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Joyce Marcus is the Robert L. Carneiro Distinguished Professor of Social Evolution and Curator of Latin American Archaeology at the University of Michigan. With significant fieldwork experience across various archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru, Marcus has made substantial contributions to understanding ancient cultures through her research on the hieroglyphs and socio-political structures of the Maya and Zapotec civilizations. Her notable discoveries include previously unknown emblem glyphs, leading to excavations that revealed the complex hierarchies within these ancient societies. Marcus's scholarly work includes the publication of her 2020 book titled 'Zapotec Monuments Political History', which focuses on the evolution of the Zapotec writing system. In 2008, she published critical findings on the architecture and pottery from Cerro Azul, Peru. Throughout her career, Marcus has been honored with various accolades, including elections to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, alongside multiple distinguished faculty awards. Her current research interests span the origins of village societies, the development of writing, and the examination of political economies in ancient states and empires.
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science