Joyce Marcus facts for kids

Joyce Marcus is a famous archaeologist and professor. She teaches in the Anthropology Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She also helps manage the Latin American Archaeology collection at the University of Michigan Museum.

Dr. Marcus has written many books and articles about ancient civilizations in the Americas. She mainly studies the Zapotec and Maya people. She also researches coastal Andean civilizations in Central and South America. Much of her work has been in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. She is known for her "Dynamic model" and for using many different types of studies in her research.

About Joyce Marcus

Joyce Marcus was born in California. She went to Beverly Hills High School. In 1969, she received a book about Maya hieroglyphs. This book, given to her by Dr. Robert F. Heizer, inspired her to study ancient writing.

She earned her first degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969. Later, she received her master's degree in 1971 and her Ph.D. in 1974. Both of these advanced degrees were from Harvard University. Her main teachers were Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Gordon Willey. Her book, Emblem and State in the Classic Maya Lowlands, came from her Ph.D. research.

Her Career and Research

Dr. Marcus has taught at the University of Michigan since 1973. She has also given guest lectures around the world. In 1978, she became a curator for Latin American Archaeology at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology. She has also advised other museums, like the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

In 1997, Dr. Marcus was chosen to join the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very important group of scientists. In 2005, she became the first archaeologist to be elected to its council. The University of Michigan also honored her with a special professorship in 2005. She is also a member of other important groups, like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

She has received money from many organizations to support her research. These include the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation.

In 1983-1984, she was invited to study Maya monuments at Calakmul, Campeche. She often works and writes with her husband, Kent V. Flannery. Together, they led a long-term project in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. This project studied how people and their environment interacted over time.

Awards and Honors

Joyce Marcus has received many awards for her important work. Here are some of them:

• 1979: The Henry Russel Award for Scholarly research from the University of Michigan.
• 1992: An honorable mention for her book Mesoamerican Writing Systems. This award was from the Latin American Studies Association.
• 1995: The Literature, Science, and Arts Excellence in Research Award from the University of Michigan.
• 2001: The Premio Caniem en el Arte Editorial award in Mexico. This was for her book "La Civilización Zapoteca," written with Kent Flannery.
• 2005: The Robert L. Carneiro Distinguished University Professor of Social Evolution from the University of Michigan.
• 2007: The Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award from the University of Michigan.
• 2008: The Cotson Book prize in archaeology for her book Excavations at Cerro Azul, Peru.
• 2014: She became a corresponding fellow of the Academia Mexicana de la Historia.

See also

In Spanish: Joyce Marcus para niños