MA in Anthropology - Anthropological Archaeology in Ames United States | Iowa State University

Anthropological archaeology and bioarchaeology explore humanity's past by examining material artifacts, skeletal remains, and ancient food traces to uncover insights about our ancestors' lives and biology.

Dr. Matthew Hill and Dr. Andrew Somerville focus their research on pre-Columbian hunter-gatherer communities and advanced civilizations in North and Central America. Through fieldwork, museum studies, and lab analysis, they address fundamental questions about human existence in these regions. Dr. Hill combines archaeological, paleontological, and geological approaches in the Upper Midwest to study how early inhabitants adapted their work patterns, movement strategies, tool use, and food procurement during the Ice Age's environmental shifts. Meanwhile, Dr. Somerville investigates pre-Hispanic Mexico, with active projects in the Tehuacan Valley, Teotihuacan, and southern Zacatecas, examining the health impacts of corn cultivation, the transition to settled life, and the societal dynamics behind the rise and fall of ancient civilizations.