My research interests lie at the intersection of the physical sciences and the social sciences. In my investigations, I apply tools and techniques from the physical sciences such as analytical chemistry, biogeochemistry, and finite element analysis, to answer questions about human health and society in the ancient past. In particular, I explore the ways that social and economic inequality are incorporated into the skeleton and how we can explore questions of social inequality in the past with this understanding.
Armando Anzellini
Assistant Professor
610.758.3814
ara622@lehigh.edu
0031 - Williams Hall
Education:
Ph.D. – Anthropology, University of Tennessee
M.A. – Anthropology, University of Central Florida
B.A. – Anthropology, University of Central Florida
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Research Areas
Additional Interests
- Bioarchaeology
- Decolonizing Bioarchaeology
- Embodiment of Inequality
- Mortuary Practices
- Archaeological Sciences
- Archaeological Theory
- Forensic Anthropology/Archaeology
- Vibrational Spectroscopy
- Stable Isotope Analysis
- Quantitative Methods
Research Statement
Biography
I am a bioarchaeologist, forensic anthropologist, and Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) specializing in human osteology and archaeological sciences. I have surveyed and excavated archaeological sites, prehistoric burials, and historic cemeteries in the United States, the Caribbean, Peru, and Romania, and have conducted research in a variety of disciplines including biogeochemistry, morphometrics, and architectural analyses. Originally from Venezuela, I am fluent in Spanish and English, and have prepared and presented official reports, peer-reviewed articles, conference presentations, and lectures for diverse audiences in both languages. Prior to my academic work, I worked in Cultural Resource Management (Private Contract Archaeology) as a bioarchaeologists and then pursued a Ph.D. in biological anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I have instructed international, federal, and local law enforcement agencies on forensic anthropology and have a number of active projects exploring questions in the fields of bioarchaeology, human skeletal biology, and forensic anthropology. I’m always happy to bring students into my lab, please visit my lab website if you’d like to learn more.
Publications
Anzellini, Armando, Toyne JM. 2020. Estimating the stature of ancient high-altitude Andean populations from the skeletal remains of the Chachapoya of Peru. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 171(3): 539-549. Click here to view
Anzellini, Armando, J. Marla Toyne. 2019. Estimating sex from isolated appendicular skeletal elements of archaeological remains from Chachapoyas, Peru. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 29(6): 961-973 . Click here to view
Toyne, J. Marla, Armando Anzellini. 2019. Bulutların Savaşçıları, Gökyüzündeki Mezarlar: Antik Chachapoya Gömü Uygulamaları [Warriors of the Clouds, Graves in the Sky: Ancient Chachapoya Burial Applications]. In Memento Mori: Ölüm ve Ölüm Uygulamaları, edited by Büyükkarakaya AM and Aksoy EB. Ege Yayınlari: Istanbul, pp. 455-487. Click here to view
Toyne, J. Marla, Armando Anzellini, Lori Epstein Mičulka, Ismael Mejías Pitti, Jordi Puig Castell and Salvador Guinot Castello. 2018. Going vertical: Using vertical progression techniques to explore a cliff necropolis in Late Precolumbian Chachapoyas, Peru. Advances in Archaeological Practice 6 (4): 1-14. Click here to view
Toyne, J. Marla and Armando Anzellini. 2017. Sociedad, identidad y variedad de los mausoleos de La Petaca, Chachapoyas. Boletín de Arqueología PUCP 23:231-257. Click here to view
Presentations
Conference Participation
Wilcox, NA, L Cutshall, C O'Brien, M Anderson, A Harrison, N Wilson, A Anzellini, Z Nyárádi, A Gonciar. 2022. Wisdom from Teeth: Developing a new method of MNI estimation. American Association of Biological Anthropologists Annual Meeting, Denver, CO. March
Anzellini, A, Toyne JM. 2019. GIS in vertical spaces: An examination of location and clustering of mortuary contexts at the cliff site of La Petaca, Peru. Symposium: “Late Intermediate and Late Horizon Archaeology in the Andes.” Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM. April
Anzellini, A. 2018. Bioarchaeology in Cultural Resource Management. Brown Bag Lecture Series. Graduate Anthropology Association, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. April
Toyne, JM, LA Narváez Vargas, A Anzellini, V Tran. 2016. Preliminary Evidence for Chachapoya Diet and Mobility at Kuelap from Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen Stable Isotopes. Paleopathology Association North American Conference, Atlanta, Georgia. March
Anzellini, A, JM Toyne. 2015. Mortuary Variability and Chronology of the Cliff Tombs of La Petaca. Symposium: “What was Chachapoyas? Towards a Cultural Geography of the Northeastern Peruvian Andes.” Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. April
Anzellini, A. 2015. Andean Way of Death: Ancestor Worship and the Open Sepulcher. Invited Lecture for ANT 4184 Mortuary Archaeology. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL. April
Anzellini, A, E Mills, L Epstein, JM Toyne. 2015. Variation in Long Bone Length among the Ancient Chachapoya of Peru. Paleopathology Association North American Conference, St. Louis, MO. April
Anzellini, A, JM Toyne. 2014. Investigating Patterns of Interpersonal Violence using Frequency Distributions of Cranial Vault Trauma. Paleopathology Association North American Conference, Calgary, AB, Canada. May
Toyne, JM, I Mejias Pitti, J Puig Castell, L Epstein, A Anzellini. 2014. Going Vertical: Using Vertical Progression Techniques to Explore Complex Mortuary Spaces. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, Austin, TX. April
Invited Lectures
2021 The Future of Exploring the Past. Anthropologica Invited Lecture Series. Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. November
2019 Medical Anthropology. Anatomy and Physiology I. South College, Knoxville, TN. July
2019 Skeletal Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology. Anatomy and Physiology I. South College, Knoxville, TN. May
2018 Bioarchaeology in CRM. Brown Bag Lecture Series. University of Central Florida, Graduate Anthropology Association, Orlando, FL. April
Teaching
ANTH 012 – Introduction to Archaeology and Human Origins
ANTH 145 – Human Evolution
ANTH 117 – Archaeology of Latin America
ANTH 118 – The Science of Archaeology