Jon M. Erlandson | Lightnews

Jon Erlandson

@viking1000.bsky.social

370 followers 270 following 20 posts

Archaeologist & retired professor/museum director; worked at the University of Oregon for >30 years. Fieldwork along the Pacific Coast of North America (CA/OR/AK), +7 seasons digging Viking Age Iceland. Islands, Coasts, & Deep History. .. more

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Jon M. Erlandson is an archaeologist, professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oregon, and the former director of the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Erlandson’s research interests include coastal adaptations, the peopling of North America, maritime archaeology and historical ecology and human impacts in coastal ecosystems. .. more

Environmental science 36%

Geology 22%

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Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 13

An oddity of 20th century archaeology was the widely held theory that “coastal adaptations” only appeared worldwide in the last 10,000-15,000 years. South Africa’s Middle Stone Age shell middens, dated between 164,000 & 55,000 years ago, effectively demolished this theory for this part of the world.

Color plate of coastal caves from Singer & Wymer’s classic 1982 book, “The Middle Stone Age at Klasies River Mouth in South Africa.”

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Aug 3

Nice review of our “Sustainability” volume by Justin Cramb of University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Reposted by Jon M. Erlandson

Kristina M. Gill @kmgill.bsky.social · Mar 20

I’m just a small fry, only 6 of my articles shows up in this search.

But they stole ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE (175!!!) articles/books by Jon M. Erlandson. One. Hundred. Seventy. Five. 175.

Looking forward to a major settlement 🥴🫠

@viking1000.bsky.social

Michael Livingston @michaellivingston.com · Mar 20

Meta used at least 16 of my books, and numerous articles, to help train the AI it will use to make billions.

Authors, search your name here:

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Jon M. Erlandson

Kristina M. Gill @kmgill.bsky.social · Jun 19

That is what Jon and I were talking about last night. Like…It has to be, right? But so far no DNA has been recovered from H. erectus, while Denisovans (until now) were only known through DNA. I guess we’ll see 😆 It’s so cool what we’re learning with these new technologies!
@viking1000.bsky.social

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · May 21

You can check out the Handbook at:

doi.org/10.1093/oxfo...

The Oxford Handbook of Island and Coastal Archaeology

Abstract. This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot ad

doi.org

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · May 21

I’ve been quiet on BlueSky for a couple months while Scott Fitzpatrick and I finished editing “The Oxford Handbook of Island & Coastal Archaeology.” 48 chapters in all—by a global group of top scholars—many of them already available online. Hope to see the complete volume by the end of 2025!

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Mar 23

Meta, AI, and stolen knowledge. Out fricken RAGEous!

Kristina M. Gill @kmgill.bsky.social · Mar 20

Michael Livingston @michaellivingston.com · Mar 20

Meta used at least 16 of my books, and numerous articles, to help train the AI it will use to make billions.

Authors, search your name here:

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Feb 23

Hey All, for anyone interested I created a California Islands starter pack on BlueSky. The “American Galapagos” are extraordinary in so many ways!

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Jan 31

In Science (p. 462) this week, my colleagues--Scott Fitzpatrick, Kristina Gill, Patrick Kirch, John Ruiz, Victor Thompson, Jason Younker--and I warn of the dire threat rising seas (0.81 cm in 2024!) and marine erosion pose for coastal archaeological sites worldwide.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Rising seas endanger maritime heritage

www.science.org

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Jan 19

Will do.

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Jan 18

The last gasp of the “turn to the sea recently” hypothesis came in 1987 when one of top coastal archaeologists of the time declared it a “historical fact” that humans only systematically harvested marine resources during the past 15,000 years or less. Not a theory or hypothesis, a FACT. Wrong!

A 1987 quote stating that “ It is a historical fact that maritime resources were not exploited until relatively late in prehistory “, superimposed on photos of coral reef fishes hundreds of seals on a beach.

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Jan 18

The 2024 Volume 19 of the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology arrived in December, 878 pages of great articles from around the world! Unfortunately I spilled an elaborately crafted smoothie on it! Still readable, but pretty sticky . . . so it goes.

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 21

Humans only turned to the sea, they said—harvesting “marginal” aquatic foods—fish, shellfish, sea mammals, seaweeds, etc—after large land mammals were decimated. A deer equaled 177,000 oysters, they said, why bother? Forget what the Tlingit in Alaska say: When the tide is out, the table is set!

Photo of elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) hauled out on a pocket beach on California's Tuqan (San Miguel) Island (by J. Erlandson).

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 18

Cool, good to “see” you. We moved to Cambria last winter and visited SAM a few months ago. Life is good.

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 18

Larry McKee: SAM 1976?

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 18

Done Claire.

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 18

I created an island and coastal archaeology starter pack! Let me know if you’d like to join.

go.bsky.app/CRAuPY6

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 17

I grew up swimming & surfing in the Pacific. In grad school, I found it odd that top anthropologists said our ancestors ignored marine ecosystems for >99% of our (Homo sp.) deep history. 🌍 Yet coastlines-where land & sea meet-are hotspots of biodiversity, rich in resources. Something didn't add up.

The author (age 10) in Hawai'i, surfing Kailua shore break in 1965 on a 9'4" Yater Spoon (photo by Niki Erlandson).

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 15

I completely agree. A lot of the skeptics about the antiquity of fishing and coastal/aquatic adaptations spent most of their careers and lives far removed from the sea. So it goes….

Reposted by Jon M. Erlandson

Dr. Robert Barry Mason @robertmason.bsky.social · Dec 13

I was born in a port city and have always thought the discipline underestimated the relationship of the people with the past and the sea. People have their biases. They don't know the sea so it is a threat. They don't know the forest so it is impenetrable. They don't know the desert so...

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Dec 11

In 2005, Scott Fitzpatrick and I started as founding coeditors of the Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology. In 2025, under Scott’s continued leadership, JICA will publish its 20th volume! Still going strong, with more than 8,000 pages on our deep entanglement with island & coastal ecosystems.

Original cover of JICA, showing an island arc from space, embedded in a deep blue sea.

Jon Erlandson @viking1000.bsky.social · Nov 17

Hi, is there space in one of these starter packs for me? Archaeologist and historical ecologist in island and coastal California. Kelp highway, Channel Islands, Oregon, Alaska etc. Retired museum professional.

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