Dr. Robert P. Connolly Associate Professor Director, Chucalissa Museum E-mail: rcnnolly@memphis.edu Phone: (901) 678-3331 Office: Manning Hall 300B

Research Focus

Museum studies; Public interpretation in archaeology; Native American cultures of the Eastern Woodlands from 2000 B.C. to the present; New World prehistoric monumental architecture.

Academic Summary

Dr. Connolly received his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996.  Prior to coming to The University of Memphis, he conducted long-term research projects at the Hopewell Fort Ancient hilltop enclosure in southwest Ohio and at the Poverty Point earthwork complex in northeast Louisiana.  At both sites he specialized in the analysis of previously excavated but unreported museum collections and their associated records as a means to limit the need for modern field excavations in addressing research questions.  

Dr. Connolly has participated in numerous pilot projects that explore innovative methods to bring anthropology to both teachers and students into the public school system.  He has also developed innovative exhibits, activities, and educational programs that both educate the public about the rich cultural heritage of the Eastern Woodlands and foster a climate of preservation, conservation and respect for that heritage.

He served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.  From 1996 till 2003 he was the first Station Archaeologist at the Poverty Point site, established that research program, including the creation and implementation of  excavation, analysis and curation standards.

Selected Academic Publications

Connolly, Robert P. An Assessment of Radiocarbon Age Results from the Poverty Point site Louisiana Archaeology Volume 28. 2007                       

Connolly, Robert P. (edited with Bradley Lepper) The Fort Ancient Earthwork: Prehistoric Lifeways of the Hopewell in Southwestern Ohio, Ohio Historical Society. 2005                       
                               
Connolly, Robert P. Final Report on the 1980 - 1982 Excavations, Northwest Ridge One, The Poverty Point Site, (16WC5).  Louisiana Archaeology, Volume 25. 2003                       

Connolly, Robert P. The Architectural Grammar of Middle Woodland Hilltop Enclosures: Fort Ancient as a Case
Study. In Ancient Earthen Enclosures of the Eastern Woodlands,  edited by Lynne Sullivan and
Robert Mainfort, University Press of Florida, Gainesville. 1998                      

Connolly, Robert P. Hopewellian Habitation at the Fort Ancient Site.  In volume Ohio Hopewell Community Organization  edited by William Dancey and Paul Pacheco, Kent State University Press. 1997                       

Leadership Positions

Mentor, Millsaps College, Faith and Works Initiative, 2003-2005

Hispanic Commission, Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, 2003-2006

Spokesperson, Institute of Interfaith Dialogue, 2006-Present

Board, Midtown Community Development Corporation, Jackson, MS, 2005-2007