ANTH 4/5390 – Laboratory Methods in Archaeology
University of Colorado Denver
Spring 2005
Instructor: Tammy Stone, Ph.D., R.P.A.
e-mail: tammy.stone@cudenver.edu
phone: 303-556-3063
This class is designed to prepare students to be an archaeological lab manager and/or
conduct no collection surveys. As such, basic lab operation, as well as basic analysis
methods in each of the major artifact classes that archaeologist frequently encounter in
field investigations (particularly those working gin cultural resource management in the
United States). This class was designed in consultation with local contract archaeology
companies.
Required Texts:
Sullivan, Lynn P. and S. Terry Childs
2003 Curating Archaeological Collections from the Field to the Repository.
Altamira, Walnut Creek CA.
Sutton, Mark Q and Brooke S. Arkush
2002 Archaeological Laboratory Methods. Kendal/Hunt, Dubuque, IA.
Additional articles will be assigned for many of the classes
Undergraduate Grades:
A total of 200 points are available in the class. To receive an A in the class, a student
must achieve 90% of them, for a B 80% and so on. The grade break down is as follows.
50 pts Research paper
5 pts Abstract of paper
5 pts Outline with preliminary bibliography of the paper
40 pts Annotated bibliography
100 pts In class lab projects (10 projects worth 10 pts each)
The Research paper should be an in depth study (10-20 pages) of a particular artifact
class/type. The paper should include information on what types of research questions the
artifact class can be used to address, common analysis methods, and, if necessary,
conservation methods that must be employed. You should write this paper as though you
were going to teach a workshop on the artifact type and train individuals how to analyze
the material to answer research questions. Although we touch briefly on this for
numerous artifact classes, you paper should be considerably more in depth and the
bibliography should go far beyond that presented in class. This paper should be
publishable quality and written in American Antiquity format.
The topic of the paper must be approved. This will be done through the abstract. This
abstract should cover the major topics that will be investigated by the paper and should
not exceed 250 words.
Feedback on the research paper will be administered through the outline and preliminary
bibliography. This should be a detailed outline 93-5 pages) discussing the organization
of the paper and major topics that will be covered. The bibliography is not expected to be
complete but should contain the major resources that will be used in the paper.
The Annotated bibliography will consist of a bibliography of all of the articles read in the
class. The annotation should consist of a paragraph of less than 100 words that ntoes the
major topics covered by the paper.
There will be 10 in class projects. Each of these is worth 10 points. Obviously, you must
be present to complete these projects. Only one lab make up day is scheduled (during
quiet week).
Graduate Grades:
Grade break downs for graduate students are identical to those outlined for undergraduate
students with one exception. In addition to the articles read/discussed in class, the
annotated bibliography must contain 25 additional entries of studies dealing with artifact
analysis. Studies used in your paper may be included in the annotated bibliography.
Administrative Information:
Important Dates
Last day to add: February 2
Last day to drop for tuition refund and no transcript notation: February 2
Last day to apply for May 2005 graduation: February 2
Last day to drop without college approval and without a refund: April 4
Last day to drop with college approval and without a refund: April 15
It is assumed that all students will follow the code of ethics outlined in the University
Catalogue. Failure to do so will result in a 9 on the assignment. To clarify the university
policy on plagiarism, individuals must be cited for their ideas and data even if an exact
quote is not used.
Class Schedule:
1/18
Introduction to the class
1/20
Overview of curation, artifact analysis, and repositories
Chapter 15, Sutton and Arkush; Chapters 3, 4, Sullivan and Childs
Nichols, Jacqueline and June Evans 1979 The Aggressive Field Lab. American
Antiquity 44(2):324-326.
1/25
106 Compliance and contract archaeology
1/27
Conservation 1 – cleaning, stabilization, labeling
Chapter 5 and 6, Sullivan and Childs
2/1
Conservation 2 – cleaning, stabilization, labeling
Chapter 5 and 6, Sullivan and Childs
2/8
Catalogue Systems – FS, level lot, PD
Chapter 2, pp. 18-22 and Chapter 3, pp 25-30, Sutton and Arkush
LeBlanc, Steven 1976 Archaeological Recording Systems. Journal of Field
Archaeology 3:159-168.
2/10
Illustrations -- basics
Chapter 14, Sutton and Arkush
2/15
Illustrations – in class lab 1
You will be given several artifacts and must produce an accurate scaled drawing –
bring pencils and erasers.
2/17
Chipped Stone – rough sort
Chapter 4, Sutton and Arkush
Abstract due
2/22
Chipped Stone – debitage analysis
Patterson, Leland W. 1990 Characteristics of Bifacial Reduction Flake-Size
Distribution. American Antiquity 55:550-558
Sullivan, Alan P.,III and Kenneth C. Rozen 1985 Debitage Analysis and
Archaeological Interpretation. American Antiquity 50:755-779.
2/24
Chipped stone – debitage – in class lab 2
3/1
Chipped stone tool analysis
Odell, George H. and Frieda Odell-Vercecken 1980 Verifying the Reliability of
Lithic Use-Wear Assessments by ‘Blind Tests’: the Low-Power Approach.
Journal of Field Archaeology 7:87-120.
3/3
Chipped stone tool lab – in class lab 3
3/8
Ground stone
Jenny L. Adams 1999 Refocusing the Role of Food Grinding Tools as Correlates
for Subsistence Strategies in the US Southwest. American Antiquity 64:475-498.
3/10
Ceramics – overview
Chapter 6, Sutton and Arkosh
Braun, David P. 1983 Pots as Tools. In Archaeological Hammers and Theories,
edited by J. A. Moore and A. S. Keene, pp. 107-134. Academic Press, New York.
3/15
Ceramic vessel form/function – curvature points
3/17
Ceramic vessel form – in class lab 4 (rim profiles, bowls vs. jars, points of
curvature)
3/22 and 24
3/29
no class – Spring Break
Ceramic vessel size --function and feasting
Blitz, John H. 1993 Big Pots for Big Shots: Feasting and Storage in a
Mississippian Community. American Antiquity 58:80-95.
Potter, James M. 2000 Pots, Parties and Politics: Communal Feasting in the
American Southwest. American Antiquity 65:471-492.
Outline due
3/30
no class – SAA
4/5
Ceramic vessel size – in class lab 5 (rim diameter and body size)
4/7
Ceramic dating lab – in class lab 6
4/12
Historic artifact overview
Chapter 9, Sutton and Arkush
4/14
Historic metal
4/19
Historic metal lab – in class lab 7
4/21
Historic glass
4/26
Historic glass lab – in class lab 8
4/28
Historic ceramics
Spencer-Wood, Suzanne M. 1987 Miller’s Indices and Consumer-Choice Profiles.
In Consumer Choice in Historical Archaeology, edited by S. M. Spencer-Wood,
pp. 321-325. Plenum, New York.
5/3
Historic ceramic lab – in class lab 9
5/5
Historic dating lab – in class lab 10
5/10
Paper due
Annotated Bibliography due