Dr. Laurie Darcus is an archaeologist and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Her research explores how everyday tools and food preparation can reveal important clues about the lives of people in the past.
A major focus of Dr. Darcus’s work has been the study of ancient grinding stones in northern Ethiopia. By examining microscopic wear patterns and surface textures on these tools, she investigates what types of grains and other foods people may have processed thousands of years ago. Her research helps archaeologists better understand ancient diets, technology, agriculture, and daily life.
Dr. Darcus earned her Ph.D. in Archaeology from Simon Fraser University in 2022. Her doctoral research combined archaeology, microscopy, experimental methods, and the study of traditional food-processing practices to better understand foodways in northern Ethiopia between approximately 1600 BCE and 800 CE.
Her career gives students a fascinating look at how archaeologists can learn about entire communities by studying objects that might seem ordinary at first glance. Sometimes a simple stone used to grind food can preserve evidence that helps scientists reconstruct how people lived, worked, ate, and adapted to their environment hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
