Research Description

My research focuses on the evolution of early agricultural and complex societies in the Old World, with specializations in archaeological faunal analysis (zooarchaeology), spatial analysis, and ancient butchering technology. My research has concentrated on the Secondary Products Revolution, Neolithic and Bronze Age subsistence systems in Europe and the Near East, the spatial dynamics of Early Neolithic societies in S.E. Europe and Early Iron Age societies of southern Africa, and the origins and spread of metallurgy in Europe and the Near East. Most recently, I am studying the spatial organization of Early Bronze Age communities in the Near East by examining the distribution of faunal remains from early urban sites in SE Turkey and Israel.

Teaching Description

I teach courses, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, in method, theory and practical applications in anthropological archaeology. Courses includes Introduction to Human Antiquity, Introduction to Archaeology, European Prehistoric Archaeology, Old World Prehistory and Civilization, Faunal Analysis in Archaeology, Practicum in Archaeology, and Interpretive Methods in Archaeology.