Stigler Lecture Series Welcomes Guest Archaeologist

Photo Submitted

John Kantner

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – John Kantner, vice president for academic and institutional advancement at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, N.M., will present “Chaco Canyon: From the Outside Looking In” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in Giffels Auditorium. The talk is part of the department of anthropology’s Stigler lecture series in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The majority of Kantner’s research is focused on the development of the Chaco tradition of the American Southwest and is based near Chaco Canyon in what is now northwestern New Mexico.

Chaco Canyon is known for its monumental architecture and the archaeological discoveries that have been made about the Pueblo culture’s complex community and social organization. The canyon was the ceremonial, administrative, and economic center of the San Juan Basin for thousands of people in the surrounding region between 850 and 1250, according to the National Parks Service. It is thought to have been a gathering place where large groups converged to share their ceremonies, traditions, and knowledge, and is central to the origins of several Navajo clans and ceremonies.

A native of New Mexico, Kantner holds a doctorate in anthropology from the University of California Santa Barbara and has conducted archaeological research throughout the U.S. and around the world. Prior to his position at the School for Advanced Research, he was an associate professor at Georgia State University.

The Stigler lecture series in anthropology and archaeology has brought distinguished scholars to the university for more than a decade. The series is supported through a trust established by Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Stigler of Pine Bluff, Ark. in memory of their son, Robert L. Stigler, Jr., a respected archaeologist with an extensive professional career that included many years as an instructor at Columbia University and conducting archaeological research at sites around the world.

This event is free and open to the public. The lecture will be followed by a reception outside the auditorium. For more information about this lecture and the Stigler lecture series, please contact Kenneth Kvamme at 479-575-6603 or kkvamme@uark.edu.