Anthropology and Artifacts - Social Studies Network

Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue

Sapiens

DECEMBER 4, 2024

I have also been actively involved in decolonial efforts at the University of Cambridge, exposing me to the intricate practical challenges and the ethical dilemmas surrounding the restitution of cultural artifacts. Unlike the U.K., However, not all these acquisitions necessarily warrant repatriation.

Museum

Museum Archaeology Artifacts Heritage

Bits and Bytes Don’t Leave Bones

Anthropology News

MARCH 27, 2025

Cultural artifacts, traditions, and knowledge do not simply move; they shift, adapt, and sometimes disappear in the process. Digital artifacts follow the same patterns. In theory, migration ensures that digital artifacts remain accessible as technology evolves. But migration is not a neutral act.

Archiving

Archiving Artifacts Anthropology Museum

East Meets West: Avar Society’s Genetic Patchwork in Early Medieval Austria

Anthropology.net

JANUARY 18, 2025

New research, published in Nature 1 by an international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, delves into the lives of two neighboring Avar communities in Lower Austria. The graves, filled with artifacts like ornate belt fittings and everyday items, reflected a shared culture.

Ancestry

Ancestry Archaeology Anthropology Heritage

Excavation and Education: Lessons Learned as Teaching Assistants in the Schreiber Wood Project Field School

Teaching Anthropology

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

The post Excavation and Education: Lessons Learned as Teaching Assistants in the Schreiber Wood Project Field School first appeared on Teaching Anthropology. The SWP field school offers UTM students the opportunity to be trained in archaeological excavation within their campus grounds.

Archaeology

Archaeology Teaching Artifacts Anthropology

Application of Archaeological Anthropology and Cultural Resources Management

Anthropology for Beginners

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

archaeologists study past humans and societies primarily through their material remains – the buildings, tools, and other artifacts that constitute what is known as the material culture left over from former societies. Application of Archaeology Archaeology is the study of human past through material remains.

Archaeology

Archaeology Cultures Anthropology Heritage

Echoes of Movement: How the Grammar of Indigenous Languages Maps the Peopling of the Americas

Anthropology.net

APRIL 30, 2025

Linguistic bottlenecks and demographic echoes The study builds on a long-standing hypothesis in historical linguistics and evolutionary anthropology—that migration events, especially those involving small founder populations, reduce linguistic diversity. In this case, however, the origin is likely in the north.

Archaeology

Archaeology Ancestry Archiving Artifacts

Carving the Mind: Middle Paleolithic Engravings and the Dawn of Symbolic Thought

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

A recent study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 1 takes a significant step toward answering these questions. The Engraved Stones of the Levant The researchers focused on five artifacts from four archaeological sites: Manot Cave, Amud Cave, Qafzeh Cave, and Quneitra. ” The distinction is crucial. .”

Artifacts

Artifacts Archaeology Anthropology Ancestry

The Mythological Tapestry of Humanity: Unraveling Ancient Stories through Genes and Geography

Anthropology.net

JANUARY 27, 2025

The findings not only link myths to ancient human migrations but also provide a unique interdisciplinary framework for exploring the intersection of genetics and cultural anthropology.

Humanities

Humanities Geography Artifacts Anthropology

The Stone Blades of Jebel Faya: Rewriting the Story of Early Humans in Arabia

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

Examples of retouched artifacts from the stratigraphically youngest Middle Palaeolithic assemblage at Jebel Faya, Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences , 17:60.

Humanities

Humanities Archaeology Anthropology Artifacts

Learning From Snapshots of Lost Fossils

Sapiens

APRIL 3, 2024

Their remains and the artifacts found with them shed light on this major turning point in human evolution. From the photo, we learned new details about this pivotal population—a discovery that highlights the importance of archival research and the seemingly mundane paper trail that should accompany any anthropological fieldwork.

Museum

Museum Archival Research Archiving Artifacts

Cultural Relativism

Anthropology for Beginners

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

The idea is predicated on the degree to which human behavior is held to be culturally determined, a basic tenet of American cultural anthropology. Boas criticized the use of EVOLUTIONARY STAGES as the basis for organizing museum displays, arguing that exhibits should display artifacts in the context of specific cultures.

Cultures

Cultures Anthropology Artifacts Museum

Excavation and Education: Lessons Learned as Teaching Assistants in the Schreiber Wood Project Field School

Teaching Anthropology

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

The post Excavation and Education: Lessons Learned as Teaching Assistants in the Schreiber Wood Project Field School first appeared on Teaching Anthropology. The SWP field school offers UTM students the opportunity to be trained in archaeological excavation within their campus grounds.

Archaeology

Archaeology Teaching Artifacts Anthropology

Call for Pitches: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Anthropology News

JANUARY 29, 2024

Issued: January 29, 2024 Response deadline: February 23, 2024 Pitch responses: February 29, 2024 First drafts due: March 27, 2024 For our third issue of 2024, Anthropology News is delving into the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (AI) and its intricate relationship with human reality. And is humanity shaping AI?

Anthropology

Anthropology Archaeology Artifacts Humanities

CFP: Treasure: Unearthing Value in Anthropology

Anthropology News

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Issued: February 5, 2024 Pitches due: March 4, 2024 Decisions: March 22, 2024 First drafts due: April 17, 2024 Anthropology News invites submissions for the fourth issue of 2024, which will explore the multifaceted concept of “treasure” through an anthropological lens. Multimedia works should target approximately 10 minutes in length.

Anthropology

Anthropology Heritage Artifacts Cultures

A Call for Respect: Rethinking How Museums Care for Animal Remains

Anthropology.net

MARCH 10, 2025

In archaeology’s early days, animal remains were often ignored, discarded, or treated as unimportant compared to human burials and artifacts. That philosophy, of mutual respect and understanding, could serve as a model not just for museum collections, but for archaeology and anthropology as a whole. Related Research Luby, E.

Museum

Museum Archaeology Artifacts Anthropology

Ancient DNA Illuminates South Africa’s Human History

Anthropology.net

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

A team of researchers from the University of Cape Town and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology has reconstructed the genomes of 13 individuals who lived between 1,300 and 10,000 years ago, revealing crucial insights into human migrations and population stability in southern Africa. © R.

Humanities

Humanities History Archaeology Anthropology

The Evolution of Cooking: A Defining Moment in Human History

Anthropology.net

AUGUST 19, 2024

Richard Wrangham, a retired professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, noted 2 that starch grains can be detected in teeth dating back at least 50,000 years. These hearths typically consist of circular arrangements of stones surrounding ash deposits, often accompanied by burned artifacts or plant remains.

Humanities

Humanities History Archaeology K-12

Echoes of Home: Unearthing the Value of Personal Treasures in Forced Displacement Narratives

Anthropology News

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Each artifact—the bloodstained Nicaraguan flag, the resonant Tibetan sound bowl, the scuffed dancing shoes, the heirloom necklaces, and the well-worn coat—serves as more than just a relic of the past. The post Echoes of Home: Unearthing the Value of Personal Treasures in Forced Displacement Narratives appeared first on Anthropology News.

Cultures

Cultures Artifacts Anthropology Humanities

David Cliff Grove

Anthropology News

JUNE 27, 2024

Grove, Jubilee Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Courtesy Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida, passed away on May 24, 2023, at the age of 87 after a long illness. Gillespie, University of Florida) The post David Cliff Grove appeared first on Anthropology News.

Archaeology

Archaeology Anthropology Archiving Artifacts

Reimagining Neanderthals: Ludovic Slimak's Insights into Human Evolution and Coexistence

Anthropology.net

AUGUST 6, 2024

We have fragmented human knowledge into various disciplines—anthropology, psychology, sociology—but none of these fragments fully encompass what it means to be human.” Neanderthal artifacts display unique creativity and individuality, unlike the standardized objects produced by Sapiens. Slimak asserts. "We

Humanities

Humanities Artifacts Sociology Anthropology

Discovering a Monumental Megalithic Structure in Northern Peru

Anthropology.net

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

Excavations starting in 2018 unearthed artifacts and charcoal samples, enabling precise radiocarbon dating. As anthropology pioneers, Toohey, Murphy, and their team exemplify the transformative power of research, bridging the past and present to illuminate humanity's rich cultural tapestry. Together with students from Peru and the U.S.,

Heritage

Heritage Artifacts Archaeology Anthropology

A Tale of Two Internships

Anthropology News

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

At AAA, her major responsibility was revamping the “Major in Anthropology” poster. She also spent time at the NHHC’s UAB documenting artifacts from their considerable historical collection in their laboratory. A fascinating world of anthropology was opened to us, revealing numerous career possibilities.

Anthropology

Anthropology Heritage Museum Artifacts

OPINION: Can technology save the liberal arts?

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 12, 2018

For example, the one archeologist on staff across the five participating campuses developed an anthropology course , delivered as a hybrid seminar in the spring and followed by a summer field school where students excavated indigenous artifacts on Block Island, 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island.

Artifacts

Artifacts Anthropology Tradition Humanities

Clovis People and the Ingenious Use of Braced Pikes in Megafauna Hunting

Anthropology.net

AUGUST 23, 2024

Dr. Byram noted, “People who are doing metal military artifact analysis know all about it because it was used for stopping horses in warfare. But for whatever reason, it hasn’t been talked about too much in anthropology.” As Dr. Byram pointed out, “It’s a theme that comes back in literature quite a bit.

Artifacts

Artifacts Archaeology Anthropology Humanities

Ancient Craftsmanship: How Early North Americans Used Bone Needles to Survive Cold Climates

Anthropology.net

NOVEMBER 30, 2024

However, recent excavations led by the University of Wyoming's Todd Surovell and Wyoming State Archaeologist Spencer Pelton have revealed additional artifacts that deepen our understanding of life at this site, including the oldest known bead in the Americas, made from a hare bone. Source: Current Anthropology , 2015.

Archaeology

Archaeology Artifacts Anthropology Humanities

The Marsh Ambush: What a 300,000-Year-Old Horse Hunt Reveals About Early Human Cooperation

Anthropology.net

APRIL 18, 2025

Since the 1990s, scientists at Schöningen (shown) have recovered more than 1,000 stone artifacts and thousands of horse fossils.Julian Stratenschulte/Picture Alliance via Getty Images This was not the work of scattered foragers. Current Anthropology , 65(5), 876–921. Sentinels likely redirected the herd from higher ground.

Humanities

Humanities Archaeology Artifacts Anthropology

Ancient Iberian Slate Plaques: Early Genealogical Records?

Anthropology.net

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Found in tombs scattered across the region, these delicately carved, hand-sized artifacts bear geometric designs whose purpose has sparked debate for centuries. Deciphering the Plaques: A History of Theories Since the 1800s, scholars have speculated about the meaning of these artifacts, numbering around 1,626 recovered to date.

Archaeology

Archaeology Artifacts Ancestry Anthropology

Anthropology-Psychology interface

Anthropology for Beginners

AUGUST 17, 2023

It approaches the comparative study of human experience, behavior, facts, and artifacts from a dual sociocultural and psychological most often psychodynamic perspective. Thomas, John Dollard, Erik Erikson, Abram Kardiner, Henry A.

Psychology

Psychology Anthropology Cultures Humanities

Do You Want to Write for SAPIENS?

Sapiens

OCTOBER 7, 2024

My name is Chip Colwell, a SAPIENS anthropology magazine, part of Wenner-Gren Foundation. I’m an archaeologist anthropologist who started writing in the anthropology publication about 15 years ago and had the seed idea of what would become SAPIENS and brought it to fruition. That topically we are focusing on anthropology.

Anthropology

Anthropology Archaeology Artifacts Heritage

Barbara Joans

Anthropology News

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

19352024 Credit: Bill Shaw Barbara Joans, 1935-2024 A graduate of Brooklyn College, Barbara Joans earned her doctorate in anthropology at the City University of New York in 1974. There she opened a one-of-its-kind museum that housed, among other things, Native American artifacts as well as an exhibit of local Black bikers.

Anthropology

Anthropology Artifacts Museum Cultures

Seeking Ever-Elusive Treasures: Reflections on Collective Memory and Spectrality of the Past

Anthropology News

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Treasure hunting is long associated with endeavors to unearth concealed artifacts, illustrated best by buried troves of gold left behind by past communities. Accidents happen in dangerous sites, the promised artifact eludes hunters, or suspicion and disagreements turn violent. May engagements with the past be a part of the picture?

Artifacts

Artifacts Heritage Archaeology Cultures

Reflections on the “Historicity” of Child Death at Ireland’s Former Mother and Baby Homes

Anthropology News

MARCH 4, 2025

Whether or not this was originally an artifact of technical limitations, an oversight, or an otherwise intentional exclusion, my interlocutors response to the decision prioritized the relational obligations of family and government participation in the present over procedural precedent.

Anthropology

Anthropology History Artifacts Archaeology

Human Bio-Cultural Evolution

Anthropology for Beginners

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

As the anthropological definition of culture especially by scholars like E.B. Tylor includes everything from tools and artifacts to the abstract conceptualization of after-life, there are ample evidences which suggest that human evolution is as much as a social and cultural phenomenon as it is biological.

Humanities

Humanities Cultures Artifacts Anthropology

Karen Ito

Anthropology News

JANUARY 16, 2024

Karen Ito was a dedicated anthropologist, committed to promoting the understanding of the diversity of human cultural experience, with significant and wide-ranging contributions to the field of anthropology. She studied anthropology at UCLA, earning her BA in 1969, MA in 1973, and PhD in 1978.

Anthropology

Anthropology Artifacts Psychology Cultures

Charting Uncharted: A Portrayal of Treasure Hunting

Anthropology News

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

Nathan’s adventures always end in the destruction of sites and artifacts, a fact that isn’t discussed with the attention it deserves. The post Charting Uncharted: A Portrayal of Treasure Hunting appeared first on Anthropology News. The consequences of his actions are never his fault, and therefore they are not the player’s fault.

Heritage

Heritage Cultures Anthropology Artifacts

Culture and Personality with special emphasis on Margaret Mead

Anthropology for Beginners

MAY 22, 2023

Culture and Personality Culture and personality is the name of a broad unrecognized movement which brings cultural anthropology, psychology and psychiatry together from about 1928 to 1955. After 1960s the field becomes known as psychological anthropology. Thomas Barfield (1996) Dictionary of Anthropology. Philip Bock (1999).

Cultures

Cultures Anthropology Psychology Artifacts

Making Beauty as Craft of Care

Anthropology News

JANUARY 31, 2025

Finally, when flowers arrive at the florists shop, the care to transform natural beauty into cultural artifact iscarried out throughprecise physical techniques. The post Making Beauty as Craft of Care appeared first on Anthropology News. Credit: Rui Sun Flowers laid out on the ground for packing into the carton.

Artifacts

Artifacts Anthropology Humanities Cultures

Climate, Chaos, and Cooperation: How Shifting Environments May Have Forged Early Human Solidarity

Anthropology.net

APRIL 19, 2025

Artifacts from sites like Blombos Cave in South Africa and Olorgesailie in Kenya suggest complex behaviors—ochre use, shell bead production, long-distance obsidian transport—that imply trust, planning, and collaboration across groups. Current Anthropology , 37(S1), S1–S38. Related Research Potts, R. link] Brooks, A.

Humanities

Humanities Archaeology Artifacts Anthropology

The Demystification of AI: An Industry Perspective

Anthropology News

JUNE 27, 2024

The post The Demystification of AI: An Industry Perspective appeared first on Anthropology News. Masha Aresheva, Karen Eng, Paneet Gill, Jessie Liu, Sophia MacKeigan, Fatima Nazir, Alethea Pook, Pragya Sharma, Emily Shen, and Matthew Yeung, your support was invaluable.

Humanities

Humanities Artifacts Anthropology Research

A Face in the Rock: Tracing Early Human Symbolism in the South Caucasus

Anthropology.net

APRIL 19, 2025

According to a collaborative report published by Japanese and Azerbaijani researchers in Archaeological Research in Asia 1 , this is the first such artifact known from Mesolithic layers in the South Caucasus. Yet symbolic artifacts from this period in the region have been frustratingly rare. Current Anthropology , 41(4), 511–537.

Humanities

Humanities Archaeology Artifacts Anthropology

Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue

Bits and Bytes Don’t Leave Bones

Trending Sources

East Meets West: Avar Society’s Genetic Patchwork in Early Medieval Austria

Excavation and Education: Lessons Learned as Teaching Assistants in the Schreiber Wood Project Field School

Application of Archaeological Anthropology and Cultural Resources Management

Echoes of Movement: How the Grammar of Indigenous Languages Maps the Peopling of the Americas

Carving the Mind: Middle Paleolithic Engravings and the Dawn of Symbolic Thought

The Mythological Tapestry of Humanity: Unraveling Ancient Stories through Genes and Geography

The Stone Blades of Jebel Faya: Rewriting the Story of Early Humans in Arabia

Learning From Snapshots of Lost Fossils

Cultural Relativism

Excavation and Education: Lessons Learned as Teaching Assistants in the Schreiber Wood Project Field School

Call for Pitches: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

CFP: Treasure: Unearthing Value in Anthropology

A Call for Respect: Rethinking How Museums Care for Animal Remains

Ancient DNA Illuminates South Africa’s Human History

The Evolution of Cooking: A Defining Moment in Human History

Echoes of Home: Unearthing the Value of Personal Treasures in Forced Displacement Narratives

David Cliff Grove

Reimagining Neanderthals: Ludovic Slimak's Insights into Human Evolution and Coexistence

Discovering a Monumental Megalithic Structure in Northern Peru

A Tale of Two Internships

OPINION: Can technology save the liberal arts?

Clovis People and the Ingenious Use of Braced Pikes in Megafauna Hunting

Ancient Craftsmanship: How Early North Americans Used Bone Needles to Survive Cold Climates

The Marsh Ambush: What a 300,000-Year-Old Horse Hunt Reveals About Early Human Cooperation

Ancient Iberian Slate Plaques: Early Genealogical Records?

Anthropology-Psychology interface

Do You Want to Write for SAPIENS?

Barbara Joans

Seeking Ever-Elusive Treasures: Reflections on Collective Memory and Spectrality of the Past

Reflections on the “Historicity” of Child Death at Ireland’s Former Mother and Baby Homes

Human Bio-Cultural Evolution

Karen Ito

Charting Uncharted: A Portrayal of Treasure Hunting

Culture and Personality with special emphasis on Margaret Mead

Making Beauty as Craft of Care

Climate, Chaos, and Cooperation: How Shifting Environments May Have Forged Early Human Solidarity

The Demystification of AI: An Industry Perspective

A Face in the Rock: Tracing Early Human Symbolism in the South Caucasus

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