PIZZA TALK: Historical Preservation & Caltrans Archaeology

SPEAKER:George D. EversonAdjunct ProfessorDept. of AnthropologyMt. San Jacinto CollegeABSTRACT:Cultural Resource Management (CRM) has become a mainstay in our society for professional archaeologists and architectural historians. The California Department of Transportation (more commonly known as Caltrans) has their own staff of professionals to ensure that highway projects comply with applicable environmental laws. Specifically, Caltrans has professionals […]

Indigenous Los Angeles—The Power of Online Exhibitions

Fowler Curator of Archaeology Wendy Giddens Teeter will discuss the importance of the collaborative web-based project Mapping Indigenous Los Angeles and her experiences working with the Tongva and indigenous communities to forefront the multiple historical layers of Los Angeles. She will also speak about national and international repatriation efforts as UCLA’s Native American Graves Protection […]

PIZZA TALK: Contextualizing Roman Republican Sacrifice

SPEAKER:Dr. Claudia MoserAssociate ProfessorDept. of History of Art & ArchitectureUC Santa BarbaraABSTRACT:This talk explores what we can learn about Roman Republican sacrifice through the study of the material remains of sacrifice and the architectural settings in which the ritual occurs. I will argue that by examining the material record of sacrifice --the aniconic altars of […]

PIZZA TALK: Initial Conditions for Biocultural Evolution in China: Understanding the Relationship Between Genetic Selection and Archaeological Remains

SPEAKER:Dr. Ryan NicholsAssociate Professor Dept. of PhilosophyCal State FullertonABSTRACT:The purpose of this paper is to preliminarily explain the initial conditions and key forces from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and pre-Imperial periods that contributed to distinctive features of subsequent Chinese culture, and to do so in accordance with an explicit model of cultural transmission. The paper opens with […]

Screening of “The Old Kiyyangan Story”

The Old Kiyyangan Story, an anthropological film based on oral histories and archaeological excavations at the Old Kiyyangan Village, Ifugao, Philippines, will be presented January 31 at 5pm in the Anthropology Reading Room. In addition to the film screening, there will be a research presentation and Q & A with co-screenwriter and Associate Professor of […]

Live Podcast Taping with Jason De León

Cotsen faculty Jason De León will be a guest on the podcast "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" on February 1, 2020. The UCLA Department of Anthropology is hosting a live taping of the podcast at 6:00pm in Korn Convocation Hall at UCLA.De León will also be speaking on February 11th as part of the Archaeology […]

PIZZA TALK: Lost Narratives: New Directions in the Post-1850 Historical Archaeology of Southern California

SPEAKER:James E. SneadProfessorDepartment of AnthropologyCal State NorthridgeABSTACT: Historical archaeology in the western United States has traditionally focused on either the colonial-era "missions" or 19th century mining sites in remote locations.  Recently, however, historical archaeology itself has undergone a major conceptual shift, emphasizing the ways that the study of material culture can shed light on a wide […]

8th UCLA Archaeology Research Conference

The Graduate Student Association of Archaeology, an affiliate of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, will host the 8th Graduate Archaeology Research Conference. This conference will take place on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California, on February 7th and 8th, 2020. Accepted applicants will give 20-minute presentations followed by brief question-and-answer sessions. Program with Abstracts […]

The Land of Open Graves: Making Undocumented Migration Visible

Since the mid-1990s’, the U.S. federal government has relied on a border enforcement strategy known as “Prevention Through Deterrence.” Using various security infrastructure and techniques of surveillance, this strategy funnels undocumented migrants towards remote and rugged terrain with the hope that mountain ranges, extreme temperatures, and other “natural” obstacles will deter people from unauthorized entry. […]