Joint Academia publications

Congratulations to Drs. Dan Plekhov and Angela Huster on Their Respective Co-Authored Publications

Jul 11, 2024

Chronicle Heritage would like to extend a joint congratulations to Drs. Dan Plekhov and Angela Huster, who recently co-authored separate papers now published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences and the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, respectively.

Chronicle Heritage proudly offers multiple policies and programs to support qualified staff in their independent research endeavors, including granting leave for such staff members to pursue their research projects and bonuses for publication of peer-reviewed work. Learn more about Dr. Plekhov and Dr. Huster’s papers below:

La Fila, Peru, showing a partial view of residential areas, terraces, and excavation units. Imagery courtesy of Maxar.
Above: La Fila, Peru, showing a partial view of residential areas, terraces, and excavation units. Imagery courtesy of Maxar.

The idea of resurrecting ancient technologies to increase sustainability in contemporary farming remains popular, but such projects often see little success and tend to be abandoned soon after execution. Dr. Plekhov and his colleagues studied histories of terraced agriculture in the Middle Utcubamba Valley of Northeast Peru and conclude this practice was viable due to the socioeconomic and agricultural circumstances of the time. These findings build their case for circumstantial contexts being the frequent keystone to the long-ago successes of such technologies, rather than a simplistic evaluation of whether terraced architecture within a vacuum is universally sustainable. Additionally, they suggest that today’s trends of inadequately accounting for such past contexts and relying on technological approaches alone to overcome existing socioeconomic challenges may contribute to the mismatch of contemporary farmers’ motivations and goals with terraced agriculture’s mechanical benefits.

Map of Classic Period Teotihuacan, Xolalpan-Metepec Phase (c. AD 300/350–550) showing TMP architecture.
Above: Map of Classic Period Teotihuacan, Xolalpan-Metepec Phase (c. AD 300/350–550) showing TMP architecture.

Dr. Huster’s paper analyzes the urban structure of the ancient city of Teotihuacan, finding patterns matching the assumptions of urban spatial equilibrium. Spatial equilibrium is a theory stating that advantages stemming from proximity to desirable land are offset by corresponding land and transportation costs. This conclusion sheds new light on Teotihuacan’s urbanization and other aspects concerning the city, such as gender inequality and spatial competition. Dr. Huster and her colleagues argue their theoretical framework is broadly applicable to archaeological case studies and can lead to new inferences concerning the nuances of ancient urbanization.

Congratulations, Dr. Plekhov and Dr. Huster! We’re proud of your accomplishments.