Eleanora A. Reber

Professor

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Sartarelli Hall 1018H

Scholars@UNCW Profile My Department

I've taught at UNCW since 2001. My lab specialization is organic pottery residue analysis, which allows us to reconstruct ancient pottery use with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and related tools. Over the past years, I've developed the UNCW Archaeological Residue Lab, one of the few laboratories dedicated to GC/MS and GC-IRMS analysis of archaeological residues in the country. My excavation interests focus on the Wilmington area, and on excavating and learning about the enslaved and Black communities in the Lower Cape Fear region.

Education

PhD in Anthropology, Harvard University
MA in Anthropology, Harvard University
BS in Chemistry, Beloit College
BA in Anthropology, Beloit College

Specialization in Teaching

Archaeology in general, including Collapse of complex societies, the archaeology of the southeastern United States and Wilmington areas, the rise of complex societies, including in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and the midwestern United States, and archaeological sciences. Archaeological field schools are offered locally once every two years, as circumstances permit.

Research Interests

Organic pottery residue analysis
Light stable isotope analysis, especially in ceramic residues
Form/function relationships in pottery
The rise of complex societies in a variety of global locations, including the midwestern United States and India
Rice plantations in the Lower Cape Fear region
The African Diaspora and identity formation in coastal North Carolina
Identification of maize and the Black Drink in residues

Professional Service

Chair of the Society for American Archaeology Fundraising Committee
Board member of the Public Archaeology Corps
Editorial board member for the Journal of Archaeological Sciences Reports
Registered Professional Archaeologist

Community Engagement

For the past several years, I have excavated in southern Brunswick County, and interact regularly with those communities. When I dig at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State historic site, one of our focuses is public education on the history and archaeology of the area. As a board member of the Public Archaeology Corps, I assist in the preservation and excavation of archaeology and history on private land in the Lower Cape Fear region.

Honors & Awards

Discere Aude Award 2024
UNCW Million Dollar Grant club