Tuesday, April 9, 2024: Dr. Jeffrey M. Mitchem

After graduating high school in Lakeland, Florida, Dr. Mitchem intended to go into veterinary medicine, but instead earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Anthropology at the University of Florida. He then attended the University of South Florida (Tampa) for a M.A. in Public Archaeology with a thesis on research in Idaho. He returned to UF for a Ph.D. with a dissertation revising Gordon Willey’s definition of the Safety Harbor Culture along the west coast of Florida. Half of his dissertation was a report on the Tatham Mound. Upon graduation in 1989, he taught for one year at LSU in Baton Rouge, and in 1990, accepted a job with the Arkansas Archeological Survey to create and supervise an ongoing program of research and interpretation at the Parkin Site in Parkin Archeological State Park. The 17-acre Parkin Site is the location of the village of Casqui described in all four of the Hernando de Soto narratives, where a cross was raised on the mound in 1541. He retired in 2021 and moved to Tallahassee, Florida.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024: Dr. Jessica A. Jenkins
WHAT CAN SHELL TELL? OYSTERS AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Thousands of oyster middens and mounds filled with billions of oyster shells line the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. In the past, archaeologists did not pay much attention to these shells except to note their presence, oftentimes not even collecting them in the field. Recently, archaeologists have begun to use archaeological oyster shells to address important questions about past lifeways and human-environmental interactions.

This talk describes her research in Florida and Virginia that centers on questions related to past oyster harvesting, processing, and deposition practices. Major themes include the investigation of past common pool resource management practices, the role of shellfish harvesting in the development of complex socio-ecological systems, and how past practices can inform modern policy and sustainability efforts on the Gulf Coast and in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Dr. Jenkins is an assistant professor at Flagler College in St. Augustine. She earned her BA in Anthropology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her Master’s thesis at the University of Florida in 2016 was on the ‘Archaeological Evidence of Oyster Mariculture in the Lower Suwannee Region of Gulf Coastal Florida.’ She also earned her doctorate at UF. Dr. Jenkins is the lead author or a co-author on many publications for such publications as "The Florida Anthropologist", "The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology", and "Archaeological Science".

Tuesday, February 13, 2024: Dr. J. Marla Toyne
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: CHACHAPOYA MORTUARY ARCHAEOLOGY ON CLIFFS IN HIGHLAND PERU

Traditional archaeological practice involves mapping and excavating ancient settlements and cemeteries, but bioarchaeological research of the cliff tombs in the Chachapoyas region of northeastern Peru is stymied by natural and technological challenges. Exploring these cemeteries requires the innovation of “vertical archaeology” using rappelling and rope technology, and also the incorporation of 3-D photogrammetry and aerial drone photography.

This presentation discusses how and why the ancient Chachapoya people created and placed their ancestors in these spectacular landscapes between A.D. 900 and 1535, including exciting discoveries from recent field seasons at the vertical necropolis of Diablo Wasi. Yet, while these sites suffer from the ravages of both looting and natural destruction, it becomes vital to use archaeological knowledge in meaningful and accessible ways for both local and scientific communities to advance conservation.

Dr. Toyne is a biological anthropologist who specializes in bioarchaeology, human skeletal biology, paleopathology, and stable isotope science. Her primary area of investigation is Andean South America, where she engages in contextually-based research focusing on the analysis of ancient skeletal and mummified remains, in order to explore broader anthropological interests including: the biocultural identification of violence and warfare, ritual activities, ethnic identity, mortuary complexity in ancient civilizations, and Andean prehistoric and Contact period social interactions.

FAS $250 STUDENT TRAVEL GRANT AVAILABLE TO A FIRST TIME STUDENT PRESENTER AT 2024 CONFERENCE
The WMS/LSSAS is providing one $250 travel grant this year for a student enrolled at a college or university who is presenting a paper or poster for the first time at the 2024 FAS Annual Conference in Pensacola, May 10-12, 2024. To apply, please send proof of enrollment (copy of student ID), abstract, and conference registration to mlcalhoun35@gmail.com by April 15. We encourage you to apply!