Cobb Institute Of Archaeology
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The Cobb Institute of Archaeology is a research and service unit of th
College of Arts and Sciences
at Mississippi State University (MSU). It was established in 1971 with a goal of promoting archaeological research and education at Mississippi State University. The Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology and its artifact collections are included in the Institute's facilities, and many of the Institute's staff serve as teaching faculty while having formal cross-affiliations with th
Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures
The Institute's archaeological research projects cover a wide geographic and temporal range, but focus on the cultures of the Near East and the Southeastern United States. Through collaboration with academic departments on campus, the Institute offers a wide range of opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...
to engage in archaeological-related research and learning activities.


History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...


Foundation and Endowment

The Cobb Institute of Archaeology was established in June 1971 by
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...
alumnus Cully A. Cobb and his wife, Lois Dowdle Cobb. An initial donation of just over $1 million in stock of the Ruralist Press for endowment support was made in 1971, and an additional $500,000 was donated in order to fund the construction of a building (in a letter written to then-University President William L. Giles) in July 1972. On April 14, 1973, the groundbreaking ceremony took place, and the building was officially dedicated in October 1975. Mr. Cobb died in May 1975, shortly before the Institute formally opened, but left a bequest in his will which continues to fund research there.


Mission

The stated mission of the Cobb Institute is to provide sponsorship and support for research, outreach and instructional programs related "to the Middle Eastern origins of Western Civilization and to the Indians of the South, particularly in Mississippi." Its efforts are to be directed to "the specific purposes of archaeological research, study, travel, excavations and explorations, publications and reports, and other similar uses or purposes." To this end, the research staff at the Institute have focused their energies on a variety of archaeological excavations in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and the
Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...
, often collaborating with the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures at Mississippi State University to offer opportunities for student involvement in fieldwork.


Directors

E. Jerry Vardaman 1972-1988 Joe D. Seger 1988-2014 Michael L. Galaty 2015-2017 Evan Peacock 2017-2018 James W. Hardin 2018–present


Research Activities

Since its inception, the Cobb Institute has provided funding and assistance for archaeological research and fieldwork in the Near East, the Mediterranean Basin, the Southeastern United States, and the Caribbean.


Near Eastern Archaeology

In 1980, the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
Nabataean The Nabataeans or Nabateans (; Nabataean Aramaic: , , vocalized as ) were an ancient Arab people who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Levant. Their settlements—most prominently the assumed capital city of Raqmu (present-day Petr ...
site of Elusa that located in the southern of Israel was the first sponsored place by the Cobb institute to conduct the research work in Middle East. The
Hebrew University in Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...
was involved in one of the research seasons. In order to achieve better
cooperation Cooperation (written as co-operation in British English and, with a varied usage along time, coöperation) takes place when a group of organisms works or acts together for a collective benefit to the group as opposed to working in competition ...
results, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem provided a teaching program of the Middle East work to the MSU students. In 1981, Jack D. Elliott, Jr completed an associated research article named ''The Elusa Oikumene'' and the Cobb institute has published it to achieve promoting and educating results. Joe D. Seger organized the "
Lahav Lahav () is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located around 20 km north of Beersheba and covering 33,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The kibbutz was established ...
Research Project" (LRP) in 1974. There are four phases in this project. The first phase of the work was performed from 1976 to 1980, and the sponsorship of this phase was provided by the
University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public university, public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Omaha, Nebraska), Omaha Presbyterian Theological ...
, the second and third phases were conducted by the Cobb Institute auspices during the period 1983-1989 and 1992-1999, respectively, the fourth phase began in 2007 with the sponsorship of
Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
. Throughout the process, the
American Schools of Oriental Research The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), founded in 1900 as the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, which supports the research and teaching of ...
has been working with the Institute. In all of phases, staff members, subscribers, and worker participants provide financial support to the consortium institutions. The following are some of the mining results of this project: * A detailed excavation report on
stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...
data was found in the eastern side of
Tel Halif Tel H̱alif, formerly Tel H̱alifa (, Arabic name: Tel el-Khuweilifeh) is an archaeological site, a mound ( tell) in northern Negev area, west from kibbutz Lahav, Israel. Identification Albrecht Alt suggested that it is the location of the bib ...
* Nine flint cores, including Canaan-style blade and sheet scraper ("fan scrapers") * About 800 ceramic figurines, majority of them belonged to the Persian era, and some of them belonged to the
Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
second period of Judah * Many modified vessels and whole pottery were discovered in the fourth Field of Tel Halif * On behalf of the
Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, ; , before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservatio ...
,
Paul F. Jacobs Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...
directed a salvage work in 1985. A three-week excavation was carried out in an area at the foot of the Tel Halif, which later extended to the fields of Kibbutz Lahav. This salvation was established as a result of the planning to build a home in
Kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...


North American Archaeology

Over the past fifty years, researchers at the Cobb Institute have conducted several archaeological investigations at the Lyon's Bluff site (22OK520). The site was first excavated by Moreau Chambers in the 1930s; Mississippi State's involvement began with Richard Marshall in the 1960s and continued with field schools supervised by Janet Rafferty and Evan Peacock in 2001 and 2003. During the summer of 2004, Cobb Institute crews conducted excavations at the Mount Pocahontas Mound A site (22Hi500) in
Hinds County Hinds County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats (Raymond, Mississippi, Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Missis ...
, MS. The goals of the fieldwork were to delimit the site boundaries and to locate intact cultural deposits, so that the construction of a new visitor's center and rest stop would not impact the site. Two mounds (A and B) at the site have been added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
; it was occupied during both the Late Archaic and Mississippian periods.


Curation, Equipment, Museum and Activity


Curation

The Cobb Institute Curation
Laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as schools ...
was funded and built in 1986 by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
and Mississippi State University, and all the information and records of the Tennessee- Tombigbee waterway archaeological project in the part of Mississippi are currently kept in this laboratory. These archaeological projects were carried out during the 1970s and 1980s, while the Michigan State University Anthropology Program, were also kept in the laboratory, in addition, because this laboratory meets Federal curation standards, additional collections can be accepted by this laboratory. These collections were collected through formal agreements with the
US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
, the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
, the
Land Administration Land administration is the way in which the rules of land tenure are applied and made operational. Land administration, whether formal or informal, comprises an extensive range of systems and processes to administer. The processes of land administra ...
, the US Prison Administration, the Vicksburg and Mobile, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Researchers can access information of the collections of the Cobb Institute by visiting the Cobb Institute Research Collection Archive (CIRCA) webpage.


Curation Equipment

The design of the curation building of Cobb Institute consists of a standing seam
metal roof A metal roof is a roofing system featuring metal pieces or tiles exhibiting corrosion resistance, impermeability to water, and long life. It is a component of the building envelope. The metal pieces may be a covering on a structural, non-waterpro ...
, corrugated-metal exterior walls, a covered
loading dock A loading dock or loading bay is an area of a building where goods vehicles (usually road or rail) are loaded and unloaded. They are commonly found on commercial and industrial buildings, and warehouses in particular. Loading docks may be exteri ...
, and a poured concrete floor, its interior consists of a work space of laboratory, washroom, shower bathroom, a large storage area for collections and two front offices. The collection has two storage spaces. All shelves are made up of commercial grade adjustable
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
. The lower floor is constructed of cast concrete and includes many early artifact collections and all archaeological records, the upper layer holds all
atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
, negative plate,
lantern slide The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...
, reports, and recent collections of artifact. The collection space has a total area of approximately 7,000 cubic feet and can accommodate approximately 6,500 TEUs, and space in some collections can also be used to store items in the process, photo filing cabinets and supplies. So far, approximately 5,000 boxes of artifacts and records have been stored in the
repository Repository may refer to: Archives and online databases * Content repository, a database with an associated set of data management tools, allowing application-independent access to the content * Disciplinary repository (or subject repository), an ...
houses. Two separate HVAC systems provide environmental control for curatorial laboratories and repositories: one for collections storage space and one for office and laboratory area. Annual
temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
and
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
control is provided by a closed collections system. 68 degrees
Fahrenheit The Fahrenheit scale () is a scale of temperature, temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the German-Polish physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accou ...
is the standard temperature and 50% relative humidity is the standard humidity. The
campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corp ...
, local
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
and the
fire department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...
are the main sources of security for this curation, and security measures are theft and
fire alarm system A fire alarm system is a building system designed to detect, alert occupants, and alert emergency forces of the presence of fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, or other fire-related emergencies. Fire alarm systems are required in most commercial buil ...
s. The
Intrusion Detection System An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a device or software application that monitors a network or systems for malicious activity or policy violations. Any intrusion activity or violation is typically either reported to an administrator or collec ...
consists of a
motion detector A motion detector is an electrical device that utilizes a sensor to detect nearby motion (motion detection). Such a device is often integrated as a Electronic component, component of a system that automatically performs a task or Security alarm, ...
, high frequency break detector, an
infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
and door switches, the fire alarm system consists of detector of smoke and heat located strategically, and a flow monitor on a wet pipe sprinkler system used to ensure the safety all parts of the building. In addition, some of the laboratory and office areas are separated from the collections area by a two-hour firewall, and the campus police responded to the burglar alarms to alert collections staff who needed to enter the building. Access to the facility is limited to the director of the institute, the curator and the collection manager, who have the key and access code, except for the above persons, no one is allowed to enter the collections storage room unless they have written permission.


Activity

Mock Excavation hold by the Cobb Institute of Archaeology The event is open to children of all ages. Children can participate in
simulated A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...
archaeological excavations under the guidance of staff from Mississippi State's Cobb Institute of Archaeology. Children can learn archaeological knowledge in the process, including the
tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...
s, techniques and items found during the excavation process.


Museum

The Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology The research results of the Cobb Institute will be presented in The Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology. This
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
not only serves as a display platform for the Cobb Institute, but also provides a lot of help for the research work of the Cobb Institute. Relevant
exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...
activities will be held regularly to promote and achieve
teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...
results. The Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology mainly displays artifacts related to the Indians of the southeastern United States, and the cultural
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s related to the Middle East and the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
. Partial collection list: * Ancient Eastern
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s *
Replica A replica is an exact (usually 1:1 in scale) copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without ...
of the
Hammurabi Hammurabi (; ; ), also spelled Hammurapi, was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from to BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered the ci ...
Code *
Moab Moab () was an ancient Levant, Levantine kingdom whose territory is today located in southern Jordan. The land is mountainous and lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The existence of the Kingdom of Moab is attested to by ...
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
monument * Black
Obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
of Shalmanezer III *
Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts ...
* Ancient
coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
In order to achieve the purpose of promotion and education, the museum will also hold an exhibition on the
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
making process and the
meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...
tools. It also includes an exhibition about environmental and
fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
research which related to the
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and the Native Americans in the southeastern United States and some related artifacts.


Cultural Resource Management Services (CRM services)

The Professional protection history personnel from this institute are in charge of perform this cultural resource management services, and the main purpose of the service is to help clients who want to develop projects, such as companies and developers, government agencies and citizens, to satisfy the
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
and provide assistance of the relationship between clients and local, state and federal agencies and
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
s.


Projects

Some CRM projects that The Office of Public Archaeology engaged: * Seismic surveys * Mines * Linear pipeline surveys Compliance services: *
Historic History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
and
archival An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organ ...
research *
Geophysical Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...
/remote sensing survey * Cultural resource survey * Archaeological testing


Research group


External Advisory Committee

On February 27, 2006, the external advisory committee of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology was established, consisting of several outstanding
scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
s or managers from all over the country. The conditions for joining the board of directors of the Cobb Institute are as follows: Each member of the board of directors shall not serve for more than three years. If the member has already served for a term of three years, a new member will be replaced. The board of directors was established to give guidance and suggestion to the internal management committee of the Cobb Institute, therefore assists the Institute's base and projects to supply opportunities and challenges for the
community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
of university and the
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
. So far, the list of members of the committee is as follows: * Dr. Jack Bennett * Dr. Jeffrey Clark * Dr.
Bruce Smith Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 19 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Vir ...
* Dr. Lynne Sullivan * Dr. James Wiseman * Dr. Melinda Zeder


See also

*
Machaerus Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς, from sword ; ) was a Hasmonean hilltop palace and desert fortress, rebuilt by Herod and now in ruins, located in the village of Mukawir in modern-day Jordan, southeast of the mouth of the Jordan River on th ...
*
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...


References


External links


The Cobb Institute Virtual Museum
{{Coord, 33.4548, -88.7876, display=title Archaeological research institutes in the United States Mississippi State University