Working with a team of students from UCLA and Albania, Morris, holder of the prestigious Steinmetz Chair of Classical Archaeology and Material Culture, is excavating an ancient burial mound located above the Gjannica river valley in western coastal Albania. The mound, a conical dome resembling other burial mounds in the region known as Mallakastra, dates to the Bronze and Iron Ages (1200-700 B.C.).

Professor Sarah Morris

Begun in 2004, this collaboration between the Institute of Archaeology in Albania and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA has thus far unearthed 28 burials, including a cluster of early modern graves, notably of infants with inhumed animals. The project has also yielded a wealth of Early Iron Age finds, such as matte-painted vessels, bronze fibulae (ancient safety pins), and prehistoric stone tools.

As rich and exciting as these items may be, Morris is keen to point out that today the most enlightening discoveries in her field emerge not merely from objects themselves, but from a combination of disciplines, such as physical anthropology, soil science, and literature and social history. Says Morris, “A single object, no matter how stunning, cannot produce all the answers."

Morris declares that the Steinmetz professorship, which she has held since 2001, has invigorated her efforts tremendously. She says, “The funds from the endowed chair have inspired us to be more optimistic and aggressive about developing new field projects. The project in Albania, a country only recently open to American researchers, would not have been possible without the opportunities offered by the Steinmetz family.”

In addition, she says, the chair can help the program attract and support graduate students. “With the funds from the Steinmetz chair, we’re able to supplement existing Graduate Division resources to make competitive packages for graduate students. Such packages are crucial if UCLA is to remain a major research university.”