I've had an excellent weekend at the Caddo/Louisiana Archaeological conference. Saw some amazing archaeology, watched two of my students present, began setting up an internship, collaborated and danced with Caddo Nation, and got to catch up with friends.

Apologies I haven't been on this platform much. I have been busy finishing my dissertation (defense is next month) and my 2nd semester of being a professor.

Will share my research soon.

I will also be attending the Caddo/LAS meeting but won't be presenting. Decided to help students so they can.

I don't and would love a copy

I'm running the results of the pXRF now between materials from the Ouachita and NW Arkansas.

Hoping in the future to do LA-ICP-MS on the samples as well.

Johns Valley Chert. Still trying to figure out the best way to visualize it for publication. So, I welcome any feedback.

A) 0x, B) 40x, C) 200x, D) 40x Infrared, E) 200x Infrared, F) 40x UV, G) 200x UV

There is actually a chapter of the Arkansas Archaeological Society in Russellville. Most of the officers are actually students at Arkansas Tech. So there will be a lot of events and collaboration with them.

I think this is a great idea. Before I started I went to local bookstores looking for a book about the history of Russellville but sadly there wasn't one.

There are some buildings on the NRHP that would be cool to highlight to start.

As part of my new position at ATU, I am directing the Center for Heritage and Culture.

The webpage will be for the public. I want to include info about research projects (broader topics) & highlight student projects (conference presentations, etc.).

What else can I share on there?

This was found during one of my stone sourcing field studies. It's a mix of Potato Hills Chert & quartzite/silicified sandstone. Examining artifacts as part of my diss, I have found one biface with a mix of chert & quartzite. The stem was quartzite while the blade was chert.

2/2 questions related to stone acquisition strategies, trade, mobility, and more. This is one of the first times this has been successful within the same formation.

1/ These pics may not seem like a big deal but it is in my research area.

XRF results of two different raw material (stone) types that have been difficult to distinguish. These results were repeated on different specimens each examined 3 times. This can be repeated to address-

Which journal will it be coming out for?

Taking photos of different lithic raw materials, followed by more pXRF tonight and tomorrow.

Working on a chapter of my diss. An extensive part of it is about stone sourcing - including pXRF and tracing fluvial deposits to see where & how cobbles are being transported. This goes in distinguishing between if some were traded or locally available.

Now that it's official, I want to share that I have accepted an Assistant Professor position at Arkansas Tech University. I'm looking forward to preparing students for careers in CRM and directing the Center for Heritage and Culture to continue my research in the southeast.

The field school excavations at Spiro have come to an end. I wasn't able to excavate this year, but was able to visit several times and do some artifact identification. These are some photos from the field school but you can check out more at: www.facebook.com/share/16QWWF...

There is a bird nest on the porch. This little one fell and was hiding behind a box that got delivered today. They are fine and back in the nest now.

I will look into this. Maybe make a public presentation and can share data as it comes in with everyone

Wood charcoal (and matrix) from the site I excavated as part of my dissertation. Unfortunately, due to the situation with federal grants, I won't be able to get it dated.

Conducted some fieldwork today. Goal was to determine the level of disturbance (from looting) at the boundaries of the site. Recovered a lot of debitage and a biface fragment - based on fracture it was damaged during biface reduction.

Using pXRF today to look at stone sourcing and lithic acquisition strategies.

Here is an example of Potato Hills Chert. This high-quality material with vibrant colors has a very limited source range. This material isn't highly traded, but instead seems restricted to groups in a particular river valley. My dissertation looks into why this might be.

I am doing Bayesian statistics this weekend.

It's been said that there was a 150-200 yr gap where FM people stopped using a site type and then returned with pottery. Have ~200 C14 dates from 13 sites to see if that holds up. #ChangingtheNarrative

Oh wow. I'll keep you updated and share when/if there is a news article about it.

I will look. I've been following it on Reddit because a user had asked what to do with the bag he found from his family. I'm sure there will be a news article about it soon. It's similar to the Edens Bluff seed bag.

Really exciting news from the Ozarks! A bag of seeds dating to the Pre-Contact Period in North America was found and donated to the University of Arkansas museum. Absolutely amazing find and you can read more about it here:
www.reddit.com/r/missouri/c...

Watch the Zahi episode while I am doing Bayesian statistics this weekend.

It's been said that there was a 150-200 yr gap where FM people stopped using a site type and then returned with pottery. Have ~200 C14 dates from 13 sites to see if that holds up. #ChangingtheNarrative

Chase Earles is a Caddo potter. He makes traditional Caddo pottery, but he also makes some amazing pieces that mix traditional Native American themes with modern pop culture. Here are a few pieces he did. You can follow his page at: facebook.com/caddopottery

Will have a YT short out this week (~3min video). Its just some of the archaeological process. The hope is to demonstrate some of the process & allow people to ask questions along the way. In the future, I am making a full series on an excavation of my family's site (historic).

Went to visit local landowners and survey areas for sites on their property. Located petroglyphs and black earth. Can't share photos of sites or artifacts but here selfie from me hanging sideways from a tree to get a photo of some erosion occurring.