James M. Adovasio

James M. Adovasio (born 1944) is an American archaeologist and one of the foremost experts in perishable artifacts (such as basketry and textiles). He was formerly the Provost, Dean of the Zurn School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania,[1] Adovasio is best known for his work at Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania and for his subsequent role in the “Clovis First” debate. He has published nearly 400 books, monographs, articles, and papers in his field.[2]

James M. Adovasio was born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1944. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1965. He spent a year in the University of Arizona’s graduate program in anthropology before pursuing his Ph.D., which he received in 1970 from the University of Utah. During his graduate studies, Adovasio worked on multiple excavations and ecological and archaeological mapping projects in Utah; he also performed basketry and textile analyses for Danger Cave and Hogup Cave.[3]

By his own admission, Adovasio was “programmed to be an archaeologist.” He developed a passion for archaeology at a young age. Under the guidance of his mother, a historian, he learned to read using books about geology, paleontology, and archaeology.

Once at the University of Utah, Adovasio studied under the tutelage of Jesse D. Jennings, whose work at Danger Cave and other eastern Great basin closed sites greatly influenced Adovasio’s research foci. During Adovasio’s graduate years at the University of Utah, he processed a deluge of perishable artifacts (baskets, strings, and cords) from Hogup Cave. Through this work, Adovasio developed expertise in and passion for perishable artifacts that has persisted throughout his career.[4]

Though it can at times be frustratingly meticulous work, Adovasio claims archaeology is also an incredibly rewarding field with unparalleled opportunities for interdisciplinary study. In an interview about his book The First Americans, Adovasio comments on his role as an archaeologist in the modern age: “I think in a sense the story that we’re trying to tell…is how we ended up where we are now technologically, socially, and environmentally because—you’ve heard the old saw ‘You can’t know where you’re going in the future unless you know where you’ve been in the past?’ Well, it really is true, and now we understand better how to figure out where we were.”[5]

Most recently, Adovasio worked at Mercyhurst University where he was a Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology and of Geology, Director of the Anthropology and Archaeology and Geology Departments, Director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute (MAI), Dean of the Zurn School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Senior Counselor to the President, and Provost. From 1995-2001, he served as Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. He currently serves as an expert witness for Archaeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA) cases, helping to protect archaeological sites from looters. Before taking a position at Mercyhurst, Adovasio taught at Youngstown State University and at the University of Pittsburgh. He taught anthropology at Youngstown State from 1966-1968 and 1970-1971. After taking a postdoctoral stint at the Smithsonian Institution, he assumed a position at Pitt, where he worked from 1972 to 1990. While there, he taught anthropology, Latin American studies, and geology and planetary sciences; he also served as Chairman of the Department of Anthropology and Director of the Cultural Resource Management Program (CRMP).[3] In fact, Adovasio founded the Cultural Resource Management Program at Pitt. The fundamental purpose of CRMP was to conduct basic research and to provide a vehicle to teach students how to conduct archaeology utilizing precise data collection and documentation procedures often with highly sophisticated tools. He maintained this research/teaching orientation at the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute.

Adovasio has also worked on a multitude of excavations in North America and internationally, including Meadowcroft Rockshelter, where he has been involved for the past 40 years. He has also worked on excavations in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Israel. He has also analyzed perishable remains from excavations in Central and South America, Europe, and Asia.[4]