Devin Pettigrew

Dr. Devin Pettigrew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Sul Ross State University, where he also affiliates with the Center for Big Bend Studies. His research focuses on experimental archaeology of ancient hunting technologies, particularly the atlatl, bow-and-arrow, and straight-flying boomerang. He explores how these weapons' ballistic properties and archaeological signatures inform understanding of prehistoric hunting practices.

Dr. Pettigrew holds an M.A. from the University of Arkansas (2015) and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder (2021). His work integrates ecology, experimental replication, and archaeological fieldwork across Arkansas, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. He investigates hunter success factors and links ancient hunting strategies to modern wildlife conservation policies.

His recent publications (2023) analyze terminal ballistics of ancient projectile points, scalability of experimental target media, and Iron Age battlefield dynamics. He emphasizes methodological rigor in controlled experiments to bridge gaps between ancient weapon performance and archaeological evidence.

Teaching interests include the Anthropology of Hunting, and he actively engages in archaeological surveys and excavations of prehistoric to historic sites. His research bridges anthropology, ecology, and conservation, offering interdisciplinary insights into human-environment interactions.