Entries will be judged on the significance of the archaeological problem, appropriateness of the methods used, soundness of conclusions, quality of the poster display, and oral presentation of the poster by the student, who should be the first author in order to be considered. Students should submit an email application to Tatsuya Murakami (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by Sunday April 7, 2024. Applications must include the title and abstract of the poster, evidence that you have registered for the SAA meeting (receipt), and proof of your status as an undergraduate or graduate student (valid student ID or signed letter from your department chair). If your poster is complete at the time of application, please include a PDF copy with the other documents. Confirmation that your application has been received will be sent to you; please keep this email confirmation. Initial applications submitted on time without the poster that are still missing the poster at the time of the second deadline will be excluded from consideration. Judges will be present in person at the SAA meeting to evaluate posters and to ask students questions about their research. Prizes will be awarded at the SAA meeting following the end of the last poster session.

Good luck to everyone!

2024 R.E. Taylor Award Recipient: 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans, Louisiana 

Samantha Mahan (University of Missouri): "Microanalysis of Late Stone Age Rock Art Ochre Pigments in Eswatini"

Eswatini is home to several rock art sites of the Late Stone Age in Southern Africa. Ochres, iron-oxide rich pigments, are present in many of these sites but their compositions are as of yet unknown. Previous studies of ochres have shown the potential for the identification of trade, resource management, and other aspects of human behavior. The analysis of ochres in Eswatini rock art has implications for mineral selection in the Late Stone Age and could lead to future studies of ochre sourcing inEswatini. Samples were taken from seven sites in northern (Sibebe, Nsangwini, Ntjoni, Mkhumbane, Nkamberi), southern (Nhlonhleni), and eastern (Muti Muti) Eswatini and were analyzed by SEM-EDS and Raman spectroscopy. The preliminary microanalysis is presented here and shows iron oxides, iron rich clays, manganese oxides and other mineral compounds.

Nadia C. Neff (University of New Mexico): "Tracking the Origins of Animal Management in a Neotropical Foraging-to-Farming Population using Carbon Stable Isotope Analysis of Lysine"

The middle-late Holocene in Southern Belize saw shifts in subsistence strategies including the introduction of managed plants and animals. Botanical and stable isotope data have been used to track the introduction of agricultural products into human diets with maize first consumed before 7,000 cal. BP. However, the timing of the introduction of managed animals is less understood because early faunal assemblages are rare. Carbon isotope (δ 13 C) analysis of amino acids (CSIAAA) is a powerful tool that allows researchers to track biochemical origins of these compounds into consumer tissues. CSIA-AA analysis of directly dated human skeletons from two rockshelters spanning the transition to agriculture show a trend of increasing δ 13 C lysine values indicating a C 4 lysine origin in individuals by the Classic Maya period. Additionally, individuals that date to the middle Holocene demonstrate higher than expected incorporation of C 4 -derived lysine. Based on the low abundance of lysine in maize (C 4 -plant) and daily lysine requirements in humans, these results are only possible through trophic concentration of C4-derived lysine, possibly obtained by consuming maize eating animals. We propose that human δ 13 C lysine values can be used to track the incorporation of managed, but not necessarily domesticated, animals into neotropical diets during the transition to agriculture.