James Johnson

James Johnson is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. He specializes in anthropological archaeology with a focus on Bronze and Iron Age pastoralist societies of the Eurasian steppe (ca. 2100–200 BCE). His research explores social integration, household interaction, material culture (especially pottery), and settlement patterning among mobile communities. He has also taught and conducted research at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Chicago.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, 2014
• M.Sc., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• B.A., University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Johnson’s research interests lie at the intersection of archaeology, social theory, and environmental anthropology. He investigates how mobile societies form and maintain community structures across vast landscapes, particularly in the Uy River Valley and Pontic Forest-Steppe regions. His work integrates archaeological fieldwork, isotopic analysis, and theoretical frameworks to understand cultural change, trade, labor, and community dynamics in prehistoric Eurasia.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on the Pontic Iron Age and Southern Urals, using interdisciplinary methods such as strontium and oxygen isotope studies to trace human mobility and subsistence. Themes include social integration, temporalities, and alternative archaeological narratives. Much of his work engages with material culture as a lens into past social practices and identities.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards explicitly mentioned.

Johnson has secured significant research funding from the National Science Foundation, Wenner Gren Foundation, National Geographic Society, and the University of Wyoming. While no formal advisees are listed, he teaches a wide range of courses including Introduction to Archaeology, Old World Archaeology, Environmental Anthropology, and seminars on archaeological mysteries and human-technology interfaces. He contributes to academic discourse through editorial work and collaborative research projects.

His primary research initiative, the Uy River Valley Communities of Practice project, aims to understand how shared practices and material traditions foster social cohesion in mobile societies. This long-term project combines excavation, landscape analysis, and community-based interpretation to reconstruct the lifeways of ancient Eurasian pastoralists.