Research - Archaeological Anthropology

The archaeology program offers research opportunities oriented toward a broad range of issues in a variety of field and laboratory settings. Theoretical pursuits of the faculty include demographic growth and decline, the meaning of art and iconographic images, the organization of technology and production systems, cultural constructions of the past, and the origins and evolution of complex societies. Faculty research experience encompasses Northeast and Central America, Europe, and the Southwest Asia. The greatest strength is in European archaeology, which is unique among American archaeology programs. Currently, students are incorporated into field research programs in Albania, Austria, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Israel, Kamchatka, Northern Ireland, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine. In addition, a variety of laboratory resources are available, including a GIS laboratory, a Multimedia laboratory, a Cultural Resource Management division, and a Research Museum housing extensive collections from Western New York and central Mexico. We have outstanding methodological strength in archaeometry, arctic archaeology, cognitive archaeology, dermatoglyphics, environmental archaeology with a focus on palaeoclimate, heritage, landscape archaeology, digital archaeology, spatial analysis, and technological and stylistic analyses of artifacts. Strong connections are maintained with the Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology (IEMA) and the Departments of Geology, Geography, and Classics.