EDUCATION INFO:
2007 - B.A. Anthropology from University of North Carolina-Charlotte

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:
Archaeology

AREAS OF INTEREST:
Late Woodland to Early Mississippian transition in central South Carolina; Foodways; Structural Violence; Prehistoric Ceramics

M.A. THESIS COMMITTEE:
Dr. Gail Wagner
Dr. Charles Cobb
Dr. Joanna Casey

M.A. THESIS TOPIC:
The transition from the Late Woodland to the Early Mississippian Period in the southeastern United States brought with it many changes in how Native North Americans lived their lives and viewed the world around them. Included in this transition is a cultural shift from a relatively egalitarian society to a socially ranked, hierarchical one (Cobb 2003; Scarry 1996). During this changing era the religion and subsistence economies of prehistoric peoples experienced considerable modification.

I examine how changes in prehistoric society from the Late Woodland to the Early Mississippian Periods are visible in the archaeological record in central South Carolina through the lens of foodways by way of a ceramic vessel function analysis. Surface finish and decoration are part of a ceramic vessel function analysis. My data set consists of ceramic sherds from the mound precinct and village at the Early Mississippian (A.D. 950-1300) Belmont Neck single mound town (38KE6) and the village debris at the Late Woodland Concrete Block (38KE192), V. Green (38KE287), and Richardson (38KE286) sites.

I collected data from the Belmont Neck village deposits over a seven-week period from May 13, 2008, to June 28, 2008. The Belmont Neck site is located on the east bank in an 801-acre meandering bend of the Wateree River in Kershaw County, South Carolina.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC)
Society for American Archaeology (SAA)
Archaeological Society of South Carolina (ASSC)
Southern Anthropological Society (SAS)
South Carolina Anthropology Student Conference (SCASC)

CONFERENCES ATTENDED:
SCASC 2008
SEAC 2008
SEAC 2006

PAPERS PRESENTED:
SEAC 15 November 2008: Societal Transitions: A Functional Analysis of Ceramic Vessels from the Belmont Neck Site (38KE6)

PUBLICATIONS:
May, J. Alan, January W. Porter, and Jeremy A. Vanier
    2007     Archaeological Data Recovery at 31MK811 and 31MK814 for theCharlotte-Douglas                   International Airport, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Prepared for Charlotte-Douglas                   International Airport (CDIA) Charlotte, North Carolina.


EMAIL:
VANIER@mailbox.sc.edu