{"id":1485,"date":"2014-01-05T21:05:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T02:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ealab\/?page_id=1485"},"modified":"2016-10-04T13:20:19","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T17:20:19","slug":"stephanie-simms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/ealab\/people\/stephanie-simms\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephanie R. Simms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Simms-300\"<\/p>\n

Currently: Research Data Specialist, California Digital Library<\/h3>\n

Formerly: CLIR Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA<\/h3>\n

PhD 2014, Archaeology
\nBoston University
\nssimms@bu.edu <\/a><\/p>\n

Areas of interest: Foodways; Tropical forest ecology; Paleoethnobotany; Microbotanical methods (starch and phytoliths); Mesoamerican archaeology<\/em>
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Research<\/h3>\n

My research examines daily food practices in the New World tropics, especially in the Maya area. Maize is universally considered to be the basis of prehispanic Maya foodways and maize-beans-squash agriculture the primary means of food acquisition. This narrow view is attributable to a lack of direct evidence and an oversimplification of the ethnographic data. I employ microbotanical methods and traditional artifact analyses to recover evidence of both cultivated and wild foodstuffs, regional food preferences, techniques of preparation, production and procurement strategies, and symbolic associations of foods. By highlighting the tremendous variety of environments, foods, and food practices, I use the archaeological evidence to evaluate ancient Neotropical human-environment interactions.<\/p>\n

Publications<\/h3>\n

Simms, Stephanie R., Francesco Berna, and George J. Bey, III. 2013. A Prehispanic Maya Pit Oven? Microanalysis of Fired Clay Balls from the Puuc Region, Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico. Journal of Archaeological Science<\/em> 40: 1144\u20131157.<\/p>\n

Simms, Stephanie R., Evan Parker, George J. Bey, III, and Tom\u00e1s Gallareta Negr\u00f3n. 2012. Evidence from Escalera al Cielo: Abandonment of a Terminal Classic Puuc Maya Hill Complex in Yucat\u00e1n, Mexico. Journal of Field Archaeology<\/em> 37: 270\u2013288.<\/p>\n

Projects<\/h3>\n

I am a member of the Bolonch\u00e9n Regional Archaeology Project (BRAP), directed by Tom\u00e1s Gallareta Negr\u00f3n, George Bey, and Bill Ringle. The BRAP is part of the Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve, a Mexican non-profit organization dedicated to research, conservation, and public outreach.<\/p>\n

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