Mark Schurr

Schurr’s research focuses on the archaeology of eastern North America (especially the upper Great Lakes region and the southeast). He conducts an active field research program investigating how social organizations evolved as agricultural adaptations changed from the Early Woodland period (beginning about 800 B.C.) through the Removal period (in the early nineteenth century when Native Americans were being forced out of the region). An important part of his field research includes the application and development of geophysical survey techniques, most recently at the Collier Lodge site in northwestern Indiana. Schurr also makes use of archaeological chemistry, including stable isotope analysis, fluoride dating, electron spin resonance, and other analytical methods that can be applied to archaeological materials. His isotopic studies of prehistoric weaning behavior and of the relationships between agricultural intensity and social organization among Middle Mississippian societies have been recognized for their creative blending of analytical chemistry and archaeology.