Andrew Weiland
Andrew Weiland is a Ph.D. candidate in Ohio State University’s Department of Anthropology, specializing in archaeology. Generally, he is interested in socio-ecological systems: how culturally influenced behaviors affect ecological systems, and vice-versa.
- See Weiland the Food for Thought Speaker Series talk “Harvest the Past, Feed the Future: Cultivating the Forgotten Indigenous Crops of Eastern North America” on Feb. 22 from 7-9 p.m. in Baker Ballroom.
Domestication of Native Crops
More specifically, Weiland studies North American prehistoric shifts to various types of agriculture: domestication of native crops, and the later adoption of maize-based systems. He does this by looking at seeds and wood from archaeological soils, along with analyzing silicified plant cells from soils and pottery sherds known as phytoliths.
Weiland graduated with his B.A. in Anthropology in 2004 from the College of Arts & Sciences at Ohio University.
Researching Transitions
He is currently working on samples from Hopewell Mound Group (A.D. 1-400) at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park near Chillicothe, OH, to better understand the vegetation growing among the earthworks there.
For his dissertation, he researches the maize transition that occurred around A.D. 1000 during the cultural transition from the Late Woodland (A.D. 400-1000) to the Fort Ancient (A.D. 1000-1650).
He does this work through OSU and for the National Park Service, so he gets plenty of opportunities to teach students and visitors about what archaeologists do.
The Best Part
In addition to the excitement of research, Weiland’s favorite part of his career is talking to the general public about what he and his colleagues do.
“Although archaeology can sometimes seem esoteric,” he says, “a short conversation with interested friends or family quickly demonstrates that the themes of cross-cultural exchange, sustainability, adaptability, and innovation are consistently important throughout time.”
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