Archaeology Research

Southern Mani Archaeological Project is a multi-disciplinary research initiative that investigates the relationship between the communities of the Mani Peninsula of mainland Greece and the wider eastern Mediterranean region from a multi-scalar and long-term perspective. The region of southern Mani – including the Matapan peninsula, the archaeological sites of Tainaron and Kainepolis, the castle of Achilleio, the tower-town of Vatheia, and extensive marble quarries – is centrally located in the Mediterranean and boasts fascinating material culture and history. Co-directed by Dr. William Parkinson (Field Museum and UIC) and Dr. Chelsea Gardner (Acadia University).

Körös Regional Archaeological Project is aimed at understanding the social changes that occurred on the Great Hungarian Plain throughout the Holocene. Ongoing multidisciplinary international research initiative launched in 1998 to investigate prehistoric social, economic, and environmental changes in the Körös River Valley of the Great Hungarian Plain. Co-directed by Dr. William Parkinson (Field Museum and UIC) and Dr. Attila Gyucha (University of Georgia).

Tallgrass Prairie Archaeological Landscape Project seeks to understand and model how people interacted with the changing environment and landscape in the Chicagoland area during the Holocene (11,700 years ago – present day). Based at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, TPALP is an ongoing collaboration between UIC and the Field Museum that conducts field seasons every Fall and Spring. Co-directed by Dr. William Parkinson (Field Museum and UIC), Dr. Mitch Hendrickson (UIC) and Jamie Kelley (Field Museum).

The Emerging Cities: Genesis of (Purépecha) Empire project stems out of a previous 10-year regional project in central Michoacán, Mexico that helped us identify one of the largest urban centers in the core-area of the Purépecha Empire. This site has over 30,000 buildings and was inhabited for over 1,000 years until the Spanish conquest. Our main goal is to understand the role this massive city played in the formation of the second largest empire in ancient Mexico. Our international and multidisciplinary team explores several issues related to city-living including: mobility and road networks, households and urbanism, ritual and mortuary traditions, water management, land use and environment. We use remote sensing (LiDAR), computational analyses, and traditional archaeological methods for this work. We will be doing fieldwork every summer from 2025 to 2028 and looking for new participants. Contact Dr. Solis Casparius if you are interested.

Archaeological research on ancient state economies has often emphasized areas well suited to agriculture. In the Andes, however, pastoralism was also an important economic activity, particularly in high-altitude areas poorly suited to intensive cultivation. The Four Lakes Archaeological Project addresses this gap through a full-coverage regional survey near Cusco. During our first field season in summer 2026, we systematically surveyed 120 km² (between 3800 – 4,400 m) documenting more than 100 archaeological sites spanning multiple periods. We are currently organizing the field crew for the summer of 2027. Co-directed by Dr. Brian Bauer (UIC) and Dr. Véronique Bélisle (Millsaps College).

ARCREATE (An Archaeology of Creative Knowledge in Turbulent Times) seeks to understand how pyrotechnical innovations in ceramics, metal, and glass bead production metamorphosed in the time of social transformation, political conflict, and rapid relocation across Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Dr. Foreman Bandama (Field Museum and UIC) is one of several co-directors on this project.

Stay tuned for opportunities to conduct research on museum collections