For his entire career, archaeologist Gary Feinman has studied the politics and economics of hierarchically organized societies, often called chiefdoms, states, and empires. Adopting an approach to complex societies that has married a comparative theoretical perspective with an intense commitment to field research, Feinman has focused on the nature and diversity of past political organizations and the economic relations that underpinned them. 

He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including comprehensive reports of extensive archaeological field projects as well as synthetic treatments of core theoretical issues. Along with T. Douglas Price, PhD, Feinman is the author of Images of the Past, one the most popular university texts covering world archaeology, now in its fifth edition.

Feinman's primary fieldwork focus has been the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, a core region of pre-Hispanic civilization, where he has led three decades of regional settlement studies, site-mapping projects, and household excavations. For more than a decade, Feinman also has been part of an international team pioneering a regional survey in a coastal area of eastern Shandong Province, China. This is one of the longest running Sino-American archaeological projects currently in progress.

Comprehensive reports (including field notes, photographs, and videos) of both the Oaxaca and Shandong projects are available for viewing at expeditions@fieldmuseum.org.

Dr. Gary Feinman Interview
"The significance of archaeology is that it provides a window into past episodes of long-term change that otherwise would be invisible to us today. Such extended histories yield insights into what worked and what did not work, as well as to how the organization and dynamics of human societies are so different in some respects and so similar in others."

To learn more about Dr. Feinman's work at the Zapotec settlement of El Palmillo and view the ruins of Zapotec hill towns that dot present-day Oaxaca, take a look at The Ancient Americas Zapotec Expedition Video.

To view video please select a format:

	Best for Macintosh users
	Best for Window users

To access the above feature, you will need either Quicktime or Windows Media for your browser