Andrew Gillreath-Brown
I completed my PhD in Archaeology in December 2022, where I worked with Dr. Tim Kohler at WSU. My research interests include computational archaeology, modeling, agriculture, paleoclimate, and how individuals and groups respond to both large scale processes such as climate change and local processes such as violence and wealth inequality, as well as tattoo archaeology and ancient music. I also conduct research on ancient tattooing in the southwestern United States. I discovered the oldest tattoo tool in western North America, which was about 2000 years old from southeastern Utah.
My dissertation research focused on using paleoecological data (e.g., pollen) to do paleoclimatic reconstructions, particularly low-frequency temperature. Then, I evaluated the effects that temperature had on the evolution and spread of maize agriculture in the southwestern United States. The reconstructions were used to model the effects of temperature variability on prehistoric farming, particularly on maize niche and crop productivity models. These data can be used to better understand changes in demography and explore a variety of questions surrounding social and cultural responses to climate change.
I received a MS in Applied Geography, specializing in Environmental Archaeology, in August 2016 from the University of North Texas. My Master’s thesis research was directed toward understanding the spatial variability of soil moisture on a small scale in the central Mesa Verde region (CMV). In an area with limited moisture and agricultural features, I wanted to understand where farming may have taken place on the landscape (using soil moisture) and how settlement patterns in relation to agricultural fields changed over time on a local level, particularly leading up to the depopulation of the CMV. I was also a Teaching Assistant in which my role was to teach 4 lab classes that accompany the lecture course, Archaeological Science, in addition I taught the Physical Geology Lab in the summer.
Before beginning graduate school, I worked full time as an archaeological crew chief and senior field/lab technician for TRC Companies, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee from June 2013 to August 2014. I conducted archaeological surveys and excavations for Cultural Resource Management projects for federal agencies, commercial development, and engineering firms. In addition, I conducted lab research and analysis on both prehistoric and historic artifacts, as well as a variety of other tasks.
I also currently serve as the secretary for the Anthropology Graduate Organization and am an Editorial Assistant for Ethnobiology Letters. I also serve on legislative committees for the Tennessee Council for Professional Archaeology (TCPA) and am a Government Affairs Network State Representative for the Society for American Archaeology on behalf of the TCPA.
Supervisors: Dr. Tim Kohler
Phone: 205.335.4529
My dissertation research focused on using paleoecological data (e.g., pollen) to do paleoclimatic reconstructions, particularly low-frequency temperature. Then, I evaluated the effects that temperature had on the evolution and spread of maize agriculture in the southwestern United States. The reconstructions were used to model the effects of temperature variability on prehistoric farming, particularly on maize niche and crop productivity models. These data can be used to better understand changes in demography and explore a variety of questions surrounding social and cultural responses to climate change.
I received a MS in Applied Geography, specializing in Environmental Archaeology, in August 2016 from the University of North Texas. My Master’s thesis research was directed toward understanding the spatial variability of soil moisture on a small scale in the central Mesa Verde region (CMV). In an area with limited moisture and agricultural features, I wanted to understand where farming may have taken place on the landscape (using soil moisture) and how settlement patterns in relation to agricultural fields changed over time on a local level, particularly leading up to the depopulation of the CMV. I was also a Teaching Assistant in which my role was to teach 4 lab classes that accompany the lecture course, Archaeological Science, in addition I taught the Physical Geology Lab in the summer.
Before beginning graduate school, I worked full time as an archaeological crew chief and senior field/lab technician for TRC Companies, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee from June 2013 to August 2014. I conducted archaeological surveys and excavations for Cultural Resource Management projects for federal agencies, commercial development, and engineering firms. In addition, I conducted lab research and analysis on both prehistoric and historic artifacts, as well as a variety of other tasks.
I also currently serve as the secretary for the Anthropology Graduate Organization and am an Editorial Assistant for Ethnobiology Letters. I also serve on legislative committees for the Tennessee Council for Professional Archaeology (TCPA) and am a Government Affairs Network State Representative for the Society for American Archaeology on behalf of the TCPA.
Supervisors: Dr. Tim Kohler
Phone: 205.335.4529
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Peer-Reviewed Articles and Book Chapters by Andrew Gillreath-Brown
How people decorate their bodies provides insight into cultural expressions of achievement, group allegiances, identity, and status. Tattooing has been hard to study in ancient societies for which we do not have tattooed mummies, which adds to the challenge of placing current body modification practices into a long-term global perspective. Historic studies document the practice of tattooing among many Indigenous North American groups. While the distribution and complexity of tattoo traditions indicate these practices predate the fifteenth century CE and arrival of Europeans, the antiquity of North American tattooing is poorly understood. During a recent inventory of legacy archaeological materials from the Turkey Pen site in southeastern Utah, we discovered a tattooing implement constructed from a sumac stem, prickly pear cactus spines, and yucca leaf strips. This artifact was recovered in 1972 from an in situ midden but, until now, remained unidentified. The tattooing artifact dates to 79–130CE during the Basketmaker II period, predating European arrival to North America by over 1400 years. This unusual tool is the oldest Indigenous North American tattooing artifact in western North America and has implications for understanding archaeologically ephemeral body modification practices. Events such as the Neolithic Demographic Transition—which occurs in many places around the globe—may link to an increase in body modification practices as social markers, as appears to be the case for the Basketmaker II people in the southwestern United States.
Spatial analysis provides a greater understanding of relationships between people and environment. This chapter discusses settlement patterns and ecology of the Middle Cumberland River Valley (MCRV) of Tennessee through spatial analysis and a settlement ecological approach. Multiple lines of evidence are necessary to distinguish between survey bias and archaeological patterns. This chapter examines Archaic settlements at local and regional scales using GIS-based analyses. This chapter explores the environments that people chose to settle and the relationship to horticulture and gathering. The lower number of sites during the Middle Archaic could suggest a return to a residential mobility strategy, while the Late Archaic yielded more logistical mobility. The decrease in site numbers and elevation from the Early to Middle Archaic could be tied to temperature fluctuations during the Altithermal. Some Late Archaic sites occur at slightly higher elevations, indicating perhaps more varied resources. This chapter highlights Archaic patterns in MCRV with consideration of data limitations.
Thesis by Andrew Gillreath-Brown
"Creation to Rhythm: An Ethnographic and Archaeological Survey of Turtle Shell Rattles and Spirituality in the United States" published by Journal of Ethnobiology (https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-39.3.425)
"An Experimental Study of Turtle Shell Rattle Production and the Implications for Archaeofaunal Assemblages" published by PLOS ONE (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201472)
"Identifying Turtle Shell Rattles in the Archaeological Record of the Southeastern United States" published by Ethnobiology Letters (https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.8.1.2017.979)
Abstract:
Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) remains are frequently recovered from archaeological sites across the Southeastern United States. Typically they are counted as food refuse; however, ethnographic and taphonomic data suggest box turtles may have functioned as rattles. Rattles were made using modern box turtle shells, and examined for manufacturing marks, use-wear, and breakage patterns. The information gained from the experimental studies was compared to archaeological turtle remains from two Mississippian Period sites. We determined that box turtle remains cannot always be classified as food refuse. Instead taphonomic history and contextual associations must be taken into account in functional interpretations.
Editorials by Andrew Gillreath-Brown
Reviews by Andrew Gillreath-Brown
Technical Reports by Andrew Gillreath-Brown
Beginning in September of 2007, a collaborative project between the Tennessee Division of Archaeology and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University sought to reexamine the Fernvale site with the goal of completing any outstanding analysis and producing a site report. The resulting monograph is an edited work that presents specialized analysis by multiple contributors, including: Andrea Shea Bishop, C. Brady Davis, Aaron Deter-Wolf, Lacey S. Flemming, Andrew Gillreath-Brown, Shannon C. Hodge, Teresa Ingalls, Tanya M. Peres, Benjamin A. Steere, and Jesse W. Tune." - Written by Aaron Deter-Wolf
Blog Posts by Andrew Gillreath-Brown
How people decorate their bodies provides insight into cultural expressions of achievement, group allegiances, identity, and status. Tattooing has been hard to study in ancient societies for which we do not have tattooed mummies, which adds to the challenge of placing current body modification practices into a long-term global perspective. Historic studies document the practice of tattooing among many Indigenous North American groups. While the distribution and complexity of tattoo traditions indicate these practices predate the fifteenth century CE and arrival of Europeans, the antiquity of North American tattooing is poorly understood. During a recent inventory of legacy archaeological materials from the Turkey Pen site in southeastern Utah, we discovered a tattooing implement constructed from a sumac stem, prickly pear cactus spines, and yucca leaf strips. This artifact was recovered in 1972 from an in situ midden but, until now, remained unidentified. The tattooing artifact dates to 79–130CE during the Basketmaker II period, predating European arrival to North America by over 1400 years. This unusual tool is the oldest Indigenous North American tattooing artifact in western North America and has implications for understanding archaeologically ephemeral body modification practices. Events such as the Neolithic Demographic Transition—which occurs in many places around the globe—may link to an increase in body modification practices as social markers, as appears to be the case for the Basketmaker II people in the southwestern United States.
Spatial analysis provides a greater understanding of relationships between people and environment. This chapter discusses settlement patterns and ecology of the Middle Cumberland River Valley (MCRV) of Tennessee through spatial analysis and a settlement ecological approach. Multiple lines of evidence are necessary to distinguish between survey bias and archaeological patterns. This chapter examines Archaic settlements at local and regional scales using GIS-based analyses. This chapter explores the environments that people chose to settle and the relationship to horticulture and gathering. The lower number of sites during the Middle Archaic could suggest a return to a residential mobility strategy, while the Late Archaic yielded more logistical mobility. The decrease in site numbers and elevation from the Early to Middle Archaic could be tied to temperature fluctuations during the Altithermal. Some Late Archaic sites occur at slightly higher elevations, indicating perhaps more varied resources. This chapter highlights Archaic patterns in MCRV with consideration of data limitations.
"Creation to Rhythm: An Ethnographic and Archaeological Survey of Turtle Shell Rattles and Spirituality in the United States" published by Journal of Ethnobiology (https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-39.3.425)
"An Experimental Study of Turtle Shell Rattle Production and the Implications for Archaeofaunal Assemblages" published by PLOS ONE (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201472)
"Identifying Turtle Shell Rattles in the Archaeological Record of the Southeastern United States" published by Ethnobiology Letters (https://doi.org/10.14237/ebl.8.1.2017.979)
Abstract:
Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) remains are frequently recovered from archaeological sites across the Southeastern United States. Typically they are counted as food refuse; however, ethnographic and taphonomic data suggest box turtles may have functioned as rattles. Rattles were made using modern box turtle shells, and examined for manufacturing marks, use-wear, and breakage patterns. The information gained from the experimental studies was compared to archaeological turtle remains from two Mississippian Period sites. We determined that box turtle remains cannot always be classified as food refuse. Instead taphonomic history and contextual associations must be taken into account in functional interpretations.
Beginning in September of 2007, a collaborative project between the Tennessee Division of Archaeology and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University sought to reexamine the Fernvale site with the goal of completing any outstanding analysis and producing a site report. The resulting monograph is an edited work that presents specialized analysis by multiple contributors, including: Andrea Shea Bishop, C. Brady Davis, Aaron Deter-Wolf, Lacey S. Flemming, Andrew Gillreath-Brown, Shannon C. Hodge, Teresa Ingalls, Tanya M. Peres, Benjamin A. Steere, and Jesse W. Tune." - Written by Aaron Deter-Wolf
In these essays, contributors describe an emergency riverbank survey of shell-bearing sites that were discovered, reopened, or damaged in the aftermath of recent flooding. Their studies of these sites feature stratigraphic analysis, radiocarbon dating, zooarchaeological data, and other interpretive methods. Other essays in the volume provide the first widely accessible summary of previous work on sites that have long been known. Contributors also address larger topics such as GIS analysis of settlement patterns, research biases, and current debates about the purpose of shell mounds.
This volume provides an enormous amount of valuable data from the abundant material record of a fascinating people, place, and time. It is a landmark synthesis that will improve our understanding of the individual communities and broader cultures that created shell mounds across the southeastern United States.
In this chapter, we step back from the Middle to Late Archaic shell-bearing sites addressed in this volume, and through the application of GIS, broadly examine settlement patterns within the MCRV across three subperiods of the Archaic (Early: 11,500–8900 cal BP, Middle: 8900-- 5800 cal BP, and Late: 5800-- 3200 cal BP). Towards this end, we use common approaches, such as distance to nearest water sources, and a settlement ecological approach, which evaluates the evolving relationship between human occupations and the physical environment. Spatial analyses consist of an “inductive spatial approach to archaeological inference” (Bevan and Lake 2013:20), as we move from fieldwork collected data to evaluating the MCRV dataset and factors that impact the distribution of Archaic sites in the region.
In these essays, contributors describe an emergency riverbank survey of shell-bearing sites that were discovered, reopened, or damaged in the aftermath of recent flooding. Their studies of these sites feature stratigraphic analysis, radiocarbon dating, zooarchaeological data, and other interpretive methods. Other essays in the volume provide the first widely accessible summary of previous work on sites that have long been known. Contributors also address larger topics such as GIS analysis of settlement patterns, research biases, and current debates about the purpose of shell mounds.
This volume provides an enormous amount of valuable data from the abundant material record of a fascinating people, place, and time. It is a landmark synthesis that will improve our understanding of the individual communities and broader cultures that created shell mounds across the southeastern United States.
refuse, particularly when a carapace is not burnt or modified. In addition, diversity, abundance, and distribution of chelonian taxa varies throughout the southeastern United States, creating differential access for indigenous groups. Thus, multiple lines of evidence are needed from archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnohistoric records to successfully argue for the production and use of turtle shell rattles in the prehistoric southeastern United States. In this article, we present examples of turtle shell rattles in the southeastern United States to highlight their function and use by indigenous groups,
the construction process, and several common characteristics, or an object trait list, that can aid in the identification of fragmentary turtle shell rattle remains. Accurate functional identification of turtle remains is important for identifying turtle shell rattle artifacts and may be of interest to indigenous groups claiming cultural items under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).