The Illinois State Archaeological Survey and the Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials program will host the Fourth Science and Archaeology Symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in Room 314A of the Illini Union.
Archaeological science, or archaeometry, is the interface between archaeology and the natural and physical sciences. This interdisciplinary field encompasses both the study of early technologies – flint knapping, ceramics and textiles – and the analyses of archaeological and historic materials using modern instrumentation techniques. Research and applications include isotope and chemical analysis of environment, diet and migration, compositional and sourcing studies, ancient DNA evidence of population history, remote sensing and satellite imaging, 3-D imaging and digital enhancement technologies.
The symposium provides an opportunity for students and professionals in archaeology and other fields to share innovative research that addresses archaeological questions. This one-day symposium will include 15-minute papers and a poster and demonstration session. Topics this year include residue analysis of Middle and Late Woodland vessels, isotopic evidence of diet, population movement and land use, elemental fingerprinting or sourcing of artifacts, mineral and raw material sourcing using LA-ICP-MS, microclimate reconstruction based on pollen analysis, DNA evidence from Cahokia’s Mound 72, shell bead production technology, LiDAR and geophysical survey techniques, as well as information on technologies and resources available to researchers at the U. of I.
Presenters include researchers at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey; the Illinois State Geological Survey; the departments of anthropology, geology and microbiology; the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology; the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center-Corps of Engineers Research Laboratory; and Indiana University, Bloomington.
The schedule of papers with abstracts is available on the Illinois State Archeological Survey and the Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials program website. Questions regarding the symposium or the program may be directed to Kristin Hedman, the assistant director for the Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials program, at khedman@illinois.edu. The symposium is free and open to the campus community and the general public, however, preregistration at the website is encouraged.
The Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials Program serves as the archaeological sciences research arm of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Prairie Research Institute.
