This list is composed of awards administered under the R.E. Taylor student poster prize competition, usually (but not always) held at the Society for American Archaeology annual meeting and/or the International Symposium on Archaeometry. Please note that this list does not include the many SAS-sponsored awards administered by partner conferences; only competitions managed and judged by SAS are included here.
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.
2023 R.E. Taylor Award Recipient: 88th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Portland, Oregon
Valentina Martinoia (Simon Fraser University): "Social inequality in the Middle-Late Neolithic? Stable isotope analysis of the individuals from Beli Manastir-Popova zemlja (Slavonia, Croatia)"
Beli Manastir (Slavonia, Croatia) is the largest Middle-Late Neolithic habitation site discovered in Croatia. A total of 38 individuals were found in different burial positions and different areas of this site, and sometimes within burial clusters, with only 3 individuals buried with abundant grave goods. The burials were, in most cases, placed between or alongside buildings, although some of them could be found in pits or the channel located in the north-eastern part of the site. Interestingly, while adult males and females are equally represented, almost half of the total
number of inhumations belong to subadults, two-thirds of which were females, which suggests possible sex selection. Some authors (Los, 2020; Freilich et al., 2021) suggested that the possible sex selection, the differences in burial positions and locations, the presence of burial clusters, as well as of grave goods are likely an indication of different social statuses within this Neolithic community. We therefore carried out carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope analysis to investigate both the long- and short-term diet and mobility of the individuals from Beli Manastir to test whether the hypothesis of social inequality at this site can be corroborated by dietary and mobility isotopic data.
You can see the poster below:
Honorable mention: Amanda Dobrov (University of New Mexico): A Clean Break: A Departure from Standard Typologies through an Investigation of Pottery Temper at Joshua Tree National Park
This poster will focus on my current master’s research and is in joint partnership between the University of New Mexico, Joshua Tree National Park, and the descendant communities from the California Desert. The project developed through consultation with the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. These consultations resulted in the research questions being pursued; questions that tribal consultants felt would be most useful and relevant to them. The overarching goal of the project is to create identifiable groups for the pottery found in Joshua Tree National Park. Over the years, a number of different scholars have attempted to create pottery typologies for this area. The results of these studies have yielded confusing, often contradictory descriptions of the pottery and generally unhelpful guides. The typology generated as a part of my master’s project will help standardize pottery recording by park and tribal archaeologists to attempt to better connect descendant communities with use areas in the park. This project differs from past attempts to create typologies in this area by focusing on the compositional makeup of the sherds
through both binocular and petrographic analysis.
You can see the poster below:
2022 R.E. Taylor Award Recipient: 43rd International Symposium on Archaeometry, May 16-20, 2022, Lisbon, Portugal
Yun Zhang (University of Oxford): "The Archaeological and Scientific Analysis of Chinese cobalt-blue-decoration ceramics from the 7th to 13th century CE"
This paper reviews studies of Tang (618-907 CE) and Song (960-1279 CE) blue-and-white porcelains, both archaeologically and scientifically, based on published data, and compares blue-and-white with sancai which represents the earliest use of cobalt pigment in Chinese ceramics. Thirty-nine Tang blue-and-white wares and seven Song wares have been excavated from city sites, kilns, a tomb, a shipwreck, and temples. These findings identify Tang blue-and-white as export ware related to the Maritime Silk Road or suggest it was produced for foreigners in China for daily use or personal collection. Also, the results reflected the connection with Buddhist culture. All Tang and Song blue-and-white are vessels and the motifs on them are plants, insects, child, geometric and combination patterns. Palmette and lozenge motifs show the influence of Middle Eastern taste. Additionally, we re-analyse and discuss the previous scientific evidence of Tang and Song blue-and-white, including body, glaze, and cobalt pigment to reveal the origin of materials and technology of Tang blue-and-white porcelain. The raw pigment of Tang blue-and-white was possibly inherited from sancai, probably from the Middle East, and the biscuit body and high-fired clear lime glaze were provided by white porcelain. And Song blue-and-white may utilise native cobalt ore, which possibly was from Zhejiang.
You can see the poster below: 
2022 R.E. Taylor Award Recipient: 87th Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, March 30-April 3, 2022 Chicago, IL
Eunice Villasenor Iribe (Arizona State University): "A Statistical Comparison of the Physical Characteristics of Terracing in the Basin of Mexico"
The Basin of Mexico is a culturally and environmentally dynamic region that has been occupied for thousands of years. The region is semi-arid in climate, which has made large scale habitation difficult without modifications of the landscape. One such type of modification that has been utilized by a variety of ancient groups is agricultural terracing. Previous studies of terracing in the Americas have found that terraces often occur within a limited range of topographic conditions. This range may indicate where terracing was viewed as being the most productive. Understanding how terracing was applied at a variety of the archaeological sites in the Basin of Mexico provides insight into the planning of agricultural production in the region. This analysis is based on the mapping of terrace features among 4 separate hilltops: Cerro Ahumada, Cerro Gordo, Cerro San Lucas, and Cerro Chiconautla. The terrace features for each site were then analyzed to determine if they occurred within a specific range for slope, vegetation cover (NDVI), soil moisture (NDMI), and aspect. The results support the idea that there does appear to be a general topographic range for agricultural terraces which may correspond to a limit for productivity.
You can download the poster as a PDF here and see the poster below:
2021 R.E. Taylor Award Recipient: International Obsidian Conference 2021, April 30-May 2, 2021 Virtual
Benjamin D. Smith (University of Florida): "Imports and Outcrops: Characterizing the Baantu Obsidian Quarry, Wolaita, Ethiopia, Using Portable X-Ray Fluorescence"
Stone quarries are crucial nodes in the complex networks constituting hunter-gatherer economies. However, our knowledge of how these networks evolved in the late Pleistocene Horn of Africa is hindered by a paucity of well-studied quarries. The Baantu obsidian quarry in SW Ethiopia was exploited by the Pleistocene occupants of nearby Mochena Borago Rockshelter for over 50 thousand years and continues to be the preferred source of toolstone for Wolaita hideworkers today. It is composed of both in-situ outcrops and massive quantities of surface artifacts ranging from Early to Later Stone Age types. While the outcrops have clearly been mined, these surface materials may also have been a valuable source of toolstone. Distinguishing between the two geochemically is crucial when tracing the movement of this obsidian across the landscape. This poster describes the first geochemical characterization of these outcrops and some surface materials, using portable X-Ray Fluorescence (Bruker IIIeV Tracer +). Across most elements, simple cluster analysis reveals a distinct outcrop signature and a mix of imported and locally made obsidian artifacts on the surface. We must therefore consider both outcrop mining and recycling of non-local materials as important aspects of the behavioral variability associated with Pleistocene stone economies, particularly at sites like Mochena Borago with deep and prolonged occupational histories that span multiple periods of climatic and likely social change. You can download the poster as a PDF here and see the poster below:
