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Papers by Jakob Sedig
The 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2021
Cell, 2019
We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 49 individuals forming four parallel time transects in Bel... more We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 49 individuals
forming four parallel time transects in Belize,
Brazil, the Central Andes, and the Southern Cone,
each dating to at least 9,000 years ago. The common
ancestral population radiated rapidly from just
one of the two early branches that contributed to
Native Americans today. We document two previously
unappreciated streams of gene flow between
North and South America. One affected the Central
Andes by 4,200 years ago, while the other explains
an affinity between the oldest North American
genome associated with the Clovis culture and the
oldest Central and South Americans from Chile,
Brazil, and Belize. However, this was not the primary
source for later South Americans, as the other
ancient individuals derive from lineages without
specific affinity to the Clovis-associated genome,
suggesting a population replacement that began
at least 9,000 years ago and was followed by substantial
population continuity in multiple regions.
SAA Archaeological Record, 2019
Kiva, 2017
Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chron... more Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in
hundreds of chronometric dates obtained from contexts dating prior to A.D.
1450, but until now these data have not been compiled into a single database.
Using dendrochronological, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic dates, we
analyze each of the chronometric data sets to identify patterns and biases that
help us better understand the tempo and duration of fundamental transitions
in the Mimbres archaeological record. We also identify critical gaps in our knowledge
of the chronometric record that provide new research opportunities.
Muchas décadas de investigación arqueológica en la región Mimbres han resultado
en cientos de fechas cronométricas que han sido obtenidas de contextos
datando desde antes de 1450 d.C. Sin embargo, hasta ahora estos datos no
han sido compilados en una sola base comprensiva. Utilizando fechas dendrocronológicas, radiocarbónicas, y arqueomagnéticas, nosotros analizamos cada
conjunto de datos cronométricos para identificar atributos y prejuicios. Como
resultado, podemos comprender mejor el ritmo y la duración de transiciones
fundamentales en el registro arqueológico de Mimbres. También identificamos
las brechas críticas en nuestro conocimiento del registro cronométrico que proporcionan nuevas oportunidades de investigación.
Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chrono... more Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chronometric dates obtained from contexts dating prior to A.D. 1450, but until now these data have not been compiled into a single database. Using dendrochronological, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic dates, we analyze each of the chronometric data sets to identify patterns and biases that
help us better understand the tempo and duration of fundamental transitions in the Mimbres archaeological record. We also identify critical gaps in our knowledge of the chronometric record that provide new research opportunities.
by J. Heath Anderson, Ronald "Sonny" Faulseit, Gary Feinman, Tristram Kidder, Nicola Sharratt, Julie A Hoggarth, Christina Conlee, Jakob Sedig, Andrea Torvinen, Scott Hutson, Kari A. Zobler, Thomas E Emerson, Kristin Hedman, Maureen E Meyers, Chris Rodning, Jayur Mehta, Rebecca Storey, Matthew Peeples, Christopher Pool, Victor Thompson, and Richard Sutter
The last several decades have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scholarly and popu... more The last several decades have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scholarly and popular literature concerning the collapse of complex societies, yielding a fair amount of comparative data and hypotheses regarding this phenomenon. More recently, scholars have begun to challenge these works, rejecting the notion of collapse altogether in favor of focusing on concepts such as resilience and transformation. Driven by these developments, archaeologists have turned their attention to what occurs in the aftermath of sociopolitical decline, attempting to identify factors that contribute to the regeneration, transformation, or reorganization of complex sociopolitical institutions. Subsequent research has provided important data shedding light on political environments that were once characterized as “dark ages.” In that time, general theoretical approaches have transformed as well, and recent frameworks reconsider collapse and reorganization not as unrelated or sequential phenomena but as integral components in a cyclical understanding of the evolution of complex societies. The most recent of these approaches incorporates the tenets of Resilience Theory, as developed by environmental scientists.
In March 2013, an international conference held at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale brought together scholars with diverse theoretical perspectives to present and synthesize new data and approaches to understanding the collapse and reorganization of complex societies. No restrictions were imposed regarding chronological periods, geographical regions or material specialties, resulting in a wide-ranging potential for comparative analysis. This publication is the outcome of that meeting. It is not organized merely as a collection of diverse case studies, but rather a collaborative effort incorporating various data sets to evaluate and expand on theoretical approaches to this important subject. The works contained within this volume are organized into five sections: the first sets the stage with introductory papers by the editor and distinguished contributor, Joseph Tainter; the second contains works by distinguished scholars approaching collapse and reorganization from new theoretical perspectives; the third presents critical archaeological analyses of the effectiveness of Resilience Theory as a heuristic tool for modeling these phenomena; the fourth section presents long-term adaptive strategies employed by prehistoric societies to cope with stresses and avoid collapse; the final section highlights new research on post-decline contexts in a variety of temporal and geographic ranges and relates these data to the more comprehensive works on the subject.
This dissertation uses new data from Woodrow Ruin to examine the Late Pithouse (AD 550-1000) to C... more This dissertation uses new data from Woodrow Ruin to examine the Late Pithouse (AD 550-1000) to Classic period (AD 1000-1130) transition in the Mimbres region of southwest New Mexico. Prior explorations of the Mimbres Late Pithouse to Classic transition have lacked data from one of the largest sites in the region. Woodrow Ruin is a large, multi-component site that had previously received little professional investigation. Fieldwork at Woodrow Ruin for this dissertation demonstrated that it had a long, continuous occupation with a dense population during the Transitional period. Numerous techniques were used to procure data on the occupational history of Woodrow Ruin, and Late Pithouse to Classic period transformations. Surface survey, GPS mapping, and magnetometry were used to assess the number of structures present at the site and how the site’s population transformed through time. Eight structures were excavated to provide information on the Late Pithouse, Transitional, and Classic period occupations of the site. Ceramics, chipped stone, and botanical material from those structures was used to assess changes in subsistence, trade, and interaction between the Late Pithouse and Classic periods.
Earlier archaeological investigations of the Mimbres Late Pithouse to Classic transition focused primarily on architecture. Data from Woodrow Ruin indicate that while significant architectural alterations occurred, these were only part of a suite of dramatic of transformations. Evidence of changes in trade and exchange networks, ritual practices, ideology, and social structure during the Transitional period were all found at Woodrow Ruin.
Along with delineating multiple Transitional period changes, this dissertation examines causal factors for the Late Pithouse to Classic transformations. Environmental data indicates that the Transitional period occurred during a prolonged, severe drought. Resilience and vulnerability theories are used to examine the interplay of drought and social transformations during the Mimbres Transitional period. Anthropologists and archaeologists have used vulnerability and resilience to better understand socio-ecological transformations. Expectations from these theories suggest that while the inhabitants of Woodrow Ruin were susceptible prolonged drought during the tenth century, they were able to persist and stay in place through social reorganization.
Dissertation Research by Jakob Sedig
Conference Presentations by Jakob Sedig
Brown "State of the Field" ancient DNA Conference, 2019
In this poster, we explore the potential of biomolecular techniques (ancient DNA [aDNA] and isoto... more In this poster, we explore the potential of biomolecular techniques (ancient DNA [aDNA] and isotope analysis) to reveal the social processes behind the movement of people in the past. Drawing on Cameron’s extensive examination of ethnohistoric data on captivity, we realized that biomolecular data could allow us to access the occurrence of this practice in the past, and that it is likely an important factor in the migrations and population transformations recently identified through biomolecular techniques. We therefore introduce captive-taking, particularly the coerced integration of non-local women into a captor’s society through raiding, warfare, or “marriage,” as a possible explanation for some of the patterns
emerging from biomolecular studies. The goal of this study is to provide a model that we believe will be useful for interpreting at least some of the trends identified in new biomolecular data.
The 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2021
Cell, 2019
We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 49 individuals forming four parallel time transects in Bel... more We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 49 individuals
forming four parallel time transects in Belize,
Brazil, the Central Andes, and the Southern Cone,
each dating to at least 9,000 years ago. The common
ancestral population radiated rapidly from just
one of the two early branches that contributed to
Native Americans today. We document two previously
unappreciated streams of gene flow between
North and South America. One affected the Central
Andes by 4,200 years ago, while the other explains
an affinity between the oldest North American
genome associated with the Clovis culture and the
oldest Central and South Americans from Chile,
Brazil, and Belize. However, this was not the primary
source for later South Americans, as the other
ancient individuals derive from lineages without
specific affinity to the Clovis-associated genome,
suggesting a population replacement that began
at least 9,000 years ago and was followed by substantial
population continuity in multiple regions.
SAA Archaeological Record, 2019
Kiva, 2017
Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chron... more Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in
hundreds of chronometric dates obtained from contexts dating prior to A.D.
1450, but until now these data have not been compiled into a single database.
Using dendrochronological, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic dates, we
analyze each of the chronometric data sets to identify patterns and biases that
help us better understand the tempo and duration of fundamental transitions
in the Mimbres archaeological record. We also identify critical gaps in our knowledge
of the chronometric record that provide new research opportunities.
Muchas décadas de investigación arqueológica en la región Mimbres han resultado
en cientos de fechas cronométricas que han sido obtenidas de contextos
datando desde antes de 1450 d.C. Sin embargo, hasta ahora estos datos no
han sido compilados en una sola base comprensiva. Utilizando fechas dendrocronológicas, radiocarbónicas, y arqueomagnéticas, nosotros analizamos cada
conjunto de datos cronométricos para identificar atributos y prejuicios. Como
resultado, podemos comprender mejor el ritmo y la duración de transiciones
fundamentales en el registro arqueológico de Mimbres. También identificamos
las brechas críticas en nuestro conocimiento del registro cronométrico que proporcionan nuevas oportunidades de investigación.
Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chrono... more Many decades of archaeological research in the Mimbres region have resulted in hundreds of chronometric dates obtained from contexts dating prior to A.D. 1450, but until now these data have not been compiled into a single database. Using dendrochronological, radiocarbon, and archaeomagnetic dates, we analyze each of the chronometric data sets to identify patterns and biases that
help us better understand the tempo and duration of fundamental transitions in the Mimbres archaeological record. We also identify critical gaps in our knowledge of the chronometric record that provide new research opportunities.
by J. Heath Anderson, Ronald "Sonny" Faulseit, Gary Feinman, Tristram Kidder, Nicola Sharratt, Julie A Hoggarth, Christina Conlee, Jakob Sedig, Andrea Torvinen, Scott Hutson, Kari A. Zobler, Thomas E Emerson, Kristin Hedman, Maureen E Meyers, Chris Rodning, Jayur Mehta, Rebecca Storey, Matthew Peeples, Christopher Pool, Victor Thompson, and Richard Sutter
The last several decades have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scholarly and popu... more The last several decades have seen the publication of a considerable amount of scholarly and popular literature concerning the collapse of complex societies, yielding a fair amount of comparative data and hypotheses regarding this phenomenon. More recently, scholars have begun to challenge these works, rejecting the notion of collapse altogether in favor of focusing on concepts such as resilience and transformation. Driven by these developments, archaeologists have turned their attention to what occurs in the aftermath of sociopolitical decline, attempting to identify factors that contribute to the regeneration, transformation, or reorganization of complex sociopolitical institutions. Subsequent research has provided important data shedding light on political environments that were once characterized as “dark ages.” In that time, general theoretical approaches have transformed as well, and recent frameworks reconsider collapse and reorganization not as unrelated or sequential phenomena but as integral components in a cyclical understanding of the evolution of complex societies. The most recent of these approaches incorporates the tenets of Resilience Theory, as developed by environmental scientists.
In March 2013, an international conference held at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale brought together scholars with diverse theoretical perspectives to present and synthesize new data and approaches to understanding the collapse and reorganization of complex societies. No restrictions were imposed regarding chronological periods, geographical regions or material specialties, resulting in a wide-ranging potential for comparative analysis. This publication is the outcome of that meeting. It is not organized merely as a collection of diverse case studies, but rather a collaborative effort incorporating various data sets to evaluate and expand on theoretical approaches to this important subject. The works contained within this volume are organized into five sections: the first sets the stage with introductory papers by the editor and distinguished contributor, Joseph Tainter; the second contains works by distinguished scholars approaching collapse and reorganization from new theoretical perspectives; the third presents critical archaeological analyses of the effectiveness of Resilience Theory as a heuristic tool for modeling these phenomena; the fourth section presents long-term adaptive strategies employed by prehistoric societies to cope with stresses and avoid collapse; the final section highlights new research on post-decline contexts in a variety of temporal and geographic ranges and relates these data to the more comprehensive works on the subject.
This dissertation uses new data from Woodrow Ruin to examine the Late Pithouse (AD 550-1000) to C... more This dissertation uses new data from Woodrow Ruin to examine the Late Pithouse (AD 550-1000) to Classic period (AD 1000-1130) transition in the Mimbres region of southwest New Mexico. Prior explorations of the Mimbres Late Pithouse to Classic transition have lacked data from one of the largest sites in the region. Woodrow Ruin is a large, multi-component site that had previously received little professional investigation. Fieldwork at Woodrow Ruin for this dissertation demonstrated that it had a long, continuous occupation with a dense population during the Transitional period. Numerous techniques were used to procure data on the occupational history of Woodrow Ruin, and Late Pithouse to Classic period transformations. Surface survey, GPS mapping, and magnetometry were used to assess the number of structures present at the site and how the site’s population transformed through time. Eight structures were excavated to provide information on the Late Pithouse, Transitional, and Classic period occupations of the site. Ceramics, chipped stone, and botanical material from those structures was used to assess changes in subsistence, trade, and interaction between the Late Pithouse and Classic periods.
Earlier archaeological investigations of the Mimbres Late Pithouse to Classic transition focused primarily on architecture. Data from Woodrow Ruin indicate that while significant architectural alterations occurred, these were only part of a suite of dramatic of transformations. Evidence of changes in trade and exchange networks, ritual practices, ideology, and social structure during the Transitional period were all found at Woodrow Ruin.
Along with delineating multiple Transitional period changes, this dissertation examines causal factors for the Late Pithouse to Classic transformations. Environmental data indicates that the Transitional period occurred during a prolonged, severe drought. Resilience and vulnerability theories are used to examine the interplay of drought and social transformations during the Mimbres Transitional period. Anthropologists and archaeologists have used vulnerability and resilience to better understand socio-ecological transformations. Expectations from these theories suggest that while the inhabitants of Woodrow Ruin were susceptible prolonged drought during the tenth century, they were able to persist and stay in place through social reorganization.
Brown "State of the Field" ancient DNA Conference, 2019
In this poster, we explore the potential of biomolecular techniques (ancient DNA [aDNA] and isoto... more In this poster, we explore the potential of biomolecular techniques (ancient DNA [aDNA] and isotope analysis) to reveal the social processes behind the movement of people in the past. Drawing on Cameron’s extensive examination of ethnohistoric data on captivity, we realized that biomolecular data could allow us to access the occurrence of this practice in the past, and that it is likely an important factor in the migrations and population transformations recently identified through biomolecular techniques. We therefore introduce captive-taking, particularly the coerced integration of non-local women into a captor’s society through raiding, warfare, or “marriage,” as a possible explanation for some of the patterns
emerging from biomolecular studies. The goal of this study is to provide a model that we believe will be useful for interpreting at least some of the trends identified in new biomolecular data.
Archaeology students face many hurdles during the completion of thesis or dissertation projects. ... more Archaeology students face many hurdles during the completion of thesis or dissertation projects. Acquiring funding, collecting and analyzing data, conducting fieldwork, and presenting results are just some of the obstacles archaeology students must overcome. Because of the time, energy, and monetary requirements needed to complete these tasks, public engagement often is at the bottom of an archaeology student’s task list. However, it is becoming increasingly important for academics and archaeologists to communicate with a diversity of audiences. Thus, I suggest that it is essential that archaeology students engage the public during the course of their degree, in order to begin learning how to succinctly disseminate their research through a variety of forums. In this poster, I provide examples of public archaeology from my dissertation research at Woodrow Ruin, a large, multi-component site in the Mimbres region of southwest New Mexico. My project at Woodrow Ruin demonstrates that public engagement is indeed possible as an archaeology student, and should be an integral part of student research projects. By working with the public, students learn not only the best methods and practices for public discourse, but may also gain unexpected assistance with some of the many tasks associated with completing an archaeology degree.
