Assistant Professor of Environmental Archaeology
Laura Motta is a Research Specialist in Archaeobotany at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and a lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan. She earned her PhD at University of Cambridge in 2011. Her research focuses on people-environment interactions in later prehistory and early historical periods and she is particularly interested in the investigation of social complexity in early cities through food redistribution patterns, agricultural practices and landscape modifications. Dr Motta has more than 30 years of fieldwork and lab experience and she is currently involved in projects in Italy, Romania and Egypt. Her latest research focuses on the application of strontium isotope analysis to trace the movement of crops in Iron Age Italy and on biochemical and DNA analysis of ancient cereals to assess their nutritional and adaptability traits.
