Stanford Archaeology Center

Last week Wednesday, the Stanford Archaeology Center had our annual Holiday party. Ornament making and sugar cookie decorating filled the building with fun and holiday cheer. Here are some snaps of the wonderful evening that was had.

In the spirit of holiday giving, the holiday toy drive is still accepting donations! Please leave your unwrapped, new toys in the box at the Archaeology Center.

Happy Holidays! 🎊🎊

Let’s get knapping! 🪨

Start the year off with us!

Join us for our Welcome Back Party tomorrow at 4:30pm! We will have food, drink and yard games.

"Duo Tian, PhD

Associate Professor of Archaeology, School of Cultural Heritage

Northwest University, China (西北大学)

The ancient Chinese dynasties’ records highlight the Eurasian Steppe as an active and threatening region inhabited by “nomadic” peoples. However, ancient literature does not provide clear insight into the subsistence of these populations. As a part of the steppe region, the eastern Tianshan Mountain is a crucial junction for cultural communication between the East and West, and historical records show that it was inhabited by various populations in the first millennium BC. In recent decades, Northwest University in China has launched a long-term project to explore the archaeological cultures of the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China. This lecture aims to provide an overview of the recent archaeological work conducted in this region, shedding light on the chronology, populations, and cultures of the eastern Tianshan Mountains. Specifically, the lecture will focus on evidence from archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, and molecular archaeology to examine the subsistence and cultural exchange of this region during the first millennium BC. Additionally, the lecture will explore how ancient peoples adapted their strategies to cope with the fluctuating climate and mosaic landscapes."

Workshop Series

Toward A Sustaining Archaeology of Human-environment Interactions by Dr. Kristina Douglass

Thursday, April 6, 2023 @ 5pm
Stanford Archaeology Center | Rm 106
Webinar registration: https://archaeology.stanford.edu/events/toward-sustaining-archaeology-human-environment-interactions

Lunch Club Series

12pm (in person)

In Strokes of Water and Earth: Elemental Histories of Frenchness and Agricultural Colonization in Central Veracruz, Mexico, 19th-21st C

Distinguished Lecture Series
Lunch lecture
Feb 22, 2023 at 12pm (in person)

What’s in a Name - World, Worlding the Ethnographic Museum

Wayne Modest, PhD
Director of Content National Museum of World Cultures and the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam

Head of Research Center for Material Culture at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

Please come and join us to dive into the world of museums.

Distinguished Lecture Series
Afternoon Lecture
Feb 23, 2023 at 5pm

Limbo Time – Museums, Temporality and the Wounds of History

Wayne Modest, PhD
Director of Content National Museum of World Cultures and the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam

Head of Research Center for Material Culture at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

Reception at 4:30pm at the front patio of Building 500.

Please come and join us to dive into the world of museums.

Distinguished Lecture Series
Lunch Lecture

What’s in a Name - World, Worlding the Ethnographic Museum

Wayne Modest, PhD
Director of Content National Museum of World Cultures and the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam

Head of Research Center for Material Culture at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.

Please come and join us for an inspiring lecture.

Lunch Club Series (In person)
Feb 1, 2023 at 12pm (PST)

Liaowadianzi remains of the Western Zhou period and Studies on Early Chu Culture

Yue Fu, PhD
Visiting Scholar at SAC
Associate Professor, School of History and Culture,Central China Normal University

Stanford Archaeology Center is hiring a new Program Manager (PM) to partner with the department faculty and staff to achieve continued growth and preeminence in research and teaching. Reporting to the Faculty Director of Archaeology, with a secondary reporting relationship to the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration at H&S, the PM will provide management oversight and direction for the operations, administration, and finances of the department. As the partner to the Faculty Director, this critical leadership position will ensure sound management of the department and work with the Faculty Director and faculty leaders on new and continuing educational programming and initiatives to enable the center to achieve its mission. Additionally, the PM serves as the liaison to the school and university for administrative business matters for the center and partners with subject matter experts throughout the university in order to make recommendations and decisions as needed. For more information and to apply, see: http://m.rfer.us/STANFORDEzfKP2.

Workshop Series

The Chimerical Age: Revolutionary change in the visual culture of the Ancient Andes
by Dr. Darryl Wilkinson

Thursday, Oct 20, 2022 at 5pm
Stanford Archaeology Center| Room 106
Webinar registration: https://archaeology.stanford.edu/events/chimerical-age-revolutionary-change-visual-culture-ancient-andes

Lunch Club Series

The Mauritian Archaeology and Cultural Heritage(MACH) Project: Case studies valorising and applyiing archaeological heritage in the Indian Ocean by Dr. Krish Seetah

Wednesday, Oct 19,2022 at 12:00PM
Stanford Archaeology Center |Room 106

Please join Dr. Ian Morris in his Lunch Club Series: "Archaeology: The Loss of Confidence" on Wednesday, October 12, 12pm at the Stanford Archaeology Center.

Abstract: In the 1960s, some archaeologists rejoiced that a new level of theoretical sophistication marked the field’s loss of innocence. However, they might equally well have worried that it marked the beginning of the field’s loss of confidence. Since then, academic archaeologists have increasingly retreated from continuous narratives connecting the distant past to our own age. We have failed to take full advantage of our discipline's unique ability to explain long-term history. In this talk I describe my own attempt to show how the interaction of geography, technology, and organization across the last 10,000 years makes sense of one major recent event, the British decision in 2016 to leave the European Union.

The Stanford Archaeology Center is currently conducting a search for a new Curator and Director of Collections for the Stanford University Archaeology Collection (SUAC). This position is an academic staff career appointment (also known as as an “alt-AC” position). The Curator plays a key role in the research and educational mission of the Stanford Archaeology Center, leading all aspects of SUAC operations, programs, and exhibits; conducting research on SUAC collections; and teaching courses, supervising student internships, and developing collections-based instruction modules.

A complete position announcement and link for submission of application materials are available https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/curator-and-assistant-director-of-collections-18534

Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled.

Curator and Assistant Director of Collections in School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford, California, United States School/Unit Description: The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school...

The Stanford Archaeology Center invites applications for a post-doctoral fellowship in archaeology. The field of expertise is open, with preference given to topics that will complement and expand the Center’s existing research profile. The fellow will teach two undergraduate courses (or equivalent services/responsibilities) per year. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to teach and mentor a diverse student body. The fellow is also expected to participate in and contribute to the vibrant academic community at the Center. The faculty sponsor of this postdoc is Professor Barbara L. Voss. For more information and to apply, see https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/22454

Join Jeff Emberling, Associate Research Scientist, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan Wed, May 3, at 12pm for his talk titled "Collaborative Archaeology of Kush in Northern Sudan: Recent Work around Jebel Barkal". For more information about the event, including how to register, see: https://stanford.io/3kTwTOZ.

Collaborative Archaeology of Kush in Northern Sudan: Recent Work around Jebel Barkal | Archaeology Center Geoff Emberling, Associate Research Scientist, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan

Stacey Camp, Associate Professor at Michigan State University will be presenting at our next Lunch Club talk titled "The Archaeology of WWII Japanese American Incarceration: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Research". Join us Wed 4/27 at 12pm. see: https://stanford.io/38cAQLv

Some treasures found in the mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin (259-210 BC) at Xi'an-- the terracotta warriors, the elaborate horse chariots -- are now familiar icons. But not so the exquisite bronze water birds that also accompanied the Emperor in the afterlife.

Join our Distinguished Lecturer, JIANJUN MEI, on Wednesday, April 20, at 12pm PST, on his talk titled "The First Qin Emperor’s Water Birds: Manufacturing Techniques and Cultural Implications". His talk presents results from the scientific examination of a group of bronze water birds, which were unearthed from sacrificial pit K0007 at the mausoleum the First Emperor of Qin (259-210 BC) in Lingtong, Xi’an during 2001-2003. In total 46 bronze water birds were excavated, including 20 ducks, 20 swans and 6 cranes, all originally decorated with colored pigments. So far, only 8 ducks, 8 swans, 1 crane and about 10 fragments have been subjected to scientific examination, revealing some exceptional techniques, such as the use of clay chaplets, metal core rods and thin metal patches. These characteristics are rarely seen in bronze objects dating to the Shang and Zhou dynasties (16th -3rd centuries BCE). However, they show some intriguing similarities to the technical features observed on ancient Greek bronze statues, which were cast using a lost-wax technique.

Taking other archaeological evidence into consideration, this talk argues that cultural influence from the West may have played a significant role in shaping the material and spiritual cultures of the Qin Empire.

To register for this talk, see: stanford.io/3vfMU6o.

Join us in a Virtual Exhibit Tour titled Women in the World: Gender and the Origins of Stanford's Anthropological Collection. Curators will guide you through Stanford University Archaeology Collections' (https://suac.stanford.edu/) new online exhibit, which explores for the first time how women have shaped the university’s anthropological collections since the 1880s. Learn how these women navigated changing expectations around gender, race, and opportunity through their pursuit of world travel, interest in global cultures, and donations to Stanford’s collections. The exhibt features several Stanford alums and faculty. To register for this Zoom event, see: https://archaeology.stanford.edu/events/virtual-exhibit-tour-gender-and-origins-stanfords-anthropological-collection. The event will also be streamed live on Facebook on Friday, October 22, at 3:15pm.

Virtual Exhibit Tour: Gender and the Origins of Stanford's Anthropological Collection | Archaeology Center Virtual Exhibit Tour:Women in the World: Gender and the Origins of Stanford’s Anthropological Collections ONLINE via ZOOM for REUNION/HOMECOMING - but ALL WELCOME!

Click the link in the comments to RSVP! or scan the QR code if you're on your desktop.

This talk explores the potential for Interdisciplinary archaeologies of the Chinese Diaspora that center critical understandings of race, racialization, racism , and power. Dr. Fong will highlight how and why racial theory from Asian American Studies and Ethnic Studies matters to the archaeology of Chinese American Communities.

Hope to see you virtually!

NEW COURSE OFFERING on interdisciplinary heritage and African Studies!

NEW COURSE OFFERING: Join Dr. Sarah Derbew and Dr. Denise Lim in ARCHLGY 166 (CLASSICS 186/286, CSRE 166, AFRICAST 117): The African Archive Beyond Colonization this autumn quarter!
https://explorecourses.stanford.edu/search?view=catalog&filter-coursestatus-Active=on&page=0&catalog=&academicYear=&q=+ARCHLGY+166&collapse=
From street names to monuments, the material sediments of time can be seen, heard, and felt in the diverse cultural archives of ancient and contemporary Africa. In the last 50 years, revived interest in African cultural heritage and preservation raises complex questions about the problematic tensions between European, American, and African theories of ethnographic museum practice. Students will develop their own critical approach to diverse cultural artifacts and complete a collaborative final project where they will research, plan, and design their own virtual exhibition featuring African objects from Stanford University Archaeology Collections (SUAC). Students from African Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Art Practice, the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Classics, Computer Science, Digital Humanities, and History are encouraged to enroll.

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Stanford University Archaeology Collections
Stanford Archaeology Center

ARCHLGY 166: The African Archive; Beyond Colonization, with Sarah Debrew and Denise Lim. 3-5 units, WAYS-ED, WAYS-AII. From street names to monuments, the material sediments of colonial time can be seen, heard, and felt in the diverse cultural archives of ancient and contemporary Africa. This seminar aims to examine the role of ethnographic practice in the political agendas of past and present African nations. In the quest to reconstruct an imaginary of Africa in space and time, students will explore these social constructs in light of the rise of archaeology during the height of European empire and colonization. Particularly in the last 50 years, revived interest in African cultural heritage and preservation raises complex questions about the problematic tensions between European, American, and African theories of archaeological and ethnographic practice.

The Stanford Archaeology Center has an opening for an administrative associate 3 to provide administrative and operational support to the center. This is a great position for someone interested in archaeology, anthropology, history, classical studies, and other related subjects. Ideal candidate should have previous experience managing events and creating social media content. For more information, see bit.ly/arch-aa3 or go to jobs.stanford.edu and type 90460 in the search box.

Through practices such as cryonics and plans to build robotic bodies for future “consciousness transfer,” the Russian transhumanist movement has engendered competing practices of immortality as well as ontological debates over the immortal body and person.

Join Anya Bernstein, Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University, in her talk titled "The Future of Immortality: Remaking Life and Death Contemporary Russia" on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 12PM. Drawing on an ethnography of the practices and plans described above, Anya explores controversies around religion and secularism within the movement as well as the growing disagreements between transhumanists and the Russian Orthodox Church. She argues that the core issues in debates over the role of religion vis-à-vis immortality derive from diverse assumptions being made about “the human,” which—from prerevolutionary esoteric futurist movements through the Soviet secularist project and into the present day—has been and remains a profoundly plastic project.

For more information, including how to register for the event, see: https://archaeology.stanford.edu/events/future-immortality-remaking-life-and-death-contemporary-russia.

Professor Ian Hodder, director of Stanford Archaeology Center, cordially invites you to join in honoring the work of Professor John Rick on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 3pm. We will celebrate an intimate reunion with colleagues and former students, along with the Consul of Peru in San Francisco, who will be presenting the Ricks with the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services at the Commander level for their outstanding contributions to Andean archaeology. Our warmest congratulations to Professor Rick!

Register for this event at https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OB_YdIPITK2uQV8wWjvEiA.

The Amlay House, the Fietas Museum, and the Sophiatown Museum are easily overshadowed by the larger and more trafficked heritage sites in South Africa. However, these three small museums matter – and not only because they host exhibitions about the traumatic legacies of apartheid-era forced removals. They matter equally because of what they do not contain.

Join Jasmine Reid, PhD Candidate at Stanford Department of Anthropology, for a talk titled "Unmarked Collections: Rethinking the Conventions of Museum Analysis in South Africa and Beyond". The talk will highlight the politics of refusal that shape the museums’ collections: from a secret deposit of artifacts guarded from the museums by a homeless community, to excavated bottles and family photographs withheld from donation to the museums, these gaps in the collection histories illuminate community relationships that are typically excluded from museum ethnographies. As a departure from conventional approaches to the study of museums, this talk will instead center what performance theorist Peggy Phelan calls the “unmarked” presences that give rise to the museum itself.

For more information, please see: https://archaeology.stanford.edu/events/unmarked-collections-rethinking-conventions-museum-analysis-south-africa-and-beyond

Unmarked Collections: Rethinking the Conventions of Museum Analysis in South Africa and Beyond | Archaeology Center The Amlay House, the Fietas Museum, and the Sophiatown Museum are easily overshadowed by the larger and more trafficked heritage sites in South Africa. However, these three small museums matter – and not only because they host exhibitions about the traumatic legacies of apartheid-era forced remova...

Our world is increasingly saturated with images. Their number is growing so exponentially—on social networks and screens of all kinds—that the space in which we live is literally overflowing with images (we are approaching the limit which Walter Benjamin described as “a one hundred percent image space”). The question of storing or circulating them, their weight, the fluidity or viscosity of their exchanges, the fluctuations in their values—in short, the whole business of the image economy—is more relevant than ever. In order to analyze what is at stake in this new iconomy of our times, this lecture will offer a glimpse behind the scenes of visibility: on the one hand, into the road networks that route and reroute the circulation of images and gazes; on the other hand, into the history of shadows and their hidden transactions.

Join Peter Szendy, the David Herlihy Professor of Comparative Literature and Humanities at Brown University, for a talk titled Shadow Iconomy and Saturated Visibility on Wednesday, April 28, at 12pm. For more information, please see: https://archaeology.stanford.edu/events/shadow-iconomy-and-saturated-visibility.

Join Dr. Sarah Derbew in her talk titled "Probing the Construction of Blackness in Greek Antiquity" on Wednesday, April 21, at 12pm. Embarking on a quest for a balanced treatment of blackness in Greek antiquity, this presentation offers a reparative account of the iconography of black people. Drawing heavily from the work of scholars who examine the significations of blackness in Greek antiquity and modernity, she probes the artificial construction of color-based norms. Specifically, her self-reflexive analysis guides an inquiry of fifth century BCE janiform cups depicting black and brown faces on opposite sides. She treats these faces as part of a larger performance of blackness that occurs on the stage of the symposium.

For more information, please see: https://events.stanford.edu/events/910/91083/.

Join Shannon Lee Dawdy, professor at the University of Chicago and a MacArthur Fellow, in her talk titled "The Changing American Deathscape: From Real Estate to Reincarnation" on Wednesday, April 15th, 2021 at 12pm. In this talk, she will describe the move toward green burial, human composting, and conservation cemeteries being pushed by both activists and entrepreneurs to ask what it might signal about a changing moral and metaphysical landscape. It will be the first public presentation from a chapter on the relationship between the dead and the U.S. landscape from a forthcoming book that focuses on disposition of the co**se and beliefs in different types of afterlives. For more information, see https://events.stanford.edu/events/910/91082/.