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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CIAMS Welcomes its New Students
CIAMS welcomes its new graduate students.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
$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.
A movement brings community, visibility to neurodiversity at Cornell
Students and staff are finding support, community, visibility and a voice through Neurodiversity @ Cornell.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Building Community Connections through Archaeology
CIAMS M.A. student Carol Anne Barsody shares her experiences participating in the excavations at St. James.