Linking archaeology and material studies through multidisciplinary collaboration

About Us

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

Administration and Contacts History of CIAMS Academic Programs Faculty Profiles

Cornell branded notebook with archaeological digging tools

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:

Click here to support CIAMS archaeology

Archaeology News

Image of Dr. Matt Velasco's Book cover, titled 'The Mountain Embodied" — Matt Velasco, via University of Texas Press

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.

St. James Sacred Ground Exhibit Display at the Ithaca History Center

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 ...

Claire Challancin and Jaimie Luria in Ph.D. regalia — Recent CIAMS Ph.D. Graduates, Claire Challancin (left) and Jaimie Luria (right), at the Cornell-wide Ph.D. Recognition Ceremony. Jaimie Luria

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.

Image of objects from the Anthropology Collections — Rachel Foster

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.

Image of Matthew Velasco and Anna Whittemore — Professor Matthew Velasco and Anna Whittemore (Ph.D. Candidate) holding their SAA Awards Anna Whittemore

CIAMS Members Receive Awards at the Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting

Congratulations to our CIAMS Members, who will receive awards for their scholarship and work at the Society for American Archaeology's 2025 Annual Meeting.

Danielle Vander Horst, M.A. '19, with a collection of face pots during a 2018 research trip at the Colchester and Essex Museum, Colchester, United Kingdom

History of art staff member publishes research on face pots

Danielle Vander Horst M.A. ’19 wrote about Romano-British face pots in master’s thesis in the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies. This year, Vander Horst published a chapter on them in the Archaeological Institute of America's annual peer-reviewed book series that expands on her ...

Photo of two students with a freshly uncovered statue of Hercules — Alexander Cooper-Bohler (Cornell University, '25) and Rutger Loof (M.A. Student, University of Amsterdam), with the freshly unearthed Hercules statue

Cornell Undergraduate Unearths Miniature Hercules Statue in Montaione, Italy

A miniature Hercules statue was recently unearthed by Alexander Cooper-Bohler (‘25), an Archaeology Major with a minor in East Asian Studies, and a student in the Montaione Field School.

Image of hull of ancient ship — The Kyrenia was the first major Greek Hellenistic-period ship to be found with a largely intact hull. It was excavated and reassembled for scientific study. Kyrenia Ship Excavations/Provided

Manning honored for contributions to archaeology

Sturt Manning, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Classics, received the P. E. MacAllister Field Archaeology Award at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) in Boston in November.

More News

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.