Smiti Nathan
Ph.D. in Archaeological Anthropology
NYU Department of Anthropology
Email: ssn249@nyu.edu
Research Interests
- Bronze Age Oman
- archaeobotany and anthracology
- remote sensing
- ethnoarchaeology
- Ethiopia
- communities of practice
- agriculture and food
- archaeological survey and excavation
- comparative studies
- public archaeology
Current Research
Currently, I’m wrapping up the data collection stage of my dissertation work. I’m a visiting researcher at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany where I’m undertaking anthracological and phytolith analyses. This stage of my research is supported by a Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant. My dissertation examines the emergence of agricultural communities in Oman during the Bronze Age. I am particularly interested in the strategic decisions made by these communities, specifically with regard to settlement location and plant selection.
Publications
[ Academia | ResearchGate ]Nathan, S. 2015. Excavations of Baita Semati: Archaeobotany, in M. Harrower (Ed.) Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project: Political and Religious Change at Baita Semati and Ancient Geographies of the Yeha Region. Ethiopia.
Nathan, S. & Harrower, M. 2015. Archaeological Survey, in M. Harrower (Ed.) Archaeological Water Histories of Oman (ARWHO) Project 2015 Field Report, pp. 9-29. Oman: Ministry of Heritage and Culture.
Nathan, S. 2014. Archaeobotanical and Agricultural Excavations, in C. Cable & C. P. Thornton (Eds.) Bat Archaeological Project 2014 Season Report, pp. 63–89. Oman: Ministry of Heritage and Culture.
Nathan, S. 2014. Excavations of Baita Semati: Archaeobotany, in M. Harrower (Ed.) Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project: Baita Semati and Aksumite Societies of Yeha Region, 2013 and 2014 Study Seasons Report. Ethiopia.
Harrower, M. & Nathan, S. 2014. Archaeological Survey, in M. Harrower (Ed.) Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project: Baita Semati and Aksumite Societies of Yeha Region, 2013 and 2014 Study Seasons Report. Ethiopia.
Nathan, S. 2013. Archaeological Survey, in M. Harrower (Ed.) Archaeological Water Histories of Oman (ARWHO) Project 2013 Field Report, pp. 2–13. Oman: Ministry of Heritage and Culture.
Nathan, S. 2013. Archaeobotanical Analysis, in M. Harrower (Ed.) Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project 2013 Field Report: Baita Semati and Aksumite Societies of Yeha Region, pp. 10–16. Ethiopia.
Nathan, S. 2010. 2010 Field Report of the Archaeobotanical Analysis Conducted for the Pattanam Excavations. Submitted to the SEALINKS Project at Oxford University.
Selected Presentations
Nathan, S. Midnight on the Oasis: Past and Present Agricultural Activities in Oman, Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archaeology, Orlando, FL, April 6-10, 2016.
Harrower, M. J., Perlingieri, C., Dumitru, I. A., Nathan, S., Mazzariello, J. C. The Rise and Decline of Aksum Beyond the Capital: The Southern Red Sea Archaeological Histories (SRSAH) Project (2009-2015). Society of Africanist Archaeologists, Toulouse, France, June 26-July 2, 2016.
Harrower, M. J., Dumitru, I. A., Swerida, J., Nathan, S., & Bongers, J. The Red Sea and the Persian/Arabian Gulf: Long-Term Conduits of Ancient Interchange and Hybridity. Annual Meeting of the American School of Oriental Research, Baltimore, MD, November 20-23, 2013.
Harrower, M. J., Dumitru, I. A., Swerida, J., Nathan, S., & Bongers, J. The Red Sea and the Persian: Long-Term Conduits of Ancient Interchange, Entanglement, and Hybridity. Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archaeology, Honolulu, HI, April 3-7, 2013.
Nathan, S. Research on the Development of the Cultivation of Plants in the Interior of Oman during the Early Bronze Age. The Oman Botanic Garden, Muscat, Oman, 2015.
Nathan, S. Bat Archaeological Project 2015: Findings from Excavations at Khafaji. The Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Muscat, Oman, 2015.
Nathan, S. What Influenced Food Choices of Ancient Axumites in Ethiopia? New York University’s Africa House. New York, NY, 2014.