Noteworthy

WILLEKE WENDRICH and DEIDRE BRIN contribute to book on digital preservation of cultural heritage

Willeke Wendrich, director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, is the co-editor of Preserving Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age: Sending Out an S.O.S., a volume in the Equinox series “New Directions in Anthropological Archaeology,” published in February, 2022. Wendrich also co-authored the book’s introduction titled “A Sense of Urgency,” and wrote the chapter “At-Risk Cultural Heritage, Open Communication and Stealth Archaeology.”

 

Deidre Brin, Digital Archaeology Lab and Data Publication director of the Cotsen Institute, wrote a chapter on “Data as At-Risk Cultural Heritage: The DIG Publication Initiative.”  DIG Data Publication Initiative is the Cotsen Institute’s new effort to establish an archaeological digital data publication service.

 

The book is the result of Research Catalyst Grant CA-16-376911 from the Office of the President of the University of California, which funded research at four UC campuses (Berkeley, UCLA, Merced and UCSD). DIG was also partially supported by the Catalyst project.

 

 

Link:

https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/preserving-cultural-heritage/

JUSTIN DUNNAVANT talks on NPR about marine archaeology and technology

Justin Dunnavant, assistant professor of anthropology and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, discussed the use of advanced technology in marine archaeology in the episode of “Marketplace,” National Public Radio, February 22. A podcast of the episode can be found here.

KARA COONEY speaks on “When Women Ruled the World” for National Geographic LIVE

Kara Cooney, chair of the department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute, will speak on “When Women Ruled The World” in six cities for National Geographic LIVE. She is the author of “When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt,” which was published by National Geographic in 2018.

Cooney will appear on March 6 in Denver, CO; on March 13-14 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; March 24 in Benton Harbor, MI; and on March 27 in San Antonio, TX. In addition, she will be  in Princeton, NJ on April 3, and in Victoria, BC, Canada on May 4. For those unable to attend, she also discusses the topic in a Facebook Live recording.

JUSTIN DUNNAVANT featured in Underground Railroad episode

Justin Dunnavant, assistant professor of anthropology and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, will be featured in an upcoming episode  of “Underground Railroad: The Secret History” on the Discovery+ channel.

KARA COONEY publishes two articles in Sapiens

Kara Cooney, chair in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute, has two articles in the February issue of the online journal Sapiens. The first is an excerpt from her book “The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World” (National Geographic, 2021), and the second is an op-ed on responses to her book.

JUSTIN DUNNAVANT featured in National Geographic

Justin Dunnavant, assistant professor of anthropology and a core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, is the subject of an article in the February issue of National Geographic magazine. Dunnavant is a National Geographic Explorer, one of a group of individuals who“seek to build a community reflecting the diversity of our world,” chosen from around the globe. National Geographic Explorers are “exceptional individuals in their fields who receive funding and support from the Society to illuminate and protect our world through their work in science, exploration, education, and storytelling.” 

In conjunction with the article, National Geographic is releasing a weekly six-part podcast series - Into the Depths.

Cotsen affiliates share research at AIA Annual Meeting 2022

Students, faculty, and recent alumni from the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology shared their research at the annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, which was held online January 5-8, 2022.
  • "Shifting Landscapes: Mosaics in Late Antique North Africa" by Taylor Carr-Howard, graduate student in archaeology.
  • "Archaeological Materials and Ancient Technologies Inspire the Design of Novel Materials Applications" by Ioanna Kakoulli, professor, Materials Science and Engineering Department and Co-Director Molecular and Nano Archaeology Laboratory.
  • "Urban Appropriations: The Villa in the Late Antiquity" by Sarah Beckmann, assistant professor of classics and core faculty at Cotsen Institute.
  • "Decorated Pottery and the Intercommunity Intra-actions in the Late Neolithic Balkans: A Perspective from Southeastern Albania" by Gazmend Elezi, 2021 alum and postdoctoral researcher in the Pasarow Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at UCLA.
  • "The Creation of Worked Animal Objects at Ancient Methone" by Adam DiBattista, 2021 alum and visiting scholar at The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University.
  • "An Experiment in Design: An Archaic Cross-draft Kiln at Ancient Methone (Pieria)" by Debby Sneed, 2018 graduate of the Cotsen Institute and lecturer in classics at California State University, Long Beach.

ELAINE A. SULLIVAN recognized with the AIA Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology

Elaine A. Sullivan, associate professor at University of California, Santa Cruz and former postdoctoral scholar at UCLA, has been recognized for her scholarship and innovative use of digital technology in her publication, Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara, by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). Sullivan will formally receive the Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology during the AIA Awards Ceremony on Thursday, January 6, 2022 during the 123rd Annual Meeting. 

JUSTIN DUNNAVANT named to National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board

Justin Dunnavant, assistant professor of anthropology and core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, has been named to the Board of Trustees of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Read the announcement here. 


Dunnavant will be the inaugural speaker in our new lecture series Breaking Ground on February 8 at 6pm. The lecture will be live-streamed. Learn more about Dunnavant here.

STEPHEN ACABADO featured on Philippine online news website

Stephen Acabado, associate professor of anthropology and core faculty member of the Cotsen Institute, wrote an opinion piece in the November 22 edition of “Rappler,” a Philippine online news website. The article, “Beyond Indiana Jones: An inclusive Philippine archaeology,” is part of the Thought Leaders section of the website. Acabado was recently appointed director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UCLA.
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