Thomas E. Emerson

Thomas E. Emerson is a Senior Research Scientist with the Upper Mississippi Valley Archaeological Research Foundation (UMVARF), the retired director of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (1994–2018), and Illinois’ first State Archaeologist (2013-2018). From 1984 to 1993 he served as the Chief Archaeologist of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Most recently, he oversaw the excavations of the East St Louis Mound center, one of the largest modern excavations conducted in the U.S. His interests are diverse, ranging from cultural resource management, the crafting of archaeological legislation, Great Lakes underwater archaeology, mortuary studies, French Colonial studies, archaeometric research on dietary isotopes and geologic sourcing, early religions, symbolism, the rise of social and political complexity, to the impacts of early urbanism. He is the author of numerous articles, the author and editor of more than a dozen volumes on midcontinental archaeology as well as serving as the longtime editor and book review editor of Illinois Archaeology and editor of the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology. He is the recipient of numerous state, regional, national, and international awards.