Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Gobran, Adam Matthew, Thesis advisor (ths): Haines, Helen R., Degree committee member (dgc): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Fitzsimons, Rodney, Degree committee member (dgc): Graham, Elizabeth, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis presents the excavation and analysis of Structure D-6 at the Maya city of Ka'kabish in what is now North-Central Belize. Structure D-6, together with Structure D-7, comprise the site's only known ballcourt. Performance theory is used in tandem with the existing literature about the Mesoamerican ballcourt's crucial function within the legitimization strategies… more Year: 2024, 2024
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Molica-Lazzaro, Olivia Rosina Velma, Thesis advisor (ths): Newton, Jennifer, Thesis advisor (ths): Haines, Helen R., Degree committee member (dgc): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Williams, Jocelyn, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Mortuary archaeology presents a unique opportunity to compare cultural and biological factors within burial assemblages. This study expands upon the previous bioarchaeological research in the eastern portion of the Southern Maya Lowlands through a comparative mortuary analysis that highlights burial trends between the site of Ka'kabish, Belize, and surrounding settlements. Ka'… more Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): D'Angelo, Stephanie, Thesis advisor (ths): Fitzsimons, Rodney, Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Buell, Matt, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This study explores different ways of interpreting mainland and Knossian burial customs and assessing the manner in which they were used to explore themes of political and social status. In order to complete this study, correspondence analysis was applied to 98 tombs from Bronze Age (1700-1360 BCE) Knossos, Pylos, and Mycenae. Through the use of CA 14 hidden clusters and two hypotheses… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis addresses the excavation and analysis of the Hingston Group, a small courtyard group just south of the ceremonial core of the Ancient Maya city of Ka'kabish in North-Central Belize. I use settlement and household archaeological theory to understand the functions, occupation history, and status of this residential group. I also rely on entanglement theory, along with the… more Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Barnett, Kendra Lynn, Thesis advisor (ths): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Moore, Jennifer, Degree committee member (dgc): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Pihl, Robert, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The goal of this thesis is to develop an understanding of the history of Middle and Late Woodland settlement at Jacob Island, located in Pigeon Lake in the Trent River region, through analysis of ceramic artifacts recovered during the 2016 excavation program. Using both typological and attribute based analysis. The results indicate a form of seasonal occupation. The ceramic patterning on… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Postclassic (AD 900-1500) Maya diet at Ka'kabish, Belize was examined using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human bone collagen, and stable carbon isotope analysis of bone structural carbonate. Isotope data were compared to skeletal and dental indicators of diet and disease, and dietary differences among burials excavated from chultuns (B-2, C-1, C-2, and C-3) at Ka… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Brooks, Jeremy, Thesis advisor (ths): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Fitzsimons, Rodney, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This MA thesis discusses the applications of immersive virtual reality technologies as a tool for studying archaeological excavation processes. The excavation of a structure at the Nassau Mills, a twentieth century milling complex in Peterborough, Ontario, is used as the case study. Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry is used to digitize each excavation day as 3D models. These… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Bagan, Myanmar's capital during the country's Classical period (c. 800-1400 CE), and its surrounding landscape was once home to at least four thousand monuments. These monuments were the result of the Buddhist pursuit of merit-making, the idea that individuals could increase their socio-spiritual status by performing pious acts for the Sangha (Buddhist Order). Amongst the most… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Forward, Kathleen, Thesis advisor (ths): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Awe, Jaime, Degree committee member (dgc): Macrae, Scott, Degree committee member (dgc): Haines, Helen, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The city-state of Minanha, located in west central Belize, reached its zenith and most culturally complex stage by the Late Classic period, 675-810 AD. Only a century later, its royal court "collapsed". The Contreras Valley is a small farming community located in a settlement zone south of Minanha. Decades of research at Minanha and the analysis of artifact frequencies from… more Year: 2020, 2020
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Talving-Loza, Talis Esteban, Thesis advisor (ths): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Stark, Miriam, Degree committee member (dgc): Conolly, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Moore, Jennifer, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis investigates the current composition of traditional settlements located in and around the remains of the ancient, walled and moated, regal-ritual epicenter of Bagan, Myanmar. This study also provides some suggestions as to strategies that may be employed by future settlement archaeology projects in the region. To achieve the aims of this study, an ethnoarchaeological approach… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis investigates the similarities and differences between the tropical epicenters of South and Southeast Asia during the Charter State era, 800- 1400 CE. This study can inform scholars about the relationship between "people and place" by examining the ground plans, activities, and people associated with each epicenter. By using the comparative approach and entanglement… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Goldberg, Sophie Clare Gabriella, Thesis advisor (ths): Iannone, Gyles, Degree committee member (dgc): Williams, Jocelyn, Degree committee member (dgc): Keenleyside, Anne, Degree committee member (dgc): Elton, Hugh, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis examines the interrelationship of urban planning and population health at the site of Angkor (c. 802-1432 CE), the capital city of the Classical Khmer state, now found within modern-day Cambodia. The inhabitants of Angkor developed a settlement strategy that relied on the dispersal of water management features, rice fields, temples and residential areas, to best utilize the… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Chultuns are subterranean chambers that are found throughout the Maya area. The purpose of this thesis is to provide further insight into the function of chultuns, specifically within the area of the Southern Maya Lowlands. Within the Northern Lowlands, the Pre-Columbian Maya used chultuns for water storage, but this function does not appear to be as prevalent within the Southern… more Year: 2019, 2019
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis examines the symbolic meaning and significance that the elite attached to water in ancient Bagan. Through the use of ethnoarchaeological, epigraphic, archaeological, and iconographic data, this study examines the role of water as part of rituals performed by the royal court and the ways in which the royalty of Bagan, in particular King Kyansittha, negotiated, appropriated and… more Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Within the complex socio-ecological systems of South and Southeast Asia, ancient sacred natural sites were created by, and imbued with, cultural and ideological values. These landscapes are liminal spaces or threshold environments between cultivated areas and wilder spaces; the practice of creating and maintaining them persists from ancient to modern times. This thesis examines sacred… more Year: 2018, 2018
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis addresses the inclusion of women within Classic Maya works of art, consisting of, for this purpose, private-consumption ceramic vessels and large scale public monuments. Through the use of Feminist and Gender Theory, Performance Theory, and Iconographic Theory, the roles of women in iconographically depicted ceremonial performance is assessed. A Microsoft Access database was… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The Middle Formative Period (1000 – 400 B.C.) has increasing become recognized as a critical locus in the development of Lowland Maya socio-political complexity. This period witnessed the founding of numerous ceremonial centers, substantial material cultural innovation, and the advent of mortuary practices indicating developing social differentiation. Recent excavations at the site of Ka… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>From ca. 800-1400 CE, low-density agrarian states dominated Southeast Asia,</p><p>their authority emanating from their epicentres at places such as Angkor in Cambodia,</p><p>Bagan in Myanmar, and Sukhothai in Thailand. These epicentres were the setting for</p><p>numerous structures, activities, and stakeholders that became integral for the perpetuation… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis investigates the organization and development of water management systems in a sample of past tropical societies in Southeast Asia and Mesoamerica. A comparative approach is employed to show how water management affected the trajectories of the ancient states of Angkor, Cambodia, Bagan, Myanmar, Sukhothai, Thailand, Central and East Java, and Caracol, Belize. Differing types… more Year: 2016, 2016
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis examines the spatial, temporal, and contextual distribution of copper bells in the Greater Southwest region and how they are situated in archaeological literature. To date, 672 copper bells have been found in at least 113 different Southwestern sites dating from ca. A.D. 900-1450, though there is no archaeological evidence for metallurgical activities in the area at this time… more
