Anthropology

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Demographic Investigation of a Piscataway Creek Ossuary
(1974) Ashmore, Rebecca Anne Huss; Kerley, Ellis R.; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Skeletal material from an ossuary on Piscataway Creek was analyzed to determine the minimum number of individuals present, and their sex, stature, developmental life stage and age at death. Cultural debris indicated a date of about 1400-1500 A.D. for the burial. At least 281 individuals were recovered, based on a count of right femoral and temporal petrous portions. Although no sex determination was possible for the 68 juveniles, age at death for this group ranged from 7 foetal months to 18 years. For the 213 adults, sex was evenly divided for the population, and mean stature was fixed at 172.86 cm. for males and 160.61 cm. for females. 107 adults died during young adulthood; 81 died during middle age; and 16 died during old age. A sample of each life stage was tested microscopically to determine age at death. Young adults averaged 56.19 years; and old adults averaged 65.71 years. Average age at death for the entire population was 39.33 years.
The effects of settlement on the prevalence of infection in two Amerindian populations of the Brazilian Amazon
(1993-06) Chernela, Janet M.; Thatcher, Vernon E.
Studies were made of the intestinal parasites of Amerindian populations of the Uaupes River basin of Brazil. Three groups were sampled: 1) Tukano fisher-agriculturalists who live in permanent riverine villages; 2) Maku hunter-horticulturalists who live in close contact with the Tukano fishing villages; and 3) Maku who inhabit the forest interior and have little contact with permanent settlements. Fecal samples were collected from 498 individuals of which 220 were from the first group, 135 from the second and 143 from the third. The samples were analyzed by means of microflotation and centrifugal sedimentation. A total of 18 protozoan and helminth species were recorded based on the presence of cysts or eggs. These included five nematode species that could not be identified. The three common pathogenic nematodes were found to be prevalent" the hookworm, Necator americanus (96%); the whipworm, Trichuris trichiura (77%) and the large roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides (75%). The prevalence of Ascaris among the vollages was found to vary from 56-100%. Individuals living in, or associated with, permanent settlements has higher prevalence and intensity rates than those living in the nomadic hunter-gatherer way. This is shown to be directly related to fecal contamination of the environment in and around permanent settlements. The prevalence of Ascaris in a population can be used as an indicator of such environmental contamination.
African Americans and Appomattox Manor Within the Structured Landscape of the Eppes Plantation
(2000) Brown, Gail W; Shackel, Paul A.; Orr, David; Blades, Brooke
The Civil War brought about many changes in Virginian society, including the area around City Point, Virginia. These changes greatly effected the manner in which plantation owners managed their farms. Plantation owners had to find new ways of obtaining and exploiting their labor, and protecting their resources. The goal of this report is to explore those changes between the years 1851 and 1872 on the Eppes' plantations. I examine how Dr. Eppes structured his landscape to aid in controlling his productive resources, and the relationship he held with African-Americans. Part of exploring that relationship will be examining the living conditions of African-Americans on the Eppes' plantations as slaves and freedmen laborers. Dr. Eppes' home, Appomattox Manor, and its grounds now make up the City Point Unit of the Petersburg National Battlefield. This report will place the City Point Unit into its larger historic context. Though the unit is best known as the location of General Grant's headquarters during the Siege of Petersburg, its history is far more extensive. In this report, I place City Point and Appomattox Manor in the plantation context which surrounded them before and after the war. It will show how the Civil War was not an isolated event, but was effected by and affected the social world around it.
Life in the Trenches: The Archeological Investigation of the Federal Picket Line near the Crater, Petersburg National Battlefield
(2000) Brown, Gail W.; Orr, David; Shackel, Paul; Blades, Brooke
Archeologists from the University of Maryland conducted an excavation of the Federal picket line within Petersburg National Battlefield as part of the Overview and Assessment of archeological resources within the battlefield's Main Unit. The goal of the Overview and Assessment is to provide basic background information on the archeological resources within the battlefield park. This includes, describing the area's environmental and culture history; list, describe, and evaluate known archeological resources; describe the potential for as-yet- unidentified archeological resources; outline relevant research topics; and provide recommendations for future research. As part of the Overview and Assessment project, National Park Service staff and University of Maryland archeologists agreed that part of the project should provide a public component. To help further both goals of evaluating archeological resources and public visibility, project directors decided to explore the archeological potential of the Federal picket line near the Crater. The Federal picket line, in this area of the battlefield, played a vital role in the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. The picket line also served as a key area because of its proximity, 100 yards, from the Confederate defenses. This was one of the closest points between the two armies. This report contains details from the excavation and public interpretation portions of the project. Excavation details focus on the data recovered from the four excavation units used to bisect the picket trench. Archeologists were able to excavate and record a seven foot section of the Federal picket trench, and features associated with the Battle of the Crater. Archeological features and data also provide details on the post-war filling and history of the picket trench area. Artifacts recovered from the trench, including pieces of preserved canvas, leather, tin cups, ink well fragments, food tins, and other militaria, provide clues to the daily lives of soldiers posted in the trench. Details on the public interpretation portion include information on the development, methodology, and success of the major components of the public program. These details, including descriptions of the project website, tour brochures, exhibits, and site tours, provide a template for future archeology interpretative programs.
Pittsylvania: A Carter Family Plantation In Virginia Piedmont
(2000) Beasley, Joy; Potter, Stephen; Shackel, Paul
Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia has very limited information regarding the archaeological remains of a large plantation complex known as Pittsylvania (44PW287). In order to expand the information base concerning this contribution element to the park's National Register nomination, it was necessary to gather and synthesize the available historical and archaeological data. In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University of Maryland Masters of Applied Anthropology program, an internship was established, consisting of an above-ground survey of the Pittsylvania plantation complex and a comprehensive review and a comprehensive review and synthesis of the primary historical data related to the site. This project was intended to provide the park with a detailed summary of the occupational history of Pittsylvania as well as an updated, accurate representation of the site's built environment. The results of this study will be useful as a contributing resource to the park's National Register documentation, and will also provide background information that will facilitate future research at the site. The resulting data should also serve to update the park's interpretive programs. As part of the Carter family's vast landholdings in Virginia, the Pittsylvania plantation complex began as a tobacco plantation that was established in the mid-eighteenth century, evolving into a small-grains farming landscape by the nineteenth century. Plantation decline began in the first quarter of the nineteenth century upon the death of Landon Carter, Jr. By the time Pittsylvania witnessed the hostilities during the First Battle of Manassas, the main house had fallen into disrepair and the Carters were forced to abandon the estate until after the war. The house served as a field hospital during both battles of First and Second Manassas but was burned sometime before 1864. A modest house, Pittsylvania II, was built near the site of the original mansion in 1885. The Carter heir continued to occupy the property until 1903, culminating in an occupational history that spans over 150 years of occupation by a single Virginia family. The synthesis and interpretation of primary and secondary resources pertinent to Pittsylvania reveal much about the people who inhabited Pittsylvania and about the ideological implications of the plantation in general. However, this study also reveals that substantial information regarding the experienced and contributions of African Americans at Pittsylvania is conspicuously absent from the available primary resources. Finally, this study shows that previous research at the site is incomplete, and in some cases misleading or even incorrect. In short, the primary and secondary historical data surrounding this important site does not present an accurate picture of the site. Archaeological research and interpretation have the potential to present a more complete story of Pittsylvania.
An Archaeological Overview and Assessment of the Main Unit Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia
(2001) Orr, David G.; Shackel, Paul A.
The overview and assessment will examine historical evidence, the extensive archaeological database from the immediate vicinity, and regional cultural context to evaluate the archaeological potential within the Main Unit. It will be argued that an an important element of the archaeological/historical/cultural record is the surviving landscape. The anthropological perspective promoted herein argues that "landscape" is reflected in natural and cultural remnants that may be exposed and recorded by researchers was shaped by activities such as agricultural practices that formed the the economic basis of existence but left no obvious physical remains, and is interpreted by conceptions of the past that are often conditioned by concerns in the present. This overview and assessment will, as a consequence, seek a broader cultural context for the prehistoric and particularly the historic occupations in the Petersburg vicinity.
Davi Kopenawa Yanomani Interview with Janet Chernela and Address to the American Anthropological Association, Demini Village, Brazil
(American Anthropological Association website, 2001-06-07) Kopenawa Yanomami, Davi; Chernela, Janet
This interview was conducted June 7, 2001, in the Yanomami village of Demini, Parima Highlands, Brazil. I invited Davi to participate in what I call "reciprocal interviewing" -- that is, he could interview me as I could interview him. Davi exercises his privilege toward the end of the interview. He understood that he was invited to speak to the American Anthropological Assocation in this interview, and refers to the Association in the course of his talk. Davi and I spoke in Portuguese. The interview was recorded on audio and video-tape, and later translated from tapes into English. Paragraphs, titles, and bracketed comments were added. Since Portuguese is not first language to either of us, it is not clear that the word choices were ideal. In some cases I included Davi's choice of Portuguese term. The words of Davi continue to have resonance beyond the past to include the enterprise of anthropological research, in general. The implications for globalization, cultural rights, and morality, are far-reaching.
Talking Culture: Women in the production of community in the northwest Amazon
(American Anthropologist, 2003) Chernela, Janet
Taking the Northwest Amazon of Brazil as its example, this article argues for the analytic concept of a “speech culture,” combining, but heuristically separating, speech practice and language ideology. In the Northwest Amazon, an ideology of language establishes an equivalence between linguistic performance and descent group belonging. In contrast to the fixed, normative notions of groupness, this article explores the dynamic construction of social relations through women’s ritualized wept greeting speech. In these interactions, linguistic differentiation is countered by the experience of a single speech act based upon shared principles with organized participation in and by different linguistic codes. Through the collaborative nature of the speech act a common ground is produced and revealed. The community in this sense emerges as a cultural artifact whose production is largely the work of women. Through these speech interactions—of similar sentiments and meanings across different linguistic codes—women of the Northwest Amazon construct a community of talk.
New Philadelphia Archaeology Report on the 2004 Excavation
(2004) Shackel, Paul; Christman, Carrie; Hargrave, Michael; Shroder, Marge
New Philadelphia Archaeology Report on the 2004 and 2005 Excavations
(2005) Shackel, Paul
New Philadelphia Archaeology: Race, Community, and the Illinois Frontier: Report on the 2004-2006 Excavations
(2006) Shackel, Paul
African-American mitochondrial DNAs often match mtDNAs found in multiple African ethnic groups
(Springer Nature, 2006-10-12) Ely, Bert; Wilson, Jamie Lee; Jackson, Fatimah; Jackson, Bruce A
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes have become popular tools for tracing maternal ancestry, and several companies offer this service to the general public. Numerous studies have demonstrated that human mtDNA haplotypes can be used with confidence to identify the continent where the haplotype originated. Ideally, mtDNA haplotypes could also be used to identify a particular country or ethnic group from which the maternal ancestor emanated. However, the geographic distribution of mtDNA haplotypes is greatly influenced by the movement of both individuals and population groups. Consequently, common mtDNA haplotypes are shared among multiple ethnic groups. We have studied the distribution of mtDNA haplotypes among West African ethnic groups to determine how often mtDNA haplotypes can be used to reconnect Americans of African descent to a country or ethnic group of a maternal African ancestor. The nucleotide sequence of the mtDNA hypervariable segment I (HVS-I) usually provides sufficient information to assign a particular mtDNA to the proper haplogroup, and it contains most of the variation that is available to distinguish a particular mtDNA haplotype from closely related haplotypes. In this study, samples of general African-American and specific Gullah/Geechee HVS-I haplotypes were compared with two databases of HVS-I haplotypes from sub-Saharan Africa, and the incidence of perfect matches recorded for each sample. When two independent African-American samples were analyzed, more than half of the sampled HVS-I mtDNA haplotypes exactly matched common haplotypes that were shared among multiple African ethnic groups. Another 40% did not match any sequence in the database, and fewer than 10% were an exact match to a sequence from a single African ethnic group. Differences in the regional distribution of haplotypes were observed in the African database, and the African-American haplotypes were more likely to match haplotypes found in ethnic groups from West or West Central Africa than those found in eastern or southern Africa. Fewer than 14% of the African-American mtDNA sequences matched sequences from only West Africa or only West Central Africa. Our database of sub-Saharan mtDNA sequences includes the most common haplotypes that are shared among ethnic groups from multiple regions of Africa. These common haplotypes have been found in half of all sub-Saharan Africans. More than 60% of the remaining haplotypes differ from the common haplotypes at a single nucleotide position in the HVS-I region, and they are likely to occur at varying frequencies within sub-Saharan Africa. However, the finding that 40% of the African-American mtDNAs analyzed had no match in the database indicates that only a small fraction of the total number of African haplotypes has been identified. In addition, the finding that fewer than 10% of African-American mtDNAs matched mtDNA sequences from a single African region suggests that few African Americans might be able to trace their mtDNA lineages to a particular region of Africa, and even fewer will be able to trace their mtDNA to a single ethnic group. However, no firm conclusions should be made until a much larger database is available. It is clear, however, that when identical mtDNA haplotypes are shared among many ethnic groups from different parts of Africa, it is impossible to determine which single ethnic group was the source of a particular maternal ancestor based on the mtDNA sequence.
Thomas Stone National Historic Site: Archeology Overview and Assessment
(2007) Moyer, Teresa S.; Shackel, Paul A.; Gwaltney, Tom
The National Perk Service uses Archeological Overview and Assessment (AOA) reports as management tools for existing and potential archaeological resources at the sites in its care. This report addresses Thomas Stones National Historic Site, located near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland and part of the NPS Northeast Region. The report provides an overview of topics relevant to the future concerns of managing the archeological resources at the park. The archaeological sites and collections at Thomas Stone NHS offer an important opportunity to explore unknown elements of the site's history and integrate previous and future findings into interpretive panels in the main house. Archaeological artifacts representative of the history of the house are on display. Great potential exists to make Thomas Stone NHS a model for the uses of American Indian and post-contact archaeology, particularly because the park staff is enthusiastic about it.
New Philadelphia Archaeology: Report on the 2008 Excavation
(2008) Fennell, Christopher
Twenty-Five Years of Archaeology in Annapolis: A Synthesis
(2008-06-09) Leone, Mark P.; Cochran, Matthew D.; Palus, Matthew M.
2009 Phase II Archaeological Investigations in the Riversdale (18PR390) Garden, Prince George’s County, MD
(2009) Gadsby, David A.; Shackel, Paul A.
In the fall of 2009, archaeologists and students from the University of Maryland’s Center for Heritage Resource Studies, in conjunction with the Archaeology Program, Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, conducted phase II archaeological testing of a portion of the garden at the Federal-period Riversdale Mansion (18PR390). The goal of the excavation was to evaluate the impact of ongoing erosion on archaeological resources in the project area. Excavators dug a total of 4 units measuring five-foot square and another half-unit measuring 2.5-feet by five-feet. They recovered 4280 objects ranging in date from the early 19th century through the twentieth century. They also unearthed the remains of a large garden wall erected around 1805 as well as the foundation of a brick structure built before 1830. This report details the project activities, and recommends that M-NCCP continue to monitor the effects of erosion on these resources. It also suggests future research questions, should additional excavations prove necessary.
New Philadelphia Archaeology: Report on the 2010 Excavation
(2010) Agbe-Davis, Anna
An Archaeological Survey of the Site of the Lattimer Massacre, Lattimer, PA
(2010) Roller, Michael; Shackel, Paul A.
The Lattimer Massacre occurred in September of 1897 in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. It has been described as the bloodiest massacre of the nineteenth century. In this event, a company-sponsored sheriff and a posse of local businessmen shot into a crowd of striking Eastern European mine laborers, resulting in the deaths of at least nineteen. A survey was initiated by the Department of Anthropology of the University of Maryland as part of a broader research program examining labor and immigration heritage of the Anthracite Region of Northeast Pennsylvania. The site was surveyed on three dates in the fall of 2010, November 13 and 14 and December 4, 2010. Members of BRAVO conducted systematic and random metal detecting surveys of three areas. At the conclusion of the survey and subsequent analysis some of the initial goals for the project were satisfactorily completed, while others remain elusive. No cartridges dating to the massacre were found. The location of the initial engagement was identified by a cluster of three bullets from the period of the massacre or earlier. A fourth bullet was identified roughly where the right side of the line of deputies was situated.
Archaeological Testing at Bostwick (18PR951), New Driveway Project, Bladensburg, MD
(2010-08) Shackel, Paul A.; Roller, Michael; Gadsby, David A.
In August of 2008, archaeologists and students at the Center for Heritage Resource Studies (CHRS) at the University of Maryland conducted a program of archaeological field survey at the historic Bostwick House. This survey resulted in the identification of six major activity areas of archaeological significance on the property. At this time it was decided that those six activity areas should receive special attention in any planning activities on the property. Historic Bostwick is located at the base of Lowndes Hill in Bladensburg, Maryland. Christopher Lowndes constructed the house around 1745. Lowndes was an early land developer as well as a merchant, shipbuilder, and slave trader, and he made Bladensburg the headquarters of his operation. The house continued to be occupied through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The property underwent significant changes in the early twentieth century, and nearby urban development has impacted the landscape as well. Currently the property is managed by a partnership between the Town of Bladensburg and the University of Maryland‟s Historic Preservation Program. These partners plan to rehabilitate the standing house structure and to turn the house into a destination for education and other activities. In the spring of 2009, the Town of Bladensburg developed plans to re-route the existing driveway at the Bostwick House, and replace it with a permeable surface accessible to emergency vehicles. Although the proposed Area of Potential Effect (APE) did not directly intersect with one of the six areas identified in the previous survey, it was determined that the potential existed for intact cultural resources to exist in the APE due to its proximity to one of the areas identified. In June of 2009, archaeologists and students from CHRS excavated four STP‟s and two test units within the new driveway‟s APE. Additionally, previously surveyed units were reexamined. The excavations did not reveal the presence of cultural features that might shed light on the nature of the activities conducted in the adjacent area. Excavations resulted in the recovery of artifacts related to all of the eras of Bostwick‟s occupation and confirmed the richness of the archaeological record present on the grounds. In May of 2010, CHRS archaeologists monitored the grading of the APE as part of the process of ensuring the archaeological heritage of Bostwick, Bladensburg and the State of Maryland would not be compromised in the building of this necessary modern alteration of the house‟s landscape. The preservation plan allowed archaeologists from the University of Maryland to mitigate aspects of the construction plan that may have affected sensitive areas identified during the initial survey.
CULTURAL LANDSCAPES AND HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE RILEY TRACT, ROCK CREEK PARK, WASHINGTON DC
(2011) Forhan, Tom; Shackel, Paul
Rock Creek Park is an urban forest within the District of Columbia and is administered by the National Park Service. Before it was established in 1890, much of the area was farmed by a diverse group of landowners and tenants, including William Riley owned 100 acres in what is now the northern section of the park. Today this area is used regularly by hikers, runners, dog-walkers, and horseback riders and is informally referred to as the "wilderness" area of the park. Many believe it is a natural forest, unaware of the land's history. Left relatively undisturbed for years, this heavily wooded parkland contains intact historical archaeology resources and cultural landscapes. Survey of the Riley tract located several cultural landscape features including a stone wall, a dam, two terraced.fields, and a vineyard. Two previously recorded 19th-century sites were also revisited and further characterized. The research located the site of an earlier tenancy, likely late 18th-century, as well as evidence of three 19th -century structures. Many of the newly discovered structures and landscapes features are associated with the late 19th-century Riley farmstead. The research demonstrates that the Riley tract contains extensive evidence of 18th and 19th-century workplaces, and parkland should be interpreted not just as a natural area but recognized for the extensive human component evident in its intact cultural landscapes and archaeological sites.