*picture taken by Dena Vogt
Mark Griffin
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Purdue University, 1993
Office: SCI 395, Office Hours: MWF 12-1 or by appt.
Phone: (415) 338-7519 , Email: mgriffin@sfsu.edu
Interests: Skeletal Biology, Dental Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology
I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in bioanthropology. My area of research is human skeletal biology. My research has focused on the bioarchaeology and population distance studies of Native American populations from the proto-contact period of the southeast US and the pre-contact period of Central California.
Background:
I have been at SFSU since 1998. Before coming to SFSU I taught at Minnesota State University, Moorhead (1994-1998), Indiana University (1992-1994), and Purdue University(1991-1992). I earned my PhD from Purdue University in 1993 (dissertation: Morphological Variation of the Late Precontact and Contact Period Guale) where I studied under Clark Larsen and Richard Blanton. My MA (1989) is from Northern Illinois University (thesis: Dental Variation of Native Populations from Northern Spanish Florida) where I studied under Clark Larsen and Dan Gebo, and my BA (1985) is from University of North Carolina where I studied under R. Dale McCall.
Current Research:
Vineyards Site Research Project
The Vineyards site (4CCO548) represents a pivotal occupation and burial site from the Middle Archaic period of Central California. Preliminary analysis of material from the site indicates a relatively ancient prehistoric multi-use site. The chronological data that have been ascertained thus far indicate activities at the site as early as 7550 BC with the most intense habitation between 4350 and 550 BC. The size of the skeletal sample and the age of the site make this a very important site in California prehistory. Current research at SFSU for this site includes the examination of stature change over time (Kathryn Entriken), demography and general health indicators (Mark Griffin), and biological distance (Jessica Snyder). This collaborative project also includes research at University of California, Davis (Jelmer Eerkens and Gina Jorgenson), California State University, Chico (Eric Bartelink), San Jose State University (Dave Grant), Sonoma State University (Jack Meyer), and Holman and Associates Archaeological Consultants (Randy Wiberg and Matthew Clark).
David Davis Farm Site Research Project
The David Davis Farm site (40HA301) was a Late Mississippian village which was occupied for a fifty-year period around AD 1550. The cultural association for this site has been identified as Mississipian Dallas. Middle and Late Mississippian Dallas culture in southeastern Tennessee has been documented at approximately 65 settlements along the Tennessee River and its tributaries. The David Davis Farm site is unique among these sites because of its relatively short duration of occupation and because it is one of the likely stopping points for the De Soto entrada of 1539-1543. The short duration allows researchers to attribute changes to a specific time period rather than generalize over a broadly defined period. Research for sites from this period also contributes to our understanding of the impact of European exploration on Native American populations. Current research at SFSU for this site includes the examination of dental health and biological distance compared to other regional populations. Other researchers on this project include Matthew Williamson (Georgia Southern University), Michaelyn Harle (University of Tennessee), Dave Hally (University of Georgia), and Mary Trudeau (Alexander Archaeological Consultants).
Tidewater Algonquin Project
The Tidewater Algonquin Project is a long term research project examining populations from the Tidewater region of the Atlantic seaboard at a time immediately prior to contact with Europeans. Examination of health status and biological distance indicators allows comparison with populations after contact to assess the impact of this interaction. My research over the last twenty-five years in this region has helped to shed light on this important time period and location.
Some Recent Publications:
Larsen, Clark Spencer, Dale L. Hutchinson, Christopher M. Stojanowski,
Matthew A. Williamson, Mark C. Griffin, Scott W. Simpson, Christopher B. Ruff, Margaret J. Schoeninger, Lynette Norr, and Mark F. Teaford, Elizabeth Monahan Driscoll, Christopher W. Schmidt, and Tiffiny A. Tung. 2007. “Health and Lifestyle in Georgia and Florida: Agricultural Origins and Intensification in Regional Perspective,” in Ancient Health: Skeletal Indicators of Agricultural and Economic Intensification. Edited by Mark N. Cohen and Gillian Crane-Kramer, pp. 20-34. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Griffin, Mark C., Kathryn Entriken, Julie Hodel, and Theresia C. Weston.
2006. Osteological analysis of the human skeletal remains from the Filoli Site, San Mateo County, California (CA-SMA-125). Society for California Archaeology Newsletter 40(1):32-35.
Larsen, C.S., A.W. Crosby, M.C. Griffin, D.L. Hutchinson, C.B. Ruff, K.F.
Russell, M.J. Schoeninger, L.E. Sering, S.W. Simpson, J.L. Takács, and M.F. Teaford. 2002. "A biohistory of health and behavior in the Georgia Bight: The agricultural transition and the impact of European contact," in The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere, Volume I. Edited by Richard H. Steckel and Jerome C. Rose, pp. 406-439. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.
Griffin, Mark C., Patricia M. Lambert, and Elizabeth Monahan Driscoll. 2001.
"Biological relationships and population history of native peoples in Spanish Florida and the American Southeast," in Bioarchaeology of La Florida: The Impact of Colonialism. Edited by Clark Spencer Larsen, pp. 226-273. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida.
Larsen, Clark Spencer, Mark C. Griffin, Dale L. Hutchinson, Vivian E. Noble,
Lynette Norr, Robert F. Pastor, Christopher B. Ruff, Katherine F. Russell, Margaret J. Schoeninger, Michael Schultz, Scott W. Simpson, and Mark F. Teaford. 2001. Frontiers of Contact: Bioarchaeology of Spanish Florida. Journal of World Prehistory 15(1):69-123.
Larsen, Clark Spencer, Christopher B. Ruff, and Mark C. Griffin. 1996.
"Implications of changing biomechanical and nutritional environments for activity and lifeway in the eastern Spanish borderlands," in Bioarchaeology of Native American Adaptation in the Spanish Borderlands. Edited by Brenda J. Baker and Lisa L. Kealhofer, pp. 95-125. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press.
Larsen, Clark Spencer, Rebecca Shavit, and Mark C. Griffin. 1991. "Dental
caries evidence for dietary change: An archaeological context," in Advances in Dental Anthropology. Edited by Marc A. Kelley and Clark Spencer Larsen, pp. 179-202. New York: Alan R. Liss, Inc.
