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2008
July 10th
Members' update on TAS Field School.
June 12th
No meeting. Texas Archeological Society excavations near Perryton, Texas.
May 8
Dr. Elliot Richmond, Professor of Astronomy at Austin Community College
Archaeoastronomy in Texas: Possibilities for the Future
I have always been interested in archaeoastronomy. Around the world, archaeoastronomy typically involves measuring the azimuths between standing stones, buildings, windows, walls, and similar structures. Few of those are applicable in Texas, so this talk will explore a few areas where archaeologists and astronomers might productively search for astronomical connections, if any exist.
April 10
Jonathan H. Jarvis, TexSite and Atlas Coordinator, Texas Archeological Research Laboratory
Cemetery, Cementerio: Architectural and Cultural Trends Evident in the Grave Markers at the Merrelltown Cemetery and Cementerio Guadalupe
Tombstones and other grave markers reflect broader patterns of architectural and cultural history. This presentation identifies diachronic trends evident in grave marker morphology at two historic cemeteries in central Texas: the Merrelltown Cemetery (41TV1716), a Protestant Anglo cemetery, and Cementerio Guadalupe (41CW108), a Mexican-American cemetery.
March 13
Dr. George Staff, Professor and Department Head, Environmental Science and Technology, Austin Community College
Carbon footprints
February 14
Mariah F. Wade, Professor of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin
Missions for Hunter-Gatherers: Successes and Failures
January 10
Billy Atkins, City of Austin Office of Emergency Management
The 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic in Austin
2007
December
Holiday Social
November 8
Elizabeth Pintar, PhD, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Austin Community College
Archaeological Investigations at Salamanca Cave in the South Central Andes
October 11
Dr. D. Clark Wernecke, Research Associate, Texas Archeological Research
Forgotten Heroes of the Republic: A Grave from the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, May 9, 1846
In 1967 construction work exposed a mass grave of Mexican soldiers from the second battle of the Mexican War, Resaca de la Palma. Ongoing research is trying to discover the identities of these soldiers, what their life had been like and what that final day was like. The Mexican War has been overshadowed in our histories by the Civil War and the Battle of Resaca de la Palma has often been addressed in an offhand way. In fact, the battle was a pivotal one whose outcome could have dramatically changed history.
September 13
Joanne Carpenter
The Olmec: Through the Portable Portal and Beyond
Ritual objects held in the hands of Olmec statues, images, cave paintings, and many other depictions have not been identified as anything, except that useful archaeological catch-all, "ritual objects." I propose that these objects are more than just symbols, but served as subliminal portals thought to give access to other worlds to whomever possesses them. There are many examples of these "Portable Portals," but they have not been studied together as a group. I hypothesize that these hand held objects carry all the way through to the Maya and recent developments or findings suggest that these symbols may have been expressed in a syntax on a large stone slab found of Olmec origin.
Elliot Richmond, Ph.D
Astronomical alignments at Stonehenge and the purpose of the original structure
Most people view the standing stones an Stonehenge and step over the interesting and most ancient part of the structure. Several archaeoastronomers have detected alignments with important astronomical events among the standing stones, but I contend that it is not very useful for that purpose and has little practical value as an almanac or astronomical calculator. On the other hand, the original, 3500 year-old bank and ditch may have served as the basis for a system of precise "horizon astronomy" measurements that could have been used to predict the cycles of the seasons reliably and would have served as an almanac for the builders.
August 9th
Elliot Richmond, PhD. Adjunct Professor Astronomy, Austin Community College
Stonehenge and Astronomy
A brief look at the origin and evolution of the world's most famous megalithic monument and its possible astronomical connections.
July 12th
Members' update on TAS Field School.
June 14th
No meeting. Texas Archeological Society excavations at Presidio San Saba, Menard, Texas.
May 10th
Carly Whelan, University of Texas at Austin
Modeling the Coastal Migration Hypothesis
A new computer model of Pleistocene human migration down the west coast of the Americas is presented and discussed.
April 12th
Cynthia Shelmerdine, Robert M. Armstrong Centennial Professor of Classics, and Acting Chair of the Classics Department, University of Texas at Austin
Unearthing the Mycenaeans
Mycenaean Greece has attracted scholars and laymen alike since the work of Heinrich Schliemann in the late 19th century. Better excavation techniques and the decipherment of Linear B, the Mycenaean script, as Greek brought our understanding of this culture into focus during the 20th century. Recently archaeological survey and new ways of reading the Linear B tablets have allowed us to see beyond the Mycenaean elites, with their palaces and monumental tombs, and to form a better picture of the full range of Late Bronze Age society. This lecture covers the evolving study of Mycenaean Greece, including the lecturer's current work on the Iklaina Archaeological Project, directed by Michael Cosmopoulos of the Greek Archaeological Society and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
March 8th
Andrew Malof, archeologist, Lower Colorado River Authority
Data Recovery at 41CM25, the Locke Farm site, New Braunfels, Texas
Surrounding the head of Comal Springs, the Locke Farm Site was the location of
a prehistoric cemetery excavated by locals, the University of Texas and Harvard
University in the 1930s. Recent redevelopment efforts on portions of the site
then owned by LCRA resulted in mitigative work in an area where testing
demonstrated there was good potential for identification of prehistoric
activities. Investigations targeted an apparent sheet midden located about 50
cm below the ground surface that was associated with Middle Archaic dart
points. Underlying deposits appear to date to Early Archaic and perhaps
Paleoindian times. As with many Central Texas sites, data recovery was limited
largely to fire cracked rocks, chert tools and chipping debris. This talk
focuses on the analysis of snails from the recovery column and how they
informed on broad environmental trends, thus providing clues to human adaptive
behaviors.
February 8th
Art Tiemann, Austin Metal Detecting Club
History and Uses of Metal Detectors
A short history of metal detectors and an examination of what metal detectors can do -- and what they can't.
January 11th
Rachel Menegaz, eSkeletons Project, University of Texas at Austin, with Drs. Lauri McInnis Thompson and John Kappelman
Trauma and Death in the Austin Phase
A peak in the use of prehistoric cemeteries within central Texas during the Austin Phase (700-1250 BP) is accompanied by a rise in projectile point-inflicted skeletal traumas. Several individuals from the Loeve-Fox site (41WM230) suffered fatal injuries from associated Scallorn points. Reassessment of Individual 21 from the site, who was not previously thought to suffer point-related trauma, revealed an embedded point in the right inner knee. Additionally, high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) scans show lithic spalls embedded in the right lower leg and heel. We hypothesize that these lithic fragments result from an explosion of an improperly heated chert cobble.
Lana Martin, University of Texas at Austin
Variability in Texas Coastal Hunter-Gatherer Populations: An Analysis of the Crestmont Site (41WH39) Burial Inclusions
In recent decades, archaeological excavations in Central and South Texas have uncovered a rather unusual record of Middle and Late Archaic hunter-gatherer cemeteries. Why these cemeteries were created and what they might say about past social dynamics is unclear--to address these questions, this research explores variability in grave goods at the Crestmont site, a cemetery on the Texas Gulf Coast containing 31 burials.
2006
December
Holiday Social
November
Nick Morgan (Texas Archeological Stewardship Network)
The Joyful Horse Site (41BP691)
Joanne Carpenter (Red River Project)
Raising the Heroine
October
Kark Kibler (Prewitt and Associates)
Data Recovery Investigations at the Higginbotham Site (41ML195): A Late Archaic Site on the North Bosque River
September
Joseph Carter (UT)
The Chersonesos Project, 1992-2006
August
Jay Banner (UT)
Cave Deposits as Paleo-Environmental Records: Problems and Prospects
July
Paris in the Spring: Our Adventures at the 2006 TAS Field School. Program led by Carolyn Spock, TAS President.
June
No Meeting. Texas Archeological Society Field School near Paris, Texas.
May
Constanze Witt (UT)
Hard-Drinking Celtic Women
April
Dan Prikryl (LCRA) The Lower Colorado River Authority's Cultural Resource Program
March
Alan Skinner (AR Consultants) The Past and Future of the 2006 TAS Exploration of the Stallings Site
February
Video presentation: Spadework for History with Mott Davis, episodes IV:The Desert and VI:Salvaging Texas Prehistory
January
Sean R. Nash (UT) 41CM1: Data from the 1963 TAS Field School
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