My primary research interests lie in understanding human-environment interaction through the study of the (geo)ecological context of anthropological phenomena as they are preserved in the geological record at multiple scales (sensu Butzer). I ask: How do geologic, geomorphic, and climatic histories affect our understanding of human biogeography (i.e., human movement and dispersal)? Put more simply, how can the geoarchaeological lens allow us to better understand and interpret broader themes of human migration and environmental interaction? Currently, I am investigating these issues in two regions: North America (Oregon) and the Aegean Basin (Greece).
In order to understand past human behavior, we must first understand the sediments and soils that preserve these behaviors (sensu Schiffer). Thus, I apply traditional geological principles (stratigraphy, site formation, geomorphology) with more recent trends in microarchaeology (soil micromorphology, FTIR, pXRF) in an ecological framework to (1) reconstruct paleoenvironmental contexts at the regional and local scales; (2) better understand the spatiotemporal context of artifact assemblages at the site-specific scale; (3) and use these data to shed light on the (natural and cultural) processes that preserve, destroy, and alter archaeological site patterning.
Currently, I serve as a Project Geoarchaeologist on three projects:
In order to understand past human behavior, we must first understand the sediments and soils that preserve these behaviors (sensu Schiffer). Thus, I apply traditional geological principles (stratigraphy, site formation, geomorphology) with more recent trends in microarchaeology (soil micromorphology, FTIR, pXRF) in an ecological framework to (1) reconstruct paleoenvironmental contexts at the regional and local scales; (2) better understand the spatiotemporal context of artifact assemblages at the site-specific scale; (3) and use these data to shed light on the (natural and cultural) processes that preserve, destroy, and alter archaeological site patterning.
Currently, I serve as a Project Geoarchaeologist on three projects:
Big Bend National Park
Working with Dr. Rolfe D. Mandel and Mr. Mason Niquette, we are reconstructing late Pleistocene to early Holocene environmental changes within and around Big Bend National Park. This includes excavations at San Esteban Rockshelter, an archaeological site with deposits spanning the last 16,000 years.
https://www.kgs.ku.edu/Odyssey/index.html Connley Caves Field School
Since 2016, I have served as the Project Geoarchaeologist for the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History's Archaeological Field School directed by Dr. Katelyn McDonough and Dr. Dennis L. Jenkins. Here, I teach geoarchaeological method and theory, as well as excavation techniques of cave deposits. Coupled with teaching, my geoarchaeological research seeks to understand Pleistocene to Holocene fluctuations of the local Pluvial Fort Rock Lake and its impact on site formation at the site and surrounding areas. Further, I am reconstructing the Cave's site formation history at the micro-scale, employing both thin-section micromorphology and fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). My research here will help reconstruct late Pleistocene to Early Holocene cultural and environmental change in the Northern Great Basin.
https://mnch.uoregon.edu/connley-caves-field-school |
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Stelida Naxos Archaeological Project
Since 2015 I have served as a Project Geoarchaeologist and Asst. Field Director for SNAP, directed by Dr. Tristan Carter. Here we are excavating the first Palaeolithic site in the Cyclades, Greece, dating to around ~200 ka. I teach students geoarchaeological method and theory and excavation techniques of hillslope deposits. I am constructing a stratigraphic framework of the sites deposits using both maco and microscalar techniques to reconstruct the site formation history of the site spanning the last 200,000 years. By understanding both sedimentation and soil formation at the site, my research will help shed light on the role of the Naxos during the initial peopling of southeastern Europe at the end of Pleistocene.
https://www.stelida.org/english |
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