University of Texas at San Antonio
PhD Candidate and Lecturer, Anthropology
College of Liberal and Fine Arts
Thesis Title: Understanding Clovis Mobility through Chert Provenance using LA-ICP-MS
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Dr. Robert Hard
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About
I am PhD candidate in the anthropology department at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I am very interested in hunter-gatherer mobility patterns, paleoindian studies, experimental archaeology, stone tool technology, and population dynamics of complex societies throughout prehistory. My current research focuses on using trace element analysis (LA-ICP-MS) of chert to determine mobility patterns for Clovis period populations living in central Texas. I am currently working on materials from the very large, complex, multi-component Gault site in central Texas. I am focusing specifically on the geologic provenience of Clovis period projectile points as an indicator of mobility patterns. The bulk of my other research has focused on understanding the mechanical effects of heat treatment on chert, lithic technology, predictive modeling, and experimental archaeology.
I have also done research in South America looking at Colonial Tiwanaku population expansion and expressions in the Cochabamba Valley of Bolivia; as well as Inka period occupations in the Bautista Saavedra Province near the Cordillera Apolobamba range. I would like to return this part of the world to begin chert provenance research and engage in predictive modeling of Paleoindian sites in the Andean regions of Peru and Bolivia in the distant future! My long-term goals are to develop a highly accurate method for geochemical sourcing of chert worldwide.
