ARCHAEOLOGY RESEARCH
INSTAR Lab treats archaeology as both a historical science and a data science. We investigate how past human societies adapted to environmental stress, organized complex economies, and built lasting institutions — questions with direct relevance to modern policy challenges. Our approach combines rigorous field methods with remote sensing, geochemical analysis, and machine-learning-assisted classification to extract maximum knowledge from the material record. Preserving and interpreting this record is a public benefit with clear national significance for cultural heritage, education, and STEM workforce development.
Mediterranean Maritime Survey
Our underwater archaeology team uses side-scan sonar, photogrammetry, and remotely operated vehicles to document submerged harbor installations and shipwreck sites dating from the Bronze Age through the Byzantine period.
Learn More
Mesoamerican Settlement Excavation
We excavate residential and ceremonial complexes to investigate urbanization processes, craft specialization, and interregional exchange networks in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. LiDAR surveys reveal previously unknown site extents.
Learn More
Central Asian Steppe Archaeology
Our team studies pastoral nomadic societies through excavation of burial mounds and habitation sites. Isotopic analysis of human and animal remains traces mobility patterns across the Eurasian steppe.
Learn More
Digital Heritage Documentation
We develop 3D scanning, photogrammetric, and multispectral imaging protocols to create high-fidelity digital records of fragile artifacts and threatened archaeological sites worldwide.
Learn MoreOUR PARTNERS
