Virgin River Archaeological Survey, Ceramic Studies, and Clay Sample Collection

My students and I have been working along the Virgin River in Southern Nevada in recent years to collect clay samples and ceramics for the purpose of province studies. This work is an on-going effort that will result in several MA theses and publications. The purpose of this work is to examine the roles of population growth and climatic variability in producing culture change among the Virgin Branch Anasazi, a prehistoric population that occupied the southwestern Great Basin between AD 100 and AD 1150. Patterns of population growth and cultural change will be determined from careful archaeological surveys and climatic history for the region. Exchange relationship will be examined from a selectionist theoretical perspective. Both ICP-MS and INAA analyses will be performed on the ceramics and clay samples. This research is the focus for a new paper that I want to publish for the Virgin Branch region.