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USING GIS TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF WETLANDS ON CAYUGA IROQUOIS SETTLEMENT LOCATION STRATEGIES
Title
USING GIS TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF WETLANDS ON CAYUGA IROQUOIS SETTLEMENT LOCATION STRATEGIES.
Creator
Birnbaum, David, Walker, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The archaeological record of the Iroquois supports that settlements were regularly relocated during the protohistoric period (1500-1650 A.D.). With the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) computer software, archaeologists may analyze variables potentially resulting in or influencing the movement of settlements. Through the use of spatial analysis, I argue that Cayuga Iroquois settlement locations were influenced by the environmental characteristics of their surrounding landscape....
Show moreThe archaeological record of the Iroquois supports that settlements were regularly relocated during the protohistoric period (1500-1650 A.D.). With the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) computer software, archaeologists may analyze variables potentially resulting in or influencing the movement of settlements. Through the use of spatial analysis, I argue that Cayuga Iroquois settlement locations were influenced by the environmental characteristics of their surrounding landscape. Specifically, wetlands are believed to have influenced settlement location choices in central New York state. This study examines the spatial relationships between wetland habitats and protohistoric period Cayuga Iroquois settlements where swidden maize agriculture comprised most of the diet. Considering previous research that has linked the movement of settlements to Iroquois agricultural practices, I hypothesize that wetlands played a significant role in the Iroquois subsistence system by providing supplementary plant and animal resources to a diet primarily characterized by maize consumption, and thereby influenced the strategy behind settlement relocation. Nine Cayuga Iroquois settlements dating to the protohistoric period were selected for analysis using GIS. Two control groups, each consisting of nine random points, were generated for comparison. Distance buffers show the amount of wetlands that are situated within 1-, 2.5-, and 5-kilometers from Cayuga settlements and random points. The total number of wetlands within proximity of these distances to the settlements and random points are recorded and analyzed. The results indicate a statistical significance regarding the prominence of wetlands within the landscape which pertains to the Cayuga Iroquois settlement strategy.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFH0004118, ucf:44873
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004118
Urban Agriculture within the Valley of Oaxaca: Investigations and Implications of Agricultural Terracing at Monte Alban, Oaxaca
Title
Urban Agriculture within the Valley of Oaxaca: Investigations and Implications of Agricultural Terracing at Monte Alban, Oaxaca.
Creator
Tricarico, Anthony, Barber, Sarah, Chase, Arlen, Walker, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The implementation of geographic information systems for the analysis of Late Classic (500-800 C.E.) terraces at Monte Alb(&)#225;n, reveals a spatial pattern not visible through prior pedestrian site surveys. The Valley of Oaxaca Settlement Pattern Project concluded that nearly all of the 1,464 Late Classic terraces at Monte Alb(&)#225;n were used for residential purposes. Spatial analysis tools reveal a greater human-ecological complexity. The goal of this study was to use ArcGIS to map the...
Show moreThe implementation of geographic information systems for the analysis of Late Classic (500-800 C.E.) terraces at Monte Alb(&)#225;n, reveals a spatial pattern not visible through prior pedestrian site surveys. The Valley of Oaxaca Settlement Pattern Project concluded that nearly all of the 1,464 Late Classic terraces at Monte Alb(&)#225;n were used for residential purposes. Spatial analysis tools reveal a greater human-ecological complexity. The goal of this study was to use ArcGIS to map the 1,273 terraces near Monte Alb(&)#225;n's ceremonial center and combine them with individually identifiable data sets. Analysis of each terrace, particularly based upon water availability, ceramic distribution, structural remains, and number of metates, reveals that 55.7% of these 1,273 terraces could have supported agricultural practices. The integration of agricultural space into a dense urban center reveals new spatial relationships between population density and urban agricultural practices, to which measures of resiliency and efficacy within similar modern systems can be applied.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005728, ucf:50138
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005728