Jerry Sabloff
Encyclopedia
Jeremy "Jerry" Arac Sabloff (1944 – ) is an American anthropologist and president of the Santa Fe Institute
in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sabloff is an expert on ancient Maya civilization
and pre-industrial urbanism. His academic interests have included settlement pattern studies, archaeological theory and method, the history of archaeology, the relevance of archaeology in the modern world, complexity theory, and transdisciplinary science.
Sabloff received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in 1969 from Harvard, where his doctoral supervisor was archaeologist Gordon Willey
.
Prior to coming to the Santa Fe Institute, Sabloff was at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, as well as the Williams Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum (1994-2004) and interim director of the museum (2006-2007). He also has taught at Harvard University, the University of Utah, the University of New Mexico (where he was chair of the Department of Anthropology), and the University of Pittsburgh (where he was chair of the Department of Anthropology).
Sabloff is an outspoken proponent of science communication. In 2010 he delivered the distinguished lecture at the American Anthropological Association’s
annual meeting, encouraging anthropologists to make their work accessible to their relevant publics and cultivate a new generation of scientist-communicators.
Sabloff is past president of the Society for American Archaeology, a past anthropology section chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and past editor of American Antiquity
He has served as chair of the Smithsonian Science Commission (2001-2003) and currently chairs the visiting committee for the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. He is a member of the National Advisory Board of the National Museum of Natural History, the Board of Trustees of the SRI Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences
and the American Philosophical Society
, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. He is a fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries, London, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He is the author of Excavations at Seibal: Ceramics (1975), The Cities of Ancient Mexico (1989,1997), The New Archaeology and the Ancient Maya (1990), and Archaeology Matters (2008). He is co-author of A History of American Archaeology (1974, 1980, 1993), A Reconnaissance of Cancuen, Peten, Guatemala (1978), Ancient Civilizations: The Near East and Mesoamerica (1979, 1995), Cozumel: Late Maya Settlement Patterns (1984), and The Ancient Maya City of Sayil (1991). He has edited or co-edited 12 books, the most recent of which is (with anthropologist Joyce Marcus) The Ancient City (2008).
Sabloff resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is married to anthropologist Paula Sabloff, a professor at the Santa Fe Institute.
Santa Fe Institute
The Santa Fe Institute is an independent, nonprofit theoretical research institute located in Santa Fe and dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of the fundamental principles of complex adaptive systems, including physical, computational, biological, and social systems.The Institute houses a...
in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sabloff is an expert on ancient Maya civilization
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
and pre-industrial urbanism. His academic interests have included settlement pattern studies, archaeological theory and method, the history of archaeology, the relevance of archaeology in the modern world, complexity theory, and transdisciplinary science.
Sabloff received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in 1969 from Harvard, where his doctoral supervisor was archaeologist Gordon Willey
Gordon Willey
Gordon Randolph Willey was an American archaeologist famous for his fieldwork in South and Central America as well as the southeastern United States...
.
Prior to coming to the Santa Fe Institute, Sabloff was at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, as well as the Williams Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum (1994-2004) and interim director of the museum (2006-2007). He also has taught at Harvard University, the University of Utah, the University of New Mexico (where he was chair of the Department of Anthropology), and the University of Pittsburgh (where he was chair of the Department of Anthropology).
Sabloff is an outspoken proponent of science communication. In 2010 he delivered the distinguished lecture at the American Anthropological Association’s
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association is a professional organization of scholars and practitioners in the field of anthropology. With 11,000 members, the Arlington, Virginia based association includes archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, biological anthropologists, linguistic...
annual meeting, encouraging anthropologists to make their work accessible to their relevant publics and cultivate a new generation of scientist-communicators.
Sabloff is past president of the Society for American Archaeology, a past anthropology section chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and past editor of American Antiquity
He has served as chair of the Smithsonian Science Commission (2001-2003) and currently chairs the visiting committee for the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. He is a member of the National Advisory Board of the National Museum of Natural History, the Board of Trustees of the SRI Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. He is a fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries, London, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He is the author of Excavations at Seibal: Ceramics (1975), The Cities of Ancient Mexico (1989,1997), The New Archaeology and the Ancient Maya (1990), and Archaeology Matters (2008). He is co-author of A History of American Archaeology (1974, 1980, 1993), A Reconnaissance of Cancuen, Peten, Guatemala (1978), Ancient Civilizations: The Near East and Mesoamerica (1979, 1995), Cozumel: Late Maya Settlement Patterns (1984), and The Ancient Maya City of Sayil (1991). He has edited or co-edited 12 books, the most recent of which is (with anthropologist Joyce Marcus) The Ancient City (2008).
Sabloff resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is married to anthropologist Paula Sabloff, a professor at the Santa Fe Institute.