https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/5 2017-05-20T14:34:01Z https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/6559 A Settlement History of Okeeheepkee: Community Organization at the Lake Jackson Site in Florida Nowak, Jesse Colin This thesis presents the results from archival analyses, remote sensing, and excavation surveys at the Lake Jackson Mounds State Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Lake Jackson (8LE1), is a seven mound site that has been associated with the Fort Walton Period (A.D. 1200–1600) and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex via ornate funerary objects. This thesis addressed problems of a lack of data outside the site core by surveying previously unexplored areas of the site and consolidating previous published and unpublished archaeological work to provide a more comprehensive report of site design traits. Results include the first off–mound remote sensing data, new digital maps, a revised site boundary, and an expanded sequence of site development beyond the mound precinct. These results allowed a comparison of the major design elements from Lake Jackson to older Floridian cultures and to traits associated with cultures labeled Mississippian. Results show that Lake Jackson exhibited traits categorized as Mississippian beyond exotic trade goods and enforced theories that Lake Jackson was a Mississippian–style variant that incorporated local environmental factors and the long earthwork tradition of prehistoric Florida. 2017-04-05T00:00:00Z https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/6544 Evaluation of Soil Chemistry in Human Decomposition Sites Fancher, James P. Soil samples were analyzed from cadaver decomposition islands (CDI) of 63 human decomposition sites at the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF), Texas State University, in order to develop a method to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) for each donation from these data. An additional 5 control site samples were also analyzed to establish a baseline record of undisturbed soils. Fifteen soil parameters were measured or calculated that included pH, electroconductivity, nitrate-N, ammonium-N, total dissolved nitrogen, dissolved organic nitrogen, orthophosphate-P, organic carbon, inorganic carbon, total carbon, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and carbon/nitrogen ratio. Accumulated Degree Days (ADD) at a base temperature of 4°C (ADD_4) were also calculated for each donation. The data were analyzed using multiple regression with PMI and ADD_4 as the dependent variables and the soil parameters as independent variables. Regression formulae for 13 models were run that had R squared values ranging from 0.60 to 0.98 All of the models were statistically significant. The regression formulae results for ADD_4 were similar to PMI, indicating that ADD_4 may be used as a surrogate for estimating PMI. Measures of soil parameters derived from predator and microbial mediated decomposition of human remains show promise in estimating PMI accurately for a period up to nearly 5 years at FARF. This persistent change in soil chemistry extends the ability to estimate PMI in consort with the traditional methods of entomology and forensic anthropology in support of medical-legal investigations, humanitarian recovery efforts, and criminal and civil cases. This project has also recorded a baseline soil analysis for a new human decomposition research site. 2015-11-04T00:00:00Z https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/6398 Methodological Comparison of the Macroscopic versus Radiographic Assessment of Cranial Porosities within the Texas State University Donated Skeletal Collection McClain, Brittany S. 2016-11-28T00:00:00Z https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/6397 The Experiences of the Central Texas Elderly and Animal-Assisted Interventions in Assisted-Living Facilities via Medicalization Yonce, Heather Nicole 2016-11-23T00:00:00Z