This Fall 2021 class involved original research on a collection of 1) archaeological glass objects held in the collections of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History (MNCH) and 2) a collection of unprovenienced artifacts from prehistoric sites in Cambodia/Thailand to address anthropological questions about their significance. Students learned how to classify artifacts according to established typologies and evaluated artifact compositions using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) that was conducted at the Elemental Analysis Facility at the Field Museum in Chicago. During the class, students learned how to craft a research project, conduct in-depth library research using academic/peer-reviewed resources, write a paper abstract, create an academic poster that was presented in a poster session at the MNCH (below), and wrote a final research paper on their work.

What artifacts were studied?

Most of the objects being studied came from collections in the MNCH. Three collections of glass beads came from excavations by MNCH archaeologists in Oregon and Alaska.

• The Beatty Curve site is located in south-central Oregon and excavations from 2007-2009 uncovered a Native American homestead that appears to have been inhabited between 1872-1920 CE. A total of 99 glass beads were uncovered from this domestic context.
• The 35GM22 Site was located on the John Day River and submerged as part of the John Day Reservoir, however, salvage excavations took place in 1969 by the University of Oregon and the collections were later analyzed by University of Oregon students. The site included two Native American housepits that were likely in use between 1860-1880. A total of 103 glass beads were recorded.
• The site of Paugvik, Alaska (Figure 2) in southwestern Alaska was excavated in 1985 as part of a collaborative project between the University of Oregon and the Field Museum. The excavation uncovered nine housepits that were occupied between 1800-1870; a total of 127 glass beads were recorded.

Lastly, the MNCH is also home to an extensive collection of glass beads and broken glass bangle fragments from Saudi Arabia. These objects were donated to the museum over 30 years ago by a private collector and believed to be from the Al-Hasa Oasis located in eastern Saudi Arabia.

Also included in this project were a small collection of glass objects including bangles and earrings from an Iron Age (500 BCE – 500 CE) site in Cambodia from a private collection donated to me by a community member. I am in the process of cataloguing this collection for repatriation.

Results from student work

Students in this class created their own academic research posters and presented them in a poster session held at the MNCH in December 2021.

• One student, Kelby Beyer, revamped her poster for the Spring 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium and won the 2022 Asian Studies Award for her poster “Contextualizing a Collection of Rare Cambodian Glass Ornaments Within Contemporaneous Trade Networks.”
• Five students and one recent UO grad presented their ongoing work from the ANTH 410 class at the 88th Annual Society for American Archaeology Conference in Portland, OR. Their participation was supported by the Anthropology Department and the  Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Education (CAIRE) at the MNCH.