At MAX Lab, groundbreaking research is redefining our understanding of ancient civilizations through high-precision analytical techniques. From the geo-referenced geological surveys of the McMaster Obsidian Procurement Expedition (MOPE) to the excavation of pivotal sites like Çatalhöyük, Göbekli Tepe, and Abu Hureyra, MAX Lab researchers are investigating the foundations of early societies.
Studies at Tell Nader and Minanha further illuminate the evolution of settlement patterns, resource utilization, and long-distance exchanges. By integrating state-of-the-art methodologies with interdisciplinary collaboration, MAX Lab is pushing the boundaries of archaeological science – unearthing the past to inform the future.
A small team has been working in Greece and Turkey in the summer of 2010 and 2011, collecting geo-referenced geological samples.
Located in the Konya Plain of central Anatolia, Çatalhöyük comprises two large artificial mounds (tells), whose occupation spans the Aceramic Neolithic to Early Chalcolithic, c. 7400 – 5500 cal BC.
Dated to 10th – 9th millennia cal BC, the remarkable Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe (Urfa Region, SE Turkey) is interpreted by many as the world’s oldest temple complex.
Located on the Middle Euphrates of northern Syria, Abu Hureyra provides us with one of the most important case-studies into the origins of cereal domestication in the Fertile Crescent, spanning the Epi-Palaeolithic to earliest Neolithic.
Situated in northern Iraq (Erbil, Kurdistan region), the occupation at Tell Nader appears to span the Chalcolithic down to the Middle/Neo Assyrian Period.
Situated in the north Vaca Plateau of west central Belize, the Maya site of Minanha spans the Early to Terminal periods, constituting a minor royal center in the Late Classic.
Join us in pushing the boundaries of archaeological science, uncovering the technological advancements, trade networks, and cultural dynamics that shaped human history.