Archaeology
program description
The archaeology program has regional and topical research agendas focusing on ancient complex societies, especially those of the Americas, and archaeobiology. Field, laboratory, and computer-database projects are used to address the (1) evolution of complex societies, (2) conflict within and among ancient societies, (3) development of food-production systems, (4) adaptations to specific environments, (5) long-term impacts of people on their natural environments, (6) temporal trends in population size, and (7) demographic characteristics and disease experience of past populations.
The Eastern Woodlands of North America, Mesoamerica, Near East, South America, and the Caribbean are emphasized most heavily, but our perspective is broadly comparative and our geographical focus is augmented by consideration of ancient cultures in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific, where faculty members have had first-hand experience. Archaeology at Penn State also involves knowledge of the ethnographic and historic records to enhance reconstructions of the past. We provide advanced research and training for people anticipating careers in both academic and nonacademic archaeology.
research emphasis
| Eastern North America Midwest Southeast Northeast Gulf Coast Mesoamerica, Caribbean, and South America Highland Mexico Maya Mexico and Central America Caribbean and Amazonia Near East Syria Archaeobiology Osteology (Link) Paleodemography Paleoethnobotany Forensic Anthropology Settlement Patterns and Land Use Household archaeology |
Zooarchaeology Complex Societies Cultural Evolution Cultural Ecology Political Economy Urbanism Warfare Archaeodemography and Population Studies (Link) Paleodemography Paleoepidemiology Settlement Patterns Migration Archaeoinformatics |
department aRCHAEOlogists
Margaret Brown Vega, Ph.D., Adjunct Research Associate (mybvega@psu.edu)
Nathan Craig, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anthropology (ncraig@psu.edu)
Susan T. Evans, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Anthropology (ste@psu.edu)
Kenneth G. Hirth, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology (kgh2@psu.edu): Mesoamerica (central Mexico, eastern periphery), economy, urbanism, lithic studies
Carrie Hritz,
Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anthropology (cah52@psu.edu)
Claire McHale Milner, Ph.D., Director of Exhibits and Museum Curator (cmm8@psu.edu): Eastern North America (Great Lakes and Northeast); ceramic studies; museum studies
George R. Milner, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology (ost@psu.edu): Eastern North America (Midwest and Southeast, Archaic, Mississippian), settlement patterns, land use, human osteology (paleodemography, paleopathology)
Lee Newsom, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology (lan12@psu.edu): Eastern North America (Gulf Coast), Caribbean, Amazonia, paleoethnobotany, plant domestication, human-environment interactions as adaptive systems, long-term change in environmental systems
Dean R. Snow, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology (drs17@psu.edu): Eastern North America (Northeast, Iroquois), settlement patterns, paleodemography, archaeoinformatics
David L. Webster, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology (dxw16@psu.edu): Mesoamerica (Maya), settlement patterns, agricultural systems
