Penn Museum’s Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials Celebrates 10 Years of Interdisciplinary Innovation

Photo: Penn Museum. Available for download here.

PHILADELPHIA, December 13, 2024—The Penn Museum’s Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) has marked a decade of interdisciplinary innovation in research and teaching archaeological science.

A joint endeavor between the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences and the Penn Museum, CAAM offers an invaluable resource for archaeologists and scholars seeking to interpret the past with multidisciplinary connections across the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Combining laboratories, classroom facilities, courses, and access to Museum Collections, CAAM delivers a robust curriculum rooted in archaeological science to undergraduate and graduate students from various schools and programs across the University.

In the past 10 years, CAAM has experienced immense growth. More than 2,600 Penn students have participated in courses, lab research, lectures and recitations—small group break-out sessions that help students apply what they’ve learned through discussion, problem-solving, or other hands-on activities.

CAAM’s teaching specialists and associated faculty and staff are leading experts in the fields of archaeobotany (plants), archaeometallurgy (metals), ceramic analysis, object conservation, digital archaeology, lithic (stone tools) analysis, and zooarchaeology (animals) who work together to teach and mentor about 150 Penn students each academic year in more than 20 introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses rostered in departments across Penn, such as Classical Studies, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Anthropology, and History of Art.

What sets their curriculum apart from other U.S. programs is an interdisciplinary focus that emphasizes the importance of state-of-the art technology in scientific research; cultural context through collections and exhibitions; local and international fieldwork projects; and community collaboration.

Technology

As students engage in scientific analysis, collections-based research, and fieldwork, they are trained in technological methods that are transforming the field of archaeology. Examples include remote sensing, microscopy; microstructural analysis using scanning electron microscopes; chemical analysis.

Exhibitions

Integrating the arts and sciences cultivates a deeper understanding of human cultures through archaeological analysis. Students have contributed to Penn Museum exhibitions such as Invisible Beauty: The Art of Archaeological Science (2021), which underscored the important role of research and technology in archaeological discovery, and Ancient Food & Flavor (2023), which examined food and plant remains as tiny treasure troves of data for interpreting people’s decisions, diets, activities, and traditions.

Community

In collaboration with the Woodlands a National Historic Landmark District in West Philadelphia, CAAM students used magnetic prospection to reconstruct Philadelphia’s early garden landscapes and investigate the largest collection of exotic plant species in North America during the 18th century—through survey, excavation, and lab analysis of botanical remains. This work significantly supports the Woodlands’ role as educational community resource for understanding American architectural and botanical history, urban development, and West Philadelphia’s expansion.

“Since its establishment in 2014, CAAM has advanced its founding mission of connecting students with resources and experts within a multidisciplinary framework for teaching archaeological science—well beyond our most optimistic projections,” explains Dr. Thomas Tartaron, CAAM’s Executive Director. “Apart from Museum collections and overseas sites, CAAM has evolved over the years to integrate local community partnerships. These collaborations offer pathways for shaping more inclusive historical narratives—local knowledge enriched by scientific interpretation of the past.”

CAAM’s goals for the next 10 years include adding new courses and instrumentation, hosting visiting post-docs and scholars, hiring an expert in geoarchaeology, and continued growth as an interdisciplinary anchor for the archaeological profession.

“Looking to the future, we are expanding CAAM’s research projects, increasing its instrumentation abilities, and cultivating national and international collaborations,“ says Dr. Marie-Claude Boileau, CAAM’s Director and Teaching Specialist for Ceramics. “We want to connect CAAM with the rest of the academic and research world outside of Philadelphia.”

The next annual event for CAAM will be its End of the Year Showcase, April 18, 2025 from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm in Widener Auditorium at the Penn Museum.