The University of California Department of Anthropology - Evolutionary Wing
is soliciting applications for graduate students interested in East African
archaeology. Because the proposed projects potentially involve the study of
significant faunal assemblages, I thought I would post our ad here. Please
feel free to forward to anyone you think might be interested.
Thank you!
Teresa Steele
GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH IN EAST AFRICAN PREHISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY
AND ZOOARCHAEOLOGY AT UC DAVIS
The UC Davis Department of Anthropology Evolutionary Wing is soliciting
applications for graduate students interested in East African archaeology. A
combined research team from the University of California-Davis and
California State University-Chico has been conducting archaeological
excavations in northern Rukwa Valley, western Tanzania, since 2002. Current
emphasis is on late (historic) period sites that are enclosed by ditches,
walls or other apparently defensive structures. Excavations at the small
site of Kibaoni have yielded a significant pottery sequence that covers the
historic period but also extends back through the Early Iron Age. Glass
trade beads, iron fragments, features and a large faunal collection were
also recovered at the site. The project area provides opportunities for
graduate students in archaeology to work on a variety of issues in East
African prehistory, including ecological impacts of human settlements, and
evolution of petty chiefdoms in arid areas. Little archaeological work has
been conducted in the Rukwa region and the potential for significant
contributions to African archaeology is high. Some of the projects available
include: continued excavation at the defensive village site of Kibaoni;
initial excavation at the large defensive site of Maji Moto or at several
other sites identified, including one within nearby Katavi National Park;
and systematic survey for additional sites in the region (additional
historic and Iron Age sites have been informally identified, but sites
beyond these periods [Late and Middle Stone Age, possible Early Stone Age]
are likely to exist). Opportunities exist to work with other members of the
interdisciplinary team, including evolutionary anthropologists, conservation
biologists, nutritionists and others.
Although students will be housed at UC Davis, they would work with faculty
and staff at both UC Davis and CSU Chico. Dr. Christopher O¹Brien (Adjunct
Professor of Anthropology at CSU Chico) is currently directing
archaeological work for the project in conjunction with students and staff
from the Tanzanian Department of Antiquities and the University of Dar es
Salaam. Dr. O¹Brien can be reached by email at [log in to unmask] or by
telephone at 530-252-6698. At UC Davis, Dr. Christyann M. Darwent (Assistant
Professor at UC Davis) studies archaeological faunal remains to shed light
on past human subsistence economies and past environments. She is the head
of the Zooarchaeology Lab, which houses over 1200 specimens of fish,
reptile, bird and mammal. Dr. Darwent can be reached at
[log in to unmask] or by telephone at 530-752-1590. In September 2006,
Dr. Teresa E. Steele (Post-doctoral fellow, Max Planck Institute for
Evolutionary Anthropology) will be joining the UC Davis Department of
Anthropology faculty. Her research focuses on modern human origins, and
particularly on investigating Middle Stone Age environments through the
analysis of faunal remains. She is currently conducting fieldwork at a
Middle Stone Age site in the Western Cape of South Africa. She can be
reached at [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> . Drs. Monique
Borgerhoff Mulder and Tim Caro (Professors in the Departments of
Anthropology and Conservation Biology respectively) co-ordinate the
anthropological, demographic, nutritional and conservation research
projects, and can be contacted at [log in to unmask] and
[log in to unmask] Students interested in pursuing this research as part of
a PhD project should contact the above people.
Applications to the Graduate School at UC Davis are due December 15.
--
Dr. Teresa E. Steele
Department of Human Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig Germany
Office: U2.36
+49 (0) 341 35 50 364
www.eva.mpg.de/evolution
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