Program Overview
Archaeological Studies
Build a tailored major from the ground up.
Dig In and Study Diverse Pasts
Featured Facts and Stories
More than 650 artifacts in the 91直播 Near East Study Collection, 1,600 in its Ethnographic Collection, and 10,000 plant specimens in the herbarium.
91直播 in the World
Professor Amy Margaris鈥 current research engages ethnographic collections as platforms for dialogue and knowledge exchange between Indigenous communities, scientists, and 91直播 students.
An average year features more than 5 field projects with an 91直播 student on its crew
Curation and Collections
Preserving artifacts and other specimens is central to archaeology and museums. ACHS students have opportunities to gain hands-on experience in object curation and study, both on and off campus.
Undergraduate Research
Museums have an obligation to help address the historical wrongs done to Native communities by returning agency over their material culture.
Featured Courses
CLAS 351
Pompeii: Life and Afterlife
Buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, Pompeii is the best-preserved city from the ancient world. Replete with evidence from daily life, the site offers a time capsule of ancient Roman culture, preserving evidence from all aspects of life, from foodways to politics, and from religion to sex.
- Taught by
- Andrew (Drew) Wilburn
GEOL 152
Soils and Society
Soils are the basis for the formation of our societies - we need soil to grow crops and to have land for our animals to graze. However, our activities greatly alter the soils that we rely on, reducing our ability to productively use the land we live on. Through the use of case studies from regions around the world, students will learn the basics of soil science, hillslope geomorphology, and anthropogenic effects on these systems.
- Taught by
- Amanda Schmidt
ANTH 382
Archaeological Lab Methods
This is a hands-on course aimed at deepening your understanding of how archaeologists make meaning from the material record. Through an iterative process of reading, making, describing, and analyzing, you will critically engage with such media as stone tools, ceramics, textiles, geoarchaeological samples, and digital archives.
- Taught by
- Amy Margaris 鈥96
RELG 109
Jerusalem: Negotiating Sacred Space
An introduction to the history of Jerusalem and to the many and varied religious groups within Judaism, Christianity and Islam that have laid claim to its sacredness. Students will explore notions of sacred space as they find expression in sequential historical periods within Jerusalem. Weekly study topics include sacred cartography, apocalypticism, pilgrimage, and the role of archaeology in 鈥榰ncovering鈥 and bolstering religious land claims.
- Taught by
- Cynthia (Cindy) Chapman
Student Profiles
Researching Biblical Archaeology
An archaeological studies and classical civilizations double major, Julian Hirsch 鈥20 has been digging into 91直播鈥檚 Near East Study Collection featuring artifacts from 16,000 B.C.E. to the present.
Archaeology in Action
At 91直播, Susanna Faas-Bush, 鈥18 helped to cofound the 91直播 Archaeology Society while pursuing research into the ancient world. She is now a PhD student at UC Berkeley.
Using Artifacts to Tell Stories
At 91直播, Christian Bolles 鈥18 combined his interest in archaeology with work as a student journalist and coeditor of The 91直播 Review. 鈥淭he archaeological truth is incredibly malleable,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut that鈥檚 what I love about it.鈥
What Does Archaeology at 91直播 Look Like?
As part of a winter term project, ACHS students catalogued 91直播鈥檚 Herbert G. May teaching collection, including objects from ancient Israel and the larger ancient Near East.
Photo credit: Marissa Camino
In Professor Amanda Schmidt鈥檚 lab, students explore the intersection between human activity and surface processes, including soil erosion.
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones 鈥97
Archaeology and Geology student Allen Tao works with one of the college鈥檚 many natural history collections.
Photo credit: Jennifer Manna
Geoarchaeology students lounging at Stonehenge, UK during the spring 2019 91直播-in-London course co-taught by Zeb Page and Amy Margaris.
Archaeological Studies News
Students and Faculty Travel to China through LIASE Grant
Sponsored by the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE) implementation grant, students, faculty, and staff traveled to China on two winter-term trips.
Associate Professor of Geology Amanda Schmidt and Monica Dix 鈥20 Conduct Research in Cuba
Associate Professor of Geology Amanda Schmidt and third-year Monica Dix traveled to Cuba this past summer to research water quality in the country.
Reunifying 91直播鈥檚 Natural History Collection
Associate Professor of Anthropology Amy Margaris 鈥96 along with other faculty and staff members on campus are working to digitize the college鈥檚 many 鈥渄angling collections鈥濃攐bjects and specimens spread across various campus buildings that at one time had a home in the college鈥檚 natural history museum.
Upcoming Archaeological Studies Events
Details: Date, Time, and Location
Date
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Time
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Location
College of Wooster
91直播-Wooster Society National Lecture Series: Fay Amiro of Western University
Next Steps
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