Melissa Florence Baird Humanities
Devouring Our History: An Inquiry into the Destruction of California Rock Art
Melissa’s interdisciplinary inquiry into the destruction of pre-historic rock art sites in California promises to shed new light on a relatively new but important field of archeological preservation. Through a combination of library research and field work in Mexico and the United States, Melissa will attempt to account for the neglect of these visual images left by ancient hunter-gatherer societies and to argue for the importance of their conservation and preservation. In addition to launching her Anthropology Senior Honors Thesis this summer, Melissa will be acquiring skills in a variety of archeological field methods in preparation for a professional career as an archeological researcher and conservator.
Mentor: Mentor: Professor Margaret Conkey, Anthropology Department