News | Archaeology Program

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 thesis. In "Containing Yourself: Romano-British Face Pots as Proxy for Body and Self," Vander Horst argues that face pots in Britain reflect pre-Roman ideas about the body and human agency.

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.

A Brief Look at a Select Glass Jar Lid from Community Excavations at Ithaca’s St. James AME Zion Church

CIAMS M.A. student, Li Hayes, shares what we can learn from a fragment of a fruit canning jar lid.

Stitch by Stitch: Uncovering the Past Through Textiles

CIAMS M.A. student, Sarah Orsinger, analyzes the largest textile found to date at St. James AME Zion Church.

Doing Archaeology of the Spiritual

CIAMS M.A. student, Haley Stuckey, reflects on excavating at St. James AME Zion Church.

A Historical Analysis of the Intact Royal Salad Dressing Bottle Found at Ithaca’s St. James AME Zion Church

CIAMS M.A. student, David Dishman, analyzes an intact glass bottle that was recovered from St. James AME Zion Church.

Adam Smith testifying for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the United States Congress — Prof. Adam T. Smith testifying for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the United States Congress

CIAMS Director Presents on the Destruction of Armenian Cultural Heritage by Azerbaijan

On September 19, 2024, Prof. Adam T. Smith (Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Anthropology, Director of CIAMS, and Co-director of Caucasus Heritage Watch) presented testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the United States Congress. Smith’s testimony was part of a hearing on alleged human rights violations perpetrated by the government of Azerbaijan against the Armenian community expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. The hearing examined evidence for ethnic cleansing and related human rights abuses, including the treatment of prisoners of war and political prisoners, and the status of Armenian cultural sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The new M.A. Students — CIAMS' new M.A. students (from left to right: Daniel Osborne, Haley Stuckey, Holly Sexton, Sarah Orsinger, Lauren Hlister, Li Hayes, David Dishman, Marissa Gershowitz)

CIAMS Welcomes its New Students

CIAMS welcomes its new graduate students.

Ancient ship underbody, just a skeleton of wood

Almonds, pottery and wood help date famed Kyrenia shipwreck

The Cornell Tree-Ring Laboratory identified the likeliest timeline of the Hellenistic-era ship's sinking as between 296-271 BCE, with a strong probability it occurred between 286-272 BCE.

Image of CIAMS artifact washing and participants

CIAMS Celebrates Juneteenth at St. James AME Zion Church

As part of Saturday’s festival on June 15th, Cornell’s Institute for Archaeology and Material Studies (CIAMS) and St. James AME Zion Church organized an artifact washing activity for kids next to the church.

Annapaola Passerini and Rebecca Gerdes at Cornell's 2024 Graduation Ceremonies

CIAMS Congratulates 2024 Graduates

CIAMS congratulates its graduates of 2024

'My research in New Zealand boosted my confidence as a global citizen'

Milan Taylor is an anthropology & archaeology major.

Pencil drawing: a woman wearing a blue head scarf against a bright red background

Defying the Odds: Elja Sharifi’s Voice for the Powerless

Afghan visual artist Elja Sharifi, currently a visiting scholar at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, sees her escape from the Taliban as a call to action. She will enter Cornell’s PhD program in art history next fall.

Exploring the remains of ancient daily life

The collection “Households in Context: Dwelling in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt” shifts the archaeological perspective from public and elite spaces such as temples, tombs and palaces to everyday dwellings and interactions of families.

Milstein faculty fellow's course examines tech's role in cultural preservation

As a new faculty fellow in the Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity, Adam T. Smith co-developed the new course this spring.

Summer Experience Grant applications now open

The grants provide funding for students in unpaid or low-paying summer experiences to offset the cost of taking on those positions.

St. James Excavations – on video!

CIAMS M.A. student, Alex Dorosin, shares two short films he shot and edited of the 2023 St. James excavations.

A Dendrochronological Report from the St. James AME Zion Church of Ithaca, NY

Cornell student Madeleine Wenger '24 presents a dendrochronology tour of the wood samples collected from St. James AME Zion Church.

Faunal Remains at St. James AME Zion Church

CIAMS M.A. student Emma Zilke presents a preliminary analysis of some faunal remains recovered from St. James AME Zion Church.

A display case showing a ceramic head-shaped object standing on a base; a woven cloth showing animal shapes; and a gold mask

Conference celebrates 40 years of Andean studies at Cornell

“The conference showcased the true intergenerational and diverse group of scholars involved in Andean Studies,” said Prof. Cohen-Aponte.

Underground Railroad Seminar Course Advances to a Multilevel Research Project

The St. James AME Zion Church Community Excavations were featured in a recent story for The Cornell Daily Sun.

An Initial Selection of Glass Artifacts from Community Excavations at Ithaca’s St. James AME Zion Church

CIAMS M.A. student Arnov Tandon explains his analysis of glass artifacts recovered from St. James AME Zion Church.

Why Aren’t There More Nonwhite Archaeologists, Financially Speaking?

Cornell student Ruth Rajcoomar '24 discusses the need for a more inclusive and equitable field and how the community excavations at St. James highlight the potential for financially inclusive fieldwork experiences.

Freedom's Path: The Underground Railroad in Ithaca

Cornell Historic Preservation graduate student, Kami Cai, presents an ArcGIS StoryMap about the Underground Railroad in Ithaca.

Looking back, to move forward…

Cornell University celebrates International Archaeology Day on October 21 this year with several exciting events on campus and in Ithaca, alongside additional events at the Corning Museum of Glass.

Six postdocs honored with achievement awards

Cornell employs 790 postdoctoral scholars who are appointed across nearly 90 departments where they actively participate in the university’s research, teaching, and extension missions.

Old stone building with a tower; grass growing on roof

Hundreds of Armenian heritage sites at risk in Nagorno-Karabakh

Faculty researchers paint a picture of what will happen if multilateral organizations fail to protect Armenian cultural heritage as Azerbaijan shells the disputed region.

Students standing around an open wastewater treatment facility, which looks like a big cement rectangle with green water and wooden separaters.

Engaged Opportunity Grants fund projects from Tompkins to Tanzania

The funded community-engaged learning projects provide opportunities for students to excavate ancient Pompeii, establish a community garden in Moshi, Tanzania and more.

Person standing in a field holding a sign that says "Estate Little Princess"

Unearthing the lives of enslaved peoples at a historical St. Croix sugar plantation

MyKayla Williamson's archaeological excavation takes place on Estate Little Princess, a plantation where people of African descent lived and worked starting in circa 1740.

CIAMS members receive grants to support their research

This year, Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies (CIAMS) members received several grants and fellowships to support their research activities.

Alum launches first Smithsonian museum dedicated to women

Lisa Sasaki ’97 is helping to shepherd the high-profile new Washington, D.C., institution into existence

Einaudi seed grants finding fertile soil

Faculty from six colleges across Cornell tackle issues ranging from the health of endangered wild dogs to the spread of misinformation through social media.

Illustration in bright red of Earth and a doctor's gloved hand

$2.5M in A&S New Frontier Grants supports bold projects

A&S faculty members will delve into questions ranging from quantum computing to foreign policy development and from heritage forensics to effects of climate change.

Nexus Scholars Program expands research opportunities to 101 students

This summer, 101 students in the College of Arts and Sciences will take part in groundbreaking research on campus with 61 faculty as part of the Nexus Scholars Program.

'Don't be afraid to radically change direction'

Charlee Mandy is an archaeology and classics major.

'Cornell gave me space to learn how to critically assess others' points of views...'

Hannah Master is an archaeology and Near Eastern studies major.

Three people wearing matching yellow t-shirts look at two laptop computers

A movement brings community, visibility to neurodiversity at Cornell

Students and staff are finding support, community, visibility and a voice through Neurodiversity @ Cornell.

Dry landscape featuring a hill and partly cloudy sky

Rare drought coincided with Hittite Empire collapse

An interdisciplinary collaboration used tree ring and isotope records to pinpoint a likely culprit: three straight years of severe drought in an already dry period.

The unexpected importance of the sea sponge in classical history

In the Society for the Humanities Invitational Lecture Feb. 15, art historian Verity Platt will present her research on the humble sea sponge.

Study abroad students taste Cambodian culture

The Cornell Chronicle has written an article about CIAMS member Magnus Fiskesjö's class on heritage, archaeology and repatriation.

A&S secures gifts, embarks on McGraw Hall renovation

The refurbishment and preservation of McGraw has become a top priority for the College of Arts & Sciences and the university.

Excavation uncovers 2K more artifacts at St. James church site

This semester’s work also featured an end-of-semester mini-field course for local children and youth presented by two Cornell students.

Composit image of a man wearing glasses, a purple moon, a mountain, and a metal monument

Fictional civilization leaves behind lasting legacy

Llhuros – its relics, rituals, poetry, and music – as well as the academic commentary it inspired, "documents just one tiny little sliver of Cornell’s history. But it’s a fascinating one.”

test unit at St. James — Figure 1. The test unit; a one-meter by one-meter square. MyKayla Williamson

A Day Digging at St. James AME Zion Church

Join CIAMS M.A. student MyKayla Williamson on a day digging at St. James and a day analyzing ceramic artifacts in the lab.

Jerry Rescue Monument, Syracuse NY (From visitsyracuse.com/)

Community Resistance and Community Archaeology- St. James AME Zion Church and the Underground Railroad in Ithaca, NY

Cornell student Jonathan Ebenezer ‘23 discusses the role of community resistance on the Underground Railroad as it relates to St. James.

Raspberry (Rupus sp.) carbonized seed remains.

Faith the Size of a Berry Seed

Cornell student Milan Taylor ’24 speaks with Maia Dedrick, Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow, about paleoethnobotany work conducted at St. James.

students excavating a test unit — SMSA students participating in excavations at St. James AME Zion Church in Fall 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Science and Mathematics Academy Saturday STEM Program.)

More to Archaeology than Digging

Cornell student Aaliyah Brown '23 talks with SMSA founder Denise Lee '73 about engaging youth in the excavations at St. James.

participants screen for artifacts at St. James — Local community members and Cornell Professor Lori Khatchadourian working together to collect artifacts from the screen. Carol Anne Barsody

Building Community Connections through Archaeology

CIAMS M.A. student Carol Anne Barsody shares her experiences participating in the excavations at St. James.

Students can now choose new minor in data science

The minor is distinctive in including courses from many disciplines, from across Cornell’s schools and colleges.