The Department of Anthropology congratulates Dr. Terrance Martin for his Distinguished Career Award from the Midwest Archaeological Conference. Dr. Martin joined the MSU Department of Anthropology as an Adjunct Professor in 2016 shortly after his retirement from the Illinois Sate Museum, where he had been a Curator for 31 years. He completed his PhD in archaeology from Michigan State University in 1986.
Dr. Martin has significantly contributed to the advancement of Midwestern Archaeology. In addition to his excellent contributions to archaeology and zooarchaeology during his tenure as a Research Associate, Curator, and Chair of the Illinois State Museum’s Anthropology Department, he has also mentored graduate students and worked alongside numerous archaeological colleagues, participating in excavations and analyzing faunal remains from across Midwestern North America and beyond.
Dr. Martin’s zooarchaeological research is well known and respected at an international level. His research of prehistoric and historic American Indian, French Colonial, European American, African American, and multi-racial sites in the Midwestern United States has contributed to the understanding of variation in foodways within and among sites and regions, use of animals for raw materials, ritual and special importance of animals such as black bears and sturgeon, reliance on domestic and wild animals, distribution of bison, and early domestication of dogs.
Dr. Martin has worked closely with archaeological colleagues from across the Midwestern United States, often participating in the excavations. Many of the projects that he has contributed to incorporated students and interns and provided excellent hands-on learning experiences. Besides his work as a mentor, Dr. Martin is fondly known as one of the ‘go-to’ zooarchaeologists for faunal analysis throughout the Midwestern United States. Since his retirement from the Illinois State Museum, he has continued to analyze faunal material for archaeological research projects.