Workshops and Lectures
Upcoming Lectures
Lithic Artifacts and Fire: Relearning and Preserving Ancient Technological Knowledge: Modern Implications and Significance
January 17th, 2025 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Dr. Aylar Abdolahzadeh explores the role of ancient technologies, such as stone tools and fire-making, as cultural heritage and their impact on human adaptation, resilience, and sustainability. Drawing on archaeological research and innovative methods, including machine learning and collaboration with descendant communities, she examines how these technologies shaped past societies and offer valuable lessons for modern challenges like climate change. The lecture will address key questions about preserving ancient knowledge and its relevance for understanding long-term human survival strategies and environmental stewardship.
Dr. Aylar Abdolahzadeh is an anthropological archaeologist specializing in the role of ancient technologies—such as stone tools and fire-making—in human adaptation, resilience, and environmental sustainability. She earned her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University. Her research focuses on the use of fire-making technology for land management and its variation across different climatic and geographic contexts from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene.
Using Cryptotephra to Revolutionize Archaeological Dating and Discoveries
March 28th, 2025 | 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Join us for an engaging talk by PhD Candidate for the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Jayde Hirniak, on the role of volcanic ash (tephra) in advancing archaeological and paleontological research through tephrochronology. She will highlight recent breakthroughs in detecting cryptotephra—non-visible ash layers that can be traced over thousands of kilometers—and their impact on understanding human evolution. Key discoveries, including the identification of the 74 ka Youngest Toba Tuff in South Africa and Ethiopia, enable high-resolution correlations across regions previously thought unconnected. This upcoming lecture will demonstrate how these innovations are reshaping our ability to address major questions about early human behavior across vast geographic areas
Jayde Hirniak is a PhD candidate in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, focusing on the impact of volcanic eruptions on past populations in South Africa and using tephrochronology to improve chronological records at archaeological sites. Her expertise includes field archaeology, with experience in NW Italy and South Africa, and she co-manages the STEP Lab, specializing in cryptotephra extraction. Her research interests also include site formation, post-depositional processes, and method development.