Dr. Christine Hastorf

Biography

Christine Hastorf is a distinguished anthropologist and archaeobotanist whose research explores the complex relationships between plants, culture, and society in ancient civilizations. She is known for her pioneering contributions to paleoethnobotany, investigating how plant remains reflect agricultural practices, social structures, ritual life, and political organization, particularly in the Andean region. Her work has provided new insights into how ancient communities interacted with their environments, their foodways, gender roles, and the symbolic uses of plants. Hastorf directs long-term research initiatives, such as the Lake Titicaca Taraco Archaeological Project, and has contributed to archaeobotanical work at significant sites like Çatalhöyük. She leads the McCown Archaeobotany Laboratory, shaping scientific practices in the field and training students. Having directed the Archaeological Research Facility at UC Berkeley for the past eight years, her accomplishments have been recognized through major honors, including the 2025 Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology from the Archaeological Institute of America and the Fryxell Award in the Botanical Sciences from the Society for American Archaeology. She is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the Society of Antiquaries. Hastorf earned her Ph.D. and has been a faculty member at Berkeley since 1994, specializing in understanding social and environmental dynamics through ancient plant remains in early civilizations.

Research Interests