M Eberl
Biographic Data
| ID | 69788 |
|---|---|
| NAME | M Eberl |
| GIVEN NAMES | M |
| FAMILY NAME | Eberl |
| SIGNATURE | EBERL M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Vanderbilt University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3260-5405 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 153 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Ethical and environmental considerations for the application of Artificial Intelligence in archaeological research
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making big waves in archaeological research over the past decade, with an increasing number of archaeologists implementing generative AI, machine learning, and deep learning technologies into their research programs. Though AI can improve the efficiency and accuracy of archaeological research, few archaeologists have considered the environmental impacts of AI. As stewards of cultural and environmental resourc…
Contentious practices. Playing ball in the late classic maya village of nacimiento and other non-urban settings
Competition characterizes sports, with athletes engaging each other directly. Taken for granted in body-based models of society is their need to also negotiate shared rules of playing. Based on assemblage theory, we critique the notion of pre-established structuring structures and introduce the concept of contentious practices. Sports vividly exemplify concrete practices with often devastating impacts for athletes and wide appeal for bystanders. …
Jugando a la pelota
Las antiguas élites mayas jugaban a la pelota. Esta acción y las actividades asociadas se enfatizan para complementar las interpretaciones simbólicas de estudios anteriores. Basándose en la teoría de conjuntos, se discute cómo las interacciones recurrentes y causales institucionalizaron el juego de pelota. Los análisis multiescalares y multidimensionales permiten estudiar las relaciones parasociales, asimétricas y co-constitutivas entre los jugad…
Macrodebitage Writ Small? Studying Stoneknapping with Experimental Archaeology, Dynamic Image Analysis, and Statistics
Politicizing belonging
People are often assumed to expand existing mechanisms—kinship in particular—to include others when they form communities. These models (con)fuse similarity with sameness, as we argue based on Husserl's concept of empathy. People recognize others without overlooking differences. They form community by negotiating belonging. We ask how individuals materialize community, how they create unity in a political process, and how they employ bordering an…
Machine Learning–Based Identification of Lithic Microdebitage
Archaeologists tend to produce slow data that is contextually rich but often difficult to generalize. An example is the analysis of lithic microdebitage, or knapping debris, that is smaller than 6.3 mm (0.25 in.). So far, scholars have relied on manual approaches that are prone to intra- and interobserver errors. In the following, we present a machine learning–based alternative together with experimental archaeology and dynamic image analysis. We…
A5.3 - Differential Thermal Conductivity Hydrogen Sensor
65
Redefining lithic microdebitage with experimental archaeology
The Early Classic Genesis of the Royal Maya Capital of Tamarindito
Polities require individuals who envision and materialize them; in turn, people's political identity as residents depends on them. The polity and the resident are self-evident only in hindsight, and we discuss their co-constitution. During subjectification, people create and submit to an authority. Our case study is the Early Classic (AD 350-600) emergence of Tamarindito in the south-central Maya Lowlands (modern Guatemala). The Petexbatun Region…
Using tiny artifacts to answer big questions
The spatial analysis of microdebitage (measuring less than 6.3 mm) can identify areas where stone tools were knapped at archaeological sites. These tiny artifacts tend to become embedded in the locations where they were first deposited and are less vulnerable to post-depositional movement, making microdebitage an important artifact class for identifying primary areas of stone tool production. Traditional microdebitage analysis, however, can take …
Studying lithic microdebitage with a dynamic image particle analyzer
Lithic microdebitage has great archaeological potential to elucidate ancient stone tool production. So far, archaeologists have collected soil samples, separated them into size fractions, and analyzed them manually under a microscope to identify microdebitage. This time- and labor-intensive process has limited the number of samples and introduced intra- and inter-observer errors. Here, we discuss lithic microdebitage analysis with a dynamic image…
Realizing potentiality. Donut stones in ancient Maya society
Using Dynamic Image Analysis as a Method for Discerning Microdebitage from Natural Soils in Archaeological Soil Samples
Unlike larger stone tools and debitage, the analysis of microdebitage (measuring less than 6 mm) allows for identifying likely areas where stone tools were manufactured at prehistoric archaeological sites. The tedious, time-consuming, and costly nature of microdebitage, however, has overshadowed its data potential, making most archaeologists wary of implementing this method. To alleviate these issues, this study introduces an experimental protoco…
Ritualizing a Nonroyal Building Termination at the Classic Maya Capital of Tamarindito, Guatemala
Classic Maya "killed" objects. They broke and dispersed ceramic vessels. After adding exotic artifacts, they burned everything, buried the deposit with marl, and tore down associated rooms or buildings. This complex set of interrelated activities has been classified as a termination ritual. Instead of accepting this as a natural category, we study how the Classic Maya strategically differentiated some practices from others. Our case study are the…
Moderne Q'eqchi'-Maya-Identität und der antike Maya-Ort Tamarindito in Guatemala
Guatemala's Q'eqchi'-Maya employ the past to construct their identity. In modern states, leaders like Mussolini or Hitler appropriated the past to shape national identities. Unlike these top-down approaches, the Q'eqchi' offer a bottom-up perspective. In the Guatemalan highlands, Q'eqchi' ritual practices involve the tzuul taq'a's, supernatural beings linked to mountains and owners of the land. Recently many Q'eqchi' migrated into the tropical lo…
A New Canek Group Forgery
Historians often assume historical documents to be authentic. Forgeries are common, however, and it is worthwhile to ask whether documents were actually composed at the time, at the place, and by the author as claimed. Here I discuss the “leather codex,” a suspicious document that a Canadian collector acquired around 1984 and made available to scholars in 1987 (fig. 1).1 It consists of twelve palm-size leather strips tied together with strings. I…
Nourishing Gods
Humans define themselves through personhood as agents in society. To become persons, children differentiate their self from others. They take, as George Mead (1934) says, the other and self-objectify by predicating a sign-image or trope upon themselves. Birth rituals realize these tropes with the child's body as tool and raw material. Birth almanacs in Highland Mexican codices depict, as I argue, the transformation of a child into a person. Patro…
Chemical Signatures of Middens at a L ate C lassic M aya Residential Complex, G uatemala
Phosphorus ( P ) and other chemical elements have been used to identify residential middens at archaeological sites. This study discusses the relationship of soil chemical elements and middens at Group C hispa, a L ate C lassic residential complex at a commoner village in the M aya lowlands. The complex was extensively excavated and soil sampled. Ceramic sherd densities, which serve as a proxy for artifact densities, correlate only partially with…
Identifying a Forged Maya Manuscript in Unesco's World Digital Library
Among the original holdings of the recently opened World Digital Library was a Spanish manuscript on the Maya that supposedly dates to 1548 (initially available athttp://www.wdl.org/en/item/2961). It was given the titleEl modo de cómo hacían la pintura los indígenas(“How the Indians Made Their Paintings”) and contained an explanation of Maya culture accompanied by drawings of Maya glyphs and deities. Detailed analysis shows that thePinturamanuscr…
Soil properties and stable carbon isotope analysis of landscape features in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala
Soil properties and stable carbon isotope ratios contained in the soil organic matter (SOM) were used to investigate the change in vegetative history of land cleared anciently for maize ( Zea mays L.) agriculture in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala. Maize and other C 4 plants associated with land clearance leave a carbon isotopic signature in the SOM different from the C 3 plants of native forest vegetation. Soil profiles were collected from va…
An ethnoarchaeological study of chemical residues in the floors and soils of Q'eqchi' Maya houses at Las Pozas, Guatemala
This ethnoarchaeological study at the Q'eqchi' Maya village of Las Pozas, Guatemala, aimed to refine the understanding of the relationship between soil chemical signatures and human activities for archaeological applications. The research involved phosphorus, exchangeable ion (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium), and trace element analysis of soils and earth floors extracted by Mehlich II, ammonium acetate, and DTPA chelate solutions, respecti…
Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites
The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation…
An ethnoarchaeological study of chemical residues in the floors and soils of Q'eqchi' Maya houses at Las Pozas, Guatemala
This ethnoarchaeological study at the Q'eqchi' Maya village of Las Pozas, Guatemala, aimed to refine the understanding of the relationship between soil chemical signatures and human activities for archaeological applications. The research involved phosphorus, exchangeable ion (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium), and trace element analysis of soils and earth floors extracted by Mehlich II, ammonium acetate, and DTPA chelate solutions, respecti…
Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites
The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation…
Chemical Signatures of Middens at a L ate C lassic M aya Residential Complex, G uatemala
Phosphorus ( P ) and other chemical elements have been used to identify residential middens at archaeological sites. This study discusses the relationship of soil chemical elements and middens at Group C hispa, a L ate C lassic residential complex at a commoner village in the M aya lowlands. The complex was extensively excavated and soil sampled. Ceramic sherd densities, which serve as a proxy for artifact densities, correlate only partially with…
Studying lithic microdebitage with a dynamic image particle analyzer
Lithic microdebitage has great archaeological potential to elucidate ancient stone tool production. So far, archaeologists have collected soil samples, separated them into size fractions, and analyzed them manually under a microscope to identify microdebitage. This time- and labor-intensive process has limited the number of samples and introduced intra- and inter-observer errors. Here, we discuss lithic microdebitage analysis with a dynamic image…
Nourishing Gods
Humans define themselves through personhood as agents in society. To become persons, children differentiate their self from others. They take, as George Mead (1934) says, the other and self-objectify by predicating a sign-image or trope upon themselves. Birth rituals realize these tropes with the child's body as tool and raw material. Birth almanacs in Highland Mexican codices depict, as I argue, the transformation of a child into a person. Patro…
Soil properties and stable carbon isotope analysis of landscape features in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala
Soil properties and stable carbon isotope ratios contained in the soil organic matter (SOM) were used to investigate the change in vegetative history of land cleared anciently for maize ( Zea mays L.) agriculture in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala. Maize and other C 4 plants associated with land clearance leave a carbon isotopic signature in the SOM different from the C 3 plants of native forest vegetation. Soil profiles were collected from va…
Machine Learning–Based Identification of Lithic Microdebitage
Archaeologists tend to produce slow data that is contextually rich but often difficult to generalize. An example is the analysis of lithic microdebitage, or knapping debris, that is smaller than 6.3 mm (0.25 in.). So far, scholars have relied on manual approaches that are prone to intra- and interobserver errors. In the following, we present a machine learning–based alternative together with experimental archaeology and dynamic image analysis. We…
Using Dynamic Image Analysis as a Method for Discerning Microdebitage from Natural Soils in Archaeological Soil Samples
Unlike larger stone tools and debitage, the analysis of microdebitage (measuring less than 6 mm) allows for identifying likely areas where stone tools were manufactured at prehistoric archaeological sites. The tedious, time-consuming, and costly nature of microdebitage, however, has overshadowed its data potential, making most archaeologists wary of implementing this method. To alleviate these issues, this study introduces an experimental protoco…
Politicizing belonging
People are often assumed to expand existing mechanisms—kinship in particular—to include others when they form communities. These models (con)fuse similarity with sameness, as we argue based on Husserl's concept of empathy. People recognize others without overlooking differences. They form community by negotiating belonging. We ask how individuals materialize community, how they create unity in a political process, and how they employ bordering an…
Redefining lithic microdebitage with experimental archaeology
The Early Classic Genesis of the Royal Maya Capital of Tamarindito
Polities require individuals who envision and materialize them; in turn, people's political identity as residents depends on them. The polity and the resident are self-evident only in hindsight, and we discuss their co-constitution. During subjectification, people create and submit to an authority. Our case study is the Early Classic (AD 350-600) emergence of Tamarindito in the south-central Maya Lowlands (modern Guatemala). The Petexbatun Region…
Using tiny artifacts to answer big questions
The spatial analysis of microdebitage (measuring less than 6.3 mm) can identify areas where stone tools were knapped at archaeological sites. These tiny artifacts tend to become embedded in the locations where they were first deposited and are less vulnerable to post-depositional movement, making microdebitage an important artifact class for identifying primary areas of stone tool production. Traditional microdebitage analysis, however, can take …
Realizing potentiality. Donut stones in ancient Maya society
Ritualizing a Nonroyal Building Termination at the Classic Maya Capital of Tamarindito, Guatemala
Classic Maya "killed" objects. They broke and dispersed ceramic vessels. After adding exotic artifacts, they burned everything, buried the deposit with marl, and tore down associated rooms or buildings. This complex set of interrelated activities has been classified as a termination ritual. Instead of accepting this as a natural category, we study how the Classic Maya strategically differentiated some practices from others. Our case study are the…
Identifying a Forged Maya Manuscript in Unesco's World Digital Library
Among the original holdings of the recently opened World Digital Library was a Spanish manuscript on the Maya that supposedly dates to 1548 (initially available athttp://www.wdl.org/en/item/2961). It was given the titleEl modo de cómo hacían la pintura los indígenas(“How the Indians Made Their Paintings”) and contained an explanation of Maya culture accompanied by drawings of Maya glyphs and deities. Detailed analysis shows that thePinturamanuscr…
An ethnoarchaeological study of chemical residues in the floors and soils of Q'eqchi' Maya houses at Las Pozas, Guatemala
This ethnoarchaeological study at the Q'eqchi' Maya village of Las Pozas, Guatemala, aimed to refine the understanding of the relationship between soil chemical signatures and human activities for archaeological applications. The research involved phosphorus, exchangeable ion (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium), and trace element analysis of soils and earth floors extracted by Mehlich II, ammonium acetate, and DTPA chelate solutions, respecti…
Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites
The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation…
Soil properties and stable carbon isotope analysis of landscape features in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala
Soil properties and stable carbon isotope ratios contained in the soil organic matter (SOM) were used to investigate the change in vegetative history of land cleared anciently for maize ( Zea mays L.) agriculture in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala. Maize and other C 4 plants associated with land clearance leave a carbon isotopic signature in the SOM different from the C 3 plants of native forest vegetation. Soil profiles were collected from va…
Identifying a Forged Maya Manuscript in Unesco's World Digital Library
Among the original holdings of the recently opened World Digital Library was a Spanish manuscript on the Maya that supposedly dates to 1548 (initially available athttp://www.wdl.org/en/item/2961). It was given the titleEl modo de cómo hacían la pintura los indígenas(“How the Indians Made Their Paintings”) and contained an explanation of Maya culture accompanied by drawings of Maya glyphs and deities. Detailed analysis shows that thePinturamanuscr…
Chemical Signatures of Middens at a L ate C lassic M aya Residential Complex, G uatemala
Phosphorus ( P ) and other chemical elements have been used to identify residential middens at archaeological sites. This study discusses the relationship of soil chemical elements and middens at Group C hispa, a L ate C lassic residential complex at a commoner village in the M aya lowlands. The complex was extensively excavated and soil sampled. Ceramic sherd densities, which serve as a proxy for artifact densities, correlate only partially with…
Nourishing Gods
Humans define themselves through personhood as agents in society. To become persons, children differentiate their self from others. They take, as George Mead (1934) says, the other and self-objectify by predicating a sign-image or trope upon themselves. Birth rituals realize these tropes with the child's body as tool and raw material. Birth almanacs in Highland Mexican codices depict, as I argue, the transformation of a child into a person. Patro…
A New Canek Group Forgery
Historians often assume historical documents to be authentic. Forgeries are common, however, and it is worthwhile to ask whether documents were actually composed at the time, at the place, and by the author as claimed. Here I discuss the “leather codex,” a suspicious document that a Canadian collector acquired around 1984 and made available to scholars in 1987 (fig. 1).1 It consists of twelve palm-size leather strips tied together with strings. I…
Ritualizing a Nonroyal Building Termination at the Classic Maya Capital of Tamarindito, Guatemala
Classic Maya "killed" objects. They broke and dispersed ceramic vessels. After adding exotic artifacts, they burned everything, buried the deposit with marl, and tore down associated rooms or buildings. This complex set of interrelated activities has been classified as a termination ritual. Instead of accepting this as a natural category, we study how the Classic Maya strategically differentiated some practices from others. Our case study are the…
Moderne Q'eqchi'-Maya-Identität und der antike Maya-Ort Tamarindito in Guatemala
Guatemala's Q'eqchi'-Maya employ the past to construct their identity. In modern states, leaders like Mussolini or Hitler appropriated the past to shape national identities. Unlike these top-down approaches, the Q'eqchi' offer a bottom-up perspective. In the Guatemalan highlands, Q'eqchi' ritual practices involve the tzuul taq'a's, supernatural beings linked to mountains and owners of the land. Recently many Q'eqchi' migrated into the tropical lo…
Using Dynamic Image Analysis as a Method for Discerning Microdebitage from Natural Soils in Archaeological Soil Samples
Unlike larger stone tools and debitage, the analysis of microdebitage (measuring less than 6 mm) allows for identifying likely areas where stone tools were manufactured at prehistoric archaeological sites. The tedious, time-consuming, and costly nature of microdebitage, however, has overshadowed its data potential, making most archaeologists wary of implementing this method. To alleviate these issues, this study introduces an experimental protoco…
Using tiny artifacts to answer big questions
The spatial analysis of microdebitage (measuring less than 6.3 mm) can identify areas where stone tools were knapped at archaeological sites. These tiny artifacts tend to become embedded in the locations where they were first deposited and are less vulnerable to post-depositional movement, making microdebitage an important artifact class for identifying primary areas of stone tool production. Traditional microdebitage analysis, however, can take …
Studying lithic microdebitage with a dynamic image particle analyzer
Lithic microdebitage has great archaeological potential to elucidate ancient stone tool production. So far, archaeologists have collected soil samples, separated them into size fractions, and analyzed them manually under a microscope to identify microdebitage. This time- and labor-intensive process has limited the number of samples and introduced intra- and inter-observer errors. Here, we discuss lithic microdebitage analysis with a dynamic image…
Realizing potentiality. Donut stones in ancient Maya society
Machine Learning–Based Identification of Lithic Microdebitage
Archaeologists tend to produce slow data that is contextually rich but often difficult to generalize. An example is the analysis of lithic microdebitage, or knapping debris, that is smaller than 6.3 mm (0.25 in.). So far, scholars have relied on manual approaches that are prone to intra- and interobserver errors. In the following, we present a machine learning–based alternative together with experimental archaeology and dynamic image analysis. We…
A5.3 - Differential Thermal Conductivity Hydrogen Sensor
65
Redefining lithic microdebitage with experimental archaeology
The Early Classic Genesis of the Royal Maya Capital of Tamarindito
Polities require individuals who envision and materialize them; in turn, people's political identity as residents depends on them. The polity and the resident are self-evident only in hindsight, and we discuss their co-constitution. During subjectification, people create and submit to an authority. Our case study is the Early Classic (AD 350-600) emergence of Tamarindito in the south-central Maya Lowlands (modern Guatemala). The Petexbatun Region…
Macrodebitage Writ Small? Studying Stoneknapping with Experimental Archaeology, Dynamic Image Analysis, and Statistics
Politicizing belonging
People are often assumed to expand existing mechanisms—kinship in particular—to include others when they form communities. These models (con)fuse similarity with sameness, as we argue based on Husserl's concept of empathy. People recognize others without overlooking differences. They form community by negotiating belonging. We ask how individuals materialize community, how they create unity in a political process, and how they employ bordering an…
Ethical and environmental considerations for the application of Artificial Intelligence in archaeological research
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making big waves in archaeological research over the past decade, with an increasing number of archaeologists implementing generative AI, machine learning, and deep learning technologies into their research programs. Though AI can improve the efficiency and accuracy of archaeological research, few archaeologists have considered the environmental impacts of AI. As stewards of cultural and environmental resourc…
Contentious practices. Playing ball in the late classic maya village of nacimiento and other non-urban settings
Competition characterizes sports, with athletes engaging each other directly. Taken for granted in body-based models of society is their need to also negotiate shared rules of playing. Based on assemblage theory, we critique the notion of pre-established structuring structures and introduce the concept of contentious practices. Sports vividly exemplify concrete practices with often devastating impacts for athletes and wide appeal for bystanders. …
Jugando a la pelota
Las antiguas élites mayas jugaban a la pelota. Esta acción y las actividades asociadas se enfatizan para complementar las interpretaciones simbólicas de estudios anteriores. Basándose en la teoría de conjuntos, se discute cómo las interacciones recurrentes y causales institucionalizaron el juego de pelota. Los análisis multiescalares y multidimensionales permiten estudiar las relaciones parasociales, asimétricas y co-constitutivas entre los jugad…
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (13 works) · Archaeology (12 works) · Geography (9 works) · History (8 works) · Latin American history and culture (8 works) · Maya (8 works) · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Art (5 works) · Geology (5 works)