Marc Abramiuk

Retrospective Analysis Within a Counterpoint Framework

Elsevier eBooks, 2023

Oxford University Press eBooks, May 22, 2023

The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize

Antiquity, 2009

... The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize. Marc A. Abramiuk, ... more

A Brief Overview of Evolutionary Cognitive Archaeology

The Foundations of Cognitive Archaeology, 2012

An empirically supported proposal for synthesizing multiple approaches to the study of the mind i... more An empirically supported proposal for synthesizing multiple approaches to the study of the mind in the past. In The Foundations of Cognitive Archaeology, Marc Abramiuk proposes a multidisciplinary basis for the study of the mind in the past, arguing that archaeology and the cognitive sciences have much to offer one another. Abramiuk draws on relevant topics from philosophy, biological anthropology, cognitive psychology, cognitive anthropology, and archaeology to establish theoretically founded and empirically substantiated principles of a discipline that integrates different approaches to mind-related archaeological research. Abramiuk discusses the two ways that archaeologists have traditionally viewed the human mind: as a universal or as a relative interface with the environment. He argues that neither view by itself can satisfactorily serve as a basis for gleaning insight into all aspects of the mind in the past and, therefore, the mind is more appropriately studied using multiple approaches. He explains the rationale for using these approaches in mind-related archaeological research, reviewing the literature in both cognitive psychology and cognitive anthropology on human memory, perception, and reasoning. Drawing on archaeological and genetic evidence, Abramiuk investigates the evolution of the mind through the Upper Paleolithic era-when the ancient mind became functionally comparable to the modern human mind. Finally, Abramiuk offers a model for the establishment of a discipline dealing with the study of the mind in the past that integrates all the approaches discussed.

Handbook of Evolutionary Research in Archaeology, 2019

The following chapter provides a brief overview of two central objectives of evolutionary cogniti... more The following chapter provides a brief overview of two central objectives of evolutionary cognitive archaeology (ECA). The first objective concerns the approaches that evolutionary cognitive archaeologists utilize to infer mind frames. These approaches (or methods) and the cognitive inferences they help the archaeologist make will be discussed chronologically from their earliest sightings in the archaeological literature. The second objective to be treated in this chapter concerns the mechanisms of cognitive evolution. Although natural selection is still considered to be the main mechanism behind cognitive evolution, other mechanisms that show promise have also been proposed and, as such, will be examined. The chapter concludes with a short discussion of the two chapters that follow this one and their contribution to the field of ECA.

Preliminary Findings at the Quebrada de Oro Ruins: Shining New Light on a Classic Maya Site We Thought We Knew

Evolutionary Psychology and Archaeology

Cognitive implications of an economic approach to Classic Maya exchange

The objective of this thesis is to explore the notion of extended mind, specifically how dynamic ... more The objective of this thesis is to explore the notion of extended mind, specifically how dynamic social phenomena, such as social interaction, can be seen to constitute a cognitive process. To do this it is explained that not only do representations form in the minds of individuals through an individual's nervous system and body, but that representations can also be seen to form in the minds of individuals through participation in social institutions. The social institution with which this thesis is concerned is exchange, and a case study of Classic Maya ground stone exchange serves as an illustration of how the notion of social institutions as sources of cognition can be applied to the archaeological record. The view of cognition adopted in this thesis is based in part on recent advances in cognitive scientific research, which proposes that cognition arises from dynamical systems to which individuals are attuned. These dynamical systems are thereby considered cognitive systems....

A recent reconnaissance of the central Helmand Valley

Antiquity

Archaeological fieldwork in the central Helmand Valley of modern-day Afghanistan has been sparse ... more Archaeological fieldwork in the central Helmand Valley of modern-day Afghanistan has been sparse as a result of the region's remoteness and lack of security; the work that has been done suggests that the area has been occupied since prehistoric times. The Central Helmand Archaeological Study (CHAS) is the most recent archaeological field research to be conducted in the valley. It was launched in 2011 with the support of the US Marine Corps and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, to locate and record archaeological sites in the region and to report any evidence of looting or damage (Abramiuk & Wong 2015). This paper reports on some early findings in the course of continuing analysis and provides a preliminary assessment.

Correlating findings from the Central Helmand Archaeological Study (CHAS) with those from previous surveys in the Central Helmand Valley, Afghanistan

Afghanistan

The Central Helmand Archaeological Study (CHAS) was a rapid archaeological reconnaissance led and... more The Central Helmand Archaeological Study (CHAS) was a rapid archaeological reconnaissance led and undertaken by the author in 2011 to support counterinsurgency efforts on behalf of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in central Helmand Province. Due to the volatility in the region and the imperative to produce results that would have an immediate operational effect, the author had to forego conventional preparations which would have necessarily included a lengthy review and analysis of previously recorded sites in the region. The situation being as it was, the primary objective of this paper is to review the data that were collected and to determine whether the sites identified and investigated in the course of the CHAS can be linked to any previously recorded sites. To accomplish this task, a system for deciding whether the sites recorded in the CHAS match any previously recorded sites is devised and d...

The discovery of an ancient Maya causeway system in the southern Maya Mountains of Belize

Antiquity

The archaeological site of Quebrada de Oro, southern Belize, is one of four ancient Maya settleme... more The archaeological site of Quebrada de Oro, southern Belize, is one of four ancient Maya settlement sites, mainly dating to the Classic period (AD 250–900), that are situated in the Bladen Branch drainage of the southern Maya Mountains proper. This remote location has long been taken to imply that the region was a political backwater, but the recent discovery of an ancient Maya causeway system associated with Quebrada de Oro—the first significant example to be documented in this area—sheds new light on this group of Maya sites (Figure 1).

Abramiuk, M.A. (2015) “Cognitive Archaeology.” In International Encyclopaedia of the Social and Behavioral Science, 2nd edition, James D. Wright (ed.), Elsevier, Oxford., 2015

Cognitive archaeology, also called the archaeology of mind, is a burgeoning branch of archaeology... more Cognitive archaeology, also called the archaeology of mind, is a burgeoning branch of archaeology that has as its focus of investigation the mind in the past. Cognitive archaeology makes use of several forms of evidence to infer past peoples' cognitive capabilities and mind frames (e.g., concepts and percepts), the most obvious being the material remains constituting the archaeological record. From these remains and their distributions, cognitive archaeologists attempt to make informed claims for understanding how people in the past thought and what they thought about. Cognitive archaeological inquiry is cross-disciplinary, such that in addition to relying on inferences made from archaeological data, cognitive archaeologists also depend on evidence that other disciplines, such as physical anthropology, cognitive anthropology, cognitive science, neuropsychology, linguistics, and philosophy, can bring to bear on the question of mind frames and mind functioning in the past. Despite the cross-disciplinary nature of cognitive archaeology, cognitive archaeologists are first and foremost archaeologists and, as such, maintain a predominant concern with what can be learned from material culture. For this reason, cognitive archaeologists have become mutually invested in the study of how humans interact with material culture, and the different ways the mind might be constituted through this engagement. Over the past decade, cognitive archaeologists have begun to form their own distinctive views regarding how the mind operates in relation to the material world, and this has contributed significantly to our general knowledge of the nature of the mind.

A Preliminary Geoarchaeological Investigation of Ground Stone Tools in and around the Maya Mountains, Toledo District, Belize

Latin American Antiquity, 2006

We investigate ground stone tools, specifically manos and metates, throughout the Bladen region o... more We investigate ground stone tools, specifically manos and metates, throughout the Bladen region of the Maya Mountains of Belize and adjacent areas during the Late and Terminal Classic periods. Because of the distinctiveness and relative heterogeneity of rock types in the Bladen region, we can pinpoint the Bladen communities that exploited the raw materials used in manufacturing manos and metates utilized in other communities. Based on mano and metate fragments that were recovered from the Bladen communities, as well as from communities outside the Bladen region, we reconstruct an intercommunity network within the Bladen region and investigate communities outside of the Bladen to which the Bladen communities were directly or indirectly linked. This investigation shows that if enough geo-specific information is available, it is possible to reconstruct a relatively accurate picture of inter-community relations. Moreover, it is shown that the Bladen region was a valuable source of groun...

Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize

by Marc Abramiuk, Chad L Yost, and Peter Dunham

Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 2011

Paleoethnobotanical analysis of anthropogenic soils sampled from archaeological features dating t... more Paleoethnobotanical analysis of anthropogenic soils sampled from archaeological features dating to the Classic Maya Period (A.D. 250-900) reveal diagnostic phytoliths that help the authors bring to light evidence of a novel sustainable agricultural strategy and a variety of nutritional and medicinal plants that were utilized by the Classic Maya of the Maya Mountains, Belize, Central America. Given the archaeological context of these phytoliths, the authors infer that the plants from which they were derived were exploited by the Classic Maya of the region. These discoveries have the potential for improving health and wellness regionally in the present since the agricultural strategy that is reconstructed demonstrates an intensive means of cultivation that has the potential of sustaining large, dense populations. The nutritional and medicinal plants alluded to, in turn, provide further evidence in support of the utilization of traditional knowledge in sustaining community health and wellness.

Interactive spatial evolutionary computation based predictive modeling of rare plant species occurrences

In this paper, a habitat suitability model for rare plant species is developed by combining spati... more In this paper, a habitat suitability model for rare plant species is developed by combining spatial predictive modeling techniques and an evolutionary computation method known as Interactive Evolution (IE). The interactive spatial evolutionary computation based predictive modeling enables an analyst to combine advanced mathematical geospatial and pattern recognition modeling techniques, conceptual knowledge, available empirical data, and expert-interactive dynamic data visualization

Sustaining Plants and People: Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Botanical Knowledge and Interactive Spatial Modeling in Prioritizing Conservation of Medicinal Plants for Culturally Relative Holistic Health Promotion

Ecohealth, 2009

Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted to locate culturally important, regionally scarce, and disa... more Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted to locate culturally important, regionally scarce, and disappearing medicinal plants via a novel participatory methodology which involves healer-expert knowledge in interactive spatial modeling to prioritize conservation efforts and thus facilitate health promotion via medicinal plant resource sustained availability. These surveys, conducted in the Maya Mountains, Belize, generate ethnobotanical, ecological, and geospatial data on species which are used by Q’eqchi’ Maya healers in practice. Several of these mountainous species are regionally scarce and the healers are expressing difficulties in finding them for use in promotion of community health and wellness. Based on healers’ input, zones of highest probability for locating regionally scarce, disappearing, and culturally important plants in their ecosystem niches can be facilitated by interactive modeling. In the present study, this is begun by choosing three representative species to train an interactive predictive model. Model accuracy was then assessed statistically by testing for independence between predicted occurrence and actual occurrence of medicinal plants. A high level of accuracy was achieved using a small set of exemplar data. This work demonstrates the potential of combining ethnobotany and botanical spatial information with indigenous ecosystems concepts and Q’eqchi’ Maya healing knowledge via predictive modeling. Through this approach, we may identify regions where species are located and accordingly promote for prioritization and application of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to protect them. This represents a significant step toward facilitating sustained culturally relative health promotion as well as overall enhanced ecological integrity to the region and the earth.

Q’eqchi’ Maya healers’ traditional knowledge in prioritizing conservation of medicinal plants: culturally relative conservation in sustaining traditional holistic health promotion

Biodiversity and Conservation, 2010

This ethnobotanical study in the spirit of transdisciplinarity, and in collaboration with Q’eqchi... more This ethnobotanical study in the spirit of transdisciplinarity, and in collaboration with Q’eqchi’ Maya traditional healers, compares traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya ecosystem constructs or environmental zones with scientific ecosystems. To determine which categorization method better accommodates Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant diversity, we analized 26 transects representing 160 medicinal plant occurrences. Our transect array encompasses a representative sampling of Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant repertoire with use values broadly distributed over 17 usage categories. With a cumulative frequency of 2,235 medicinal plants through ecological zones, we conducted one-way ANOVA on the mean number of medicinal plant species identified in transects of the two conceptual schemes being contested. Our analysis reveals the Q’eqchi Maya environmental zones are the most salient. That is, knowledge of the Q’eqchi’ Maya environmental zones improves one’s ability to predict whether there will be a high or low abundance of Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant species in a particular region, whereas knowledge of scientific ecosystems does not accomplish this feat as well. This is a notable finding as it suggests that if indeed Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant diversity is better accounted for by the zones as envisioned by the Q’eqchi’ Maya, then it should be this mode of conceptualization that should be adopted by scientists and conservationists when trying to locate and protect regional Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant diversity. These efforts serve as a model internationally in the conservation of medicinal plant biodiversity supportive of culturally relative holistic health promotion.

Appreciating and Embodying the Dynamics of Large-Scale Systems: Some Examples From the Present and the Past

Ecological Psychology, 2009

This article explores the view in which individuals can be seen to appreciate as well as embody t... more This article explores the view in which individuals can be seen to appreciate as well as embody the dynamics of large-scale systems. In exploring this model, I draw on 3 relatively straightforward cases in which large-scale dynamical systems can be seen to have functioned so as to afford the individual subsumed by them with an appreciation of the states of

Retrospective Analysis Within a Counterpoint Framework

Elsevier eBooks, 2023

Oxford University Press eBooks, May 22, 2023

The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize

Antiquity, 2009

... The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize. Marc A. Abramiuk, ... more

A Brief Overview of Evolutionary Cognitive Archaeology

The Foundations of Cognitive Archaeology, 2012

Handbook of Evolutionary Research in Archaeology, 2019

Preliminary Findings at the Quebrada de Oro Ruins: Shining New Light on a Classic Maya Site We Thought We Knew

Evolutionary Psychology and Archaeology

Cognitive implications of an economic approach to Classic Maya exchange

A recent reconnaissance of the central Helmand Valley

Antiquity

Correlating findings from the Central Helmand Archaeological Study (CHAS) with those from previous surveys in the Central Helmand Valley, Afghanistan

Afghanistan

The discovery of an ancient Maya causeway system in the southern Maya Mountains of Belize

Antiquity

Abramiuk, M.A. (2015) “Cognitive Archaeology.” In International Encyclopaedia of the Social and Behavioral Science, 2nd edition, James D. Wright (ed.), Elsevier, Oxford., 2015

A Preliminary Geoarchaeological Investigation of Ground Stone Tools in and around the Maya Mountains, Toledo District, Belize

Latin American Antiquity, 2006

Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize

by Marc Abramiuk, Chad L Yost, and Peter Dunham

Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 2011

Interactive spatial evolutionary computation based predictive modeling of rare plant species occurrences

Ecohealth, 2009

Q’eqchi’ Maya healers’ traditional knowledge in prioritizing conservation of medicinal plants: culturally relative conservation in sustaining traditional holistic health promotion

Biodiversity and Conservation, 2010