David Killick

David Killick is a Professor of Anthropology and Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona. His interdisciplinary work bridges archaeology, metallurgy, and geochemistry to investigate ancient technological practices and their socio-political implications.

• Research Focus: Archaeometallurgy, isotopic provenance analysis, Lapita pottery, and preindustrial mining/metallurgy systems
• Key Collaborations: Studies linking lead isotopes to metal artifacts, regional trade networks in Africa and the Pacific, and technological evolution in pottery/metallurgy

Recent publications examine non-ferrous mining chronologies in southern Africa, Sn isotope compositions in tin ores, social dynamics of copper ingot production, and heavy stable isotopes in archaeological studies. His work on Lapita pottery analyzes petrographic patterns and motif diffusion to reconstruct Pacific trade networks. Killick's research also explores the intersection of technological behavior and sociopolitical complexity through metallurgical remains.

Grants include NSF funding for Technological Analysis of Lead Glazed Ceramics (2014). His methodological contributions span analytical chemistry applications in archaeology, mineralogical studies of ancient slags, and social theories in technological practice.