BOX OFFICE ARCHAEOLOGY: Refining Hollywood's Portrayals of the Past

Julie M. Schablitsky’s academic and research pursuits are launched from the University of Oregon, Museum of Natural and Cultural History where she holds an adjunct professorship and directs excavations on American pioneer sites and Oregon Chinatowns. Within these projects she identifies expressions of ethnicity, assimilation, and adaptation to foreign environments. Her recent research includes the investigation of the Donner Party in California. Collaborating with experts in bone histology, forensic anthropology, and other scientific fields, she has contributed to a better understanding of how the emigrants survived while trapped in the Sierra Nevadas for four months. Schablitsky is also known for extracting nuclear DNA from artifacts. She recently published an edited volume by the Society for Historical Archaeology, Remains of the Day: Forensic Applications in Archaeology. She introduces a new field of study, “genetic archaeology”, and highlights successful projects using traditional forensic techniques to better understand archaeological sites.