessing Significance and Integrity to Establish the National Register Eligibility of Archaeological Sites

Recording Date: March 02, 2023

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

Bryan Tucker, PhD, RPA

Dr. Tucker has worked in cultural resource management for over two decades. In 2009, Tucker accepted a position at the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). From 2010 to 2012 he served as Georgia Deputy State Archaeologist and Archaeology Section Chief and in 2012 was promoted to State Archaeologist and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. In the fall of 2020, Dr. Tucker left the state and returned to the private sector as a Senior Technical Advisor at New South Associates. He holds a B.A. from Georgia State University, an M.A. from Louisiana State University, and a PhD from the University of Florida, all in Anthropology.

J.W. Joseph, PhD, RPA

Dr. Joseph, one of New South’s co-founders, received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Carolina, and his M.A. in American Civilization, as well as his Ph.D. in Historical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania has experience in historical archeology, urban archaeology, industrial archaeology, historic preservation planning, HABS/HAER documentation, Native American consultation, Traditional Cultural Property studies, historic context studies, cemetery research, and public outreach, and specializes in African-American studies. Dr. Joseph has directed projects and research for many clients including the National Park Service; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; various State Historic Preservation Offices; several Departments of Transportation; the Historic Charleston Foundation; the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation; city governments; and private clients.

With an emphasis on National Register Bulletin 36 Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Archaeological Properties, this seminar will focus on how to apply the National Register Criteria to archaeological sites and how to determine if a site retains integrity. The instructors will discuss each of the four National Register Criteria, with an emphasis on Criterion D. In particular, they will highlight the sequence of evaluation and the relationship between the historic context, significance, and the level of integrity needed for the site to be eligible under D.

Please keep in mind that this course is a snapshot in time, and regulations may change.

Outline how to apply the National Register Criteria to Archaeological Sites
Explain the relationship between the historic context, significance, and integrity
Demonstrate the importance of following the sequence of evaluation laid out in the National Register bulletins

Quantification in Zooarchaeology: Calculating and Critiquing NISP, MNI, and MNE

Recording Date: February 24, 2023

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

Gillian Wong, PhD, RPA, University of Tuebingen and Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City

Dr. Wong received a PhD in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Tuebingen (Germany), a MS in Anthropology from the University of Utah, and a BA in Anthropology from the University of California, Davis. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tuebingen and an adjunct professor of anthropology at Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City. She is a zooarchaeologist who is particularly interested in how large-scale environmental changes affected past foragers on the local-level. She is currently involved in two research projects, one at Langmahdhalde, a Paleolithic site in southwest Germany, and one at Boomplaas Cave in South Africa. Although both projects focus on paleoecology, she uses different methods at each. At Langmahdhalde, she now focuses on traditional zooarchaeological methods and stable isotopes, while at Boomplaas Cave, she is a microfaunal specialist.

This course is designed for archaeologists at any stage in their career (including students and late career stage) who are not specialists in zooarchaeology or who do not work with the quantification units used regularly in zooarchaeology. We will focus on learning about three of the most commonly used quantification units: Number of Identified Specimens (NISP), Minimum Number of Elements (MNE), and Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI). We will learn how to calculate these units and the history of their development, but, more importantly, will also learn how to interpret them and evaluate their use and applicability to research questions. This course will be broken up into lecture, practical, and discussion portions that will give participants the tools to easily and more accurately interpret zooarchaeological studies that use these three units. Additionally, reference materials, lecture slides, and study examples will be provided to all participants.

Explain how NISP, MNE, and MNI are calculated
Describe the limitations of each of these quantification units
Analyze when it is appropriate to apply each of these quantification units
Be able to critically evaluate and understand these units in colleagues' research
Be able to discuss how these units apply to and can address specific research questions

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

Lucas R M Johnson, PhD, RPA, Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc.

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.

Applications of XRF in archaeology have expanded beyond the analysis of homogenous materials, such as obsidian, to include more heterogenous materials used, created, formed, or associated with human practices. Applications therefore include characterizations of ceramics, metals, glasses, soils, sediments, plasters, pigments/ residues, cherts, and metavolcanic or metasedimentary rocks. While obsidian analysis is relatively straightforward, the other materials require additional procedures before formulating interpretations based on geochemical attributes. This online seminar presents two case studies, one using obsidian artifacts from the western Great Basin and one using both coarse and fine-paste ceramics from Mesoamerica. In this seminar, the instructors examine appropriate methods to prepare specimens, to assess the precision and accuracy of results obtained, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different sample preparation techniques. While it is recognized that a ‘one size fits all’ method does not exist for all pXRF applications, we discuss what factors should be given careful consideration if the goal is to share data across projects and emphasize that such results are of the greatest utility to clients and stakeholders alike.

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).

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

Kimball Banks, RPA, is an experienced practitioner of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Much of that experience was gained in the federal sector, working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation. His work in both agencies involved working with tribes. He organized and held several workshops for tribes on both NHPA and NEPA. In addition, he is an expert on P.L. 93-638 - the Indian Self Determination and Education and Assistance Act. This law give tribes the option to assume the activities necessary to comply with NHPA and NEPA with respect to federal projects or programs for tribes.

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.

This course is a deep dive into the steps required for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its integration into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The instructors will cover the roles and responsibilities of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, lead federal agency, SHPO, THPO, tribes, consultants, and consulting parties in each step. They will also discuss NEPA in Indian Country in respect to Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.

Please keep in mind that this course is a snapshot in time, and regulations may change.

1. Understanding roles, responsibilities, and steps in Section 106 (NHPA) compliance.
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

Dr. Lindsay Bloch has over 15 years experience as a historical archaeologist, focusing on ceramics manufacture and use. She has collaborated for many years with the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS), overseeing the identification and cataloging of 17th-20th C. site assemblages. DAACS has developed one of the most detailed cataloging procedures for historical ceramics. She is well versed in historic pottery made in Great Britain, as well as continental Europe and North America, and has analyzed collections from British, Spanish, and French colonial contexts. Dr. Bloch currently runs the Tempered Archaeological Services, LLC, where she routinely identifies artifacts and conducts trainings for the archaeological community, as well as performing a variety of specialized analyses.

Accurate identification of ceramic types is foundational to historical archaeology, given the ubiquity of ceramics on sites and the importance of ceramic change over time for establishing site chronology. There are a variety of different approaches to identification, emphasizing origin, decoration, or production method. This seminar will use a technology-based approach, teaching how to identify how an object was made, given the strong relationships between manufacture, and geographic and temporal variation. The seminar will cover the 4 main ceramic materials (coarse earthenware, refined earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain), outline the characteristics of the primary manufacturing techniques, and discuss broad trends in decorative motifs/techniques. This approach will provide participants with a toolkit for identifying wares they may encounter, based on key diagnostic features.