Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Peacock, Evan

Committee Member

Hardin, James W.

Committee Member

Bejko, Lorenc

Committee Member

Galaty, Michael L.

Date of Degree

8-10-2018

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Applied Anthropology

Degree Name

Master of Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures

Abstract

The Shkodra Archaeological Project (PASH) took place in northern Albania, particularly in the Shkodra region. PASH focused on analyzing human settlements and social behaviors, from prehistory to modern times. This thesis focuses on the study of grinding stones collected by this project during excavation and survey. This study incorporates macroscopic, petrographic and chemical analyses to source these grinding stones and compares them with sourced samples collected in South Albania to answer questions about raw material selection and social interactions. It was found that, based on their chemical and petrographic properties, grinding stones collected by PASH are different from those collected in southern Albania. Evidence obtained by chemical and petrographic analysis strongly suggests that samples from PASH are likely made of local material. Hence, it was concluded that inhabitants of the Shkodra region were self-sufficient in grinding stone production and did not need to import them from elsewhere.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/19797

Comments

Albanian archaeology||Shkodra Archaeological Project||grinding tools||petrography||pXRF||trade||sourcing studies||exchange

Download

Share

COinS