College hall with flag.

Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies

The Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies (CHAS) brings together scholarly research, education and public outreach with a broad focus on heritage, identity and community engagement. Our core is a group of Montclair State University faculty members from the departments of Anthropology, Classics and General Humanities and Earth and Environmental Studies.  On campus, we offer an interdisciplinary minor in archaeology that incorporates courses in these departments as well as several taught by the Art History faculty, and we sponsor two ongoing lecture series on archaeology and heritage studies.  Off-campus, our work ranges from archaeological excavation to public programs for students and community to collaboration with museums and historical societies.  Geographically, our current work takes place in three widely separated parts of the world: the New York-New Jersey area, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

an event flyer for Water in Nature and the Anthropic World Conference April 2023

Water in Nature and the Anthropic World: Its Management, Cultural Expression and Sustainable Usage between Past and Present

This two-day, hybrid interdisciplinary event will explore the ways in which people from different time periods and geographic areas of the world have faced issues in the harnessing, control, and usage of water as well as how this indispensable resource has shaped those cultures.

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