David Birnbaum
I earned my M.A. in anthropology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2014, where I worked for the Center for Archaeological Investigations and at the Kincaid Mounds field school.
I am currently a Senior Archaeologist at ICF, where I serve as a cultural resources and Section 106 subject matter expert on a variety of projects in the development of energy, transportation, housing, and water resources infrastructure. Previously (2015-2022), I was an Archaeological Crew Chief, Staff Archaeologist, and Senior Archaeologist for the Cultural Resources Field Services team at Environmental Resources Management, Inc. (ERM).
My master's research (2012-2014) focused on craft production in the Southeast U.S., particularly regarding St. Johns pottery in east-central Florida, using the framework of communities of practice to explore the expression of social identities. More recently (2020-2023), CRM work has brought me to field investigations at Carolina Bay sites and explored lithic analysis as it pertains to raw material preference/procurement and mobility in North Carolina.
Supervisors: Dr. Paul Welch and Dr. Mark Wagner
I am currently a Senior Archaeologist at ICF, where I serve as a cultural resources and Section 106 subject matter expert on a variety of projects in the development of energy, transportation, housing, and water resources infrastructure. Previously (2015-2022), I was an Archaeological Crew Chief, Staff Archaeologist, and Senior Archaeologist for the Cultural Resources Field Services team at Environmental Resources Management, Inc. (ERM).
My master's research (2012-2014) focused on craft production in the Southeast U.S., particularly regarding St. Johns pottery in east-central Florida, using the framework of communities of practice to explore the expression of social identities. More recently (2020-2023), CRM work has brought me to field investigations at Carolina Bay sites and explored lithic analysis as it pertains to raw material preference/procurement and mobility in North Carolina.
Supervisors: Dr. Paul Welch and Dr. Mark Wagner
less
InterestsView All (8)
Uploads
Nine Cayuga Iroquois settlements dating to the protohistoric period were selected for analysis using GIS. Two control groups, each consisting of nine random points, were generated for comparison. Distance buffers show the amount of wetlands that are situated within 1-, 2.5-, and 5-kilometers from Cayuga settlements and random points. The total number of wetlands within proximity of these distances to the settlements and random points are recorded and analyzed. The results indicate a statistical significance regarding the prominence of wetlands within the landscape which pertains to the Cayuga Iroquois settlement strategy.
The pottery assemblages from three sites within the Fox Lake Sanctuary are analyzed to assess typological variation in assemblage composition, as well as formal and morphological variation in the technological attributes of rim sherds. The analysis is framed within the orientation of practice theory advocated by previous research on technological style, and aims to identify technological variation in accordance (or discordance) with temporal boundaries and the social affiliations of potters. As an analytical focus in this case study, technological style is conceptualized as observable variation in attributes related to the technical aspects of pottery manufacture rather than aesthetic aspects. This method of characterizing variability in prehistoric ceramic technology will assist ongoing efforts to refine the regional Malabar Period chronology of the Indian River Region, in addition to having the potential to elucidate differences in communities of potters from varying social backgrounds and cultural affiliations.
Over the course of four field seasons, the archaeological investigations at the Fox Lake Sanctuary have identified and documented four prehistoric multi-component occupation sites along with two historic sites and one isolated archaeological occurrence.
This project has fostered a thriving partnership between the local volunteers of the Indian River Anthropological Society and students in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. Furthermore, students from various universities both in Florida and out-of-state have been able to gain valuable field experience, and have been granted the opportunity to conduct original research on the materials from the sites."
Nine Cayuga Iroquois settlements dating to the protohistoric period were selected for analysis using GIS. Two control groups, each consisting of nine random points, were generated for comparison. Distance buffers show the amount of wetlands that are situated within 1-, 2.5-, and 5-kilometers from Cayuga settlements and random points. The total number of wetlands within proximity of these distances to the settlements and random points are recorded and analyzed. The results indicate a statistical significance regarding the prominence of wetlands within the landscape which pertains to the Cayuga Iroquois settlement strategy.
The pottery assemblages from three sites within the Fox Lake Sanctuary are analyzed to assess typological variation in assemblage composition, as well as formal and morphological variation in the technological attributes of rim sherds. The analysis is framed within the orientation of practice theory advocated by previous research on technological style, and aims to identify technological variation in accordance (or discordance) with temporal boundaries and the social affiliations of potters. As an analytical focus in this case study, technological style is conceptualized as observable variation in attributes related to the technical aspects of pottery manufacture rather than aesthetic aspects. This method of characterizing variability in prehistoric ceramic technology will assist ongoing efforts to refine the regional Malabar Period chronology of the Indian River Region, in addition to having the potential to elucidate differences in communities of potters from varying social backgrounds and cultural affiliations.
Over the course of four field seasons, the archaeological investigations at the Fox Lake Sanctuary have identified and documented four prehistoric multi-component occupation sites along with two historic sites and one isolated archaeological occurrence.
This project has fostered a thriving partnership between the local volunteers of the Indian River Anthropological Society and students in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. Furthermore, students from various universities both in Florida and out-of-state have been able to gain valuable field experience, and have been granted the opportunity to conduct original research on the materials from the sites."