Mercyhurst Anthropology/Archaeology

06/16/2026

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A group of indigenous Taiwanese left on Monday to paddle to the Philippines on a hand-built wooden canoe across the ​Bashi Channel, reviving a maritime route dormant for hundreds of years and re-establishing ‌a lost cultural connection.

06/02/2026

https://iai.tv/articles/the-divide-between-art-and-science-is-a-mistake-auid-2660

Adding creativity into the method

05/20/2026

During the last week of classes, our Hunters and Gatherers students created their own art inspired by contemporary Aboriginal art from Papunya in Australia's Northern Territory. Remaining faithful to the spiritual significance of this art form, students chose an important or formative life event that they represented using as many documented symbols as possible (and creating their own when necessary), and used the "dotting" technique as a barrier between the sacred knowledge and the profane.

05/15/2026

Congratulations and best wishes to our amazing Anth/Arch grads and to the entire Class of 2026! 🎉🎓💐

05/14/2026

05/13/2026

Tomorrow is the dayyyyyy!! 🎉🎉🎉 Join us for our annual Anth/Arch showcase to celebrate our our incredible seniors! Hear them present their research, internships, and other accomplishments, and raise a glass (of an anthro-themed mocktail) to bid them a fond farewell as they embark on the next exciting chapter of their lives! 💐🎓💐🎓 Zurn basement hallway from 4-6 p.m.!

Join us on Wednesday May 13th for our annual Anth/Arch showcase! Hear our seniors present their research, internships, and writing exemplars, enjoy an anthropology-themed mocktail, and congratulate our grads on their accomplishments! 🎓🎉💐 4-6 p.m. in the Zurn basement!

05/08/2026

Department of Anthropology and World Languages Chair, Dr. Alice Edwards, was recognized by Staff Senate for fostering a supportive and collaborative partnership with staff for the purposes of making Mercyhurst and our Erie community better places to be. Basically, she's awesome and now she has a certificate to prove it 🌸💐🎉

05/07/2026

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260422-bees-and-breadfruit-how-fijians-predict-cyclones?ocid=fbfut&fbclid=IwdGRjcARndLxjbGNrBGdz8mV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHsZHXFzBmNER7rXRUF4LC0iwgTGKoFeAK9TQA-OHegCLHEB8RZpryuJrIORH_aem_E3SjKwg3zI4qiD7KpqrUNw

Creeping yams and bees behaving strangely – in Fiji, farmers read nature's warning signs to predict hurricane season.

05/06/2026

Join us on Wednesday May 13th for our annual Anth/Arch showcase! Hear our seniors present their research, internships, and writing exemplars, enjoy an anthropology-themed mocktail, and congratulate our grads on their accomplishments! 🎓🎉💐 4-6 p.m. in the Zurn basement!

05/05/2026

Hunters and Gatherers students did some target shooting with darts and dart-throwers (atlatls)! 🎯 Evidence for atlatls first appears in the archaeological record 17,500 years ago (but they have probably been used for much longer). In North America, atlatls and darts were the predecessors to the bow and arrow, which began replacing them around 3,000 years ago.