Texas Homestead Defenses, Myth or Reality? An Archaeological Cross-Cultural Comparison

Settlers moving into new and unfamiliar lands most likely feel a level of anxiety about moving into the unknown. This thesis proposes that this is true of settlers moving into Texas. This thesis also proposes that the manifestation of that anxiety is through settlers incorporating defense on their dwellings. In order to demonstrate this through archaeology, a list of archaeological correlates has been formed through research using cross-cultural comparisons with Australia. The correlates generated fall into four categories: context, landscape, architecture, and material remains.