Radu Iovita

2008 PhD in Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
2005 Complex Systems Summer School, Santa Fe Institute
2002 MPhil in Archaeology (with distinction), University of Cambridge
2001 AB (Hons.) in Anthropology (magna cum laude), Harvard University

Paleolithic archaeology, Human responses to environmental change, Eurasian loess steppe (Central Asia, Eastern Europe), Archaeological survey techniques, Lithics, Use-wear, Controlled experiments, Geometric Morphometrics

(full list available at https://raduiovita.wordpress.com/publications/)


As editor (peer-reviewed) 

Iovita, R. and K. Sano (Eds.) (2016) Multidisciplinary approaches to the study of Stone Age weaponry, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, Springer, Dordrecht. 

Marreiros, J., Pereira, T., and R. Iovita (Eds.) (in press) Controlled experiments in lithic technology and function, issue of Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Springer.

Peer-reviewed articles 

Fitzsimmons, KE, Sprafke, T, Zielhofer, C, Günter, C, Deom, JM, Sala, R, and R Iovita (in press) "Loess accumulation in the Tian Shan piedmont: implications for palaeo-environmental change in arid Central Asia." Quaternary International. 

Fitzsimmons, K.E., Iovita, R., Sprafke, T., Glantz, M., Talamo, S., Horton, K., Beeton, T., Alipova, S., Bekseitov, G., Ospanov, Y., Deom, J.-M., Sala, R., Taimagambetov, Z. (2017) ”A chronological framework connecting the early Upper Palaeolithic across the Central Asian piedmont.” Journal of Human Evolution 113, 107–126. DOI

Iovita, R., I. Tuvi-Arad, M.-H. Moncel, J. Despriée, P. Voinchet, and J.-J. Bahain (2017). ”High handaxe symmetry at the beginning of the European Acheulian: e data from la Noira (France) in context”. PLoS One 12(5): e0177063. OA

Pfleging J, Stücheli M, Iovita R, Buchli J. (2015) "Dynamic Monitoring Reveals Motor Task Characteristics in Prehistoric Technical Gestures." PLoS ONE 10(8): e0134570. OA

Iovita R., H. Schönekeß, S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser, and F. Jäger (2014) “Impact fracture patterns in exact replicas of Levallois points: the first results of a new controlled ballistic experimental protocol.” Journal of Archaeological Science 48: 73-83. DOI 

Iovita, R., A. Dobos, K. E. Fitzsimmons, M. Probst, U. Hambach, M. Robu, M. Vlaicu, and A. Petculescu. (2014) “Geoarchaeological prospection in the loess steppe: preliminary results from the Lower Danube Survey for Paleolithic  Sites (LoDanS)”. Quaternary International 351:98-114. DOI

Fitzsimmons, K. E., U. Hambach, D. Veres, and R. Iovita. (2013) “The Campanian Ignimbrite eruption: new data on volcanic ash dispersal and its potential impact on human evolution”. PLoS ONE. OA 

Iovita, R., K. E. Fitzsimmons, A. Dobos, U. Hambach, A. Hilgers, and A. Zander. (2012) “Dealul Guran: evidence of Lower Paleolithic occupation of the southeast European loess steppe.” Antiquity 86(334): 973-989. 

Iovita, R. (2011) “Shape variation in Aterian tanged tools and the origins of projectile technology: a morphometric perspective on stone fool function.” PLoS One 6(12): e29029. OA

Iovita, R. and S. P. McPherron (2011) “The handaxe reloaded: a morphometric reassessment of Acheulian and Middle Paleolithic handaxes.” Journal of Human Evolution 61: 61-74. 

Iovita, R. P. (2009) “Reevaluating connections between the Early Upper Paleolithic of Northeast Africa and the Levant: technological differences between the Dabban and the Emiran.” In Transitions in Prehistory: Papers in Honor of Ofer BarYosef, J. Shea and D. Lieberman (Eds.), pp. 125-142. Oxbow Books, Oxford. 

Iovita, R. P. (2009) “Ontogenetic scaling and lithic systematics: method and application.” J Archaeol Sci 36(7): 14471457. DOI

 

Updated February 2018

I am currently working on one major field project in Kazakhstan (PALAEOSILKROAD) and several laboratory projects related to lithic use-­wear and experiments.

In the field, we’ve successfully completed the re-excavation of the Upper Paleolithic site of Maibulak, with a recent trip back to Astana in January 2018 for lithic analysis and refitting. New luminescence and radiocarbon dates are expected for later this year. The PALAEOSILKROAD team at Tübingen has also grown with Patrick Cuthbertson joining as postdoc and two new PhD students expected this year. Last year’s fieldwork focused on open-air survey in the Almaty region and in the Kazakh Altai (East Kazakhstan province). This summer we’re going back for a longer season, May-August! 

Back in New York, the Anthrotopography laboratory has picked up five new members this year, with the addition of Emily Coco (GIS and Central Asia) and Alice Rodriguez (lithic microwear and handedness) as PhD students, and Johannes Pfleging as visiting PhD student from the Agile and Dexterous Robotics Lab at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Two new undergraduate students (Tabasa Ozawa and Jordan Sutter) are also involved research. We added a new optical profiler (Sensofar S-Neox) to our equipment and are in the process of adding other analytical instruments as well.

We submitted the paper on the relative effect of force vs. duration of contact on abrasive wear in flint tools, using a KUKA arm and standardized beech wood plates. Current projects include instrument comparisons (Sensofar – Alicona), quantification of differences between originals and casts, as well as a new pilot project.

Finally, I am currently finalizing, (with Ellen Schulz­-Kornas, Shannon McPherron, and Harold Dibble) a study of microscopic criteria for recognizing impact loading type (dynamic, static, or quasi­static), which is relevant for reconstructing different modes of lithic flake production and different types of projectile damage