Anthropological and Archaeological Research

Anthropology faculty and students are conducting many anthropological and archaeological research projects as part of their academic program work and through IUP Archaeological Services.

We work in locations throughout western Pennsylvania, the United States, and the world. A small sampling of our projects:

Research Projects

South Mountain Metarhyolite 1South Mountain Metarhyolite

Geochemical and archaeological analysis of pre-contact quarries within the South Mountain landscape.

Ethnographic Research Eritrean RefugeesEthnographic Research on Refugee Policy, State Making, and the Care of Eritrean Refugee Youth in Ethiopia

Ethnographic research project on refugee policy and the care of refugee youth in Ethiopia.

Dig by IUP Archaeological ServicesIUP Archaeological Services

More than $15 million in projects and technical assistance to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, National Park Service, and dozens of other agencies.

MSADPL technology in CyprusMobile Spatial Data Acquisition and Processing Lab Geophysical Technologies

Instrumentation for advanced geophysical and geospatial mapping in faculty and student research obtained through funding from PASSHE and the National Science Foundation.

Hanna's Town Redware MugHistoric Hanna's Town, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Excavations, artifact analysis, historical research, and digital archaeology to reconstruct 18th-century life on the Pennsylvania frontier.

Bronze Axe2Early Metallurgy in Asia

Investigation of early metallurgy in southeast China and northern Vietnam during the period 1200-600 BCE.

Squirrel Hill ExcavationExcavations at the Late Monongahela Squirrel Hill Site

Excavations, geophysical investigations, and artifact analysis of a pre-contact Native American village.

Newport field school studentsNewport Village

Archaeological and historical investigation of a late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century river town. Newport village formed an important connection between early roads and river transportation networks on the Pennsylvania frontier. IUP holds regular field schools at the site.

Fort NecessityFort Necessity National Battlefield

National Park Service and Cooperative Ecosystem Study Unit funded research at Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Research includes archaeological excavations, geophysical investigations, shovel test pit surveys, metal detector surveys, artifact analysis, and historical research.

Animal BonesFaunal Database Preservation and Accessibility

National Science Foundation-funded research to preserve and integrate existing data on the use of animals during the Archaic Period (ca. 10,000-3,000 BP) intDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record).

Core Sampling LouisianaGeoarchaeology at the Raffman Mound Center, Madison Parish, Louisiana

Geologic research to study the timing and pacing of mound construction at the Coles Creek period (ca. A.D. 700-1200) Raffman Mound Center as well as investigating possible environmental factors contributing to the site's abandonment.

Scan of shipwreck in Great Lakes from War of 1812 War of 1812 Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes

National Geographic Society-funded project to survey two shipwrecks associated with this crucial battle zone for the United States and Great Britain in the War of 1812.

Public archaeology Public Archaeology

Partnering with the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council, the Ellis School in Pittsburgh, and other groups to introduce archaeology methods to elementary, middle, and high school students throughout the state.

 

John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
  • Anthropology Department
  • McElhaney Hall, Room G-1
    441 North Walk
     Indiana, PA 15705
  • Phone: 724-357-2841
  • Fax: 724-357-7637
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.