Archaeology News and Announcements

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

Joukowsky Institute Honors Black History Month

Black History Month 2025 logo

The Joukowsky Institute recognizes the invaluable contributions that Black and African American archaeologists have made to the field, and the world at large. This February, we are highlighting the work of ten Black anthropologists, archaeologists, and explorers that have revolutionized how we study and practice archaeology with an exhibit in Rhode Island Hall, the home of the Joukowsky Institute. Building upon our exhibitions from previous years, 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 of Rhode Island Hall, surrounding the portrait of John Wesley Gilbert, known as the first Black archaeologist 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 by Erynn Bentley (Ph.D. expected May 2026).


John Wesley Gilbert (1864-1923)
John Wesley Gilbert is considered the first African American archaeologist. He earned 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 FlewellenAyana 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 JonesAlexandra 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.


 

Conference on the Aramaeans B.C.

Aerial photo of buildings (Stanford University)

The Aram Society for Syro-Mesopotamian (Aram Society for Syro-Mesopotamian Studies) Studies is organizing its Fifty-Eighth International Conference on “The Aramaeans BC: History and Archaeology,” which will take place at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, from July 14 to 15, 2025.

The conference will begin on Monday, July 14, at 9 a.m. and conclude on Tuesday, July 15, at 6 p.m. Each speaker will have a maximum of 45 minutes for their paper, followed by an additional 15 minutes for discussion. All papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in a future edition of the ARAM Periodical.

If you wish to attend the conference, please complete the Registration Form Aramaeans and return it to ARAM by the end of March 2025.

Thank you!

Job Posting: Visiting Professor (Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology), Ohio University – 04/20/25

We are seeking candidates who focus on any period of ancient Greek and/or Roman archaeology from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity.

While the field of research is open, we seek candidates committed to an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the past. Current participation in a field project is desirable but not required, although candidates will be expected to advise undergraduates on opportunities in archaeology. The teaching load is six on-campus courses for the academic year.

This Visiting Professor position is a full-time, nine-month position for the academic year 2025-2026 (from August 16, 2025, to May 15, 2026). Depending on departmental requirements, funding availability, and the candidate’s successful performance, there is a possibility of extending the position for up to two additional years.

Minimum Qualifications:

The PhD in Classical Studies, Classical Archaeology or related field must be in hand by the start date of appointment.

Preferred Qualifications:

We seek candidates who can teach a range of undergraduate courses on Mediterranean archaeology, including surveys of Greek and Roman archaeology. The ability to teach a course on mythology and to contribute to our curriculum in ancient Greek is desirable but not required.

View the entire advertisement on the SCS website at https://www.classicalstudies.org/placement-service/2024-2025/39055/visi…

Italy Conservation Summer Field School

We are still accepting applications for our summer 2025 field school in Italy. Now in its 26th year, with alumni from over 170 colleges and universities worldwide, SGPS is dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage. We offer students the opportunity to study and travel in Italy where they acquire hands-on experience in restoration and conservation.

The deadline for applications has been extended to April 15.

Session One (June 2 – 27)

Short Intersession Program (June 30 – July 9)

Session Two (July 14 – August 9)

Apply now!

Our courses are open to students from various disciplines, both undergraduate and graduate. All lessons are taught in English.

 

ARCE 2025 Annual Meeting

This year’s ARCE (American Research Center in Egypt) In-Person Annual Meeting Session Schedule and Meeting Schedule are now live.

We are looking forward to a rich schedule of sessions across interests and disciplines. The meeting will feature over 100 presentations under various themes such as archaeological sciences, Greco-Roman Egypt, art history, Nubia, philology, religion, and more! 

Additionally, this year’s special events include the Teaching Workshop: Translating the Book of the Dead in the 21st Century, led by Rita Lucarelli, and the Dessert Reception at the Legion of Honor Museum (Ticketed Offsite Event).

Visit www.arce.org/annual-meeting to register and learn more. 

6th Maritime Archaeology Graduate Symposium

We are pleased to invite you to the 6th Maritime Archaeology Graduate Symposium, that will take place at the University of Ioannina (Greece), between April 2-5, 2025.

For more information, including the programme, activities, and the zoom link please visit our webpage at https://hff-mags.org.

Register your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHsaT56tcdwwn5vTuegbPLMW46qmYazknh21NyR9qAl6eIHQ/viewform

Thank you!

Parker Lecture in Egyptology

We hope to see you this Tuesday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. in Rhode Island Hall 108! 

The Department of Egyptology and Assyriology is pleased to present the 2024-2025 Parker Lecture in Egyptology.

Richard Bussmann, Professor of Egyptology at the Institute of African Studies and Egyptology, University of Cologne, will give the 2024-2025 Parker Lecture lecture “Subaltern bodies in early Egypt” on Tuesday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. in RI Hall 108.

About Richard Bussmann

Prof. Richard Bussmann studies ancient Egypt in its wider regional context from a combined archaeological, philological, and anthropological perspective. He is interested in comparative perspectives on ancient Egypt and in cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of the past and its heritage. In his book The archaeology of Pharaonic Egypt: society and culture, 2700-1700 BC (Cambridge University Press, 2023) he develops key themes in World Archaeology with evidence from ancient Egypt, including urbanism, interregional exchange in Northeast Africa and the Mediterranean, funerary culture, the archaeology of ritual, sacred kingship, archaic states, and realities beyond elites. He also conducts research on early writing and material practices of administration. Richard Bussmann directs the fieldwork project “Zawyet Sultan: Archaeology and heritage in Middle Egypt”. He is the president of the Verband der Ägyptologie and Secretary General of the International Association of Egyptologists.

About “Subaltern bodies in early Egypt” (Abstract) 

“The rise of the ancient Egyptian state was a catalyst for increasing social inequality on a previously unknown scale. Egyptology has made great advances in studying administration, royal ideology, and social structure from the predynastic period to the Old Kingdom (ca. 3,500 to 2,500 BC), but it is still difficult to understand how these phenomena were anchored in the daily lives of the wider population. This gap in research is partially due to a scarcity of preserved and recorded material, and it also raises questions on the level of theory and social modelling. My presentation explores to what extent subalternity can help with developing fresh interpretation. Subalternity means, briefly, studying the agency of marginalized groups. It has been much debated in history and post-colonial studies, but hardly in Egyptology. The focus of my presentation will be on the human body, a medium of communication that all human beings have, yet at different degrees of autonomy. The body has been a major object of study across the social and cultural sciences from the 1970s onwards, and since the 1990s also in archaeology and Egyptology. I argue that there is scope in Egyptology for reconciling written and visual data for the body with archaeology and physical anthropology. I will present fresh results from my current excavation in Zawyet Sultan (Middle Egypt) which have inspired my research.”

Please join us!

Job Posting: Dougherty Postdoctoral Fellowship (Mediterranean Archaeology ), Stanford Archaeology Center – Deadline 04/15/25

We seek an emerging scholar of exceptional potential in any field centered on the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean world, broadly defined, including those whose research situates the Mediterranean in dialog with other regions and periods. The ideal candidate will complement the research of our faculty, and share our commitment to an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach to the study of Mediterranean antiquity. Aside from the primary goal of pursuing independent research, the postdoctoral fellow is expected to teach one (quarter-long) course, generally at the undergraduate level, per year, and contribute more broadly to the life and activities of the Center, which hosts weekly talks, working groups, and other initiatives. We especially welcome applicants from underrepresented groups in this field. The position includes funds to help support the candidate’s research and travel. Applicants should normally have received their PhD in the last four years and must have their degree in hand prior to taking up the position on 1 September 2025. The appointment will be for two years, pending successful review late in the first year.

To apply, please use Academic Jobs Online website. The website is currently down but we are informed that it would be up in the next couple of days. If the problem persists, please reach out to archaeology@stanford.edu for the alternative way of applying to the position.

View the entire advertisement on the SCS website at https://www.classicalstudies.org/placement-service/2024-2025/39062/doug…

Job Posting: Global Humanities Fellow, Tulane University – Deadline 04/21/25

The Tulane Global Humanities Center invites applications for postdoctoral Global Humanities Fellows. We are seeking recent PhDs in the humanities and humanistic social sciences whose work explores or intersects with any of the following topics: port cities, global flows, blue humanities, critical ocean studies, logistics, and/or transnational environmental humanities. Region of specialization and historical period is open; we are particularly interested in comparative and multilingual work engaging the global South, the Mediterranean, and/or the Gulf South. Priority will be given to applications that engage with the biennial theme (Global Port Cities). We expect to offer two fellowships, one in the humanities and one in the humanistic social sciences. Innovative interdisciplinary work that does not fit neatly into traditional disciplinary boundaries is welcome.

The Fellows will assist with the launch of a new interdisciplinary center, Tulane Global Humanities Center, focused on global research, teaching, and programming in the humanities.

The Tulane Global Humanities Center seeks candidates with ambitious research agendas, a commitment to undergraduate education, and experience in event and symposia planning.

Fellows will be required to be in residence during the academic term and to be an active participant in all the Center’s programming. Primary responsibilities are to conduct original research on the biennial theme; coordinate planning and scheduling of events; attend and participate in events and other Center activities; consult regularly with the Director, Faculty Advisory Board, and Assistant Director; engage with Center participants and visiting scholars; write content for the Center’s website, blog, newsletter, and social media; workshop an article or book chapter in progress as part of one of the events. Fellowships are for a one-year term, with the possibility of renewal for an additional year based on successful review. Awards include salary of $55,000, a computer allowance, a moving stipend of $2,000, and a discretionary research account of $3,000.

Qualifications

Candidates must have received their PhD in a humanities or social science field. PhD degrees should be conferred no earlier than 2021 and no later than June 2025.

Experience in public humanities and/or collaborating with non-academic community partners is especially welcome.

View the entire advertisement on the SCS website at https://www.classicalstudies.org/placement-service/2024-2025/39063/glob…

Women’s History Month: Martha Joukowsky

 

Excavating Joy | Brown Alumni MagazineAs we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s important to recognize trailblazing women who have made significant impacts in their fields. One such woman is Martha Joukowsky, a key figure in archaeology who played a vital role in the Joukowsky Institute, inspiring many throughout her long career.

Martha’s journey began at Brown University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958. She continued her education at the American University of Beirut, obtaining her Master’s degree in 1972, followed by a PhD from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in 1982. Her dissertation focused on the prehistory of Western Anatolia and was published as the two-volume work, Prehistoric Aphrodisias, in 1996.

After completing her doctorate, Martha returned to Brown as a faculty member in 1982, where she taught until her retirement in 2002. During her time at Brown, she conducted fieldwork in Turkey, Italy, Greece, and Jordan, notably excavating the Great Temple at Petra. Martha was dedicated to training future archaeologists through her work with the Petra Project and as a professor. Former student and current Professor Laurel Bestock fondly remembers Martha from her undergraduate days, referring to her as an advisor, professor, and, most importantly, a mentor. “She took me seriously from the very beginning. She truly was a force of nature.”

Martha served as President of the Archaeological Institute of America from 1989 to 1993 and founded the Near East Archaeology Committee, now known as the Near East Interest Group.

In 2004, Martha Joukowsky and her husband, Artemis, established the Joukowsky Institute with a substantial donation. Though Martha Joukowsky passed away in 2022, her legacy continues through the institute that bears her name, along with the artifacts from her excavations that are displayed in Rhode Island Hall. Her contributions continue to inspire countless individuals at Brown and in the world of archaeology.


To learn more about Martha Sharp Joukowsky and her work, explore the following:

  1. Petra: The Great Temple Excavation from the Joukowsky Institute of Archaeology at Brown University
  2. Martha Sharp Joukowsky’s Wikipedia Page
  3. Reconstructing Petra from Smithsonian Magazine, June 2007
  4. Memorials for Martha Sharp Joukowsky from the New York Times, the Brown Daily Herald, and the Archaeological Institute of America
  5. Martha Sharp Joukowsky on Research Gate
  6. Martha Sharp Joukowsky on People Pill
  7. Cohen, G. & M.S. Joukowsky. (ed.) 2004. Breaking Ground: Pioneering Women Archaeologists. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  8. Joukowsky, M.S. 1980. A Complete Manual of Field Archaeology: Tools and Techniques of Field Work for Archaeologists. Englewood Cliffs (NJ): Prentice-Hall.
  9. Joukowsky, M.S. 1988. The Young Archaeologist in the Oldest Port City in the World. Beirut: Dar el-Machreq.
  10. Joukowsky, M.S. 1996a. Early Turkey: An Introduction to the Archaeology of Anatolia from Prehistory Through the Lydian Period. Dubuque (IA): Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.
  11. Joukowsky, M.S. 1996b. Prehistoric Aphrodisias: An Account of the Excavations and Artifact Studies. Providence (RI): Brown University, Center for Old World Archaeology and Art.
  12. Joukowsky, M.S. 1998. Petra Great Temple: Brown University Excavations, 1993-1997. Providence (RI): Brown University Petra Exploration Fund.

CFP: Archaeology and Accessibility in the Digital Age

Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting
January 7–10, 2026
San Francisco, California USA

The Digital Archaeology Interest Group (DAIG) of the AIA invites contributions for a proposed AIA panel that will explore how digital approaches to archaeology can create more inclusive and equitable access to archaeological sites and collections in ways that foster the diversity of our discipline.

Particularly interested in projects about, educational opportunities, etc. that draw on digital strategies to make archaeological material more accessible. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

–       Digitization projects that make excavation materials or museum collections available to students, scholars, and the general public.
–       Web-based projects that seek to connect new audiences to cultural heritage.
–       Public outreach programs that incorporate digital and 3d printed collections.
–       Courses and/or individual lessons that bring digital and 3d printed collections into the classroom to provide educational opportunities for students who are unable to travel or take part in an archaeological field school.
–       Projects that create research opportunities for scholars who do not have the research funds or availability to travel to sites and museums to conduct their own research
–       Training opportunities that empower local communities to document and take charge of stewarding their own cultural heritage.
–       Projects that create tactile exhibits, multi-sensory experiences, etc. that make archaeological material more accessible to students, museum visitors, etc. who have disabilities that shape the way the engage with archaeological materials and museum collections.

To curate a discussion that encompasses a broad range of perspectives, we are particularly interested in submissions from students, scholars, and professionals from a wide range of backgrounds. This includes (but is by no means limited to) junior and senior scholars, academic staff members, museum professionals, k-12 educators, professional/industry archaeologists, graduate students, etc. Submissions from advanced undergraduate students will also be considered. For anyone interested in participating who is not located in the United States of America or Canada, the session organizers may nominate one presenter as an applicant for non-resident scholar travel funding.

Abstracts must not exceed 300 words and should follow the AIA Style Guidelines for Annual Meeting Abstracts. Applicants should submit their proposal using the following google form by March 24th, 2025: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYXmVDCizEbn4_fZ_dP-1kWpI9kac0k1TehJ4p8ItFa5DGbg/viewform?usp=dialog

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to DAIG co-chair David Wheeler (david.wheeler@berkeley.edu)

DAIG CfP 2026

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