Lectures – Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies

Pyramids. Scuba Gear. Cutting-edge Discovery: AIA/CHAS Lecture

miethk — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:07:49 +0000

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) Northern New Jersey Society brought world-class exploration to ��Ʒ��˸�� University on March 31! Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, the 2026 speaker of The Frederick R. and Margaret B. Matson Lectureship for the Near Eastern Archaeology and Archaeological Technology, captivated an engaged audience with his groundbreaking underwater excavations at the Royal Cemetery of Nuri, Sudan.

Co-hosted by the Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies (CHAS), this event offered a rare look at the innovative methods used to investigate and preserve ancient heritage increasingly affected by rising groundwater.

The lecture’s success reflects the vibrant scholarly environment of MSU’s Department of Classics and General Humanities, where students and faculty continue to engage with the forefront of archaeological research and public heritage. Together, AIA and CHAS are putting our campus at the heart of global discovery!

The lecture’s success reflects the vibrant scholarly environment fostered by CHAS and the Department of Classics and General Humanities, which serve as a vital bridge for archaeological research and public heritage on campus. AIA and CHAS are leading the conversation on the future of archaeological science and public engagement.

Pearce Paul Creasman, Ph.D. | Amman, Jordan

Lecture – DIVING THE PYRAMIDS: Underwater Tombs and Excavation at the Royal Cemetery of Nuri, Sudan | March 31, 2026 | Dickson Hall, ��Ʒ��˸�� University

An Overview of Orinoco Valley Prehistory and Paleoecology

morinm — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:09:34 +0000

Dr. Anna C. Roosevelt is a four-field anthropologist who is currently Distinguished Professor, Professor of Anthropology, and Faculty Fellow of the Honors College at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Her past jobs have been Curator of Archaeology at the Field Museum of Natural History, Guest Curator of the South American Hall at the American Museum of Natural History and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at NYU, and Curator for South and Middle America at the Museum of the American Indian. Among her many awards and honors, Dr. Roosevelt was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship for her groundbreaking work in Amazonian prehistory and ethnography. She has authored or co-authored 12 books and around 100 articles on topics ranging from the earliest human occupations in the Americas, the origins of agriculture, the origins of pottery, to the evolution of complex society and chiefdoms. In recent years, Dr. Roosevelt has been investigating the environment of human evolution in Africa and European colonial and neocolonial exploitation of African communities in the Congo.

Indigenous Stories as Medicine: Space, Place, and History in Yamaye (Jamaica)

morinm — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:07:15 +0000

Chief Kalaan addressed Indigenous stories and how they offer healing to Indigenous people and root them in ancestral spaces. We learn how knowledge of place and knowledge of history are both integral to generational healing, as is the need to share and record stories about the natural world and its significance. Kalaan linked his people’s Indigenous identity to their ancestral and archaeological heritage of Yamaye.

Bio:

Kalaan Nibonrix Kaiman is Kasike (Chief) of the Yamaye Gunaí Taíno Peoples (Jamaican Hummingbird Taíno People). He is also the Caribbean Region Organizer for Peace and Dignity Journeys (an inter-tribal prayer run) and holds memberships in the Council of Indigenous Traditional Healers of the Americas, Yamaye Council of Indigenous Healers (YCOIL), and the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples. Chief Kalaan is an Indigenous rights activist and promotes recognition of his people in Jamaica as well as the rights of Indigenous peoples across the West Indies and globally. He is the custodian of Yamaye/Jamaican Taíno traditions and represents YCOIL at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an entity of the Organization of American States.

Dr. Arie Boomert Lecture on Saladoid Migrations

morinm — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:52:39 +0000

Dr. Arie Boomert is one of the leading senior archaeologists working in the Caribbean today. He gave a lecture on his views of the earliest Ceramic Age (Neolithic) Saladoid migrations into the Caribbean islands from mainland South America. Dr. Boomert is a professor emeritus with the Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Watch a recording of the lecture here: