Campus Alert: 10:12 PM May 10th, 2024 PSU ALERT: Shelter in Place ENDED. Continue to avoid area in front of Hoffman Hall
Archaeology First Thursdays Archive Explore the Diverse Fields of ArchaeologyArchaeology First Thursdays Lecture Series was an opportunity to take a deep dive into diverse field of archaeology. Each month our distinguished guests presented their research and then facilitated discussion on the topic. The lecture series is currently on hold; however, you can explore the First Thursdays Lecture Series recordings of past talks below or on PDXScholar. Fall 2021-Spring 2022 The Vulva Monologues: 'Female' signs in the Upper Paleolithic Oct. 7, 2021 Melanie Chang, anthropology faculty, Portland State This talk discusses the difficulties inherent in recognizing sex (much less gender) in Paleolithic art, and the consequences of such unfounded assumptions in scientific and popular discourse. The Landscape of Klamath Rock Basin Art Nov. 4, 2021 Robert David, anthropology faculty, Portland State This presentation considers how rock art imagery in the Klamath Basin served different purposes within three different socially-constructed contexts: settlement sites, frequently used areas and special use areas. Truth, Reconciliation and Ground Penetrating Radar Dec. 2, 2021 Colin Grier, anthropology faculty, Washington State University-Vancouver This talk discusses the broader context and role archaeological techniques and archaeologists can and should play in facilitating reconciliation after recent studies at Indian Residential Schools in Canada turned up hundreds of unmarked graves. Urban Archaeology in the City of Salem Jan. 6, 2022 Kimberli Fitzgerald, historic preservation officer, City of Salem This talk explores Salem's urban archaeology program to see how their process works through a real world example, including the public education and interpretation about the archaeological work on the development site. Archaeological Chronometrics by Obsidian Hydration Dating Feb. 3, 2022 Sandy Rogers, archaeology curator at the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest, California This talk explores obsidian hydration dating, a chronometric method based on measuring the water absorbed through a fresh surface of obsidian. It is relatively inexpensive, and has the benefit of directly dating obsidian artifacts. People & Places on the Dynamic Shoreline Landscape of Southern Puget Sound March 3, 2022 Kate Shantry, archaeologist and graduate student, University of Washington-Vancouver This talk is an overview of Kate’s landscape study concerning the Osceola Mudflow Event ca. 5700 years ago, covering Indigenous perspectives, experimental archaeology, as well as the way forward to a predictive model of documenting. People and Plants in the American Far West April 7, 2022 Jaime Kennedy, interim director, Archaeological Research Division at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History This talk integrates diachronic datasets from several sites in the northern Great Basin to examine the role of plants in seasonal rounds, food preferences, and foraging decisions of people in the past. Indigenous Women and Pre-Contact Rock Art in the Northern Plains Region May 5, 2022 Emily Van Alst, Ph.D. student, Indiana University Bloomington This talk, grounded in methods of Indigenous archaeology and rock art research, will explore how we can improve our interpretations of rock art images by foregrounding Indigenous knowledge, and in particular, Indigenous women’s voices and experiences. Fall 2020-Spring 2021 Collective Action to Reduce Wildfire Risk Across Land Ownerships in the PNW Jan. 7, 2021 Susan Charnley, research social scientist, U.S. Forest Service This talk examines the question: How can we promote wildfire risk reduction through collective action to increase the resilience of fire-prone forest landscapes across property boundaries? Why Climate Change Driven Relocation is such a Difficult Problem to Solve Feb. 4, 2021 Elizabeth Marino, anthropology faculty, OSU-Cascades, and Dennis Davis, self-taught Inupiat photographer This talk discusses the climate change planning in Alaska and trying to pair experiences of climate change with policy analysis to understand how best to create community-based solutions. "Go-Help-Yourself" Subsistence on the Oregon Coast March 4, 2021 Bradley Bowden, VP of operations and principal archaeologist, Historical Research Associates' Portland office This presentation addresses fishing weir environments, terminology, and methodology, and takes a close look at some of the most interesting investigations to date. Investigating Ancient Cooking Practices in Northern Alaska April 1, 2021 Tammy Buonasera, anthropology researcher, UC Davis This talk discusses how the application of molecular and isotopic techniques to northern Alaskan residues is providing new insights into what types of resources people were cooking in pots and burning in hearths. Reflections on the Past 40 Years of Archaeology in the Pacific Northwest May 6, 2021 Virginia Butler, anthropology faculty, Portland State Butler reviews changes she has witnessed in the practice of archaeology in the Pacific Northwest since her 1975 field school at Lind Coulee, from changes in technology, analytic methods, research questions and goals, and the increasing role of Indigenous people. Kernels of Truth in Archaeological Temporal Frequency Analysis June 3, 2021 William Brown, statistics lecturer, University of Washington This presentation explores an alternative approach to temporal frequency analysis using a sample of archaeological radiocarbon dates from the Kuril Archipelago in the Northeast Pacific Rim.