The Open Ecumene: Economic, Ideological, and Demographic Choices among Bronze Age Eurasians

Synopsis

'The Open Ecumene: Economic, Ideological, and Demographic Choices among Bronze Age Eurasians' offers a macro-historical view, drawn from over two decades of fieldwork, of how Bronze Age communities across Eurasia fostered connectivity and adapted to dynamic ecological conditions. Through Professor Frachetti’s insights, we’ll explore the technological advancements and interregional networks that influenced the evolution of Eurasia’s cultural and economic landscapes. This research was partially also published in Nature. 

This will be a hybrid event. Participants only able to attend online should use this link to register for the event.

About the Speaker

Archaeologist, photographer, and author Michael Frachetti researches Asia’s ancient Silk Roads to understand Central Asian societies and their unique role in shaping ancient and modern civilization. For close to 30 years, he has led archaeological expeditions across Central Asia. Through his fieldwork and geospatial modeling he and his team have unearthed a spectacular high-altitude city built by elusive nomadic empires who controlled the Silk Road more than a thousand years ago. He uses high-resolution satellite imagery, 3-D modeling, and computer simulations to help predict, discover, and document the ancient archaeology of Central Asia, while studying the relationship between societies and their impact on extreme environments (deserts, high mountains, etc).

Michael is currently a Professor of Archaeology at Washington University in St. Louis and the author of "Pastoralist Landscapes and Social Interaction in Bronze Age Eurasia" (Univ. Calif. Press). His research has been featured in the New York Times, Nature, Science, BBC, Scientific American, and more. Every summer he directs ongoing archaeological excavations in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.