Friday, November 8 2024, 3:30 - 5pm Baldwin Hall Room 322 Department of Anthropology Speaker Series Dr. Carla Hadden will give a talk, A Matter of Time: The Role of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Building Better Archaeological Chronologies, on Friday, November 8th, from 3:30-5:00 pm in Baldwin Hall room 322. Dr. Hadden is the Director and Research Scientist at Center for Applied Isotope Studies (CAIS) at the University of Georgia. She is an environmental archaeologist specializing in zooarchaeology with over 13 years of experience in the southeastern US and Caribbean. Her research focuses on historical ecology of coastal and island settings as well as chronology building in shell-matrix sites. She is trained in Sections 106 and 110 of the NHPA, NAGPRA, and NEPA, and has authored or co-authored over 35 technical reports, research publications, and conference presentations. Dr. Hadden earned her B.A. in anthropology and B.S. in zoology in 2007, both from the University of Florida, and her graduate degree in anthropology from the University of Georgia in 2015. Dr. Hadden is active in multiple professional associations and societies including the Society for American Archaeology, the International Council for Archaeozoology, and the Association for Environmental Archaeology. Abstract: Questions of time, temporality, and tempo are fundamental to interpreting the archaeological record, and radiocarbon dating remains one of the most crucial tools for anchoring events, artifacts, and sites within a coherent chronological framework. Despite its transformative impact on archaeology, the radiocarbon dating method comes with inherent complexities and limitations that can affect its accuracy and precision, particularly with certain materials and time periods. These challenges complicate our ability to build reliable chronologies and require creative solutions to improve the method's effectiveness. Over the past decade, my research has focused on tackling these challenges through collaboration with archaeologists and other specialists, applying novel approaches to enhance the reliability of radiocarbon-based chronologies. In this presentation, I will discuss some of the most challenging issues currently facing radiocarbon dating and share specific examples of how my colleagues and I have developed solutions to overcome them, with case studies ranging from Indigenous shell mounds to early American handcrafts, to the colonization of remote Oceania. Finally, I will discuss research trends that present new challenges and opportunities to refine this powerful tool and further our understanding of the human past.
