University of Massachusetts Boston
Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
(617) 287-6824
john.steinberg@umb.edu
Profile
John Steinberg has been a Research Scientist at the Fiske Center since 2006. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from UCLA in 1997.
Before coming to UMASS Boston, John taught at UCLA and California State University Northridge. He is interested in economic problems of colonization, both in New England and across the North Atlantic. He uses GIS and shallow geophysics to study settlement patterns to understand broad trends over the landscape. In addition to John’s New England work, he has been directing the Skagafjordur Archaeological Settlement Survey (SASS) since 2000. SASS is a multi-year project in Northern Iceland to understand the formation of social stratification and property rights during the Viking Age and after (874-1700). Dr. Steinberg’s work examines the demographic changes that took place in Iceland from its Viking Age settlement, through its Norse chiefly organization, and into a medieval state system. For his work in Iceland, as well as other projects, has received almost $500,000 in research grants, mostly from the National Science Foundation. John is the director of the Digital Archaeology at the Fiske Center.
Selected Publications
B. Damatia, J. Walker, A. Stansell, J. Steinberg (2020). On GPR surveying of historical cemeteries and ancient graveyards to aid forensic research. 18th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, Golden, Colorado 14-19.
J. Steinberg, D. Bolender (2018). Getting It Wrong for All the Right Reasons: 25 Case Studies in Research Practice. In book: Engaging Archaeology, 31-39.
H. Trigg, S. Jacobucci, S. Mrowzoski, J. Steinberg (2017). Archaeological Parasites as Indicators of Environmental Change in Urbanizing Landscapes: Implications for Health and Social Status. American Antiquity 82(3): 1-19.
J. Steinberg, D. Bolender, B. Damatia (2016). The Viking Age settlement pattern of Langholt, North Iceland: Results of the Skagafjorour Archaeological Settlement Survey. Journal of Field Archaeology 41 (4): 389-412.
G. Zoega, J. Steinberg, D. Bolender, B. Damatia (2015). Keflavíc on Hegranes: Cemetary Excavation Interim Report 2015. Affiliation: Skagafjorour Heritage Museum/ The Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, UMASS Boston.
B. Damatia, J. Steinberg, D. Bolender, G. Zoega (2013). Imaging skeletal remains with ground-penetrating radar: Comparative results over two graves from Viking Age and Medieval churchyards on the Stóra-Seyla farm, northern Iceland. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(1): 268-278.