- Braden Cordivari
Congratulations to the 2025 awardees of the new Beta-SAS Radiocarbon Dating Award! This annual award is designed to facilitate research into geographically and thematically underrepresented areas of radiocarbon dating. This year’s awardees will push the boundaries of radiocarbon research with an examination of the process of neolithization in the inland regions of the Iberian Peninsula through Bayesian modeling (Estíbaliz Espada-Martín), analysis of insects from a prehistoric cave in Granada, Spain to understand prehistoric funerary activity (Pedro Henríquez Valido), and the establishment of a chronological sequence for Southern Honduras, key for understanding the region and its interactions with Mesoamerica and Southern Central America (Marie Kolbenstetter). Congratulations to Estíbaliz, Pedro, and Marie, and thanks to Beta Analytic for their support of these early career scholars! We look forward to following their results!
Estíbaliz Espada-Martín (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) "Neolithization of the Iberian Peninsula: Radiocarbon Dating of a Negative Structure in the Middle Tajo Basin (El Congosto, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid)
The process of neolithization on the Iberian Peninsula has traditionally been studied in coastal regions, with the interior areas being largely overlooked. Recent research, however, has revealed significant cultural diversity within the Meseta, particularly in the middle Tagus basin. This region faces notable chronological challenges due to the scarcity, complicating the establishment of an accurate timeline for the Neolithic period. In response, this project will secure an accurate date for a negative structure located at El Congosto. By analyzing specific samples, the research will integrate the new data into Bayesian models, refining the Neolithic chronological framework. This improved timeline will significantly enhance our understanding of the evolution of cultural and technological traditions in this under-explored part of the Iberian Peninsula, providing new insights into the processes underlying neolithization.
Estíbaliz is currently a PhD candidate funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities. Her research focuses on Neolithic pottery production from the middle basin of the Tagus River in central Spain. The primary goal of this work is to reconstruct pottery technologies and manufacturing traditions of prehistoric communities in central Iberia. To achieve this, she employs ceramic petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Additionally, she has a strong interest in culinary practices, especially those related to dairy processing and consumption.
Pedro Henríquez Valido (Universidad de Alcalá, Área de Prehistoria) "Dating of insects associated with cadaveric decomposition in a prehistoric context at La Cueva de Los Murciélagos de Albuñol (Granada, Spain)”
The archaeological remains in this cave have been removed as a result of mining activities in the 19th century. However, the preservation of the organic remains in this site is spectacular, which has made it possible to preserve not only insects, but also the remains of arrows and the oldest basketry in Europe. The insects recovered and their chronological contextualization will allow us to know the times of occupation of the cave as a funerary space, but also to try to locate where the cadaveric deposits were located. Pedro’s career has focused on the study of archaeobotanical and archaeoentomological remains in storage contexts. During his thesis he worked on this type of materials in granaries excavated in caves by the indigenous population of the Canary Islands (N.W. Africa continent, Spain), and he is currently studying insects associated with cadaveric decomposition in prehistoric contexts.
Marie Kolbenstetter (Leiden University/Université Paris Nanterre) "Chronology building for precolonial Southern Honduras”
By revisiting eight key sites in Southern Honduras and conducting AMS radiocarbon dating on four of them, the awarded project proposes to reassess the existing cultural sequence for the region and anchor it in absolute chronology. This chronological reassessment will enable a reevaluation of existing archaeological data, and serve as a foundation for future archaeological work in the region. The results will also play an essential role in facilitating regional comparisons with Mesoamerica and Southern Central America. In this, the Beta-SAS Radiocarbon Dating Award provides essential support for building chronology in a region where absolute dating remains sparse. Marie's broader research interests lie with interaction and the construction of local identities in Central America. Her current work explores how both precolonial and modern practices have shaped, and continue to shape, local identities in Southern Honduras, where she has been leading her own archaeological project since 2021. In her dissertation research, she combines data from archaeological and ethnographic fieldwork to investigate how ceramic and lithic technology, ritual practices, and fishing and mollusk harvesting activities contribute to the construction of place, territory, and social landscapes in the Gulf of Fonseca.
- Braden Cordivari
SAS is excited to share news of the 2025 recipients of the Student and ECR Research Support Award, given earlier this spring! This year’s awardees are Malavika Chatterjee (Postdoctoral scholar, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar), Braden Cordivari (PhD student, New York University), and Amit Ranjan (PhD student, Ashoka University). The awards will support these three scholars as they undertake research into lithic technology (Malavika), ceramic production (Amit), and metallurgy (Braden). The recipients will conduct analysis using a range of established and cutting-edge techniques, from gathering microstructural and compositional data to morphometric modeling and machine learning, and we look forward to following the results of their research!
Malavika Chatterjee: “Towards developing an analytical and digital framework for the Indian Palaeolithic”
The project examines the variability in Palaeolithic artefacts from key sites in southern India by digitally documenting them through 3D scanning and Photogrammetry and analysing them with Geometric Morphometrics. These innovative digital documentation methodologies will supplement decades of published literary research (on explorations and excavations) and traditional approaches in lithic analysis (typo-technological analysis) to develop a comprehensive, open-source digital database of the Indian Palaeolithic. By understanding variability in lithics through different methodologies and adopting machine learning, an attempt will be made to develop a model(s) with a lexicon and glossary for relevant terms in lithic technology and analyses developed from the Indian Palaeolithic assemblages. The research endeavours to integrate lithics found in non-primary contexts into the database to actively incorporate them into our understanding of the Indian Palaeolithic. Ultimately, this dataset(s) can then be made accessible virtually, resulting in the assimilation of archival collections, knowledge sharing and encouraging studies in prehistory.
Braden Cordivari: “The golden touch beyond Midas: technological innovation and social value of brass alloying in Iron Age central Anatolia, 12th-4th centuries BCE”
Brass alloys (copper-zinc) appear in Anatolia in the early 1st millennium BCE, centuries before their widespread adoption across western Asia and the Mediterranean during the Roman period. High quality copper alloy metalwork is a hallmark of Iron Age Anatolia, remembered later by the Greeks as the ‘golden touch’ of the Phrygian king Midas. My PhD project examines the use of brass alloys in central Anatolia, particularly at the site of Gordion, the Phrygian capital. Preliminary results from pXRF show that brass is more widespread than previously recognized. The support of the SAS Award will enable examination of working practices through metallographic and SEM analysis in order to understand whether brass and non-brass alloys were crafted in similar ways. Braden’s research interests generally include craft production, archaeometallurgy, and pyrotechnology, as well as the between political networks and craft practices.
Amit Ranjan: “Tracing the Development of Indus Ceramic Tradition and Production Technique using ceramic Petrography and ICP-MS Analysis of regional Indus pottery from Rakhigarhi”
The primary objective of this research is to investigate the continuity and changes in regional pottery production technologies and cultural choices. It focuses on the selection of raw material, clay preparation and firing technologies in ceramic traditions from the Hakra Ware Phase to Early Harappan (Sothi-Siswal) and Mature/Urban Phase at Rakhigarhi (RGR-7) in the Ghaggar Basin, using a combination of traditional typological analysis with advanced analytical methods like ICP-MS and Petrology. Amit’s research investigates ancient ceramic production technologies, aiming to reconstruct the development, transmission, and adoption of technological knowledge across generations and cultures. He explores standardization in ceramic production, the selection and provenance of raw materials, tempering practices, firing conditions, and decorative techniques such as painting. Using advanced analytical methods—including XRF, ICP-MS, FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, microscopy, and 3D geometric morphometrics—Amit analyzes the chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic composition of ceramics to understand their socio-economic and cultural significance.
- Andrew Zipkin
The SAS sponsored two student prizes at the the 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗔𝗿𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 (CLASMAC) that took place in September 2024 in Mexico City. The Student Oral Presentation Prize has been awarded to Héctor Javier Matzumiya Ballesteros, BA student at Centro de Estudios Antropológicos, Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, UNAM, for the presentation titled "Mobility of semisedentary groups in the Sonoran Desert: emphasis in the production and archaeometric determination of prehispanic ceramics". The extended abstract for this project is provided below.
"Mobility of semisedentary groups in the Sonoran Desert: emphasis in the production and archaeometric determination of prehispanic ceramics"
By: Héctor Javier Matzumiya Ballesteros, César Villalobos Acosta, Alejandra Marisela Gómez Valencia
This work is a product of the research conducted for the undergraduate thesis of the same name (Matzumiya Ballesteros 2024). The analyzed materials were collected during the projects Cambio Climático y Diversificación Cultural en el Noroeste de México, Bahía Tepoca, and Manifestaciones en la Proveedora, Sonora, both conducted by Dr. César Villalobos Acosta (2003, 2016, 2018)
The sites studied by these projects are located in the Mexican state of Sonora, along the coastline between the localities of Desemboque and El Desemboque, as well as in La Proveedora and Cerro San José, near the locality of Caborca. The research analyzed 80 ceramic sherds from the Trincheras and Costa Central traditions, as well as 18 sediment samples collected in the study region.
Figure 1: Study region
Read more: Student Presentation Prize Winner at CLASMAC 2024
- AJ White
The SAS Student Ambassador Program invites interested attendees to its February Journal Club meeting on February 12, 2015. Further information is provided below:
Passcode: 018206
- Andrew Zipkin
The SAS sponsored two student prizes at the the 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗔𝗿𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 (CLASMAC) that took place in September 2024 in Mexico City. The Student Poster Prize has been awarded to Andrés Francisco Sánchez Guerrero, MA student at El Colegio de Michoacán, Centro de Estudios Arqueológicos, for the poster with title "Análisis tecnológico sobre metalurgia través de las escorias en un contexto arqueologico en Jicalán Viejo". The extended abstract for this project is provided below. Stay tuned for the extended abstract from the student oral presentation prize winner!
“Technical Analysis about Metallurgy through Slags found in an Archaeological Context in Jicalán Viejo, Michoacán”
By: Andrés Francisco Sánchez Guerrero, David Larreina, Blanca Maldonado, Hans Roskamp, Fernando May, Mario Retiz, Luis Velázquez.
The present research was part of the first stage of the research project called “Preindustrial Mining and Metallurgy in Mexico: Research on Copper Smelting in Michoacán”. This research had for objective the scientific analysis of 18 samples of slags collected from the prehispanic and colonial site of Jicalán Viejo, Michoacán, Mexico. As background, the importance of this place can be highlighted. Jicalan Viejo, is located in a hill and presumably the site was a borderland between the Lowlands and the Tarascan Highlands (Maldonado y Roskamp 2019:6). Furthermore, Jicalán Viejo is the key place of the story described in the Lienzo de Jicalán (Roskamp 2005:6), a pictographic document from the XVI century A.C. (Roskamp 1998:77) which referred the place as Xiuhquilan, inhabited by a nahua speaking society (Roskamp y Retiz 2013:46). This pictographic historic document highlights a lot of information about the xiuhquilteca society, for example: their migration from their place of origin (Roskamp 2010:71), their economic dynamics related to mining, reducing copper and gourds manufacturing (Roskamp 2010:72) also it shows about their integration to the Tarascan State economic dynamics, for which they paid tribute in pottery wares and copper tools in order for maintaining their rights to the exploitation of the mines, which were also recognized by the colonial authorities (Roskamp 2005:4). The Lienzo de Jicalán also is important because it describes the three routes that the xiuhquilteca society developed in order to obtain the minerals for their metallurgical activities (2010:3).
- Andrew Zipkin
As a member organization of the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS), The Society for Archaeological Sciences (SAS) once again played a central role in shaping the program at this year’s SciX conference in Raleigh, North Carolina in October. SAS members Andrew Zipkin and Mary Kate Donais co-chaired the Art & Archaeology Section together with graduate student Kristen Livingston. Three invited speaker symposia were organized across two conference days: 1) Student Research in Archaeological Chemistry; 2) LA-ICP-MS Applications in Art and Archaeology; and 3) Imaging Technologies for Cultural Heritage.