Richard S. Davis

Professor Emeritus of Anthropology
Richard S. Davis headshot

Department/Subdepartment

Education

Ph.D., Columbia University.

Areas of Focus

Prehistoric archaeology

Biography

Davis is a prehistoric archaeologist who has conducted field work in several Asian locations with particular focus on northern Afghanistan, southern Tajikistan, eastern Turkey, and central Siberia. Since 1995, he has had an excavation program in the eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska, which is oriented toward the investigation of the origin and development of maritime cultures in this area.

His basic research interests center on the study of human adaptations to the changing environments of the Pleistocene and Holocene, and also on the development of technology in its social context.

His teaching interests have grown out of his research activities, and he regularly offers courses in North American Archaeology, Human Ecology, Traditional Technology, and Method and Theory in Archaeology.