Skip to content

Filtered by: Archaeology

Archaeology and World Prehistory: Unearthing Our Past

Christopher DeCorse

Drawing from material in the Maxwell School’s Introduction to Archaeology and World Prehistory course, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Christopher DeCorse offers an overview of archaeology’s theories and methods and traces human history from early ancestors to the emergence of agricultural states across the globe.


January 22, 2026

See related: Archaeology

The Archaeology of Hassanamesit Woods:The Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Farmstead

Heather Law Pezzarossi

Heather Law Pezzarossi, assistant professor of anthropology, has co-edited and contributed to a new book, The Archaeology of Hassanamesit Woods:The Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Farmstead (BAR Publishing, 2024). The book explores the Sarah Burnee/Sara Boston Farmstead, a household in the Nipmuc community of Hassanamesit, and its excavation. 

October 8, 2025

Between Dovecotes and Columbaria: Rock-Cut Architecture in 19th Century Cuba

Odlanyer Hernandez-de-Lara, José Manuel Gil Avalos, Judith Rodríguez Reyes, Esteban Grau González-Quevedo, Darién Urquiza Rives

The article, co-authored by Odlanyer Hernández de Lara, Ph.D. candidate and part-time instructor in anthropology, was published in Post-Medieval Archaeology.

September 11, 2025

Anthropology Students Featured in Adirondack Explorer Article on Crown Point Historic Site

“The piles are the perfect opportunity to conduct an educational experience to train future archaeologists in field methods and public interpretation without disturbing any new context,” says Maxwell anthropology doctoral candidate Matthew O’Leary. “Students are engaging with real, complex, and engaging materials without disturbing any new soil.”

July 28, 2025

Egyptologist Shares Findings of Everyday Life of the Pyramid Builders During Phanstiel Lecture

A distinguished archeologist and founder and president of Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA), Mark Lehner has over 40 years of experience studying Egypt’s ancient history. 
November 29, 2024

Illuminating the Lives of the Pyramid Builders: Egyptologist Mark Lehner at Nov. 1 Phanstiel Lecture

Lehner, a world-renowned Egyptologist, will discuss his discoveries of ancient Egypt during the Phanstiel Lecture, “The People Who Built the Pyramids—How We Know,” on Friday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Leadership.

October 23, 2024

AIA Selects Christopher DeCorse as Joukowsky Lecturer

The archaeology professor will give four lectures about his findings on England’s 17th century-involvement in the West African slave trade.

October 22, 2024

Fringe Archaeology: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Past

Christopher DeCorse

In this book, Christopher DeCorse, Distinguished Professor and chair of anthropology, explores the intertwining of archaeology and popular culture, as well as depictions of archaeology in film and fiction. (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2024)

September 25, 2024

See related: Archaeology

History and Bioarchaeology

Alanna L. Warner-Smith, Shannon A. Novak

“History and Bioarchaeology,” co-authored by Professor of Anthropology Shannon Novak, was published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology.

July 29, 2024

See related: Archaeology

DeCorse Quoted in The Guardian Article on the First Archaeological Dig of São Tomé and Príncipe

“We have good insight into the big picture of slavery in São Tomé,” says Christopher DeCorse, professor of anthropology. But, “we don’t know how these plantations functioned. You have records of the number of people. You have dates. But the lifeways of people on a day-to-day basis are not so much. That reveals the grittiness.”
July 8, 2024

‘We Are Not a People of the Past’: Tenth Decade Project Builds Ties with Indigenous Community

A pair of Maxwell professors are helping to lead an effort to foster a reciprocal learning relationship with the peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

May 14, 2024

‘Unearthing Africa's Long Lost Past’: Maxwell Professor Unearths England’s First Outpost

The remarkable discovery of Fort Kormantine by archaeologist Christopher DeCorse illuminates a critical period in Atlantic history. 

October 2, 2023

Doctoral Candidate Says Project Provided an ‘Extraordinary Opportunity’

Matthew O’Leary joined the team of archaeologists led by Maxwell Professor Christopher DeCorse in coastal Ghana this past summer.

October 2, 2023

BBC News Features DeCorse’s Field Work in Ghana, Discovery of ‘First English Slave Fort in Africa’

"We don't have that many details on exactly what these early outposts of the slave trade looked like, which is one of the things that make uncovering the foundations of Fort Kormantine interesting," says Christopher DeCorse, professor and chair of anthropology. 
August 4, 2023

German Brass for Benin Bronzes: Geochemical Analysis Insights Into the Early Atlantic Trade

Tobias B. Skowronek , Christopher R. DeCorse, Rolf Denk, Stefan D. Birr, Sean Kingsley, Gregory D. Cook, Ana María Benito Dominguez, Brandon Clifford, Andrew Barker, José Suárez Otero, Vicente Caramés Moreira, Michael Bode, Moritz Jansen, Daniel Scholes
"German brass for Benin Bronzes: Geochemical analysis insights into the early Atlantic trade," co-authored by Professor and Chair of Anthropology Chris DeCorse, was published in PLOS ONE.
April 6, 2023

Art Museum Faculty Fellow Heather Law Pezzarossi Weaves Indigenous Baskets Into Lesson Plan

The assistant professor of anthropology has provided her students with a unique research opportunity. 

April 4, 2023

Brass Working and Mforowa Manufacture Among the Akan of Coastal Ghana During the 17th–20th Centuries

Christopher DeCorse

"Brass Working and Mforowa Manufacture Among the Akan of Coastal Ghana During the 17th–20th Centuries," authored by Professor of Anthropology Christopher DeCorse, was published in Afrique Archeologie Arts.

November 23, 2022

‘An Incredible Endeavor’

In Harriet Tubman’s bicentennial year, alumni and faculty reflect on their role preserving her legacy and take stock of new milestones, including a national park designation, a book and the $20 bill. 

June 15, 2022

Armstrong Piece on Using Archaeology to Examine Harriet Tubman’s Life Published in Ms. Magazine

Professor Doug Armstrong's article, "Using Archaeology to Rediscover Harriet Tubman’s Life in Freedom," was published in Ms. Magazine.

March 16, 2022

See related: Archaeology, New York State

Armstrong, Singleton cited in Science article on Caribbean excavation

Doug Armstrong and Theresa Singleton, both professors of anthropology, were interviewed for the Science article "Caribbean excavation offers intimate look at the lives of enslaved Africans." They shared insight from their own research on plantation slavery in the Caribbean. Maxwell alum Mark Hauser '98 MA (Anth)/'01 PhD (Anth) was also mentioned in the article.
November 8, 2019

Explore by:

Communications and Media Relations Office
200 Eggers Hall