Everything is a Deposit: An Interview with Pioneering Geoarchaeologist Julie K. Stein

Abstract

Julie Stein’s professional work was vital to the emergence and development of geoarchaeology as both a discipline and specialized community of practice among archaeologists, especially in North America. On the occasion of her retirement we interviewed Stein to document her reflections on the development of geoarchaeology. Her reflections present unique insights in the practical and intellectual challenges faced by a pioneering geoarchaeologist, especially as a woman in a field dominated by men. This interview helps to document the history of geoarchaeology from one of the preeminent leaders in the field. We present a brief summary of her education and career, including a summary of her key scholarly contributions spanning the development of geoarchaeology as a field. We present an edited transcript of our interview with Stein that includes questions about how she became a geoarchaeologist, her work with other notable geoarchaeologists, and her views on the role of geoarchaeology in archaeology today.