Archaeology at Columbia

 

    Archaeology at Columbia encompasses a range of disciplines, cultures, and approaches. In the Department of Art History and Archaeology, students and faculty come together under the joint title of the department through studies of urbanism, architectural space, and the context of visual images.

    Archaeology students here have access not only to the rich opportunities the department has to offer, but also to the Program in Archaeology that is a cooperation of six departments at Columbia University, as well as the network of archaeologists, archaeological sites, and museum collections in New York City as a whole. 

    On the Columbia campus, resources such as the University's Art Properties collections, the Department's Wallach Art Gallery, and finds from the Columbia University expedition to Phlamoudhi, Cyprus provide students with opportunities to work with ancient artifacts and gain exhibition experience. Fieldwork by Art History and Archaeology faculty in Sicily, France, and Cyprus create opportunities for students to gain practical experience in archaeology.

    At Columbia University, archaeology is a multidisciplinary field practiced by faculty and students in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. At present, there are sixteen faculty in the Departments of Anthropology, Art History and Archaeology, Classics, Historic Preservation, History, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, who conduct research on prehistory, ancient society, or historical archaeology. There are also four researchers at Lamont-Doherty who conduct research in fields such as dendrochronology, paleoclimatology, and remote sensing.

    Among the locations in which students and faculty are conducting or participating in field programs are New York City, upstate New York, the North American Southwest, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Peru, Argentina, Italy, Egypt, Greece, Syria, and Yemen. Archaeologists at Columbia also work with professionals at a wide range of institutions in New York through consortium arrangements.

    Among the institutions at which students in particular programs may take courses, conduct research, or work on internships are:

    • The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
    • New York University
    • The City University of New York
    • The New York Botanical Garden
    • The American Museum of Natural History
    • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
    • The Brooklyn Museum of Art
    • The National Museum of the American Indian
    • The South Street Seaport Museum and
    • The Museum of the City of New York