I am a southeastern archaeologist and received my BA at the University of Alabama and MA and PhD at the University of Oklahoma. Currently, I am the State Public Archaeologist at the Utah Division of State History. I am most interested in researching the emergence of complex societies during the transition from the Late Woodland to Early Mississippian periods (ca. AD 850-1200). I specialize in ceramic research including style, archaeometric techniques, and iconography to understand the ritual ceremonialism in domestic and ritual contexts and to understand major shifts in social organization and the movement of people in time and space. I am also experienced in all aspects of public archaeology including CRM, law, collaborative and community archaeology, and curriculum development that meets common core standards.
Ceramic vessels and cosmological structure at first may seem quite unrelated. Many argue the basi... more Ceramic vessels and cosmological structure at first may seem quite unrelated. Many argue the basic and perhaps only function of a pot was a simple human-made container which held foodstuff for cooking and serving purposes. Pre-Contact communities also used ceramics to display complex iconography, some of which may represent important cosmological meanings in time and space. For this paper, I examine the temporal and spatial placement of pottery in 98 Craig Mound burials at the Spiro site in search for cosmological patterns in the imagery of the vessels. Only burials dissociated with the Great Mortuary and the Spirit Lodge were considered, because they have been seriously understudied. Spatial and temporal patterns that emerged from this study suggest burials outside of the Great Mortuary and the Spirit Lodge were also placed in specific areas of the Craig Mound to represent a cosmogram or a ritual display that expressed an important cosmological narrative.
Spiro is one of the most important archaeological sites in North America. At the Sam Noble Museum... more Spiro is one of the most important archaeological sites in North America. At the Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma, there are hundreds of unstudied Work Projects Administration (WPA) illustrations that depict artifacts from Craig’s Mound. The study of these WPA drawings has revealed that several of them reflect artifacts that have never been seen since they were initially discovered. These illustrations are significant because they may foster new inferences into Spiro iconography, give back contextual knowledge of the lost artifacts, and provide more comparative resources that will expand on continuing regional analyses across the southeast.
Ceramic vessels and cosmological structure at first may seem quite unrelated. Many argue the basi... more Ceramic vessels and cosmological structure at first may seem quite unrelated. Many argue the basic and perhaps only function of a pot was a simple human-made container which held foodstuff for cooking and serving purposes. Pre-Contact communities also used ceramics to display complex iconography, some of which may represent important cosmological meanings in time and space. For this paper, I examine the temporal and spatial placement of pottery in 98 Craig Mound burials at the Spiro site in search for cosmological patterns in the imagery of the vessels. Only burials dissociated with the Great Mortuary and the Spirit Lodge were considered, because they have been seriously understudied. Spatial and temporal patterns that emerged from this study suggest burials outside of the Great Mortuary and the Spirit Lodge were also placed in specific areas of the Craig Mound to represent a cosmogram or a ritual display that expressed an important cosmological narrative.
Spiro is one of the most important archaeological sites in North America. At the Sam Noble Museum... more Spiro is one of the most important archaeological sites in North America. At the Sam Noble Museum in Norman, Oklahoma, there are hundreds of unstudied Work Projects Administration (WPA) illustrations that depict artifacts from Craig’s Mound. The study of these WPA drawings has revealed that several of them reflect artifacts that have never been seen since they were initially discovered. These illustrations are significant because they may foster new inferences into Spiro iconography, give back contextual knowledge of the lost artifacts, and provide more comparative resources that will expand on continuing regional analyses across the southeast.
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