Book Release by Professor Nerissa Russell; "Hunting and Eating Symbols"
CIAMS Professor Nerissa Russell has recently published a short book through Cambridge University Press's Element series on food.
In 2012 we launched the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies (CIAMS), a unique initiative that links archaeology and material studies through multidisciplinary collaboration among a wide range of departments and units. The new Institute grows out of Cornell’s long-standing Archaeology Program. Founded in 1967, the Archaeology Program is one of the few entities in the United States to offer both an undergraduate major and master’s degree in archaeology. We seek to combine theory and method, practice and analysis.
Explore Our Program
Giving to CIAMS:
Archaeology has always depended on private and public philanthropy. You can support a variety of excavations, student research, and Cornell archaeology generally, with your tax deductible, charitable donation. Whether you’re a philanthropist, charity, parent or just concerned individual who wants to invest in the future of education and research while discovering the past, giving is easy by following this link:
Archaeology News
Doctoral Alumna Selected for CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
Dusti Cheyenne Bridges, Ph.D. ’25, has been selected for the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award in the humanities and fine arts for her dissertation, “’ United With Them in Good Feeling and Friendship’: (Re)lating Archaeological Belongings, Colonialist Histories, and Incorporated Peoples Among the Onöndowa’ga:’ Hodinöhšö:ni’.”
Ancient dirty dishes reveal decades of questionable findings
An interdisciplinary team of Cornell researchers – ranging from classicists to food scientists to engineers – has determined that organic residues of plant oils are poorly preserved in calcareous soils from the Mediterranean. This means decades of archaeologists have likely misidentified olive oil in ceramics, failing to recognize other plant oils or perhaps mistaking them for animal fat.
The long, deep dig: Collaboration excavates the ancient city of Sardis
From the Greeks and the Romans to the Ottoman empire, the history of Sardis, Turkey, is one of persistent turnover. But its archaeological investigation has been remarkably consistent.
Professor Matt Velasco publishes book, Feature in New York Times
Associate Professor of Archaeology Matt Velasco publishes a book titled "The Mountain Embodied", with a featured article in the New York Times.
Sacred Ground: Excavating Black History at Ithaca's Freedom Church
Running from June 19th, 2025 to December xth, 2025 at the Ithaca History Center, this exhibit highlights four seasons of excavations at the St. James AME Zion Church. The exhibit displays a wide variety of artifacts, and centers the community collaboration between Cornell students, faculty, and the St. James Congregation.
CIAMS Congratulates 2025 Graduates
Congratulations to the CIAMS 2025 graduates! Cornell's 2025 Commencement Ceremonies took place on the weekend of May 23-25th, during which this year's graduates were able to celebrate their hard-earned accomplishments.
Cornell Anthropology Opens New Collaboratory in Olin Library
A new Anthropology Collaboratory opened with an event on May 14 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.. The complex gathers many of the university’s anthropology collections and laboratories together in one place in Olin Library.
Alumni Spotlight: Samuel Disotell
Congratulations to former CIAMS M.A. student Samuel Disotell (M.A. '21), who successfully defended his master's thesis this past December. Sam's thesis is titled, "An Analysis of Faunal Materials From the White Springs Site, a 17th-18th Century Seneca Town in Upstate New York." Sam's research interests are in zooarchaeology; ritual, ceremony and feasting; inequality; and Neolithic Europe. Sam was also a founding member of the Archaeological Science Group at Cornell, one of two graduate groups affiliated with CIAMS.
Click here to explore profiles of our current CIAMS graduate students, and here to view a list of our CIAMS alumni and their thesis and dissertation titles.