Past Events

Paul S. Martin, RPA, Martin Archaeology Consulting, LLC

Working a cold case investigation as a human remains detection canine handler I didn't know that my life was going to be changed forever. From that case I was introduced to archaeology and the greater world of anthropology, and that it would be the archaeologists looking at me, a dumb canine handler for answers that I didn't have. This put me on the pursuit of knowledge with questions being answered by anthropologists, archaeologists, research chemists, and more. At the same time, I was learning and being mentored by archaeologists and anthropologist while exploring the feasibility of utilizing dogs as a survey tool for historic and precontact remains. This pursuit of knowledge, my own questions, and work pushed me to return to school where I was able to also begin partnering the work of the dogs with shallow surface geophysical surveys. From there I have been able to work on a variety of projects across the world that have partnered both dogs and geophysics as part of the survey process to help direct excavations to either
enhance or prevent excavation of human remains.

Participants will be introduced to the growing survey method of archaeological or historical human remains detection dogs (AHRDD) and what makes them different when compared to the volunteer search and rescue human remains detection dog (SAR-HRDD) team. When to utilize canine resources during a project, what factors may impact their efficacy, and how to quantify/qualify the results.

1. Participants will learn more about suitable canine teams for archaeological surveys.
2. Participants will learn when or when not to include canines in a survey.
3. Participants will learn how to quantify/qualify the results of the canine survey.

Dr. Tamira Brennan, PhD, RPA, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, University of Illinois

Dr. Tamira Brennan has been practicing archaeology for over 20 years in the Midwestern US, primarily in a research-based CRM setting. The first 17 years of her career included time as the Coordinator of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey’s American Bottom field station and as an instructor on many archaeological field schools in Illinois and Missouri. More recently, she has served as a curator, first at the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and presently at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, where she strives to work out creative solutions to address collections needs in a field that routinely underfunds curation. She has taught collections management to undergrads/graduate students in several formats, including traditional classroom/lab, internships, and most recently as a 4-week field school through the Institute for Field Research.

This seminar provides a framework for teaching curation/collections management in archaeology in two formats: as a matter of course within a general archaeology curriculum, and as a specialized class with a focus on experiential learning, either in a traditional classroom/laboratory setting or as an intensive field school. Individuals with no prior experience in curation and those with a strong curation background will benefit alike, as participants will walk away with the tools to improve unfunded archaeological collections in a novel way and understand how to better teach and uphold the SAA principles of ethics and RPA Standards of Research Performance in relation to what is left once an excavation has occurred - its collections.

1. To help professional archaeologists avoid unknowingly contributing to the curation crisis (and therefore failing to meet RPA standards/SAA Code of ethics) by discussing the genesis of it, as well as common missteps made by practitioners in our field today
2. To provide a starting point/framework for general archaeologists (non-curators) to incorporate curation into undergrad/grad curriculum either as a stand-alone class, or as a unit within a general archaeology course as a matter of course
3. To frame curation as salvage archaeology and promote the potential of collections work as “field work”
4. To lay out a framework for successfully teaching curation as field work