Emily Johnson
Ph.D. Student, University of California, Santa Barbara; NSF Graduate Research Fellow
- Title Ph.D. Student, University of California, Santa Barbara;
NSF Graduate Research Fellow - Email esj12@bu.edu
- Education BA summa cum laude, Boston University, 2017
Areas of Interest
Paleoethnobotany; Environmental archaeology; Experimental archaeology; Origins of agriculture and domestication; Near East; Mesoamerica
Research Interests & Fieldwork
For my senior thesis through Kilachand Honor’s College I analyzed whether the process of nixtamalizing maize (turning corn into hominy) leaves identifying characteristics on its starch grains. Through this experimental process, I hope to make it possible to identify this practice in the archaeological record. See results in our JAS article, linked below.
In addition, I worked with Prof. Marston on various projects in the Environmental Archaeology Lab. With funds from UROP, I assisted Prof. Marston in sorting and analyzing botanical samples taken from the Hellenistic period at the site of Ashkelon, located in southern Israel.
Projects
The San Bartolo-Xultun Regional Archaeological Project, Guatemala
Kaymakçı Archaeological Project, Turkey
Gordion Archaeological Project, Turkey
Publications
Johnson, Emily S., and John M. Marston. The experimental identification of nixtamalized maize through starch spherulites. Journal of Archaeological Science 113:105056. Link