Geographical Areas of Specialization: American Midwest, south-central Andes
Topical Interests: Lithic
analysis, south-central Andes , Mississippian archaeology, historical
archaeology, archaeological ethics, anthropological pedagogy
Current Courses: P240 Archaeology and the Movies, P370 Ancient Civilizations of Andes, A521 Internship-Teaching Anthropology
Profile:
I am particularly interested in the interface between ceremonial
behavior and craft industries. I have been researching how people
in different cultural situations use lithic tools to manufacture
other tools and objects. This interest stems from my work with archaeological
collections from the Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma and from various Maya
sites.
My technical specialty is in the examination of wear traces using
light microscopy and high-power magnification to reconstruct artifact
function. My research in Peru concerns understanding the organization
of technology and behavior at preceramic sites along the southern
Peruvian coast. My methodology involves applying functional studies
of lithic technology to anthropological problems dealing with both
foraging as well as complex societies. I have applied functional
studies to contexts in Latin America , and North America .
My newest research interests concern centers for the production
of ceramic and glass tableware in the late 19 th and early 20 th
centuries in North America . In particular, I am interested in the
ways in which the production of dinnerware, driven by changing domestic
lifestyles, has influenced the development and economic sustainability
of pottery towns in the Ohio valley. Pottery towns such as Crooksville
and East Liverpool , Ohio flourished by producing ceramics, and are
towns literally built on sherds. Although most of the older potteries
have closed, newer ones have opened, taking advantage of a small
but increasing market for American handcrafted goods, and a desire
to market historical cultural heritage of an industrial nature. Furthermore,
consumers across the continent seek many of the pieces made during
the ceramic heyday, as these figure prominently within the collectibles
market. This context is giving me a chance to rethink and rework
theoretical ideas about artifact production, function, and use-lives.
I also am involved in research into the ways in which we teach anthropology,
create course materials, and write textbooks. I am committed to improving
the accessibility, readability of anthropology for students and the
public as well.
Selected Publications:
| 2003 |
Personal Encounters in Cultural Anthropology:
An Introductory Reader. (Editor) Co-edited
with Linda S. Walbridge. McGraw-Hill Publishing,
New York . |
| 2003 |
"Painted Maces and Shell Cups: The Scientific
Use of Artifacts Without Context." In Method
and Technique in Modern Archaeology , edited
by Robert Jeske and Douglas Charles. Pp. 182-195.
Bergin and Garvey, Westport , CT. |
| 2001 |
A. K. Sievert and Karen Wise. "A Generalized
Technology for a Specialized Economy: Archaic Period
Chipped Stone at Kilometer 4, Peru ." In Lithic
Debitage Analysis: Studies in Context, Form and
Meaning, edited by William Andrefsky, Jr.
pp. 80-105. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake
City . |
| 1999 |
M. J. Berman, A. K. Sievert, and T. Whyte. "Form
and Function of Bipolar Lithic Artifacts from the
Three Dog Site, San Salvador , Bahamas ." Latin
American Antiquity 10:415-432. |
| 1992 |
The Craig Mound at Spiro , Oklahoma :
Artifacts in the Collection of the Smithsonian
Institution. Part I: Summary Report, Part II:
Catalog Supplement. Office of Repatriation
and the Department of Anthropology, National
Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC. |
| 1992 |
1992 Maya Ceremonial Specialization: Lithic
Tools from the Sacred Cenote at Chichén
Itzá, Yucatán. Monographs in
World Prehistory, no. 12. Prehistory Press, Madison
, WI . |
