Distinguished Majors in Archaeology, 2011-12

Hayden Basset’s DMP thesis entitled “Space, Place and Formation at Flowerdew Hundred” was directed by Jeff Hantman and Frasier Neiman. Hayden’s is a contextual and spatial study of the Flowerdew Hundred site during the early 17th century. It was inspired by his ongoing work on the collection of artifacts housed at Movern Farm and belonging to UVa, and through participation in a Virginia Department of Historic Resource Threatened Sites project. Hayden will begin his graduate studies in Historical Archaeology at William and Mary in Fall 2012.

Carrie Mongle completed her DMP thesis under the direction of Paty Wattenmaker and Rachel Most. Her subject was observing patterns of sexual dimorphism in Neanderthal populations. Carrie will begin her graduate studies in Anthropology at SUNY Stonybrook in Fall 2012, where she plans to study at Neandertal evolution, skeletal morphology, and sexual dimorphism.

George Zaras wrote his DMP thesis on “Greek Religion at Morgantina: the Altars of Bloodless Sacrifice” under the direction of Malcolm Bell and John Dobbins. Based on two seasons of fieldwork at the site of Morgantina in central Sicily, George explored the street altars and domestic altars from the site. His aim was to synthesize the collected data and to shed on light on private religious experience it this region of the ancient Greek world.