Archaeology: Down to Earth

David Hurst Thomas has served as Curator of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City since 1972. A specialist in Native American archaeology, Thomas discovered both Gatecliff Shelter (Nevada) and the lost 16th- and 17th-century Franciscan mission Santa Catalina de Guale on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia. He has led the long-term excavation of Mission San Marcos near Santa Fe (New Mexico) and recently returned to St. Catherine's Island for long-term archaeological exploration. A founding trustee of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian since 1989, Thomas has published extensively. His works include 100 papers and 30 books -- most recently, the bestselling Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and The Battle for Native American Identity. Archaeologist Thomas likes "old stuff," including his 1961 Corvette, his 130-year-old house, and the Oakland Raiders. Robert L. Kelly began collecting arrowheads in farmers' fields when he was 10 years old. He has participated in archaeological research since 1973, when he was a sophomore in high school. He has worked on excavations in North and South America and conducted ethnographic research in Madagascar. He currently is conducting research into the Paleo-Indian archaeology of Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. A former president of the Society for American Archaeology and a past secretary of the Archaeology Division of the American Anthropological Association, Kelly has published nearly 100 articles and books, including the 1996 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book THE FORAGING SPECTRUM: DIVERSITY IN HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES. Dr. Kelly has been a professor at the University of Wyoming since 1997.