معرفی
Eric Dyrdahl is currently an Assistant Professor (Profesor Auxiliar) at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) and a Junior Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks. He is also a doctoral candidate in Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). His research focuses on highland Ecuadorian archaeology, examining local resistance to Inka conquest, prehispanic obsidian procurement strategies, and craft production during the Late Formative period (800-400 cal BC). Eric collaborates with PSU graduate students on obsidian chemical characterization studies in central Mexico.
Education:
- B.A. in Anthropology and Political Science, Northwestern University (2007)
- M.A. in Anthropology with distinction, Pennsylvania State University (2010)
His research interests emphasize material culture analysis, particularly the production sequences of adornments and tools using non-local raw materials and their anthropological implications. He has directed excavations at the Las Orquídeas site in Imbabura Province (Ecuador), supported by the Fulbright Program, the American Philosophical Society, SENESYCT (Ecuadorian Ministry), National Geographic, and institutions like PSU and La Sapienza, University of Rome. This project forms the core of his doctoral dissertation and that of co-director Carlos Montalvo.
Grants & Collaborations:
- Fulbright grant (support for Ecuador excavations)
- Collaboration with Ken Hirth (PSU advisor)
- Partnerships with international institutions including Dumbarton Oaks, La Sapienza, and local municipalities
Eric’s work bridges archaeological methodological innovation with socio-cultural interpretations of material production in ancient Andean societies.
