University of Montana doctoral student Megan Denis is advancing research into ancient human cooperation, according to an April 14 announcement from the university. Denis began her academic journey in archaeology as an undergraduate at a field school led by Anna Prentiss, a Regents Professor of Anthropology at UM, and has since participated in several excavations at Housepit 54, part of the Bridge River Archaeological Project in British Columbia.
Denis’s work focuses on uncovering how people lived and cooperated within ancient housepits inhabited by the Xwísten people. By analyzing artifacts such as stone tools, bones, seeds, plant matter and charcoal from layered floors that span centuries, she aims to develop a mathematical equation that could describe patterns of cooperation among past societies. “When we go there, it’s usually like six weeks at a time,” Denis said. “I’ve gotten to go on three full excavations in that area, and it’s been amazing.”
Her academic pursuits have also taken her abroad as one of the first EARTH Scholars named by the British Council and Scottish Graduate Schools of Arts and Humanities in 2023. During this program at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, she studied boglands affected by human activity and climate change with Professor Nicki Whitehouse and learned new techniques for identifying plant cells with archaeologist Cynthia Larbey.
Denis explained her theory linking wealth to materials found far from their source: “I have this working theory that the appearance of bigger or more expensive materials – like obsidian – indicate wealth… That shows excess and wealth because the closest obsidian source we know of is 260 kilometers from the Bridge River site.” She added insights about competitive giving among ancient peoples: “They would trade things that were significant and important… It was like, ‘Hey, I gave you this really cool thing, and now you have to give me something.’”
Prentiss praised Denis’s achievements: “Megan Denis is an extraordinary student… I’m expecting her dissertation to be a tour de force in the application of archaeological data to address a major anthropological problem.” According to the official website, UM operates as a public research university offering undergraduate through professional degree programs via established admissions processes.
The University accommodates more than 11,000 students according to its official website, provides virtual tours for prospective students according to its official website, extends online learning options beyond Missoula according to its official website, emphasizes hands-on education within picturesque settings according to its official website, and functions within higher education as a public research institution according to its official website.
Denis continues her detailed analysis using botanical remains from archaeological sites while balancing staff duties on Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest. She said much remains unknown but is determined: “It’s all like a massive puzzle to me.”