March 17–19, 2015
The Colonization of Africa by Early Anthropoid Primates
Chaired by K. Christopher Beard, Foundation Distinguished Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas
Researchers took advantage of the lull in fieldwork due to disruptions caused by events following the Arab Spring to compare pivotal fossils from three disparate North African localities side-by-side, to discuss and evaluate geological evidence for the ages of the various fossil sites, and to develop a broader consensus on the evolutionary and ecological consequences of the anthropoid colonization of Africa.
April 11–13, 2015
Land, Water, and Empire in the High-Altitude Atacama
Co-chaired by Frances Hayashida, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico; César Parcero-Oubiña, Staff Scientist, Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain); Diego Salazar, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad de Chile; and Andrés Troncoso, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad de Chile
Working within the framework of political ecology, the Topaín Archaeological Project is addressing the question of how the Inka kept their workers, personnel, royals, and the military fed since little is currently known about Inka agriculture. This seminar was convened to explore long-term, historical perspectives on changes in local landscapes and livelihoods within broader political economies and complex relationships between water, land, politics, and society.
Generous funding for the Research Team Seminars provided by the National Science Foundation.