Papers by Scott Ure
Human History and Digital Future: Proceedings of the 46th Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, 2018
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are useful tools for many archaeologist; however, the data within t... more Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are useful tools for many archaeologist; however, the data within the images captured by these systems is frequently underutilized. This paper discusses the benefits of extracting information embedded in aerial photogrammetric images and using them to improve mapping and documentation of archaeological sites. This paper offers three case studies to provide examples of how aerial photogrammetric imagery can help identify features and patterns not always recognizable from the ground or from standard aerial images.
BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures Occasional Paper No. 20, 2022
This chapter explores Fremont central structures from both archaeological and ethnographic perspe... more This chapter explores Fremont central structures from both archaeological and ethnographic perspectives in an attempt to enhance our understanding of how the Fremont may have used them. The results suggest that central structures were a place to gather. They were likely multi-functional spaces designed and built for communal and ritual activities but also for domestic use. Central structures are an important part of growing evidence suggesting Fremont sociopolitical organization at the community level. This paper augments the growing understanding that some Fremont communities developed beyond simple, egalitarian societies often historically inferred by archaeologists.
Kiva: Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History, 2022
Over several field seasons, ceramic and stone pipes were recovered from the Fremont site of Wolf ... more Over several field seasons, ceramic and stone pipes were recovered from the Fremont site of Wolf Village (AD 1000-1100). Nine of the more complete pipes included residue and burned dottle that were analyzed for macrobotanical and microbotanical remains. Three were subjected to FTIR. These analyses represent the first Fremont pipes ever analyzed for botanical remains, and the results reported in this paper provide conclusions regarding possible smoke mixtures used by the Fremont. Contents of the pipes included remains of tobacco, plants from the Amaranthaceae family, maize fragments, grasses, and various fuel woods.
Después de varias temporadas de excavación, se recuperaron pipas de cerámica y piedra del sitio Wolf Village (1000-1100 DC). Nueve de las pipas más completas con contenidos quemados fueron analizadas para identificar macrobotánicos y microbotánicos. Tres fueron analizados por el método de FTIR. Estos representan los primeros análisis de los contenidos de pipas de la gente Fremont, y los resultados en este estudio incluyen conclusiones con respecto a las mezclas posibles de humo utilizadas por los Fremont. Los contenidos de las pipas incluían tabaco, plantas de la familia Amaranthaceae, fragmentos de maíz, pastos, y varias maderas combustibles.
In the summer 2015, as part of the "Roots of
Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searc... more In the summer 2015, as part of the "Roots of
Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searcy, we conducted aerial reconnaissance of Paquimé using a small fixed-wing UAV. Unlike Di Peso's original aerial photos, we had the advantages of using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a GPS unit and a high-resolution digital camera, high-speed computers, and Pix4Dmapper, a powerful photogrammetry application made by Pix4D. Our goal
was to capture high-detail, georeferenced, imagery of Paquimé in order to produce a series of new maps,
models, and visualizations to update Di Peso's maps and images that are now nearly fifty years old.
Saa Archaeological Record, 2008
Unpublished Master's Thesis, 2013
Defining the Fremont archaeological culture has challenged archaeologists for decades. There is s... more Defining the Fremont archaeological culture has challenged archaeologists for decades. There is still considerable debate about the origins of the Fremont, their eventual demise, their genetic relationship to modern Native American tribes, and myriad other issues. In nearly a century of Fremont research, socio-political, economic, and religious complexity remain elusive subjects. Examining technological style, the manifestation of socially influenced choices during each step of production as a means of passive communication is one useful avenue to examine Fremont material culture to uncover the social patterns they may, or may not contain. I examine whether or not technological style in Fremont Snake Valley corrugated pottery hold traces of social identity produced by Fremont potters living in the Parowan Valley, Utah.
Utah Archaeology, 2009
Seamons Mound (42UT271) is located in Utah Valley, just east of Utah Lake in the curving neck of ... more Seamons Mound (42UT271) is located in Utah Valley, just east of Utah Lake in the curving neck of Little Dry Creek on the Provo River delta. The mound is among hundreds of Fremont sites dotting the area and was excavated between 1968 and 1970 by Brigham Young University. This paper examines human remains found during the excavations at Seamons Mound that date to heart of the Fremont era. They exhibit intriguing physiological and pathological characteristics including possible head trauma and a debilitating handicap. Recent stable isotope analyses, metric studies, and sociocultural interpretations offer additional perspectives into the cultural implications of food choice for one young individual living along the shores of Utah Lake.
SAA Archaeological Record, 2008
Conference Presentations by Scott Ure
Over the last decade we have recognized the growing importance of teaching students the importanc... more Over the last decade we have recognized the growing importance of teaching students the importance of acquiring basic skills in digital archaeology. In an attempt to meet these needs, we developed the Archaeological Digital Initiative (ADI). This initiative is a collaborative effort between faculty, staff, and students to incorporate state-of-the-art technology into archaeological practices to streamline data collection, reduce redundancy and error, improve efficiency, and capture data not previously visible or recognized. Students are involved in brainstorming and problem-solving new ways to improve archaeological data collection, processing, and manipulation. Perhaps more importantly, students are given hands-on experiences to practice digital archaeology in real-world applications. This effort has led to collaborative projects between students in archaeology, museum studies, computer science, and mechanical, electrical, and aeronautical engineering. In conjunction with the ADI, we started an archaeoinformatics class in 2014 which focuses on the fundamentals of GIS, GPS, and digital surveying and mapping. In addition, we are incorporating unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) fights and data processing in the class. In this paper we discuss the successes and challenges experienced with the ADI and teaching archaeoinformatics.
The concept of paperless documentation is not new to archaeology. Attempts over the past two deca... more The concept of paperless documentation is not new to archaeology. Attempts over the past two decades to develop a widely accepted system to record field notes using handheld digital devices have, however, had varying degrees of success. This is due, in part, because while archaeological projects without paper notes are accepted by some, for most archaeologists, replacing current methods with paperless technology is perceived as risky.
In this paper, we will discuss our ongoing development and testing of two paperless documentation applications as part of BYU Archaeology’s broader Archaeological Digital Initiative (ADI). One application, ExcavatorTM, focuses on excavations, while the other, SurveyorTM, is designed for pedestrian survey work. Both applications were designed by professional and student archaeologists and implemented by student software developers. They meet an archaeologist’s needs and are built using current and robust programming practices. Finally, we will address several items, including power needs, data backup, wireless connectivity, acceptance by users, and observed advantages. Based on our initial experiences, we believe paperless documentation will not only benefit archaeological field work, but also greatly enhance our ability to analyze collected data.
The term “drone” has received a great deal of attention lately as governments, companies, univers... more The term “drone” has received a great deal of attention lately as governments, companies, universities, and even private individuals are starting to use these aerial vehicles for a variety of applications. Archaeological endeavors are also slowly beginning to apply unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in different ways. In this paper I share the results from a project where the Brigham Young University archaeology program used a survey-grade UAS to document the Ad-Deir Plateau at the World Heritage site of Petra. Finally, I conclude by discussing how these systems will significantly improve documenting archaeological sites in Utah once the FAA gives permission for small UAS flights in the United States.
Precise documentation is arguably the most critical aspect of any archaeological undertaking, but... more Precise documentation is arguably the most critical aspect of any archaeological undertaking, but especially when destructive techniques such as excavation are required. Producing accurate plan and profile maps, for example, is a time-honored tradition used to record cultural resources in both synchronic and diachronic space. Methods for producing excavation maps vary from basic to complex and involve a wide array of technologies, although all assume some degree of error. One recent development, however, known as 3D Laser Scanning, greatly reduces these errors by capturing nearly one million measurements per second, all with millimeter accuracy. This presentation reports on the benefits and challenges in using 3D Laser Scanning to digitally capture the interiors of Promontory Caves 1 and 2 in the Spring of 2011.
Although the Fremont culture has been studied for decades, very little is currently understood ab... more Although the Fremont culture has been studied for decades, very little is currently understood about their social, political, and community organization. One aspect of Fremont material culture which may help determine their degree of social complexity is their painted bowls—both the black-on-gray and black-on-white varieties. This paper explores to what degree Fremont painted bowls may have been standardized, and whether the degree of standardization is significant enough to draw any conclusions about the Fremont socioeconomic structure.
Within the last decade, dental calculus analysis (DCA) has provided increasingly detailed informa... more Within the last decade, dental calculus analysis (DCA) has provided increasingly detailed information about prehistoric diets, but it is currently not widely used by Great Basin archaeologists. This paper discusses the recent results from DCA performed on the tartar extracted from the teeth of a Fremont burial. Specifically, this discussion explores how DCA provides a compromise between the mandates established by NAGPRA and the opportunity to reconstruct ancient diets using a non-destructive analytical method.
Large Fremont sites, such as Five Finger Ridge, Nephi Mounds, and Baker Village, often contain st... more Large Fremont sites, such as Five Finger Ridge, Nephi Mounds, and Baker Village, often contain structures built on a scale that would require communal cooperation in construction. Little information on actual function is available, but possible functions of these communal structures include feasting, gambling, trade fairs, and ritual activities. This paper explores variability and function of Fremont communal structures with emphasis on Wolf Village Structure 2, an oversized pit structure.
Patent Applications by Scott Ure
US Patent and Trademark Office, 2021
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Papers by Scott Ure
Después de varias temporadas de excavación, se recuperaron pipas de cerámica y piedra del sitio Wolf Village (1000-1100 DC). Nueve de las pipas más completas con contenidos quemados fueron analizadas para identificar macrobotánicos y microbotánicos. Tres fueron analizados por el método de FTIR. Estos representan los primeros análisis de los contenidos de pipas de la gente Fremont, y los resultados en este estudio incluyen conclusiones con respecto a las mezclas posibles de humo utilizadas por los Fremont. Los contenidos de las pipas incluían tabaco, plantas de la familia Amaranthaceae, fragmentos de maíz, pastos, y varias maderas combustibles.
Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searcy, we conducted aerial reconnaissance of Paquimé using a small fixed-wing UAV. Unlike Di Peso's original aerial photos, we had the advantages of using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a GPS unit and a high-resolution digital camera, high-speed computers, and Pix4Dmapper, a powerful photogrammetry application made by Pix4D. Our goal
was to capture high-detail, georeferenced, imagery of Paquimé in order to produce a series of new maps,
models, and visualizations to update Di Peso's maps and images that are now nearly fifty years old.
Conference Presentations by Scott Ure
In this paper, we will discuss our ongoing development and testing of two paperless documentation applications as part of BYU Archaeology’s broader Archaeological Digital Initiative (ADI). One application, ExcavatorTM, focuses on excavations, while the other, SurveyorTM, is designed for pedestrian survey work. Both applications were designed by professional and student archaeologists and implemented by student software developers. They meet an archaeologist’s needs and are built using current and robust programming practices. Finally, we will address several items, including power needs, data backup, wireless connectivity, acceptance by users, and observed advantages. Based on our initial experiences, we believe paperless documentation will not only benefit archaeological field work, but also greatly enhance our ability to analyze collected data.
Patent Applications by Scott Ure
Después de varias temporadas de excavación, se recuperaron pipas de cerámica y piedra del sitio Wolf Village (1000-1100 DC). Nueve de las pipas más completas con contenidos quemados fueron analizadas para identificar macrobotánicos y microbotánicos. Tres fueron analizados por el método de FTIR. Estos representan los primeros análisis de los contenidos de pipas de la gente Fremont, y los resultados en este estudio incluyen conclusiones con respecto a las mezclas posibles de humo utilizadas por los Fremont. Los contenidos de las pipas incluían tabaco, plantas de la familia Amaranthaceae, fragmentos de maíz, pastos, y varias maderas combustibles.
Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searcy, we conducted aerial reconnaissance of Paquimé using a small fixed-wing UAV. Unlike Di Peso's original aerial photos, we had the advantages of using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a GPS unit and a high-resolution digital camera, high-speed computers, and Pix4Dmapper, a powerful photogrammetry application made by Pix4D. Our goal
was to capture high-detail, georeferenced, imagery of Paquimé in order to produce a series of new maps,
models, and visualizations to update Di Peso's maps and images that are now nearly fifty years old.
In this paper, we will discuss our ongoing development and testing of two paperless documentation applications as part of BYU Archaeology’s broader Archaeological Digital Initiative (ADI). One application, ExcavatorTM, focuses on excavations, while the other, SurveyorTM, is designed for pedestrian survey work. Both applications were designed by professional and student archaeologists and implemented by student software developers. They meet an archaeologist’s needs and are built using current and robust programming practices. Finally, we will address several items, including power needs, data backup, wireless connectivity, acceptance by users, and observed advantages. Based on our initial experiences, we believe paperless documentation will not only benefit archaeological field work, but also greatly enhance our ability to analyze collected data.