Dr. Daniel E. Pierce

Biography

Dr. Daniel Piece is a Research Archaeologist at the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research at Missouri State University. As well as his long background working in Missouri, he has spent years working in a variety of locales around the world including Mexico, Guatemala, and France. He has extensive experience in both geochemical and geospatial analyses, with expertise in both ceramic and lithic analysis. He has published more than 35 journal articles and book chapters on topics related to archaeology, anthropology, history, geochemistry, and geography.

Being born and raised in St. Louis, he has a lifetime of experience living and working in Missouri. As well as completing his undergraduate studies at UM- St. Louis, he received his graduate degrees in anthropology at Mizzou in [(MA 2012); (PhD, 2017)]. He spent years conducting geochemical analysis at the archaeometry laboratory of the University of Missouri Research Reactor, as well as working for the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office. Since 2023, he has led cultural resource management projects throughout the region for CAR, while continuing his research within Missouri and elsewhere.

Details

Education

PhD (Anthropology), 2017, University of Missouri
Graduate Certificate (GIS), 2017, University of Missouri
MA (Anthropology), 2012, University of Missouri
BA (Anthropology), 2009, University of Missouri- St. Louis
BA (History), 2009, University of Missouri- St. Louis
BFA (Studio Art), 2005, University of Missouri- St. Louis

Professional experience

Selected publications:

Pierce, Daniel E. (2024) Obsidian Usage and Trade in Post-classic West Mexico. In Reassessing the Aztatlán World: Cultural Dynamics in Postclassic Northwest Mesoamerica. (eds). Michael Mathiowetz and John Pohl. pp: 167-179. University of Utah Press.

Cabadas Báez, Héctor Victor, Daniel E. Pierce, Brigitte Faugére (2023) Petrografía y Geoquímica por Activación Neutrónica de doce muestras cerámicas del Valle de Acámbaro: ¿es posible vincular afinidades con Teotihuacán? In De Chupícuaro a Teotihuacan: Arqueología del valle del Rio Tigre, Guanajuato. (ed.) Brigitte Faugére.

Pierce, Daniel E., and Rachel S. Popelka-Filcoff (2023) Hematite procurement and use in the Prehistoric American Midwest. Journal of Archaeological Science. 51:104191.

Garduño Ambriz, Mauricio and Daniel E. Pierce (2022) Trade, Production, and Cultural Integration at Cerro de Coamiles, Nayarit. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (43) 103480.

Pierce, Daniel E. (2022) Understanding Aztatlán Material Culture through Archaeometry. In Imagination et construction mentale: La fabrique du discours scientifique. (eds.) Eliza Orellana-González, Océane Spinelli Sanchez, Tom Balbin-Estanguet, Victor Sergues, and Ninon Taffin, pp. 89-102. Ausonius collection : Pessac, France

Pierce, Daniel E. (2021) A Regional Assessment of Obsidian Use in the Postclassic Aztatlán Tradition. Ancient Mesoamerica. 33(2):1-20

Pierce, Daniel E, and Timothy Matisziw (2021) Prehistoric Panopticon: Settlement Visibility at Cahokia. Space and Culture. 24(2):216-239.

Pierce, Daniel E., Anthony Farace, and Dana M. Lewis (2021) America’s Haven of Health: Hydrotherapy and Tourism at Excelsior Springs, Missouri. History and Anthropology 34(4): 698-725.

Pierce, Daniel E., Patti J. Wright, and Rachel S. Popelka-Filcoff (2020) Seeing Red: An analysis of archaeological ochre in East Central Missouri. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 12(1):1-20

Ebert, Claire E., Daniel E. Pierce, and Jaime J. Awe (2019) Preclassic Ceramic Economy in Belize: neutron activation analysis at Cahal Pech. Antiquity 93(137): 1266-1283

Callaghan, Michael, Daniel E. Pierce, and William Gilstrap (2018) The First Maya Trade Ware? New Data on Mars Orange Paste Wares from Holtun, Guatemala. Latin American Antiquity. 29(4): 821-827

Pierce, Daniel E. (2017) Finding Class in the Glass: Obsidian source as a costly signal. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 48: 217-232.

Pierce, Daniel E. (2016) Volcán las Navajas: The chemical characterization and usage of a West Mexican obsidian source in the Aztatlán Tradition. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.6: 603-609.

Pierce, Daniel E. (2015) Visual and Geochemical Analyses of Obsidian Source Use at San Felipe Aztatán, Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 40: 266-279.

Research and professional interests

- Raw Material sourcing
- Lithic Analysis
- Ceramic Analysis
- Geospatial Analysis
- The Archaeology of Trade
- Anthropological Theory
- The History of Tourism
- Socioeconomic inequality

Awards and honors