August 15, 2024
The AIA sent ten students to the field this summer with $2000 Jane C. Waldbaum Field School Scholarships! This year’s cohort brought a wide variety of archaeological interests and academic backgrounds. Please join us in welcoming Kira Klonel.
Name: Kira Klonel (she/her)
School: University of California Santa Cruz
Field School: Spain Cova Gran, Spain
Miles Traveled: 5902.96 miles (about 9499.89 km)
Bio: Kira Klonel is a junior at the University of California Santa Cruz studying Anthropology and Earth Sciences. She is excited to be attending the Spain Cova Gran field school this summer where she will be able to learn techniques of field excavation and paleoanthropology.
Project Description: Human settlements in mountain landscapes are important for understanding prehistoric lifestyles. Traditionally, these harsh and unattractive environments have played a marginal role in paleoanthropological discussions. However, the investigation of mountain sites with evidence of foragers sheds light on utilization of resources, adaptation to the environment and social structures and organization. Hunter-gatherers have been documented and are well known in some parts of the Old World but understanding of this organizational system in the south Pyrenees of Spain remains elusive. Archaeological sites attributed to the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene are rare in this region, and it is difficult to trace human occupation trends throughout these periods. The notion that the south Pyrenees could be considered an “empty” landscape deserves to be explored further. Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Lleida, Catalunya) is a rock shelter located at the seam between the first range of the southern Pyrenees. The cave is rich in evidence of human occupation covering the last 50,000 years of human settlement in the area. Investigation at the site allows us to recognize both the evolution of forager groups and the differences between Neanderthal and anatomically modern human (AMH) adaptive strategies.
Since its inception in 2007, the Waldbaum Fund has supported undergraduate juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students as they venture into the field for the first time. The fund helps make it possible for them to participate in this vital part of their archaeological training by contributing to travel costs, accommodations, and tuition. Your contribution can make a significant difference for these young scholars. Donate today to support the future of archaeology at archaeological.org/donatewaldbaum
