Doctoral Dissertation Research: Bioarchaeological and Biogeochemical Evidence in the Study of Ritual

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This doctoral dissertation project will examine life histories and ritual using bioarchaeological and biogeochemical analyses of skeletons from archaeological contexts. The research will contribute novel methods and perspectives concerning the role of rituals in ancient societies as well as the integration of osteological and chemical techniques to reconstruct human behavior. This project and the dissemination of its results will increase participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the sciences and encourage future collaborations by involving the public in this project’s excavations, technical workshops, and public lectures. As workshop leaders for the Center for K-12 STEM Education at Tulane University, the investigators will integrate the project’s results into K-12 student curricular resources and workshops to showcase innovative research and broaden the education of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.Human skeletal trauma represents direct evidence of conflict, making bioarchaeology, the study of human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts, well positioned to address the variability and significance of ritual violence in the archaeological record. The role of juveniles in such ritual contexts has been relatively understudied. Recently discovered skeletal assemblages suggest that such rituals played an important role in some past societies, yet the motivations for this remain unclear. The investigators hypothesize that individuals from outlying locations in a sociopolitical system were conscripted for ritual events as part of a strategy to maintain control over outlying regions. Continued excavations and biogeochemical analyses of bones and teeth from skeletal assemblagews will be used to test this hypothesis and better understand the ways in which past societies justified incorporation of juveniles in these events.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.