"Archaeology is our way of reading that message and understanding how these peoples lived. Archaeologists take the clues left behind by the people of the past, and, like detectives, work to reconstruct how long ago they lived, what they ate, what their tools and homes were like, and what became of them." -State Historical Society of South Dakota
Archaeology is one of the four sub-fields of anthropology. It is the study of material culture from past societies to learn about human behaviors. Archaeologists apply these findings to increase our understanding of all human societies--contemporary, historic, and prehistoric.
Archaeology Courses offered at SFA
ANT 251 Introduction to Archaeology
ANT 352 Prehistory of North America
ANT 382 Area Studies in Anthropology (topics have included The Maya and The Aztec)
ANT 440 Field Methods in Archaeology (Summer I of even years)
ANT 447 Special Topics in Anthropology (topics have included Archaeological Foods and Feasts and Box Office Archaeology)
For a more complete description of these courses, click here.
Careers in Archaeology
Employment possibilities for students with an emphasis in archaeology include:
- Cultural Resource Management
- Department of Transportation
- State Department
- Department of Defense
- Bureau of Land Management
- Universities (Teaching/Research)
- National Forest System
- State Historical Preservation Offices
- National, State, and Private Museums
Other links of interest for archaeologists:
- Society for American Archaeology
- Texas Archaeological Society
- Texas Historical Commission
- Society for Archaeological Sciences
- American Anthropological Association
- American Institute of Archaeology (international field schools)
Contact Us
Dr. Leslie G. Cecil (website)
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Research interests: Maya archaeology, Ceramic analysis, Archaeological sciences, Anthropology of Technology
e-mail: cecillg@sfasu.edu
telephone: 936-468-3980
office: LAN 332
Dr. George Avery
Archaeology Laboratory Director
Cultural Heritage Resource Coordinator
Research Interests: Historical archaeology, Spanish Colonial archaeology, Ceramic technology, Mississippian Period in the Southeastern United States, Cultural Resources Management
e-mail: averyg@sfasu.edu
telephone: 936-468-2457
office: F80