Sheila Dawn Coulson

Coulson, Sheila, and Claus Andreasen  (2020). Uncovering their tracks: Intra-site behaviour at a Paleo-Inuit multiple dwelling site. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 58C, 1-20.

Coulson, S., Segadika, P., Walker, N. (2016). Ritual in the Hunter-Gatherer/Early Pastoralist Period: Evidence from Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. African Archaeological Review 33, 205-222.

Nash, D., Coulson, S., Staurset, S., Ullyott, S., Babutsi, M., Smith, M. (2016). Going the distance: mapping mobility in the Kalahari Desert during the Middle Stone Age through multi-site geochemical provenancing of silcrete artefacts. Journal of Human Evolution 96, 113–133.

Staurset, S., & Coulson, S. (2014). Sub-surface movement of stone artefacts at White Paintings Shelter, Tsodilo Hills, Botswana: Implications for the Middle Stone Age chronology of central southern Africa. Journal of Human Evolution, 75, 153-165.

Nash, D. J., Coulson, S., Staurset, S., Ullyott, J. S., Babutsi, M., Hopkinson, L., & Smith, M. P. (2013). Provenancing of silcrete raw materials indicates long-distance transport to Tsodilo Hills, Botswana, during the Middle Stone Age. Journal of Human Evolution, 64(4), 280-288.

Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Staurset, Sigrid & Walker, Nick (2011). Ritualized Behavior in the Middle Stone Age: Evidence from Rhino Cave, Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. PaleoAnthropology.  ISSN 1545-0031.  pp. 18-61  (Local PDF of paper without high resolution photos)

• Staurset, Sigrid; Coulson, Sheila; Mothulatshipi, Sarah; Burrough, Sallie L.; Nash, David J. & Thomas, David S.G. (2023). Making Points: The Middle Stone Age lithic industry of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 301. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107823. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Studies of early human occupation of Africa over recent decades have profoundly changed how we understand our early ancestors, their inventiveness and adaptability. The spread of Homo sapiens to new environmental settings, the expansion of diet breadth, the development of more complex technology and the use of personal ornaments have all been recognized at well-documented Middle Stone Age (MSA) cave and shelter sites, particularly along the South African coast. This paper addresses two under-represented aspects of MSA research: open-air sites and the African interior. We present here recent surveys and excavations in Ntwetwe Pan, Botswana, a remote, open landscape, that formerly contained a vast palaeolake. The five excavated sites yielded assemblages composed exclusively of silcrete, a locally available raw material. The lithic industry at these sites was deposited during dry periods following palaeolake high stands dating to c.128–81 ka and c. 72–57 ka. This industry, characterized by a limited toolkit dominated by highly retouched unifacial and bifacial points, is not previously documented but shows similarities to dated MSA sites of equivalent age in north-western Botswana and Zimbabwe. Combined, these exposed open-air sites document the successful MSA adaptation to a hydrologically dynamic, interior landscape and arguably display MSA behavioural patterns that complement and balance the more well-documented perspectives from coastal cave and shelter sites.

• Staurset, Sigrid; Coulson, Sheila; Mothulatshipi, Sarah; L., Burrough Sallie; Nash, David J. & S.G., Thomas David (2023). Post-depositional disturbance and spatial organization at exposed open-air sites: examples from the Middle Stone Age of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107824. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The influence of natural factors such as bioturbation or sediment movement caused by wind and water is a perennial concern for Stone Age site selection and subsequent interpretation. This paper discusses the spatial artefact distribution of five recently excavated, open-air exposed Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in Ntwetwe Pan, Botswana. The finds comprise lithic assemblages dominated by MSA points, manufactured in a variety of silcretes. The sites were examined following the assumption that archaeological sites are the product of a combination of natural and cultural factors, occurring both during and after artefacts are deposited. The results indicate that some of these exposed pan floor sites do preserve cultural artefact distribution patterns, and that the level of post-depositional disturbance varies locally. Refitting was an important tool of analysis, especially on the largest site, MAK33, where it was possible to identify working areas that focussed on different modes of lithic manufacture. In combination with a chaîne opératoire analysis of lithic production stages, it was then possible to map movement of artefacts across the site. We argue that the spatial organization of open-air sites may preserve behavioural records that are not present at caves and rock shelters, and provide a view into the short-term, single-use locations that likely formed the basis of MSA occupation patterns.

• Thomas, David S.G.; Burrough, Sallie L.; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Mothulatshipi, Sarah; Nash, David J. & Staurset, Sigrid (2022). Lacustrine geoarchaeology in the central Kalahari: Implications for Middle Stone Age behaviour and adaptation in dryland conditions. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 297. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107826. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Middle Stone Age (MSA) was a time of great human adaptation and innovation. In southern Africa, coastal locations have been viewed as key places for the development of human resource use and behaviour, with the dryness of the continental interior after c.130 ka regarded as both an obstacle to occupation and a limit on behaviour. Newly excavated MSA sites on the floor of the now-dry palaeolake Makgadikgadi basin, central Botswana, along with accompanying environmental data, have provided a significant opportunity to reassess the nature of MSA adaptation to, and behaviour under, dry conditions. Excavated sites dated to 80–72 ka and post 57 ka reveal purposeful early human use of an extensive 60,000 km2 lacustrine basin during dry, as opposed to lake-high, phases, as well as highlighting movement strategies for tool-making resource procurement. Findings have significant implications for theories of early human mobility and innovation, as well as for understanding the drivers, constraints and opportunities for the use of drylands. The deliberate selective movement of lithic raw materials within the basin for artefact manufacture evidences thoughtful adaptation to dry conditions within the lake basin. This research shows that open-air sites in the Kalahari drylands of central southern Africa can make important contributions to debates surrounding the development of human-environment relationships during the MSA, as well as challenging narratives of a hostile and largely empty landscape.

• Nash, David J.; Ciborowski, T. Jake R.; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Staurset, Sigrid; Burrough, Sallie L. & Mothulatshipi, Sarah [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Mapping Middle Stone Age human mobility in the Makgadikgadi Pans (Botswana) through multi-site geochemical provenancing of silcrete artefacts. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 297. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107811. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila; Staurset, Sigrid; Mothulatshipi, Sarah; Burrough, Sallie L.; Nash, David J. & Thomas, David S.G. (2022). Thriving in the Thirstland: New Stone Age sites from the Middle Kalahari, Botswana. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 297. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107695. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper documents the abundance of Stone Age finds in the Middle Kalahari, both through earlier publications and newly documented sites. Results of several decades of Stone Age research are presented through a variety of projects and placed within the context of previous archaeological investigations in the region. We argue for the importance of open-air sites in constructing a more representative picture of prehistoric behaviour in the interior of southern Africa.

• Burrough, Sallie L.; Thomas, David S.G.; Allin, Joshua R.; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Mothulatshipi, Sarah M. & Nash, David J. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Lessons from a lakebed: unpicking hydrological change and early human landscape use in the Makgadikgadi basin, Botswana. Quaternary Science Reviews. ISSN 0277-3791. 291. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107662. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The intersection of archaeological material with the landscape is investigated using OSL dating of landforms associated with Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeology in the Makgadikgadi basin, Botswana. In this study, MSA archaeological sites on the Makgadikgadi pan floor date to two dry periods in the basin during the late Quaternary. Site formation at one site occurred during dry, or seasonally dry conditions that followed a period of high lake levels between 128 ± 18 ka and 81 ± 6 ka. The site was buried by sediments from a subsequent period of high lake levels dating to between 72 ± 5 ka and 57 ± 8 ka. At other investigated sites, the archaeological material was most likely deposited during a second dry period sometime after this. Overlying dunes are much younger (late Holocene) than the late Pleistocene lakebed sediments associated with the archaeological sites. Rapid burial of the archaeological sites by clayey sands has resulted in limited disturbance and weathering of archaeological material which appears to have only been exposed very recently, perhaps in the last 350 years when conditions have been particularly dry and susceptible to deflation. The spatial patterning of both sediment accumulation and deflation strongly influences archaeological visibility both within and around the Makgadikgadi basin.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn & Andreasen, Claus (2020). Uncovering their tracks: Intra-site behaviour at a Paleo-Inuit multiple dwelling site. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. ISSN 0278-4165. 58. doi: 10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101169. Full text in Research Archive
• Nash, David J.; Coulson, Sheila Dawn & Schmidt, Patrick (2019). Heat treatment of Kalahari and Cape silcretes: impacts upon silcrete chemistry and implications for geochemical provenancing. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. ISSN 1866-9557. doi: 10.1007/s12520-019-00947-9. Full text in Research Archive
• Schmidt, Patrick; Nash, David & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2017). Heat treatment as a universal technical solution for silcrete use? A comparison between silcrete from the Western Cape (South Africa) and the Kalahari (Botswana). PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181586. Full text in Research Archive
• Nash, David J.; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Staurset, Sigrid; Ullyott, J. Stewart; Babutsi, Mosarwa & Smith, Martin P. (2016). Going the distance: Mapping mobility in the Kalahari Desert during the Middle Stone Age through multi-site geochemical provenancing of silcrete artefacts. Journal of Human Evolution. ISSN 0047-2484. 96, p. 113–133. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.05.004. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Segadika, Phillip & Walker, Nick (2016). Ritual in the Hunter-Gatherer/Early Pastoralist Period: Evidence from Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. African Archaeological Review. ISSN 0263-0338. p. 1–18. doi: 10.1007/s10437-016-9218-y. Full text in Research Archive
• Watts, Ian; Chazan, Michael; Wilkins, Jayne; Barham, Larry & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2016). Early Evidence for Brilliant Ritualized Display: Specularite Use in the Northern Cape (South Africa) between ∼500 and ∼300 Ka. Current Anthropology. ISSN 0011-3204. doi: 10.1086/686484. Full text in Research Archive
• Staurset, Sigrid & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2014). Sub-surface movement of stone artefacts at White Paintings Shelter, Tsodilo Hills, Botswana: Implications for the Middle Stone Age chronology of central southern Africa. Journal of Human Evolution. ISSN 0047-2484. 75, p. 153–165. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.04.006. Full text in Research Archive
• Nash, David; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Staurset, Sigrid; Ullyott, J. Stewart; Babutsi, Mosarwa & Hopkinson, Laurence [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2013). Provenancing of silcrete raw materials indicates long-distance transport to Tsodilo Hills, Botswana, during the Middle Stone Age. Journal of Human Evolution. ISSN 0047-2484. 64(4), p. 280–288. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.01.010. Full text in Research Archive
• Nash, David J.; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Staurset, Sigrid; Smith, Martin P. & Ullyott, J. Stewart (2013). Provenancing silcrete in the Cape coastal zone: Implications for Middle Stone Age research in South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution. ISSN 0047-2484. 65, p. 682–688. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.07.006. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Staurset, Sigrid & Walker, Nick (2011). Ritualized Behavior in the Middle Stone Age: Evidence from Rhino Cave, Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. PaleoAnthropology. p. 18–61. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). Comments on Laurel Phillipson’s Article “Reassessment of Selected Middle Stone Age Artefacts from Rhino Cave and from White Paintings Rock Shelter, Tsodilo Hills, Botswana” (South African Archaeological Bulletin 62 (185): 19–30). South African Archaeological Bulletin. ISSN 0038-1969. 63(188), p. 170–172. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn & Walker, N (2007). A Response: Signs of the Oldest Human Ritual in Botswana? The Digging Stick. ISSN 1013-7521. 24(1), p. 14–14. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2007). Response to “World’s Oldest Ritual Site? The ‘Python Cave’ at Tsodilo Hills World Heritage Site, Botswana” by Lawrence H. Robbins, Alec C. Campbell, George A. Brook and Michael L. Murphy (2007, 68: 2-3). Nyame Akuma. ISSN 0713-5815. p. 2–3. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2005). Debatt: Kommentarer til: <<Form, estetikk og den arkeologiske gjenstanden>>. Primitive tider. ISSN 1501-0430. 8, p. 87–89. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2001). Book review of Flint Studier. En håndbog i systematiske analyser af flintinventarer by Berit Valentin Eriksen (ed). Aarhus Universitetsforlag, 2000. Norwegian Archaeological Review. ISSN 0029-3652. 34(2), p. 107–109. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn & Skar, Birgitte (1990). Introduction to the special section of five papers on the Second Flint Alternatives Workshop. Årbok / Universitetets oldsaksamling. ISSN 0333-130X. Full text in Research Archive
• Skar, Birgitte & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1987). 'Reply to Comments' by Christian Adamsen and Erik Brinch Petersen 'Comments on Evidence of Behaviour from Refitting'. Norwegian Archaeological Review. ISSN 0029-3652. 20(2), p. 122–124. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1987). Book review of The Palaeolithic Settlement of Europe by Clive Gamble. Cambridge World Archaeology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986. Norwegian Archaeological Review. ISSN 0029-3652. 20(1), p. 57–58. Full text in Research Archive
• Boaz, Joel Spencer & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1987). 'Recent Mesolithic-Neolithic Excavations in the Dokkfløy Region, Southeastern Norway'. Mesolithic miscellany. ISSN 0259-3548. 9(1), p. 1–5. Full text in Research Archive
• Skar, Birgitte & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1987). 'The Early Mesolithic Site of Rørmyr II. A re-examination of one of the Høgnipen Sites, SE Norway'. Acta Archaeologica. ISSN 0065-101X. 56, p. 167–183. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1986). 'Refitted Flint Nodules from Songa, Telemark'. Årbok / Universitetets oldsaksamling. ISSN 0333-130X. p. 17–22. Full text in Research Archive
• Skar, Birgitte & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1986). 'Evidence of Behaviour from Refitting - A Case Study'. Norwegian Archaeological Review. ISSN 0029-3652. 9(2), p. 90–102. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1986). 'The Bout Coupe Handaxe as a Typological Mistake'. In Collcutt, S.N. (Eds.), The Palaeolithic of Britain and its Nearest Neighbousr: Recent Trends. Department of Archaeology and Prehistory, University of Sheffield. p. 53–55. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1984). Book review of The Cambridge History of Africa. Vol 1. From the earliest times to c. 500 BC. Edited by J. Desmond Clark Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1982. Bulletin - Institute of Archaeology. ISSN 0076-0722. 21/22. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1978). Book review of The Eskimos and Aleut by Don Dumond. Thames and Hudson, London, 1977. Bulletin - Institute of Archaeology. ISSN 0076-0722. 15, p. 266–267. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1977). Book review of Lithic Technology. Making and Using Stone Tools edited by Earl Swanson. Papers from a Congress, Chicago, August, 1973. Bulletin - Institute of Archaeology. ISSN 0076-0722. 14, p. 237–238. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1971). 'A Statistical Analysis of Cortex-Flake Tools from South Central British Columbia'. Aboriginal man and environments on the plateau of Northwest America. p. 17–26. Full text in Research Archive

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• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2012). Dangerous and Divine The secret of the Serpent. KIT publishers. ISBN 9789460222047. 7 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1990). Middle Palaeolithic Industries of Great Britain. Holos, Bonn. ISBN 9783926216977. 415 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Coulson, Sheila Dawn & Staurset, Sigrid (2011). Middle Stone Age ritual at Rhino Cave, Botswana Sheila Coulson and Sigrid Staurset interpret ancient African ritual activity. [Journal]. Radical Anthropology. Full text in Research Archive
• Fuglestvedt, Ingrid & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2009). Kvinnen var jeger. p. 4–4. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). Interviewed for programme on the origins of art. Three part series on SABC 3 television, South Africa, on the Origins of Art. Emphasis on San artists. Botswana contribution in Part 3. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The earliest evidence of humans making marks that have a meaning were found on the Cape south coast recently and date back to 75 000 years ago. In searching for the origin of image-making and art, this film discovers that the first artists were trying to lock down hallucinations they experienced in altered states of consciousness when they made the first art.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). Ritualized Behaviour - Evidence from a Middle Stone Age Site, Tsodilo Hills, Botswana. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Tsodilo Hills, Botswana’s World Heritage Site, is alternatively known as the Mountain of the Gods. The aptness of this title has recently been reconfirmed as a result of archaeological investigations conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Botswana and the University of Tromso Collaborative Programme for San Research, working in conjunction with the National Museum of Botswana. Investigations in a hidden cave on Female Hill have revealed that approximately 70 000 years ago the Hills were used for ritual practices by our ancient ancestors. These practices include the intentional destruction of vividly coloured ancient spearheads, the filling of natural cracks in the cave with clear quartz flakes and the use of colorants, such as red ochre and the silver-metallic sparkle of specularite. However, the most intriguing find is the intentional modification of a large rock outcrop that is naturally shaped like a thick-bodied snake. Grooves and depressions have been ground into this rock panel to make it appear more like a snake. A section of this panel broke away during manufacture and was found in association with grinding stones that fit the size of the grooves, from well within the Middle Stone Age deposit. Experiments with flickering light in darkness reveal the patterning of the indentations to their full effect - as the snake appears to move.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). The Chaîne Opératoire - the method that revitalized Archaeology. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The chaines operatoire is a research approach and methodology that is applicable to all forms of material culture. This term was coined by the French in the 1970’s and today is considered a universal standard. The reason the chaines operatoire, or (very roughly translated) the chain of operations, has been so widely accepted is it enables an archaeologist to combine anthropological method and theory, and aspects of human behaviour patterns, with the archaeological record. It highlights human actions and culture influences as the focal point of archaeological investigations and analysis. As the chaines operatoire is a multi-level approach the novice, as well as the expert, can employ this approach from the very first stages of any research project. The lecture on the 20th July will introduce the listener to this method. A number of examples from Europe, as well as closer to home, will be presented. For those that wish to try the chaines operatoire for themselves there will be an opportunity later in the day to participate in a practical workshop. You will have the chance to work in pairs on a sample from an archaeological collection and see for yourself how this holistic approach can offer new insight into any body of data.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). Later Stone Age Sites in the Lake Ngami Area: what the archaeological record reveals about climate change. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recently completed investigations on archaeological sites bordering the ancient Lake Ngami have revealed a new and fascinating glimpse into the use of this area during the Later Stone Age. Test excavations, particularly at the sites of Kareng and Makakung, indicate that at various points during the past 2 000 years hunters and gatherers have enjoyed a rich and varied diet of aquatic prey. Refuse middens located near shoreline habitations contained bones and teeth from a wide-ranging assemblage of resources: these hunters and gatherers were definitely not eking out a subsistence. Sites attributed to more recent times, such as the surface collected locality near Dautsa, appear to indicate that this pattern of abundance only increased over time. In addition a brief overview will also be presented of the range of Stone Age sites in the vicinity of Lake Ngami, including localities which date back to the earliest times of human habitation. These archaeological investigations were supported by the recently completed University of Botswana and University of Tromsø Programme for San Research and Capacity Building and are in the process of being prepared for publication.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). Verdibørsen interview on the role of women and men in Stone Age society. 20 minute interview. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2008). Interviewed by Botswana TV after Keynote lecture, at National Museum of Botswana, entitled 'The way forward in Stone Age Research - a personal perspective'. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2004). Bits, bulbs and burnt blades: what is hidden in the debris. Full text in Research Archive
• Brandt, Johann Rasmus; Coulson, Sheila Dawn; Hedeager, Lotte; Lunde, Øivind; Prescott, Christopher & Skre, Dagfinn (2004). Forskningsstyring ved HF. Uniforum. ISSN 1891-5825. p. 8–8. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2004). Omstruktureringa av HF-fakultet. 2(124), p. 50–53. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2002). The Black Rock Peoples of North-eastern Greenland. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2002). Giving and Sharing during Independence II - results of Refitting at the Eigil Knuth Site, NE Greenland. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2001). 'Raw Material Use in the Late Mesolithic of South-eastern Norway.'. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Raw Material Use in the Late Mesolithic of Soutn-eastern Norway. The excavations in the Dokka Project will be presented and basic assumptions made in surveying for large projects and choices made as to where and what to excavate will be questioned. The main results of the project will also be presented.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2001). 'The Use of ArcView to Present Information on Human Behaviour Patterns.'. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  A lecture on the use of the chaînes opératoires, refitting and a new method of presenting these dynamic approaches using the GIS program ArcView.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2001). 'The Basarwa Project. Ongoing research on the San of the Okavango Delta.'. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ongoing research on the San of the Okavango Delta.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2001). 'The Black Rock Peoples of NE Greenland.'. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The results of excavations of Independence II dwellings at the Eigil Knuth Site. This lecture will focus on the results of the 1996 excavations of a number of Independence II dwellings and will include results of the recent refitting studies, replotting of these results and interpretations.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1997). 'Use of the Interior of Southeastern Norway in the Late Mesolithic'. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1997). 'Use of the Interior of Southeastern Norway in the Late Mesolithic'. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1995). Critique of the session: East and West Sweden: Areas Dominated by Land Rebound - Economy, Topography, Origin of Coastal Settlement and Coast-Inland Relations. Full text in Research Archive
• Skar, Birgitte & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (1985). 'A Case Study of Rørmyr II, A Norwegian Early Mesolithic Site'. Full text in Research Archive
• Melvold, Stine Annette & Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2006). Lokalitet 3, Haldenprosjektet - en casestudie. : En senmesolittisk boplass vurdert ut fra tidligere forskning og sosiale aspekter. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Oppgaven tar utgangspunkt i en casestudie av en omfattende boplass fra eldre steinalder, lokalitet 3 i Halden by, Østfold fylke. Boplassen ble utgravd i forbindelse med et forvaltningsarkeologisk prosjekt i 1989, som én av totalt fem senmesolittiske lokaliteter, og dateres til overgangen til nøstvetfasen, 7500 BP (ca. 6350 f. Kr). Materialet fra denne undersøkelsen er ikke blitt videre analysert og publisert. Med utgangspunkt i materialstudier og en revidering av funnkatalogen fra utgravningene, presenteres gjenstandsfunnene. Det er videre utført spredningsanalyser av forskjellige funnkategoriers romlige distribusjon, ut fra en antagelse av at boplassorganiseringen ikke er fullstendig tilfeldig. Dette gjøres med utgangspunkt i Anthony Giddens’ (1979, 1984) strukturasjonsteori, for å kunne knytte sammen handlingsmønstre og det materielle med det samfunnsmessige, den sosiale strukturen. Hypotesen er at særlig en slik stor og sammensatte boplass som lok. 3, har potensiale til å kunne gi informasjon om grunnleggende sosiale strukturer i senmesolittisk periode, med en boplassorganisering som er resultat av opphold over noe tid, slik det gjenspeiler seg i den sosiale praksis. Med utgangspunkt i diskusjoner av mulige aktivitetsområder, basert på etnografiske analogier, vurderes lokalitet 3 ut fra tidligere forskning i området. Spørsmål omkring gjenstandsmaterialets typologi/kronologi, boplassens bruksfaser og mobilitetens karakter er en del av en helhetsvurdering av boplassens karakter. Tolket som en basisboplass i et område med relativt intensiv bosetning i senmesolittisk periode, vurderes videre ikke bare boplassorganiseringen som en sentral sosial praksis, men også tradisjonstilknytningen til området. Det bebodde rom står i en særklasse når det gjelder naturalisering/objektivisering av sosial atferd. Den sosiale mening som formidles gjennom boplassens organisering oppfattes som selvfølgelig, på samme måte som naturomgivelsene er det. Begge deler kan ha vært sentrale strukturerende elementer i et mobilt jeger-sanker samfunn i senmesolittisk periode i Østfold.

• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2004). REPORT on ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK 2004The University of Botswana and the University of TromsøCollaborative Programme for Basarwa Research (NUFU PRO 20/96). University of Botswan. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2003). The University of Botswana and the University of Tromsø Collaborative Programme for Basarwa Research (NUFU PRO 20/96): Report of Archaeological Fieldwork 2003. UiT Norges arktiske universitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Coulson, Sheila Dawn (2002). Report of Archaeological Fieldwork 2002 Collaborative Programme for Basarwa Research (NUFU PRO 20/96). UiT Norges arktiske universitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Schaller, Eva & Coulson, Sheila (1983). Bosetningsspor og graver. Bråten, 48/1, Ringerike, Buskerud. Universitetets Kulturhistoriske Museer Oldsaksamlingen. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bosetningsspor og graver på Bråten 48/1, Ringerike, Buskerud. Undersøkt i 1983.

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