Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Quantitative Archaeology'

This study looks at quantitative differences and similarities in diversity of archaeological finds (stone tools and animal bone) at two categories of Western European Middle Paleolithic sites: open-air and cave/rockshelters. Specifically, it tests the null hypothesis that there are no differences in (1) artifact diversity as measured using the Bordes typology; (2) faunal diversity as measured by number of taxa; and (3) the percentages of stone tools that fall into the categories of either denticulates/notches or intensively retouched pieces. All analyses are based on regressions of diversity against assemblage size. For lithic assemblages, the H0 of no differences in find diversity between site types is rejected for lithics when the full Bordes typology is employed, but not when retouched-only pieces are analyzed (excluding Bordes' types 1-3, 5, 38, and 45-50). Faunal data are equivocal. The H0 is also rejected for the dimension of percentages of heavily-retouched tools, but not for denticulates/notches.

The aim of the study is to use ceramic finds data to provide a quantitative analysis of long-term patterns of change in the nature, volume and scale of maritime exchange within the western Indian Ocean between AD c.400 – 1275. Ceramic finds data are unique in providing a consistent measurable index of a wider system of commodity exchange in an age where few other dependable sources of systematic economic history survive. By using the available ceramic evidence as a proxy, the aim is to assess the significance of maritime exchange to the broader operation of the major state systems of the Middle East, in particular the Sasanian Empire and the Abbasid caliphate. Two main factors hold back the use of ceramics as a staple evidence base: the legacy of the slow adoption of quantitative finds recording within the Indian Ocean region, and an inability to provide a standardised definition of the same varieties of pottery that occur repeatedly in different regions. This study attempts to redress these issues by applying a single integrated system of ceramic classification to assemblages from East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Information has been collected from the largest possible range of sources by combining data from previously published reports, excavation archives, find databases, and through direct recording of archived finds collections. By presenting the largest ever compilation of quantitative ceramic evidence for the region, it is possible to revaluate a range of key assumptions regarding the operation and significance of Indian Ocean trade. The conclusions that emerge from the analysis are surprising. While the geographic range and overall number of sites engaged with long-distance exchange may have changed through time, there is no notable indication of a significant increase in the volume of ceramic imports in circulation. In addition the products of long-distance exchange continue to represent a small proportion of ceramics in regular use. This does not mean that long-distance exchange was not important. What the findings do point to is the need to develop a more sensitive understanding of how specific elements of the exchange network operated. Where alternative scales of ceramic exchange can be differentiated, it can be shown that regional exchange networks represent a major contributor to the ceramic supply system. In seeking to identify the main drivers of the maritime economy, local and regional exchange networks appear to have been significantly underemphasised and now require specific focus, and to some extent, new archaeological methodologies.

The focus of this research is the area known as Sorgenti del Brembo di Carona (sources of river Brembo of Carona), which is located in the Orobie Alps (province of Bergamo, Italy). The current archaeological activities in the area, carried out by the Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo, are site-specific and mainly focused on Iron Age rock engravings and on a medieval dwelling excavation. The present study aims at a wider approach to upland archaeology, more focused on landscape evolution rather than on single evidence. The starting point is the methodology developed in other alpine contexts, like the ALPES (Alpine Landscapes: Pastoralism and Environment of Val di Sole) project. The data, gathered through extensive field survey activities, assessed the presence of a complex landscape, with pastoral evidence, iron mining facilities and charcoal production sites, dating from Early Middle Ages to the present. All the collected data are managed through a GIS in order to maintain their spatial reference. Therefore, it was possible to easy cross-reference them with several historical documents (cartography, cadastres, archives) and also to perform quantitative and spatial analysis. This method allowed us to reconstruct a diachronic evolution of human activities impact on the landscape formation. An inductive predictive modelling based on the integration with ethnoarchaeology was also implemented using modern pastoral sites. The results shed light on the complex dynamics of the human approach to high-altitude regions and on the alpine environment constraints to human activities. On the other hand, it was also possible to asses both the strengths and biases of the current application of predictive models to Alpine cultural heritage. The methodology developed during this research, following and implementing previously developed methods, can be a step forward on the definition of a common archaeological approach to upland contexts.
Il progetto di ricerca nasce a seguito delle indagini archeologiche condotte dal Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo nel comune di Carona (BG), situato in alta val Brembana, sulle Alpi Orobie, che hanno permesso di identificare un sito cultuale con incisioni rupestri dell'età del Ferro e un villaggio minerario con fasi altomedievali e medievali. L'obiettivo principale della presente ricerca è stato ampliare la conoscenza storico-archeologica di tutto il territorio alla testata del Brembo di Carona, senza focalizzarsi su singoli siti e applicando le metodologie sviluppate all'Università di Trento nell'ambito del progetto ALPES (Alpine Landscapes: Pastoralism and Environment of Val di Sole), che prevedono un approccio al paesaggio montano in una prospettiva diacronica, inquadrabile nell'ambito della Landscape Archaeology. Le attività di ricerca sul campo hanno rappresentato il fulcro del progetto, permettendo l'individuazione di centinaia di evidenze antropiche. I dati raccolti sul campo sono stati contestualizzati attraverso l'analisi di diverse tipologie di fonti e materiali, non solo di tipo archeologico ma anche inquadrabili in ambiti storico-archivistici e topografici, con un’impostazione della ricerca in senso marcatamente interdisciplinare. L'elaborazione di un modello predittivo etnoarcheologico ha avuto il duplice obiettivo di fornire uno strumento di interpretazione delle strutture presenti sul territorio e di validare la stessa metodologia prognostica impiegata, già elaborata in ambito trentino. I dati raccolti e i risultati della loro analisi hanno permesso la ricostruzione diacronica di un paesaggio complesso, caratterizzato dalla compresenza di differenti attività economiche (pastorizia, attività minerarie e sfruttamento forestale), attraverso le quali si è espressa l'azione umana nell'ambiente montano lungo l'arco di più di un millennio. La metodologia proposta, in quanto sintesi di diverse esperienze di ricerca in ambito alpino, potrebbe porre le basi per una più ampia riflessione riguardo possibili approcci condivisi e comuni ad una "archeologia di montagna", che sempre più si sta delineando come una disciplina autonoma.

Aquest treball exposa els resultats de la investigació doctoral sobre el paisatge històric de la Vall d’Àger amb l’aplicació de la metodologia de l’Arqueologia del Paisatge. S'han utilitzar diferents mètodes científics per obtenir informació heteogènia: des de la teledetecció (lidar i radar), els documents escrits, la prospecció i l’excavació arqueològica, fins a la anàlisis de l’arquitectura i l’aplicació dels models de l’arqueologia predictiva (least cost path, site catchment analysis, viewshed analysis etc.). Els objectius consisteixen en la clarificació de les dinàmiques dels assentaments rurals en l'Edat Mitjana, des de el segle V fins al XIII, a través de l'anàlisi dels assentaments, de les vies de comunicació, del paisatge agrari i dels sistemes defensius i de l'estructura eclesiàstica. Aquest estudi ha demostrat que l’estructura del paisatge de la Vall d’Àger es genera amb un primer impuls entre els segles V i VII, i posteriorment experimenta un profund canvi a partir de finals del segle X.
Este trabajo trata de analizar el paisaje histórico del Valle de Àger (España) a través de múltiples fuentes, como las fuentes escritas, la teledetección, las fuentes arqueológicas, las arquitecturas históricas y los análisis del parcelario agrario, de la viabilidad y de la toponímica. El objetivo principal es el de analizar la periodización del asentamiento medieval de forma general y detallada a través del estudio del paisaje fortificado y del paisaje sagrado en una ventana cronológica que va desde el siglo 5 hasta el siglo 13. También se analizaron los elementos principales de las arquitecturas históricas disponibles mediante los métodos de la arqueología de la arquitectura. Otra aplicación metodológica fue la de la Archéogéographie Francesca a través de la cual es posible estudiar las estructuras del parcelario agrario y de la viabilidad. Todos los datos han sido sintetizados para obtener el cuadro general del asentamiento medieval en el valle.
This work deals with the analysis of the Ager Valley historic landscape through the methodologies of Landscape Archaeology. It uses several multidisciplinary sources as written documents, remote sensing images (mainly lidar and radar), parcels analysis, archaeological prospections and archaeological excavations. The main target has been obtaining the periodisation of the medieval settlement in the valley from the 5th to the 13th centuries. It analyses the structure of the agrarian parcel systems through the methodology developed in the Archaeogeographic studies and predictive archaeology (least cost path, viewshed analysis, site catchment analysis). It also uses the application of the Archaeology of Architecture in order to study the material evidences of the churches and the defensive towers of the valley. After the analysis of the different sources, it tries to develop a synthesis of the data following the chronological windows allowed by the sources. All the data have been used also to analyse the Landscape of Power and the Sacred Landscape in the valley during the Middle Ages.

La présente étude consiste en une approche quantitative et qualitative de la consommation d'instrumentum entre le IIe s. av. J.-C. et le IIIe s. apr. J.-C. dans les agglomérations, sur un territoire correspondant à l'actuelle région Centre. Une analyse globale du petit mobilier a été réalisée pour douze sites. Un essai de formalisation des données est proposé par l'utilisation des analyses statistiques afin de représenter de manière claire et concrète des phénomènes par ailleurs ressentis de manière empirique. Deux pistes de réflexion principales sont poursuivies. L'analyse de l'évolution des mobiliers au cours du temps est révélatrice des rythmes de changements différents selon les catégories de mobilier prises en compte. Ceux-ci peuvent être interprétés de deux façons : à savoir une évolution lente et interne à la population prise en compte et des apports exogènes du monde méditerranéen au cours de la fi n du Ier s. av. jusqu'au milieu du Ier s. apr. J.-C. La deuxième problématique s'attache à comprendre ce qui caractérise ce type d'habitat intercalé entre le chef-lieu du territoire et les habitats ruraux. Sur toutes les agglomérations étudiées est constatée une accumulation de mobilier, une variété d'artisanats et des témoins d'échanges et de circulation intense de biens et de personnes. L'approche effectuée sur un temps long permet la mise en évidence de caractères communs entre les sites de la fin de l'âge du Fer et ceux de la période antique, sur le plan fonctionnel et apporte de nouveaux éléments sur l'histoire des phénomènes d'urbanisation pendant cette période charnière.

L'habitat de la fin du premier âge du Fer ne bénéficiait pas jusqu'à présent d'une approche globale et synthétique des productions métalliques découvertes en son sein. Pour quelques établissements situés de l'Allemagne du Sud Ouest à la France centrale, nous proposons une définition générale de la diversité de ces mobiliers au travers de leurs aspects qualitatif et quantitatif. Nous avons eu l'occasion de constater, quels avaient été les choix de consommation du fer ou des alliages cuivreux. Des évolutions sont aussi notables avec l'apparition, ou le développement au cours du temps des mobiliers fabriqués en fer. Une pénétration de celui-ci dans les milieux domestiques est un fait important dans l'évaluation de sa diffusion au cours de la période hallstattienne. Par ailleurs, l'étude précise des assemblages a permis de mettre en évidence des changements liés à la consommation du métal en général. L'accumulation de ce matériau par les milieux privilégiés est avérée pour les phases les plus anciennes, alors qu'ensuite au Ha D2, Ha D3 et à LTA, il se propage dans les milieux domestiques et artisanaux. En définitive, à la fin du premier âge du Fer, le métal est consommé en plus grande quantité sur les sites de hauteurs ou à proximité. Il faut attendre le début de LTA pour observer d'autres cas de figures, liés aux transformations des formes de l'habitat mais aussi très probablement à une certaine diffusion du métal. En outre, certains objets semblent avoir parcouru de longues distances, retrouvés très éloignés de leur zone de productions. Ils évoquent ainsi un monde en mouvement où les contacts établis : commerciaux, aristocratiques ou cultuel (?) attestent du dynamisme et de l'intégration de la plupart des sites abordés dans de vastes réseaux. Enfin, si le monde artisanal, les femmes et les élites ressortent tout particulièrement au travers du métal, ce dernier a permis aussi de préciser la caractérisation du statut de quelques-uns des établissements étudiés, notamment ceux dont le niveau de structuration était le plus élevé.

In relation to last year’s introduction of Digital Archaeological Process this study is supposed to investigate the opportunities of using quantitative methods on the archaeological material. The subject of the investigation is to problematize and process the concept of ”central places”. The investigation is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods executed on seven different grave- and settlement areas during the Iron Age in Skåne. The archeological material is gathered through archaeological reports and later processed in tables. The concept of central places is often based on luxury finds and places with much archaeological material. Quantitative methods on archaeological material are a possibility by many reasons. For example by getting an overview of each grave- and settlement area which is an opportunity for more interpretations. DAP is an opportunity to restore the archaeological material during excavations for future research. The introduction of DAP is a step in the right direction for future archaeology.

Cette thèse porte un regard nouveau sur la présence grecque en Égypte avant la conquête d’Alexandre le Grand. Par le biais des amphores grecques retrouvées en Égypte, notre étude apporte quelques éclairages sur la question des mobilités méditerranéennes. Notre approche, résolument archéologique, prend en considération l’ensemble de la documentation amphorique, en grande partie inédite, sur une trentaine de sites égyptiens. Les assemblages céramiques et la nature des contextes alimentent nos réflexions. Des études quantitatives permettent de déterminer la part relative des importations et ainsi de préciser aussi bien les réseaux d’échanges que la pénétration des produits méditerranéens en Égypte. Nous avons pu mettre en évidence un basculement du commerce qui, vers la fin du VIIe, se déplace du Levant vers les cités égéennes. Au cours du VIe siècle nous assistons à une généralisation progressive des importations grecques. Le monde égéen s’impose alors comme le partenaire économique privilégié d’un commerce à grande échelle. Largement distribuées sur l’ensemble du territoire, les amphores grecques ne se cantonnent pas aux seuls établissements côtiers dont la nature est également à l’étude. L’invasion de Cambyse en 525 ne semble pas mettre un frein à ces échanges. Nous notons toutefois quelques changements dans la hiérarchie des principales cités égéennes exportatrices. La présence importante d’amphores grecques et la faible représentation de céramiques fines dans des contextes domestiques égyptiens témoignent de la réception des denrées exportées sans toutefois entraîner un changement dans le mode de consommation local
This thesis takes a fresh look at Greek presence in Egypt before the conquest of Alexander the Great. By looking at Greek amphorae found in Egypt, our study will shed some light on the question of movement in the Mediterranean.Our approach is strictly archaeological and will take into consideration the ensemble of documentation concerning amphorae, still largely unpublished, from some 30 Egyptian sites. This enquiry places the archaeological context at the heart of the argument. The ceramic assemblages and the nature of contexts are what nourish our reflections. Quantitative studies allow us to determine the relative role of imports and thus to elucidate both exchange networks and the penetration of Mediterranean products into Egypt. We have been able to reveal a swing in trade towards the end of the 7th century away from the Levant and towards the Aegean cities. To date, nothing indicates a significant Greek presence prior to the last third of the 7th century. Throughout the 6th century, we witness a gradual generalisation of Greek imports. Widely distributed across the entire territory, Greek amphorae are not limited to coastal settlements, the nature of which is also under study. The invasion of Cambyses in 525 does not seem to have slowed this exchange. We do, however, note certain changes in the hierarchy of the principal Aegean export cities. The wide distribution of Greek amphorae is evidence of a strong current that can no longer be envisaged simply as destined for Greek communities in situ. By situating our data with a Mediterranean perspective, we are proposing a hypothesis of a more pronounced north-south circulation
تلقي هذه الرسالة نظرة جديدة على التواجد اليوناني في مصر قبل غزو الأسكندر الاكبر. من خلال الامفورات اليونانية التي عثر عليها في مصر٬ تلقي هذه الدراسة بعض الضوء على مسألة التنقل في حوض البحر الأبيض المتوسطمقاربتنا٬ و هي بلا شك متعلقة بعلم الآثار٬ تأخذ في الأعتبار جميع الوثائق المتعلقة بالأمفورات في حوالي ثلاثون موقع مصري٬ و غالبيتها غير مطبوعة. هذا البحث مبني على أساس أثري.و تتغدى أفكارنا من خلال قطع السيراميك المجمعة و طبيعة السياق التاريخي. تسمح الدراسات الكمية بتحديد الحصة التقريبية للواردات و بالتالي بتحديد كلا من شبكات التبادل و دخول منتجات البحر الابيض المتوسط مصرلقد استطعنا إثبات وجود تحول التجارة، والتي تنتقل من بلاد الشام إلى مدن بحر ايجه في نهاية القرن السابع. و حتى هذه اللحظة، لا يجد أي عنصر قد يشير إلى تواجد يوناني مهم في ما قبل الثلث الاخير للقرن السابع. و نشهد في القرن السادس، انتشار تدريجي للواردات اليونانية. و يصبح العالم الإيجي الشريك الإقتصادي المفضل للتجارة على نطاق واسع. و بعد أن قاموا بتوزيعها في جميع أنحاء البلاد، لم تعد الأمفورات اليونانية محصورة في المنشآت الساحلية و التي تعتبر طبيعتها ايضاً محل دراسة. و يبدو أن غزو قمبيز في عام 525 لم يضع حداً لهذا التبادل. و مع ذلك نلاحظ بعض التغييرات في ترتيب المدن الإيجيية الرئيسية المصدرة. يشهد الأنتشار الواسع للأمفورات اليونانية على تيار قوي لا يمكن النظر إليه، بعد الآن، على أنه خاص بالمجتمعات اليونانية المتواجدة هناكو في إطار الحياة المنزلية المصرية، يدل وجود الأمفورات اليونانية بكثرة وقلة الرسومات بالسيراميك الدقيق على تلقي السلع المصدرة دون أن يتبع ذلك تغيير في طريقة الاستهلاك المحلي. و عند وضع بياناتنا في إطار منظور خاص بالبحر الأبيض المتوسط، نفترض وجود حركة أكبر بين الشمال و الجنوب

Handaxes are some of the longest lasting and most iconic stone tools throughout human evolution. Appearing in the early Pleistocene, these bifacially flaked tools persisted around one and a half million years and span across all of the Old World, from Africa to eastern Asia. Despite their ubiquitous nature, relatively little is known about their function. Handaxes are often speculated to be multi-functional tools which were selected for due to their large cutting edge; however, only a handful of use-wear studies have attempted to elucidate their use in the archaeological record. The lack of experimental use-wear studies surrounding handaxe function is due to preservation issues and the fact that manufacturing and curating handaxes compounds the ambiguity of microwear signatures. The methodology undertaken in this research provides a pathway to overcoming these obstacles through experimental archaeology in conjunction with low powered microscopy, image-based GIS, and statistical hypothesis testing. In particular, this thesis investigates handaxe function at an assemblage scale (n = 56) in a late Lower Paleolithic to Middle Paleolithic archaeological site called Shishan Marsh – 1 (SM-1) in al-Azraq, Jordan. Experimental handaxes (n = 22) were replicated and used in various activities such as butchery, plant processing, woodworking, shellfish processing, and digging. The results of this research corroborates the idea of handaxes being used as multifunctional tools. These results have implications for handaxe function, hominin tool use in a desert refugia, and provides a new pathway to investigate inter-site variability in handaxe use.
Graduate
2018-08-01

abstract: Bioarchaeologists often use dental data and spatial analysis of cemeteries to infer the biological and social structure of ancient communities. This approach is commonly referred to as biological distance (“biodistance”) analysis. While permanent crown data feature prominently in these efforts, few studies have verified the accuracy of biodistance methods for recognizing child relatives using deciduous teeth. Thus, as subadults comprise an essential demographic subset of mortuary assemblages, deciduous phenotypes may represent a critical but underutilized source of information on the underlying genetic structure of past populations. The goal of the dissertation is to​ quantitatively analyze the developmental program underlying deciduous phenotypes and​ to evaluate their performance in accurately reconstructing known genealogical relationships.​ This project quantifies morphological variation of deciduous and permanent tooth crowns from stone dental casts representing individuals of known pedigree deriving from three distinct populations: European Canadians, European Australians, and Aboriginal Australians. To address the paucity of deciduous-focused validation research, phenotypic distances generated from the dental data are subjected to performance analyses (biodistance simulations) and compared to genetic distances between individuals. While family-specific results vary, crown morphology performs moderately well in distinguishing relatives from non-relatives. Comparisons between deciduous and permanent results (i.e., Euclidean distances, Mantel tests, multidimensional scaling output) indicate that deciduous crown variation provides a more direct reflection of the underlying genetic structure of pedigreed samples. The morphology data are then analyzed within a quantitative genetic framework using maximum likelihood variance components analysis. Novel narrow-sense heritability and pleiotropy estimates are generated for the complete suite of deciduous and permanent crown characters, which facilitates comparisons between samples, traits, dentitions, arcades, antimeres, metameres, scoring standards, and dichotomization breakpoints. Results indicate wide-ranging but moderate heritability estimates for morphological traits, as well as low to moderate integration for characters within (deciduous-deciduous; permanent-permanent) and between (deciduous-permanent) dentitions. On average, deciduous and permanent homologues are more strongly genetically correlated than characters within the same tooth row. Results are interpreted with respect to dental development and biodistance methodology. Ultimately, the dissertation empirically validates the use of dental morphology as a proxy for underlying genetic information, including deciduous characters.
Dissertation/Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2017

La ricerca di dottorato ha avuto come obiettivo quello di ricostruire ed analizzare le dinamiche insediative nella valle dell’Eufrate siriano ed iracheno durante l’età del Ferro (ca. 1200-600 a.C.). L’analisi si è concentrata in tre macroregioni estese nei moderni stati di Siria ed Iraq. Nello specifico, lo studio della distribuzione dei siti archeologici sul territorio, delle loro relazioni gerarchiche e del loro rapporto con il paesaggio circostante è stato indirizzato alla ricostruzione e all’analisi dei sistemi insediativi regionali. Difatti mancano ad oggi applicazioni che mettano in relazione più aree lungo il corso del fiume e che tengano in considerazione l’intero spettro di dati disponibile ai fini di una ricostruzione dell’insediamento per l’intera età del Ferro. La ricerca ha quindi indagato i rapporti spaziali e dimensionali dei siti tramite l’utilizzo di un approccio multi disciplinare che abbia il suo punto di partenza nel dato archeologico regionale e dei singoli siti. A questo si sono aggiunti dati sul paesaggio naturale e antropico relativi ad elementi geomorfologici della valle o a sistemi di gestione delle risorse locali. L’analisi è stata poi portata avanti tramite l’utilizzo di tecniche statistiche e quantitative e tramite un’analisi remote sensing. Il risultato dell’applicazione di queste tecniche è stato poi costantemente confrontato con il dato storico ed archeologico, per essere inserito correttamente in una prospettiva storica regionale. Le aree scelte sono state investigate singolarmente e solo nel momento successivo alla ricostruzione del sistema insediativo della singola zona si è proceduto ad un’analisi sovraregionale. Quest’ultima è stata eseguita rapportando i risultati delle regioni tra loro e confrontandoli successivamente con altre aree del Vicino Oriente al fine di ottenere una più completa prospettiva insediativa. Tramite i passaggi appena descritti non si è puntato solo ad una ricostruzione dettagliata dei sistemi insediativi, ma si è voluto mettere a confronto per la prima volta tre zone finora indagate esclusivamente a sé stanti e raramente inserite in un più ampio contesto storico-archeologico. Grazie a quanto descritto finora, è stato possibile valutare la disposizione degli insediamenti archeologici in relazione al territorio e alle unità geomorfologiche, evidenziando scelte particolari per l’età del Ferro ma mostrando anche significativi schemi diacronici di disposizione. Procedendo ad una classificazione tipologica dei siti tipica della Landscape Archaeology, è stato possibile valutare l’impatto di cambiamenti strutturali nelle modalità insediative, inserendoli nel più ampio contesto dell’età del Ferro ed evidenziando allo stesso tempo scelte locali riconducili o meno a politiche di gestione del territorio. Nel particolare, si è potuto attribuire una datazione all’età del Ferro al canale Nahr Darwin, visto come segno di politiche agricole operate dal regno Neo-Assiro. Si è poi potuto rivalutare il ruolo dei siti del medio Eufrate iracheno, che si è visto possedere funzioni politiche, amministrative e religiose e non solo funzioni militari come finora ipotizzato. Si è poi valutato lo stato di conservazione dei siti attraverso l’uso di immagini satellitari, fornendo una documentazione per la tutela dei siti archeologici, presentando come esempio le dinamiche di riemersione ciclica dei siti nella zona della diga di Haditha. L’utilizzo di analisi statistiche e quantitative, impiegate per la prima volta in relazione ai siti in queste tre aree, ha permesso di ricostruire probabili gerarchie insediative ed elaborare ipotesi più dettagliate anche in situazioni di scarsa disponibilità o qualità del dato archeologico. In linea generale le aree tendono a conformarsi alle tendenze insediative dell’età del Ferro (aumento significativo di siti e loro dispersione sul territorio, accompagnate dalla creazione di uno o più centri di grandi dimensioni). Queste tendenze, se analizzate nel lungo termine, si conformano a quanto noto dal resto del Vicino Oriente, come evidenziato tramite l’utilizzo di analisi di distribuzione dei siti, analisi rank-size e tramite il coefficiente di Gini. Queste conclusioni sono supportate anche dalla valutazione e confronto con la distribuzione sul territorio e il carattere dell’insediamento in regioni limitrofe. Per le tre aree del progetto, si è però potuto mettere in luce una serie di differenze locali, anche all’interno della stessa area, che ad una semplice ispezione visiva di mappe di distribuzione non sarebbero state evidenti. Queste differenze sottolineano ancora una volta come le dinamiche all’interno di una regione siano il risultato non solo di un’espansione e controllo del territorio da parte degli Assiri, ma anche di una serie complessa di interazioni che deve essere valutata attentamente per non sottostimare uno o più fenomeni meno evidenti. L’utilizzo di dati geomorfologici e remote sensing ha permesso di raffinare ulteriormente queste analisi e le derivanti ipotesi, evidenziando dinamiche differenti a seconda delle diverse situazioni ambientali, e permettendo analisi più approfondite su aspetti del paesaggio archeologico antico e moderno.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
A foreign concept to most twenty-first century individuals, a saddletree provides support and acts as the framework to saddles, giving saddlers a base on which to add cushioning, stretch leather, and create beautiful or functional saddles. Saddletree factories were an integral part of Madison, Indiana’s late nineteenth-century economy. As one of the Ohio River town’s leading industries, saddletree shops employed approximately 125 men during 1879, Madison’s peak saddletree production year, and made Madison a national center of saddletree production. However, the industry faded into oblivion as the beginning of the twentieth century, leaving the men drawn to these shops in the 1870s and 1880s to find new opportunities. While past historians contributed to the fields of industrial and economic history by studying large industries engaged in mass production in major urban areas, Madison’s saddletree workers represent a view of nineteenth-century specialized production. This thesis examines the saddletree industry’s place in Madison during the late nineteenth century and the lives of saddletree workers during and after the industry’s peak. My findings, based off extensive digital research and tools utilized in earlier social mobility studies, create a nuanced view of Madison’s relationship to the saddletree industry, saddletree makers, and what the industry’s collapse meant to saddletree factory employees.