Anne Austin

Anne Austin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Harvard University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Archaeology from UCLA. Prior to joining UMSL in 2017, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the History Department at Stanford University. Her research integrates osteology and Egyptology to explore medicine and disease in ancient Egypt, with a focus on health care systems and tattoo practices. A key discovery includes identifying the only known ancient Egyptian mummy with over 30 tattoos. Her current work examines tattooing’s cultural significance in ancient Egypt, particularly its links to gender, religion, and medicine.

Education:

• B.A. Anthropology, Harvard University (2002–2006)
• M.A. Archaeology, UCLA (2007–2009)
• Ph.D. Archaeology, UCLA (2009–2014)

Research Interests: Anne’s work bridges bioarchaeology, Egyptology, and public health. She investigates health and disease through human remains and textual records, with a focus on Deir el-Medina’s health care networks. Her contributions include studies on dental health, tattoo practices, and archaeological data management. Recent projects emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration to improve data curation and accessibility in archaeology.

Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles and reports, including studies on ancient dentistry, tattoo analysis, and field methodologies. Recent highlights include Healthmaking in Ancient Egypt (2024) and Improving the Usability of Archaeological Data (2024).

Grants & Collaborations: Participates in the international Secret Life of Data project, advancing archaeological data practices. Active in fieldwork at Deir el-Medina with the IFAO mission. Engages in public outreach through media features on ancient health care and tattoo research.

Teaching: Offers courses on Egyptian civilization, osteology, and forensic anthropology.