Robert Laurens Kelly
Encyclopedia
Robert Laurens Kelly is an anthropologist who is currently a Professor at the University of Wyoming. As a professor, he has taught introductory Archaeology as well as upper-level courses focused in Hunter-Gathers, North American Archaeology, Lithic Analysis
, and Human Behavioral Ecology. Kelly’s interest in archaeology began when he was a sophomore in high school in 1973. His first experience in fieldwork was an excavation of Gatecliff Rockshelter
, a prehistoric site in central Nevada
. Since then, Kelly has been involved with archaeology
and has dedicated the majority of his work to the ethnology, ethnography, and archaeology of foraging peoples, which include research on lithic technology, initial colonization of the New World, evolutionary ecology of hunter-gatherers, and archaeological method and theory
. He has been involved in research projects throughout the United States as well as in Chile, where he studied the remains of the Inca as well as coastal shell middens, and Madagascar, where in order to learn about farmer-forager society, Kelly has participated in ethnoarchaeological research. A majority of his work has been carried out in the Great Basin, but after moving to Wyoming in 1997 he has shifted his research to the rockshelters in the southwest Wyoming and the Bighorn Mountains.
Outside of his research in archaeology, Bob Kelly also promotes tourism to historic and archaeological sites in Wyoming. In doing so, he has given many lectures around Wyoming and helped create a website to promote Wyoming’s heritage. The website, funded by the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund and maintained by the University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology, acts as a directory for information about Wyoming Prehistoric and Historic Sites. Kelly also served as an Amicus Curiae in the Kennewick case.. He has served as President of the Society for American Archaeology from 2001 to 2003.
He is currently running a major research project in Glacier National Park
to examine the effects of climate change.
where he received his BA in Anthropology in 1978. After graduating from Cornell, he moved west to continue his studies at the University of New Mexico
where he received his MA in 1980. Much of his work and research was centered on the Great Basin
and he spent over a decade working on sites and projects in Nevada. In 1985, he earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan
with a dissertation on mobility and sedentism of hunter-gatherers. His fieldwork has been conducted in the Great Basin, the Southwestern United States, Chile, and Madagascar. He has authored over 100 publications. He and David Hurst Thomas
have written an introductory textbook titled Archaeology that is widely used in many colleges and universities. Kelly’s book The Foraging Spectrum: Diversity in Hinter-Gatherer Lifeways, published in 1995, is considered to be a landmark in anthropology
. In the book, Kelly points out that lifeways among foraging societies were quite diverse. His application of optimal foraging theory
makes the book useful for ecologists as well as archeologists, and for other branches of studies like behavioral psychology and human evolution.
. From 1986 to 1997, he was the coordinator of the Archaeology program at the University of Louisville
in Kentucky. During his tenure there, Kelly served as head of the Anthropology Department from 1992 to 1997, as well as Chair of the College or Arts and Sciences Social Science Division from 1996 to 1997. From 1997 to present, Kelly has been a professor in anthropology at the University of Wyoming
, where he served as head from 2005 to 2008.
Kelly served as secretary for the Archaeology Division of the American Anthropological Association
from 1996 to 1998. From 1998 to 2001, he acted as secretary for the Great Basin Anthropological Association. In 2001, Kelly was elected president of the Society for American Archaeology
(SAA). He also serves on the editorial boards for the journals American Antiquity, Research Handbooks in Archaeology of the World Archaeological Congress, and the on-line journal Before Farming.
. He has a deep interest in Western North American archaeology, especially in the Great Basin area. Current understanding of hunter-gatherer mobility and foraging patterns are also influenced strongly by his research, fieldwork, and ethnology. By examining the Pleistocene colonization of the Americas
by examining artifacts and lithic technology, Kelly reconstructs past life-ways and compares them to current foraging societies, and examines human adaptation to climate change during different periods in the past.
Kelly is also interested in improving and fine-tuning archaeological practice.. He has successfully challenged the preconceived notions of what it means to be hunter-gatherer through his research with the ethnographic record. Kelly is also interested in preserving the rights of indigenous peoples as affected by legislation like NAGPRA.
Currently, Kelly’s research is focused on the Pleistocene colonization of the Americas as well as the effects of climate change to human cultural and behavioral adaptations. Kelly is also conducting fieldwork and research on why so few fluted points are found in caves and rockshelters.
Lithic analysis
In archaeology, lithic analysis is the analysis of stone tools and other chipped stone artifacts using basic scientific techniques. At its most basic level, lithic analyses involve an analysis of the artifact’s morphology, the measurement of various physical attributes, and examining other visible...
, and Human Behavioral Ecology. Kelly’s interest in archaeology began when he was a sophomore in high school in 1973. His first experience in fieldwork was an excavation of Gatecliff Rockshelter
Gatecliff Rockshelter
The Gatecliff Rockshelter is a prehistoric rock shelter located in Nevada, United States, where people camped over a period of 7,000 years. It was discovered by David Hurst Thomas in 1970...
, a prehistoric site in central Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Since then, Kelly has been involved with archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and has dedicated the majority of his work to the ethnology, ethnography, and archaeology of foraging peoples, which include research on lithic technology, initial colonization of the New World, evolutionary ecology of hunter-gatherers, and archaeological method and theory
Archaeological theory
Archaeological theory refers to the various intellectual frameworks through which archaeologists interpret archaeological data. There is no one singular theory of archaeology, but many, with different archaeologists believing that information should be interpreted in different ways...
. He has been involved in research projects throughout the United States as well as in Chile, where he studied the remains of the Inca as well as coastal shell middens, and Madagascar, where in order to learn about farmer-forager society, Kelly has participated in ethnoarchaeological research. A majority of his work has been carried out in the Great Basin, but after moving to Wyoming in 1997 he has shifted his research to the rockshelters in the southwest Wyoming and the Bighorn Mountains.
Outside of his research in archaeology, Bob Kelly also promotes tourism to historic and archaeological sites in Wyoming. In doing so, he has given many lectures around Wyoming and helped create a website to promote Wyoming’s heritage. The website, funded by the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund and maintained by the University of Wyoming Department of Anthropology, acts as a directory for information about Wyoming Prehistoric and Historic Sites. Kelly also served as an Amicus Curiae in the Kennewick case.. He has served as President of the Society for American Archaeology from 2001 to 2003.
He is currently running a major research project in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park may refer to:*Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada*Glacier National Park in Montana, USA-See also:*Glacier Bay National Park, in Alaska, USA*Los Glaciares National Park, in Argentina...
to examine the effects of climate change.
Personal Information
Kelly was born on March 16, 1957 in Connecticut. From a very young age, he wanted to move west. Kelly has two sons, Dycus and Matthew. Kelly enjoys skiing, playing piano, and traveling when time permits. When teaching, his goal is to show the students the process of archaeology and how much scraps of bone or broken stone tools can teach us. He also wants students to know that archaeology entails an intellectual process that doesn’t involve Indiana Jones sort of activities.Background
Kelly attended Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
where he received his BA in Anthropology in 1978. After graduating from Cornell, he moved west to continue his studies at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
where he received his MA in 1980. Much of his work and research was centered on the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
and he spent over a decade working on sites and projects in Nevada. In 1985, he earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
with a dissertation on mobility and sedentism of hunter-gatherers. His fieldwork has been conducted in the Great Basin, the Southwestern United States, Chile, and Madagascar. He has authored over 100 publications. He and David Hurst Thomas
David Hurst Thomas
David Hurst Thomas is the Curator in the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and the City University of New York....
have written an introductory textbook titled Archaeology that is widely used in many colleges and universities. Kelly’s book The Foraging Spectrum: Diversity in Hinter-Gatherer Lifeways, published in 1995, is considered to be a landmark in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. In the book, Kelly points out that lifeways among foraging societies were quite diverse. His application of optimal foraging theory
Optimal foraging theory
Optimal foraging theory is an idea in ecology based on the study of foraging behaviour and states that organisms forage in such a way as to maximize their net energy intake per unit time. In other words, they behave in such a way as to find, capture and consume food containing the most calories...
makes the book useful for ecologists as well as archeologists, and for other branches of studies like behavioral psychology and human evolution.
Employment History
After receiving his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1985, Kelly became a lecturer at Colby College in MaineColby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
. From 1986 to 1997, he was the coordinator of the Archaeology program at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
in Kentucky. During his tenure there, Kelly served as head of the Anthropology Department from 1992 to 1997, as well as Chair of the College or Arts and Sciences Social Science Division from 1996 to 1997. From 1997 to present, Kelly has been a professor in anthropology at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
, where he served as head from 2005 to 2008.
Kelly served as secretary for the Archaeology Division of the American Anthropological Association
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...
from 1996 to 1998. From 1998 to 2001, he acted as secretary for the Great Basin Anthropological Association. In 2001, Kelly was elected president of the Society for American Archaeology
Society for American Archaeology
The Society for American Archaeology is the largest organization of professional archaeologists of the Americas in the world. The Society was founded in 1934 and today has over 7000 members. The Society holds an annual conference and publishes the flagship journal of American archaeology,...
(SAA). He also serves on the editorial boards for the journals American Antiquity, Research Handbooks in Archaeology of the World Archaeological Congress, and the on-line journal Before Farming.
Awards and Honors
In 1988 Kelly received the Weatherhead Fellow Award at the School of American Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the same year, he received the President’s Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship at the University of Louisville. In 1993, he received the Metrouniversity Outstanding Adult Educator of the Year Award and the Faculty Award for teaching effectiveness from the Latin American Student Association. He has been invited to speak at many universities all over the world, and was the William Lipe Visiting Scholar at Washington State University in 2007.Key Excavations
Kelly has led or assisted in numerous field projects and site excavations. These projects include assisting Robert Bettinger survey in the central Sierra Nevada in 1978; supervising the excavation at Triple-T Rockshelter, Nevada directed by David H. Thomas in 1976; directing the Carson-Stillwater Archaeological Project in Nevada from 1980-1981, 1986, and 1987-present; co-directing with Margaret Nelson at the Black Range Archaeological Project, Southwest New Mexico in 1988-1989; leading the test excavation of Mustang Rockshelter, Nevada in 1990; leading the Pine Springs reinvestigation of Southwestern Wyoming in 1998 and 2000; leading the investigation of Early Holocene/Late Pleistocene geology and archaeology of the Bighorn Mountains from 2001 to the present; and currently leading a research and excavation project in Glacier National Park in attempt to collect archaeological and paleoecological data related climate change.Research Emphasis
Kelly has shaped and contributed much to our current understanding of hunter-gatherer societiesHunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
. He has a deep interest in Western North American archaeology, especially in the Great Basin area. Current understanding of hunter-gatherer mobility and foraging patterns are also influenced strongly by his research, fieldwork, and ethnology. By examining the Pleistocene colonization of the Americas
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
by examining artifacts and lithic technology, Kelly reconstructs past life-ways and compares them to current foraging societies, and examines human adaptation to climate change during different periods in the past.
Kelly is also interested in improving and fine-tuning archaeological practice.. He has successfully challenged the preconceived notions of what it means to be hunter-gatherer through his research with the ethnographic record. Kelly is also interested in preserving the rights of indigenous peoples as affected by legislation like NAGPRA.
Currently, Kelly’s research is focused on the Pleistocene colonization of the Americas as well as the effects of climate change to human cultural and behavioral adaptations. Kelly is also conducting fieldwork and research on why so few fluted points are found in caves and rockshelters.
Selected Books and Monographs
- Doing Archaeology (Robert L. Kelly and David H. Thomas). 2011. Belmont, California. CD-ROM.
- Archaeology: Down to Earth, 4th Edition (Robert L. Kelly and David H. Thomas). 2011. Cengage Learning/Wadsworth.
- Archaeology, 5th Edition (Robert L. Kelly and David H. Thomas). 2010. Cengage Learning/Wadsworth.
- Mustang Shelter: Test Excavation of a Rockshelter in the Stillwater Mountains, Western Nevada (Robert L. Kelly). Nevada Bureau of Land Management Cultural Resource Series 18 + CD. http://www.blm.gov/
- The Foraging Spectrum: Diversity in Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways (Robert L. Kelly). 2007. Revised. Percheron Press, Clinton Corners, New York.
- Prehistory of the Carson Desert and Stillwater Mountains, Nevada: Environment, Mobility and Subsistence (Robert L. Kelly). 2001. University of Utah Anthropological Papers 123, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- The Foraging Spectrum: Diversity in Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways (Robert L. Kelly). 1995. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Selected Papers
- Technology (Robert L. Kelly). 2011. Oxford Handbook of Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, edited by V. Cummings, P, Jordan, and M. Zvelebil. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- Obsidian in the Carson Desert: Mobility or Trade? (Robert L. Kelly). 2011. Investigating Prehistoric Trade and Exchange in Western North America, edited by Richard E. Hughes. Salt Lake City, University of Utah Press.
- A Good Start (Robert L. Kelly). 2010. (Comment on Forum: The Intergenerational Transfer of Wealth). Current Anthropology 51: 109-110.
- Experimental Analysis of the Practical Limits of Lithic Refitting (J. Laughlin and Robert L. Kelly). 2010. Journal of Archaeological Science 37: 427-433.
- Did the Ancestors of Native Americans Cause Animal Extinctions in Late Pleistocene North America? (Robert L. Kelly and M. Prasciunas). 2007. Native Americans and the Environment: Perspectives on the Ecological Indian, edited by M.E. Harkin and D.R. Lewis, pp. 95–122. Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press.
- Hunter-Gatherers, Archaeology, and the Role of Selection in the Evolution of the Human Mind (Robert L. Kelly). 2005. A Catalyst for Ideas: Anthropological Archaeology and the Legacy of Douglas W. Schwartz, pp. 19–39, edited by Vernon Scarborough and Richard Leventhal. Santa Fe, School of American Research Press.
- Lithic Technology: The Analysis of Stone Tools and Debitage (reprint of 1997 article) (Robert L. Kelly). 2002. Archaeology: Original Readings in Method and Practice, edited by P. Peregrine, C. Ember, and M. Ember, pp. 48–61. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
- Elements of a Behavioral Ecological Paradigm for the Study of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers (Robert L. Kelly). 2000. Social Theory in Archaeology, edited by M.B. Schiffer, pp. 63–78. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.
- Hunter-Gatherer Foraging and Colonization of the Western Hemisphere (Robert L. Kelly). 1999. Anthropologie 37(1): 143-153
- Theoretical and Archaeological Insights into Foraging Strategies among the Prehistoric Inhabitants of the Stillwater Marsh Wetlands (Robert L. Kelly). 1999. Understanding Prehistoric Lifeways in the Great Basin Wetlands: Bioarchaeological Reconstruction and Interpretation, edited by B. Hemphill and C.S. Larsen, pp. 117–150. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.
- Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways in the Carson Sink: A Context for Bioarchaeology (Robert L. Kelly). 1995. Bioarchaeology of the Stillwater Marsh: Prehistoric Human Adaptation in the Western Great Basin, C.S. Larsen and R.L. Kelly, editors. Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History 77:12-32
- The Current Status of Great Basin Archaeology (Robert L. Kelly). 1993. Presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, St. Louis, MO.