In my latest Q&A series, I sat down with Professor Sonya Atalay, a public anthropologist and archaeologist who studies community-based science protocols and practices and Indigenous research methodologies carried out in partnership with Indigenous communities. She is a professor at both the UMass Amherst Department of Anthropology and the MIT Department of Anthropology. Professor Atalay is also the director of the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science(CBIKS).

Professor Matthew Liebmann is a Professor of American Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. His research focuses on North American archaeology, especially the history and archaeology of indigenous people in the Southwestern U.S. What drew me to his research is the practice of collaborative archaeology, working closely with indigenous communities to ensure that the research reflects their perspectives. He has conducted collaborative research with the Pueblo of Jemez

How did ancient societies feed their populations, adapt to climate changes, and cultivate their lands? John M. Marston , professor of archaeology and anthropology and director of the archaeology program at Boston University, studies ancient plant remains to answer these questions. As an environmental archaeologist, he combines his passion for biology, ecology, and history to conduct research to glimpse into how past societies interacted with their landscapes and how those dec

I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Cresa Pugh, the Assistant Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research. She advocates for the restitution of stolen artifacts from periods of imperialism. Dr. Pugh focuses her work on postcolonial Africa and Southeast Asia, exploring the history and violence behind artifacts enclosed in museums. In this conversation with Dr. Pugh, we explore how objects from the past carry both violence and perseverance, while also p

Dr. Matthew Boyd, the Associate Professor and Chair of Anthropology at Lakehead University , was kind enough to let me interview him. Dr. Boyd’s research is fascinating, he uses food residue from objects to reconstruct ancient diets. Additionally, Dr. Boyd studies the impact of large Pleistocene lakes on climate and early societies. Not only is he an anthropologist, but also an archaeologist with an interest in “cultural landscapes, submerged landscapes, and environmental pas

Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, functioned as a central trading hub of the Mediterranean world, facilitating trade across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Despite its strategic location at the crossroads of major sea and land routes and its reliance on the sea to fuel its maritime economy, Alexandria is slowly falling victim to the water. It is sinking. As rising seas and coastal erosion threaten what remains, numerous excavations have sought to recover the history of

We tend to think that social inequality ends at the grave and that death is the ultimate equalizer. But is it? At least not in ancient Egypt, where a person’s social status and wealth determined not just how they lived, but also how they were buried and prepared for the afterlife. As one of the many civilizations that believed in a life after death , the ancient Egyptians practiced elaborate burial rituals to ensure eternal fulfillment in the afterlife: mummification, placin

Thousands of years ago, there were no Google Maps or daily weather forecasts. Instead, there was the night sky—a map, calendar, compass, and temple all rolled into one. People living in ancient times noticed that certain stars rose and set at the same time every year. By tracking these patterns, they could predict the changing seasons, determine when the rains would come or when the soil would be ready for planting, create calendars, and navigate routes. In fact, watching th

Imagine it is the year 79 AD in the hills of Italy. You are surrounded by skies as blue as the ocean and the charming aroma of the local...

Welcome to “Roots and Relics,” my blog series focused on cultural preservation in the face of climate change. Here, I will share my views...