Hello, HAS members - The April monthly members meeting for the Houston Archeological Society will be held virtually only via Zoom at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Please note that there will be no in-person gathering. The Zoom link will be emailed to members the week of the meeting.</p>

As our speaker, we welcome Bethany Miller, an anthropology master’s student at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, focusing on archeology and cultural resource management.

Miller’s presentation will discuss the Fremont Culture, which occupied the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin about 100-1300 CE. Issues surrounding Fremont social identity and social organization permeate Fremont archaeological research. By looking at aspects of standardization for evidence of craft specialization, some of these social identity questions can start being better addressed. The standardization of a craft, such as painted bowls, indicates a shared understanding of what a painted bowl should look like as understood throughout the larger social group. The Fremont produced Emery typology painted bowls from 1000-1300 CE, and the bowls were distributed widely across the Fremont region, providing a good case study for analysis of craft specialization. Miller’s work explores the level of social cohesion present within the Emery production zone by comparing characteristics of plain and painted sherds from the proposed production zone to those from outside the proposed production zone, looking at aspects such as design, oxidation, porosity, and standardization in form. She sampled six different Fremont sites using museum collections, two from within the proposed production zone and four from outside it. Miller’s comparison of proposed production sites to non-production sites revealed a higher degree of standardization outside the production zone than within it. Additionally, in most measures, the bowls reflected levels of standardization that are seen in specialized crafting communities.

Bethany received her Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with a minor in Native American Studies and a certificate in Museum Studies from Utah State University in May of 2024. Since then, she has worked contract archaeology during the summers and participated in two field schools in Belize, most recently in the capacity of crew lead. Miller will be presenting her thesis research at the 2026 Society for American Archeology annual meeting poster session later this month May, after which she hopes to continue doing field and laboratory work in archaeology full time, potentially continuing on to a doctoral program in the future.

We hope you will all join us virtually for this fascinating presentation on Thursday, April 16. Be looking for your meeting reminder with the Zoom link. For more information about this program or about the Houston Archeological Society, please contact Bob Sewell at president@txhas.org.  

HAS JOURNAL 144 NOW AVAILABLE

HAS Journal No. 144 is now available. The Journal Number 144 The articles will focus on the San Felipe de Austin Dig by John Lohse, Horseshoes in Texas, a Thimble from the 18th or 19th century from France found in Frosttown, and another article about Camp Kirby in Dickenson, TX, a civil war camp by Charly Gordy, ceramics from Cottonfield by Tim Perttula, and information from Mike Woods about a Butted Knife Found in Comal County. Complimentary copies may be obtained by HAS members at the monthly meetings. Non-HAS members may purchase copies through Amazon.com. Go to the HAS Journals Section for a link to the publication on the Amazon.com website. Alternatively, copies may be purchased at the HAS Monthly Meetings.

To learn more about the history behind our archeological society contact president@txhas.org.