Ongoing Research in Eurasian Archaeology: Assessing the Implications of New Evidence

This session explores the results of recent archaeological research in Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the adjacent areas. Nearly three decades of post-Soviet international scholarly engagement have greatly advanced our understanding of Eurasian prehistory and made this knowledge available to English readers. While theoretical perspectives and field methods are constantly being refined, some of the same themes continue to guide regional research. They include pastoralist subsistence and mobility strategies, the global spread of domesticated crops, the origins of the Indo-European languages, technological innovations in metallurgy and draft animal transport, broad-scale interactions over vast distances, developmental pathways of Eurasia’s complex societies. This session brings together graduate and post-graduate scholars working across time periods and research questions to discuss current archaeological projects in the region. The aim of the session is to facilitate the exchange of theoretical perspectives, expertise, and ideas among those involved in shaping the future of Eurasia’s past.