Research Interest
Paleoanthropology, Zooarchaeology, taphonomy, carnivore-hominin competition, Paleolithic archaeology, spatial analysis, GIS, site formation, photogrammetry, experimental archaeology.
Dr. Coil’s research focuses broadly on reconstructing hominin behavior at Paleolithic archaeological sites, which includes disentangling hominin and carnivore competition and space use through spatial analyses and taphonomy/zooarchaeology. Reed is currently part of the international team of scientists working at the Paleolithic site of Dmanisi, Georgia, where he is exploring the spatial patterning of the archaeological material in order to understand the site formation processes that contributed to the rich archaeological and paleontological deposits at the site. Through this research, Reed is very interested in how humans and carnivores contribute to the accumulation of bones at archaeological sites and whether there are predictable patterns that help us distinguish these processes. As part of this interest, Reed is currently involved in an experimental bone breakage project, which aims to determine different factors affecting how bones break during marrow extraction and if there are characteristics that help archaeologists determine whether bones were broken by humans, carnivores, or other processes.
Educational Background
- Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 2016
- M.A. Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 2012.
- B.A. Archaeological studies, University of Wisconsin-Superior, 2007
- Using Taphonomy, GIS, and Photogrammetry to reconstruct site formation and carnivore-hominin interaction at Dmanisi, Georgia
Coil, R., Tappen, M., Ferring, R., Bukhsianidze, M., Lordkipanidze, D., 2018 - Photogrammetry, spatial patterning, and site formation of the hominin-bearing layers at the Lower Paleolithic site of Dmanisi, Georgia
Coil, R., Tappen, M., Ferring, R., Bukhsianidze, M., Lordkipanidze, D., 2018 - New analytical methods for comparing bone fracture angles: A controlled study of hammerstone and hyena (Crocuta crocuta) long bone breakage
Coil, R., Tappen, M., Yezzi-Woodley, K., 2017 In : Archaeometry. 59, 5, p. 900-917 - NEW ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR COMPARING BONE FRACTURE ANGLES : A CONTROLLED STUDY OF HAMMERSTONE AND HYENA (Crocuta crocuta ) LONG BONE BREAKAGE
Coil, R., Tappen, M., Yezzi-Woodley, K., 2017 In : Archaeometry. - Depositional context and spatial patterning in the hominin-bearing layers of Block 2 at Dmanisi, Georgia
Coil, R., Tappen, M., Ferring, R., Bukhsianidze, M., Lordkipanidze, D., 2017
Monkey business: Primate Society and Behavior, Anthropology of Space