Archaeology is the study of human cultures of the past, including material culture (artifacts) and human behavior. Archaeology includes the examination of material culture change and stability through time to understand human adaptation and action. In addition, archaeology, as a subdiscipline of anthropology, includes studies of modern cultures and experimentation through ethnoarchaeology to understand the past.

Tulane University's Department of Anthropology includes four archaeologists. Three are involved in research in Mesoamerica, a historic strength of the Anthropology Department. Professor E. Wyllys Andrews specializes in the Maya area, focusing on ceramics, architecture, households, and settlement patterns. Professor Dan Healan is a lithics specialist working in Central and West Mexico, and Professor Harvey Bricker's research includes Maya archaeoastronomy.

Other areas of interest for the Tulane archaeological faculty include France, North America, South America, and Egypt. In addition to his work with Maya archaeoastronomy, Professor Harvey Bricker also specializes in the French Palaeolithic. Professor Kit Nelson works both in Egypt and in Peru, examining desert adaptation and the emergence of pottery production, and the Department is in the process of hiring a North American archaeologist.

The faculty offer courses in all of the above areas of archaeology as well as courses in archaeological method and theory, including an archaeological field school. For a list of these courses please refer to the Tulane catalogue. Those interested in graduate study in archaeology should contact the faculty member whose interests most closely match their own.

In addition to a strong and diverse faculty, the archaeology program has additional resources, including the Center for Archaeology, which provides space and equipment for archaeological research, and the Middle American Research Institute http://www.tulane.edu/~mari/, which supports archaeological research in Mexico and Central America through publication and financial and administrative support.