Timothy C Messner
Associate Professor, Archaeology
Messner is an environmental and experimental archaeologist whose research broadly addresses the relationships between people, technology, and the natural world. As a field archaeologist with over 20 years of experience, Messner has conducted excavations throughout the Northeast and Middle Atlantic region. Since 2016, he has maintained an active research program in the Adirondacks, which demonstrates deep Indigenous histories in the region. Messner has incorporated students in many aspects of this work including shoreline surveys, backcountry exploration, excavations in remote wilderness locations, consultations with descendent communities, and the analysis, interpretation, and display of artifacts.
In addition to field-based inquiries, Messner also engages experimental and experiential methods to research human-environmental interactions. He has examined the production of ancient watercraft through the reconstruction of a stone age dugout canoe, explored Ice-age hunting techniques by fielding a collegiate atlatl team, and investigated historic building trades through the construction of a timeframe cabin using only traditional hand tools. As Director of HEARTH (Handcrafted, Experiential Archaeological Research and Teaching Hub) he has used this one-of-a-kind workshop/ laboratory/public outreach facility for the preservation and revitalization of craft and the traditional trades. Since its inception he has helped facilitate workshops in stone tool production, hearth cooking, woodfire oven baking, blacksmithing, hide tanning, hard cider making, maple sugaring, and more (You can follow us on Instagram).
A few of the courses Messner teaches on regular rotation include Historical Ecology, Archaeology of Eastern North America, Experimental Archaeology, Ancient People and Places, and Introduction to Archaeology.