Dr. Joy McCorriston, Department of Anthropology, will share her fieldwork in Southern Arabia and the collaborative international science that lies behind archaeological discoveries in Yemen and elsewhere. All are welcome. Sponsored by the OSU Chapter of Sigma Xi and the OSU Libraries in the next Science Café discussion on Wednesday (1/8) at 6:30 PM in 090/070 in the 18th Avenue Library (formerly the Science and Engineering Library).
Title: Keeping the Peace in Ancient Yemen and other stories from an archaeologist’s notebook
Abstract: Archaeologists’ data collection is unlike any other, and although we carry no bullwhips or pistols, archaeologists do prepare for surprises. While looking for clues to the earliest domesticated plants and animals in Arabia, McCorriston’s team stumbled across a truly remarkable site of ancient blood sacrifice. The discovery and analytical science teamwork that followed point to an ancient rite that kept the peace, bringing together pastoral groups in an arid land to build social bonds. This talk will share stories from McCorriston’s fieldwork in Southern Arabia and the collaborative international science that lies behind archaeological discoveries in Yemen and elsewhere.
Speaker: Joy McCorriston, OSU Department of Anthropology. An archaeologist educated in England (BA, University of London) and the USA (Yale University, PhD 1992), Professor McCorriston has led and participated in archaeological research in the Near East for 35 years, especially in Syria, Jordan, Yemen and Oman. She teaches Anthropology at The Ohio State University and currently leads a team of archaeologists and environmental scientists studying ancient landscapes of Dhufar, Oman, whose peoples supplied frankincense to the ancient world.
