Anthropology Department

Dr. Carly Whelan

Certificate in Cultural Resource Mgmt Co-Coordinator, NEIC Director, ARCH Lab Director

Curriculum Vitae: Carly Whelan (PDF)

Academia: Carly Whelan

Research Gate: Carly Whelan

Education

B.A., 2006, University of Texas at Austin
M.A., 2010, University of California, Davis
Ph.D., 2016, University of California, Davis

Research Interests

My research examines the pre-contact lifeways of the people of California. This dynamic region was densely populated and linguistically diverse, with an economy based entirely on wild plant and animal foods. I study the change in the subsistence economies, settlement patterns, and exchange networks of the central and northern Sierra Nevada, with an interest in the role that women played in shaping these systems. My research employs economic modeling, experimental archaeology, lithic artifact analysis, and raw material sourcing.

Much of my current research revolves around the study of acorn storage economies. I am establishing field sites in the Sierra Nevada foothills to examine shifts in storage practices over time. In addition, I serve as Faculty Coordinator of the Northeast Information Center (NEIC), which houses the records for over 40,000 archaeological sites in northeast California.

Courses Taught

ANTH 112 Introduction to Archaeology

ANTH 302 Archaeology

ANTH 362W California Indians (W)

ANTH 424 California Archaeology and Prehistory

ANTH 428 Experimental Archaeology

ANTH 482 Laboratory Methods in Archaeology

ANTH 484 Archaeological Site Surveying

ANTH 480 Advanced Field Archaeology

ANTH 602 Seminar in Archaeology

Selected Publications

Whelan, Carly S. (2020) Acorn Storage in California: Modeling the Effect of Decay Rates on Storage Strategies. In Cowboy Ecology: Essays in Honor of R. L. Bettinger, edited by Michael Delacourte, Terry L. Jones, and Roshanne S. Bakhtiary, pp. 29-46. Center for Archaeological Research at Davis Publication No. 19. Davis, California.