Ashley Lemke
Degree(s)
Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Michigan, 2016
M.A. Anthropology, University of Michigan, 2010
B.A. Anthropology (Special Honors) and Classical Civilization, University of Texas, 2008
Research Bio
Keywords: Science Communication, Anthropological theory, Traditional ecological knowledge, Hunter-gatherers, Underwater archaeology, Cultural heritage, Digital humanities, North America, Europe, the Arctic.
Ashley Lemke is an archaeologist and an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She received her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Michigan. An expert on submerged ancient sites, she has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her books include Anthropological Archaeology Underwater and The Architecture of Hunting. She has directed research projects in North America and below its waters, including in the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean. She has conducted archaeological research in Europe in Germany, Spain, Romania, and Serbia. Lemke collaborates with Computer Scientists to explore applications of virtual worlds, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality for archaeological research and discovery. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenure Track Faculty, and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Lemke is a past chair of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology and Fellow of The Explorers Club.
Dr. Lemke is currently accepting MS and PhD applications for graduate students.
Selected Publications
Books
2024 Lemke, A. Anthropological Archaeology Underwater. Cambridge University Press.
2022 Lemke, A. The Architecture of Hunting: The Built Environment of Hunter-Gatherers and its Impact on Mobility, Property, Leadership, and Labor. Texas A&M University Press.
2020 Lemke, A. Introduction to Archaeology: A Workbook. Mavs Open Press, University of Texas at Arlington Libraries.
2018 Lemke, A. (Editor), Foraging in the Past: Archaeological Studies of Hunter-Gatherer Diversity. University Press of Colorado.
Articles
2024 Lemke, A. Anthropology Underwater: Investigating Hunter-Gatherer Responses to Holocene Water Levels through Archaeology, Indigenous Partnerships, and Virtual Reality. Hunter Gatherer Research. 8(1-2):29-52.
2024 Lemke, A. Comment on “Why Do Humans Hunt Cooperatively? Ethnohistoric Data Reveals the Contexts, Advantages, and Evolutionary Importance of Communal Hunting”. Current Anthropology.
2023 Lemke, A. Lessons from the Inland Seas: A Submerged Landscape Study in the Great Lakes in Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings.
2022 Lemke, A., Grinnan, N., and J. Haigler, Getting Your Feet Wet: Barriers to Inclusivity in Underwater Archaeology and How to Break Them. Advances in Archaeological Practice 10(2):129-139. [open access]
2022 Lemke, A. and J. O’Shea, Drowning the Pompeii Premise: Frozen Moments, Single Events, and the Character of Submerged Archaeological Sites. World Archaeology 54(1):142-156.
2021 Lemke, A., Literal Niche Construction: Built Environments of Hunter-Gatherers and Hunting Architecture. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 62:101276
2021 Lemke, A., Submerged Prehistory and Anthropological Archaeology: Do underwater studies contribute to theory? Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 16(1):5-26.
2020 Lemke, A., “Missing Cemeteries” and Structural Racism: Historic Maps (1887-1960) and Endangered African/African-American and Hispanic Mortuary Customs in Texas. Historical Archaeology, 54(3):605-623.