Archaeology News and Announcements

from Brown University's Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

Smithsonian 2025 Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology

The 2025 Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology (SIMA) program is accepting applications for both Research Internships and Collections and Archives Internships. Application deadline is March 1st: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/anthropology/programs/summer-institute-museum-anthropology 

SIMA Internship Opportunities 

  • SIMA Research Internships – up to 12 internship appointments for four weeks including a $1500 stipend plus housing.
  • SIMA Collections Internships – 3 internship appointments offer a $3000 stipend for eight weeks each summer.
  • SIMA Archival Internships – 1 internship appointment offers a $3000 stipend for eight weeks each summer.
  • SIMA Faculty Fellowships – 2 appointments offer housing for four weeks each summer.
If you have questions, you can reach out to SIMA@si.edu .

[SCS Placement] New or Updated Position Listing

Position Title: Visiting Assistant Professor of Archaeology
Institution Name: Wesleyan University
Position Rank: Visiting Assistant Professor
Area of Specialty: Western Mediterranean
Application Deadline: 2025-03-14

The Department of Classical Studies and the Archaeology Program at Wesleyan University invite applications for a full-time, visiting Assistant Professor in classical history and material culture, with a specialization in the Western Mediterranean. The initial appointment is for one year beginning in July 2025 with the possibility of renewal for an additional two years. We are seeking candidates whose research focuses on interactions between the Roman world and surrounding cultures and whose methods and courses can demonstrate the ways in which ancient history and archaeology contribute to current conversations including human rights, political institutions, ethnicity, the environment, or cultural property. The successful candidate may be either an historian or an archaeologist, but will have demonstrated experience in blending innovative teaching with rigorous methodological approaches to the interpretation of classical texts, objects, and sites. The teaching load is five courses for the academic year and will include a survey course in Greek or Roman history, a survey course in Roman art and archaeology, and a seminar in their research specialty. Candidates should also be able to contribute to the language curriculum in either Latin or Greek. The PhD must be in hand by the time of the appointment.

View the entire advertisement on the SCS website at https://classicalstudies.org/placement-service/2024-2025/39020/visiting…

February Updates | Society of Black Archaeologists

Happy February from the Society of Black Archaeologists!

We’re celebrating this Black History Month with our new #BLACKINARCHAEOLOGY2025 production.

We made this video with SBA members across the world to showcase the diverse geographic representation of Black archaeologists, highlight the range of research questions and methodologies deployed within this community, and share a message of inspiration and collaboration across our varied missions.

Check out the video on YouTube!

PUBLICATIONS

  • adventuressmadvol. 3.pngSBA members Mykayla Williamson and Zenzi Moore-Dawes wrotearticles for the latest edition of Adventuress Archaeology Magazine. The issue (3) is dedicated to the work of Black women in archaeology and can be downloaded at https://www.adventuressarchaeology.com use the code BLKHSTMONTH at checkout to download the digital copy free.
IN THE MEDIA
  • Podcast: ‘Preservation for the People’: Uplifting Black history, stories and voices –  The Black Art Conservators group released a new podcast episode featuring Ayana Flewellen and some of our colleagues in conservation. Check it out here.
  • Preserving Historic Black Business Districts | Tuesday, February 25 2PM ET – The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation invites all students and others interested in historic preservation to join a free webinar, “Preserving Historic Black Business Districts,” part of the ACHP’s Preserve the Past, Build for the Future webinar series. There will be a panel assembled to talk about what their communities are doing to ensure the preservation and future development of these areas. Register for the webinar here.
  • International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Conference | February 20-22, 2025 | Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC)  – The Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies at Coastal Carolina University is holding its fifth International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Conference (IGGAD). This year’s theme is Reconstruction Through the Lens of Gullah Geechee and Communities within the African Diaspora. IGGAD 2025 will also examine how the African Diaspora has throughout history reconstructed, reclaimed, and redefined themselves after conflict and colonialism.

OPPORTUNITIES

  • Bvlbancha Rising | Summer 2025 – Applications are open for “Bvlbancha Rising: Louisiana Coastal Landmarks Imperiled by Climate Change,” a National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History and Culture program hosted by Tulane University, New Orleans, to be held in June 2025. Co-organized by art history professors Adrian Anagnost and Leslie Geddes, the program offers higher education and humanities professionals an immersive exploration of Louisiana’s cultural history through its coastal landmarks. Participants will engage with a program of site visits, workshops, and discussions, exploring place-based approaches to historical interpretation and preservation led by artists, culture bearers, and scholars.  For more details and application information, visit www.sitesofmemorynola.org/neh

Black History Month Display

The Joukowsky Institute recognizes the invaluable contribution that Black and African American archaeologists have made to the field, and the world at large. This February, we highlighted the work of ten Black anthropologists, archaeologists, and explorers that have revolutionized how we study and practice archaeology. Building upon our exhibition from last year, we incorporated four new Black Archaeologists that are paving new paths in the field of archaeology.

The display can be found in the alcove nearest to the East entrance, surrounding the portrait of John Wesley Gilbert, known as the first Black anthropologist and the first African American to graduate with advanced degree from Brown University. It was created by Christina Miles (`25) and Genevieve Sychterz (’27) with contributions from Erynn Bentley (Ph.D, expected May 2025).


John Wesley Gilbert (1864-1923)
John Wesley Gilbert is considered the first African American archaeologist. Heearned a BA (1888) and an MA (1891) from Brown University. The topic of his MA thesis was “The Demes of Attica”. He was the first African American to earn an MA from Brown. He also conducted fieldwork in Eretria, Greece, and spent the 1890-91 academic year at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, on a scholarship awarded by Brown. He subsequently became a Professor of Greek and English at Paine Institute, Augusta, Georgia, a historically black, liberal arts college.


Details are in the caption following the image

Dr. William Montague Cobb (1904-1990)
Born in October of 1902 in Washington D.C., Cobb was the first ever African American to receive a PhD in anthropology from Case Western Reserve University, becoming a renowned physical and medical anthropologist. He spent much of his career dispelling myths of racial pseudo-science, as well as highlighting the medical racism that Black Americans faced. He was one of the first “activist scholars” of anthropology who used the tools of the field to dismantle white supremacy, and became the first African American President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Over his career he would publish thousands of articles in academic journals and teach over 6,000 African American anatomy students at Howard University, changing the face of medical anthropology and medicine.


                                            Matthew Henson (1866 – 1955)
Born in Maryland one year after the end of the Civil War to two freeborn sharecroppers, Henson would become one of America’s most famous Arctic explorers, totaling 7 expeditions over the course of 23 years. In 1909, he and Robert Peary worked alongside Inuit men, women, and children in an attempt to reach the Geographic North Pole. While later explorers would reveal that they had missed their mark by 10 miles, it was still an impressive feat, and Henson was rewarded with a Congressional Medal of Honor in 1936. In 1912 he would publish the book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole, chronicling his expedition as well as the moment he, a Black man, placed the American flag down on what was widely thought as the top of the Earth.


Zora Neale Hurston (1891 – 1960)
Born in Notasulga, Alabama in 1891, Hurston was an anthropologist, filmmaker, and author. Her anthropological research started at Barnard College in New York (where she was the only Black student), conducting ethnographic research on African American and Caribbean folklore. She studied under famed linguistic anthropologist Franz Boas, whom she would later study with as a graduate student at Columbia. Her work explored themes of racial identity, sexual violence against Black women in north Flordia lumber camps, and Jamaican and Haitian folk culture. She was also a famous literary author during the Harlem Renaissance, publishing revolutionary work such as the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Her literary and anthropological talents combined in the nonfiction book Barracoon: The Story of the Last black Cargo, where she chronicled the life of Oluale Kossola (later named Cudjoe Lewis) from the Middle Passage to freedom.


Alicia Odewale
Dr. Alicia Odewale is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. As the first person to graduate from the University of Tulsa with a PhD in anthropology, her work specializes in African Diaspora archaeology as it appears throughout the Afro-Caribbean and Southeastern United States. Her most recent project discusses resilience of the Greenwood community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she analyzes historical evidence excavated from the 1921 Tulsa Race massacre. She continues to advocate for increased diversity and accessibility in the field, leading her to co-found the Estate Little Princes Archaeological Field School in St. Croix, which gives students the opportunity to train in archaeological methods for free.


Pearl Primus (1919 – 1994)
Born in Trinidad in November 1919, she emigrated with her parents to New York City in 1921.Originally having a passion for the sciences, she received a BA in biology and pre-medical sciences in 1940, only to be unable to find lab technician work due to racial discrimination. This led her to work backstage in the wardrobing department for America Dances, where she found her love for dance as well as her natural talent. She studied formally at the New Dance School in New York City, where she was the first Black student to do so—it was here that she ignited her love for artistic activism that would eventually lead to a career in anthropology. Having received her PhD in anthropology in 1978, she would go on to meld ethnographic research and dance to interpret the lives of African Americans and Liberians. In 1991, she received the National Medal of Arts for her contribution to American dance.


Theresa A. Singleton (1952)
Born in April of 1952 in Charleston, South Carolina, Singleton is currently a professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University, where she focuses on historical archaeology and museology. Her debut into the field of archaeology was groundbreaking, with a complex study on the Gullah-Geechee people of Coastal Georgia, who are descendants of enslaved Africans. A trailblazer, Singleton was the first African American woman to receive a PhD in historical archaeology and African American history and culture from the University of Florida. She is currently a curator for the National Museum of Natural History.


Mark Hanna Watkins (1903 – 1976)
Born in Huntsville, Texas as the youngest of fourteen children, Watkins quickly found a love for language. As there were no linguistic departments at the time, he would pursue a Masters in anthropology from the University of Chicago under Edward Sapir, writing about language exchange across indigenous Mexican language groups such as Zapotecan and Tarascan. For his PhD he turned his attention to African languages, writing A Grammar of Chichewa: A Bantu Language of British Central Africa between 1930-1932, one of the only complete grammars of the language, and the first grammar of an African language written by an American. He would later become a professor of anthropology at Fisk University, a Historically Black College, where he was one of 6 faculty members in the first ever African Studies program in the United States. Prior to his retirement in 1972, he worked at Howard University promoting language exchange programs between African and American students.


Ayana Flewellen

Ayana Omilade Flewellen
Flewellen is a Black feminist, archaeologist, artist, scholar, and storyteller. Growing out of their interests in historical archaeology focused on community engagement, they co-founded the Society of Black Archaeologists and they are the current board chair. Their research and teaching address Black feminist theory, through which they advocate for greater diversity within the field of archaeology and within the broader scope of academia. Flewellen has been featured in National Geographic, Science Magazine, PBS, and CNN, and regularly present their work at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. 


Society of Black Archaeologists: Dr. Alexandra Jones • Audio StoryAlexandra Jones
Jones attended Howard University, earning two Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and anthropology in 2001 and a Master of Arts degree in history in 2003. She earned a Ph.D. in historical archaeology from the University of California, Berkeley. While attending Berkeley, Jones participated in an outreach program that taught archaeology to sixth graders. Once graduated, she expanded the project to her hometown of Washington D.C. This inspired Jones to found Archaeology in the Community in 2009, an organization that conducts educational programs in archaeology with local schools in Washington D.C. and Maryland areas. Jones also worked for the PBS television program Time Team America as the Archaeology Field School Director. Currently, Jones is an Assistant Professor of Practice in History at Goucher College and is one of the directors of the St. Croix Archaeology Society. 


Gabrielle Miller

Gabrielle Miller
Miller received her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in archaeology from the University of Arizona, and her Ph.D. from the University of Tulsa in African Diaspora Archaeology. Her research engages with the expressions and legacies of freedom and resistance through material culture in an eighteenth and nineteenth century free Black community in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Miller currently works as a program specialist and archaeologist for the Center for the Study of Global Slavery at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. 


Justin Dunnavant Justin Dunnavant, Ph.D.
Dunnavant is a Howard University graduate who completed his degree in archaeology and extended it to maritime archaeology, becoming an underwater archaeologist for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. for the Slave Wrecks Project. Dunnavant’s current research is in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is investigating the relationship between ecology and enslavement in the former Danish West Indies. His path has included co-founding the Society for Black Archaeologists and being named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2021. Dunnavant’s interests continue to grow, most recently now incorporating oral history, Black geographies, and the historical archaeology of Africa and the African diaspora.


 

Advertisement for Spring Symposium CFP

CFP: JIAAW Spring Symposium 2026 | Deadline March 3, 2025

The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World (JIAAW) at Brown University is accepting collaborative proposals for a symposium to be held in the spring semester of 2026.

Joukowsky symposia are one- or two-day affairs organized around a topic relevant to the central mission of the Institute. This includes a core strength in archaeological and allied approaches to the study of the ancient Mediterranean and the Near East, complemented by scholarship focused on the ancient Americas and East Asian antiquity. Proposals should focus on either: 1) a geographical area of particular relevance to the JIAAW; or 2) a methodology or theme relevant to JIAAW research, while bringing together scholars working in a variety of regions, including (but not limited to) those relevant to the JIAAW.

Proposals should be submitted by a pair of scholars who practice in relevant disciplines, at least one of whom must hold a Ph.D. At least one organizer should be based outside Brown University; the other should be a JIAAW Academic Faculty member, Faculty Fellow, Postdoctoral Fellow, or Ph.D. candidate or Graduate Student Fellow (ABD status only, in both cases). Proposal authors will serve as the organizers of the symposium, which will be held at Rhode Island Hall, the home of the JIAAW at Brown University. The JIAAW will cover all programming costs related to the event, including costs of travel and lodging for symposium organizers and all speakers at the event. JIAAW symposia typically have budgets of $15,000 to $30,000 and involve a mix of local, national, and international scholars.

Symposium organizers are encouraged to identify why the symposium is a good fit for the JIAAW and Brown University more broadly and to develop a plan for publication of the symposium, either in a special issue of a journal or an edited volume.

The proposal should include the following:

  • A one- to two-page narrative outlining the scope and aims of the symposium and its potential impact on scholarship on archaeology and the ancient world
  • A bibliography of relevant sources cited in the proposal (no more than 2 pages)
  • A list of the names of 8-12 proposed speakers, including their current academic or professional affiliations
  • Curriculum vitae of both organizers

Proposals will be evaluated by a committee of JIAAW Academic Faculty based on the following criteria:

  • Innovativeness
  • Potential impact on scholarship related to archaeology and the ancient world, including publication plans
  • The synergy of the proposed lineup of speakers relative to the proposed topics
  • The symposium’s relevance to the central mission of the JIAAW and potential links to other ongoing academic initiatives at Brown University
  • The relevant experience of the organizers, their history of publication, and prior experience planning and overseeing conferences.

A successful proposal will demonstrate capacity to meaningfully impact scholarship on a particular topic, help create or support meaningful partnerships with colleagues at other institutions, while also enriching the greater intellectual community of archaeology and the ancient world at Brown University.

The 2026 symposium is being considered a pilot event and if successful will lead to further calls for supported symposia in the future. Questions and completed proposals should be directed to jiaaw@brown.edu.

For full consideration, please submit proposals by March 3, 2025.

Ad for Postdoctoral Research Associate positions

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT | Postdoctoral Research Associates (formerly Fellows) at Brown University (Deadline February 28)

Ad for Postdoctoral Research Associate positionsThe Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World (JIAAW) at Brown University invites applications for the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate in Archaeology and the Ancient World.

Exceptional junior scholars who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and service are encouraged to apply. Multiple Postdoctoral Research Associate positions will be filled.

We seek candidates who have demonstrated a capacity for innovative research, engaged scholarship, and cross-disciplinary thinking. Geographic area is open, though some preference will be given to scholars who work on the archaeology of the Mediterranean, Egypt, and/or surrounding regions of the Middle East and North Africa. Time period is open. While the boundaries of the search are flexible, we are especially interested in applicants who can partner with a JIAAW Academic Faculty member who will serve as their mentor during their time at Brown. Such common ground can include shared or complementary methodological expertise, geographic/temporal focus, theoretical interests, and/or past or future research collaboration. Applicants must have normally received their doctorate within the last five years, and the Ph.D. must be in hand prior to July 1, 2025.

In addition to pursuing their research, successful candidates will be expected to teach one course per semester. Teaching may be at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; interdisciplinary offerings are desirable. Historically, successful postdocs have advanced the mission of the JIAAW not only through their research and teaching, but by organizing reading or working groups, organizing small conferences, inviting speakers, and initiating new interdisciplinary or community connections.

These will be two-year positions (non-renewable) beginning on July 1, 2025.

Application Instructions

All candidates should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, short descriptions of 3 proposed courses (150-300 words each), a statement (150-300 words) of their experience and/or ideas for prioritizing diversity and inclusion in their teaching and research, and contact information for three references by February 28, 2025. The letter of application should identify a potential faculty mentor (or mentors) from among the JIAAW Academic Faculty. Applications received by this date will receive full consideration, but the search will remain open until the position is closed or filled.

Please submit application materials online at apply.interfolio.com/163218. There is no need to provide hard copies of application materials for those that have already been submitted electronically.

For further information:

Professor Andrew Scherer
Chair, Search Committee
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Joukowsky_Institute@brown.edu

As an EEO/AA employer, Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, and caste, which is protected by our University policies.

SAPIENS Pitches

As you know, SAPIENS is a free digital magazine devoted to popularizing anthropological research and ideas for an international, general audience. Each March 1, the editorial team considers “pitches” from anthropologists about contributing to the magazine. 

To learn more and pitch, visit www.sapiens.org/write.

Book Talk with Aidan Dodson: Thutmose III & Hatshepsut

Join AUC Press for this insightful lecture as Professor Dodson explores his new 2025 release Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Pharaohs of Egypt: Their Lives and Afterlives. Discover the Legacies of two of ancient Egypt’s most fascinating and influential rulers, and explore their rediscovery in modern scholarship.

Professor Dodson is an Honorary Professor of Egyptology and Senior Associate Teacher in the Department of Anthropology & Archaeology, School of Arts, University of Bristol. With an illustrious career and extensive publications, he is a leading authority on ancient Egyptian history and archaeology.

The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with Professor Aidan Dodson, allowing the audience to ask the author questions directly. There will be a book signing session, where you can have your copy personalized.

The event will also be streamed live on the AUC Press Facebook page. Attendance is free and open to the public with no pre-registration required.

Facebook Live Streaming Link

Venue Location on Google Maps

Coloring Ancient Egypt: An Activity Book for Kids of All Ages

The Harvard Art Museums have produced a coloring book to introduce kids to the art and culture of ancient Egypt. Through coloring pages, drawing exercises, a space to practice writing hieroglyphs, and more, Coloring Ancient Egypt explores Egyptian objects in the museums’ collections.

Coloring Ancient Egypt is easily downloadable and can be printed on 8.5 × 11 pages or used digitally on a tablet or similar device. We’d love to see your artwork and hear your feedback! Email us at am_dapp@harvard.edu with your creations, comments, or questions.

Learn more

HAM COLORING BOOK ENGLISH

HAM COLORING BOOK SPANISH

HAM COLORING BOOK CHINESE

HAM COLORING BOOK ARABIC

 

My Dear Neoplasm: Cancer and the History of the Graft

On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Brown University’s Department of French and Francophone Studies will host Associate Professor of French and Global Studies, Adam R. Rosenthal from Texas A&M University for a lecture on cancer.

In “My Dear Neoplasm,” Adam Rosenthal synchronizes poststructuralist analysis with molecular biological research into the writing of tumors. He argues that approaching the problem of the tumescence we know as “cancer” requires thinking alterity with Freud, Derrida, and Nancy, but doing so through a rereading of the evolutionary histories and logics of intercellular communication that give form to the formless. What follows is a new history of the graft.

Tuesday, February 11, 2o25
@ 5:30 pm
Music Room, 84 Prospect Street 

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