Occupation: Anthropologists and Archeologists

Anthropologists and Archeologists

Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.

19-3091.00 | 30 tasks | 9 job titles
Reported Job Titles (9)
  • American Indian Policy Specialist
  • Applied Anthropologist
  • Applied Cultural Anthropologist
  • Archaeologist
  • Communication and Folklore Specialist
  • Forensic Anthropologist
  • Historical Archaeologist
  • Research Archaeologist
  • Researcher
Core Tasks (20)
  • Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
  • Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
  • Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
  • Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.
  • Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.
  • Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.
  • Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials.
  • Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement.
  • Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.
  • Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.
  • Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.
  • Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.
  • Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.
  • Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities.
  • Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions.
  • Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances.
  • Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction.
  • Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers.
  • Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns.
  • Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions.
Supplemental Tasks (10)
  • Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.
  • Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.
  • Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures.
  • Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences.
  • Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration.
  • Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found.
  • Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance.
  • Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites.
  • Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts.
  • Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists.