Christopher Witmore

Christopher Witmore (born February 17, 1974) is an archaeologist and professor of Classics and Anthropology at Texas Tech University. He is a pioneer in the field of archaeological theory. His research incorporates new approaches to understanding archaeological objects in a vein similar to actor-network theory and object-oriented ontology whereby any given past is articulated by taking the object itself as a starting point, rather than regarding it as an intermediary to something else, such as the past societies that are assumed to lie behind it. His expertise encompasses areas of study from geography, chorography, landscape, classical archaeology, thing theory, symmetrical archaeology, and the philosophy of space and time. Christopher has done research extensively in Greece, Great Britain, and Norway and was a founding member of the Metamedia Laboratory at Stanford.
== Early life and career ==
Christopher was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Here he first developed his love for archaeology as a boy while exploring what had become of a sawmill located on his family's farm. He received his BA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, his MA at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, and his PhD at Stanford University. He was influenced by his mentors Michael Shanks (archaeologist)|Michael Shanks, Christopher Tilley, Ian Hodder, Michel Serres and Bjørnar Olsen.
== Greece ==
Christopher has participated and led numerous archaeological digs throughout Greece, Italy, the UK and Norway. He has researched in many locales in the Mediterranean including the Peloponnese and Southern Greece. In his book, Old Lands: a Chorography of the Peloponnese, he undertakes an archaeological approach unique from others by not revealing the history of the land but rather the archaeology of lands as they are now via unconventional archaeological approach of focusing on the things that remain of the past and allowing them to retain and develop their own narrative independent of humans.
== Sværholt, Norway ==
Christopher and Bjørnar Olsen spent time living in a abandoned POW camp in Sværholt that was active during WWII. Here they recovered memories from a POW camp in the far North as they analyzed interactions based upon the things themselves. Christopher discusses the importance of interpreting what remains of the past via material objects.
== Awards ==
President's Research Professorship, Texas Tech University 	2019-2022
Senior Research Fellowship, Centre for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters.	2016-2017
President's Mid-Career Faculty Award 	2015-2016
TTU Humanities Research Fellowship, the Humanities Center at Texas Tech 	2015
Donnelley Family Fellowship, The National Humanities Center 	2014-2015
Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award 	2013
==In the media==
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== External links ==
* Christopher Witmore - Google Scholar Citations
* Books By Christopher Witmore on amazon
* CHRISTOPHER L. WITMORE | PhD | Texas Tech University 
== References ==
Category:1974 births
Category:Archaeologists
Category:Anthropology
Category:Texas Tech University
Category:Bachelor's degrees
Category:University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Category:Master's degrees
Category:University of Sheffield