I am a geoarchaeologist with a specialization in micromorphological analysis of sediment produced by humans and animals. I have particular interest in the integration of micromorphology with other microanalytical approaches such as micro-FTIR and micro-XRF. I apply this approach to a variety of different types of archaeological sites including Paleolithic and Stone Age caves and rockshelters and Neolithic tells, as well as archaeological and experimental materials, such as plaster and wood ash. I teach topical courses on Anthropogenic Deposits and Site Formation Processes, and methodological courses on Stratigraphy, Archaeological Micromorphology and Microanalytics. Along with many other members of the INA, I work within the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment. I am currently an Associate Editor for the journal Geoarchaeology.

2011   Ph.D.  Anthropology with Concentration in Archaeology and Minor in Geosciences, Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona.  Macro- and Micro-scale Geoarchaeology of Üçağızlı Caves I and II, Hatay, Turkey, Doctoral Dissertation, supervised by Dr. M.C. Stiner (co-chair), Dr. V.T. Holliday (co-chair), Dr. S.L. Kuhn, Dr. J. Quade and Dr. P. Goldberg

2005   M.A.   Archaeology with Minor in Geosciences; Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona. Authigenic Mineral Formation in Archaeological  Deposits: Insights from Obi-Rakhmat Grotto and Paltau Cave, Uzbekistan, MA Report, supervised by Dr. V.T. Holliday (chair), Dr. M.C. Stiner and Dr. S.L. Kuhn

2003   B.A.    Archaeology and Earth Sciences (summa cum laude, Distinction in Archaeology, college honors); Boston University. Burned Features at Pech de l’Azé IV (Dordogne, France): Micromorphological and Microchemical Evidence, Senior Honors Thesis, supervised by Dr. P. Goldberg

• Mentzer, S.M. (2024). Soil and sediment micromorphology. Holliday, V.T, Sánchez, G., Sánchez-Morales, I. (eds.) El Fin del Mundo: A Clovis Site in Sonora Mexico. Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona, No. 84. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 34-50.

• Mentzer, S.M. (2023). A review of micromorphology and microarchaeological methods applied to African Stone Age sites. Beyin, A., Wright, D.K., Wilkins, J., Olszewski, D.L. (eds.) Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa: Hominin behavior, geography, and chronology. Springer. 1885-1906.

• Mentzer, S.M., Miller, C.E. and N.J. Conard. (2022). The weekly seminar series in the age of online teaching: Strategies developed by the Institute for Archaeological Sciences (Eberhard Karls University, Tubingen, Germany) during the Covid-19 pandemic. The SAA Archaeological Record. 21(1): 22-25.
• Mentzer, S.M., Seil, M., Berthold, C., Adler, H., Chassé, T., Ligouis, B., Miller, C.E.  (2018) Morphological and Geochemical Analysis of ‘Ubaid Period Plaster Samples from Dosariyah, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. P. Dreschler (ed.) Dosariyah. Re-investigating a Neolithic coastal community in Eastern Arabia. BFSA Monograph Series (Archaeopress).
• Mentzer, S.M. (2018) Micromorphological analyses of anthropogenic materials and insights into tell formation processes at Aşıklı Höyük, 2008-2012 field seasons. M. Özbaşaran, G. Duru and M. Stiner (eds.) The Early Settlement at Asıklı Höyük: Essays in Honor of Ufuk Esin. Istanbul: Ege Yahınları. 105-128.
• Mentzer, S. M., Voyatzis, M., and D.G. Romano. (2017) Micromorphological contributions to the study of ritual behavior at the Ash Altar to Zeus on Mt. Lykaion, Greece. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences., 9(6), 1017-1043.
• Mentzer, S.M. (2014) Microarchaeological approaches to the identification and interpretation of combustion features in prehistoric archaeological sites. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 21(3): 616-668 (2014).
• Mentzer, S.M. and J. Quade. (2013). Short contribution: Compositional and isotopic analytical methods in archaeological micromorphology. Geoarchaeology 28(1): 87-97.

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