Category: Archaeology
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Rachel Engmann, Hampshire College – The Archaeology of the Slaver in Eighteenth Century Ghana
Our view of the trading of enslaved people needs a different perspective. Rachel Engmann, assistant professor of African studies at Hampshire College, discusses why African experiences need to be brought to the fore. Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, assistant professor of African Studies, received a B.A. in anthropology from Columbia University, an M.A. in museum studies…
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Benton Kidd, University of Missouri – The Colorful Lives of the Phoenicians
Excavation is telling us new stories about an old civilization. Benton Kidd, researcher and associate curator of ancient art at the University of Missouri, explores the colorful lives of the Phoenicians. Benton Kidd is with the University of Missouri, Columbia, and his areas of specialization are the cities of Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor, the…
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Christopher Schmidt, University of Indianapolis – The Teeth of Herculaneum
We’re still learning about the cities buried by Mount Vesuvius centuries ago. Christopher Schmidt, professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Indianapolis, explores the people of one of these cities and how we’re learning more about them from their teeth. Christopher W. Schmidt is Professor of Anthropology, Director of the Bioarchaeology Laboratory,…
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Jack Tseng, University at Buffalo – Carnivore Skull Shape and Diet
“You are what you eat” just got more prophetic. Jack Tseng, assistant professor in the department of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University at Buffalo, examines how the shape of your head might be determined by what goes in your mouth. I am an integrative and evolutionary biologist, and my research focuses on the…
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Cindy Strong, Cornell College – Pottery and Chemistry
Can chemistry help us better understand the past? Cindy Strong, professor of chemistry at Cornell College, examines fragments of ancient pottery to reveal different cultures. Cindy Strong earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and has been at Cornell College since 1989, where she teaches courses in analytical and inorganic chemistry.…
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Penny Spikins, University of York – Human Origins
What caused the spread of humans across the globe? Penny Spikins, Senior Lecturer in the Archaeology of Human Origins at the University of York, details how emotions may be at the root of human expansion to new territories. Penny has been lecturer at the University of York since 2004, becoming a Senior Lecturer in 2012.…
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Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, University of Cape Town – Fossilized Clues
Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan is a palaeobiologist and a global expert on the microscopic structure of the bones of extinct and extant vertebrates. Today, on The Academic Minute, Dr. Chinsamy-Turan explores her research into dinosaur fossils. Her work has been recognized by several highly acclaimed awards: for example, in 1995 she received a National Research Foundation…
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Mary Kate Donais, Saint Anselm College – X-Ray Fluorescence
New tools are helping archaeologists better preserve their findings. Mary Kate Donais, a chemist at Saint Anselm College, is working with x-ray fluorescence technology that is very useful at dig sites. Mary Kate Donais received her B.S. in chemistry from Bucknell University in 1991 and her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Massachusetts,…
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Glenn Geher, SUNY New Paltz – Neanderthal DNA
Are you a Neanderthal? According to Glenn Geher, psychologist at New Paltz, you might very well share some DNA with these ancestors of ours. Glenn Geher is professor and chair of Psychology as well as director of Evolutionary Studies at SUNY New Paltz. He has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels—including Statistics,…
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Davide Zori, Baylor University – Viking Social Standing
When one thinks of Vikings, lavish dinner parties are probably not the first thing that come to mind. But, Davide Zori, a professor at Baylor University, will tell us: vikings were really into parties. Davide Zori is assistant professor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core at Baylor University. His research concentrates on the Viking expansion into…