Archaeologist explores ancient societies and agriculture in Mesoamerica
Dr. Thomas Killion, an anthropological archaeologist, specializes in the development of complex societies in the tropical lowlands of Mexico and Central America. His research focuses on the evolution of ancient agriculture, urbanization, and warfare in these regions.
Killion’s work has been widely published in leading academic journals, including the "Journal of Field Archaeology, Latin American Antiquity," "Journal of Anthropological Research" and "Current Anthropology." He has conducted fieldwork across the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Peru, with funding from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the United States Agency for International Development, and the National Geographic Society.
In his most recent publication, "Nonagricultural Cultivation and Social Complexity: The Olmec, Their Ancestors, and Mexico’s Southern Gulf Coast Lowlands," featured in "Current Anthropology" in October 2013, Killion examines the interplay between early agricultural practices and the rise of social complexity among the Olmec and their predecessors.
Killion’s research continues to shed light on the dynamic processes that shaped ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, offering insights into the foundations of urban and agricultural systems that defined these societies.