Contact: Portia Agyapong

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State faculty member with more than two decades of experience in anthropology and Near Eastern archeology is now the head of MSU’s Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures.

Professor James W. “Jimmy” Hardin began as department head on July 1 after previously serving as the interim.

“Dr. Hardin is a longtime member of the university faculty and one of the original faculty members of the department,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Travis. “Having served as the director of the Cobb Institute since 2019, Dr. Hardin is familiar with the challenges and opportunities of this leadership role. He will be adding the position of department head while continuing his role as institute director. He brings an energy and forthrightness to the position that will benefit all as he takes on this additional leadership role.”

Hardin, an active member of the American Schools of Oriental Research who serves as an elected member of its agenda committee, said he is excited and humbled by the new opportunity.

 “AMEC is a very young department that has experienced amazing growth through the efforts of its relatively young faculty who are all committed to teaching, research and service. They have worked hard to develop comprehensive plans for moving AMEC forward and creating more opportunities for students and faculty alike,” he said. “I look forward to being a part of the implementation of these plans. It is an exciting time to be a part of AMEC.”

Hardin, who specializes in the Bronze and Iron Age cultures of ancient Syria-Palestine, earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree, both in Near Eastern archaeology, from the University of Arizona. He received his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from MSU. He is the author of “Understanding Domestic Space: An Example from Iron Age Tel Halif,” part of the Near Eastern Archeology Volume 67, and co-edited “Gezer VII: The Middle Bronze and Later Fortifications in Fields II, IV and VIII.”

Hardin’s work has appeared in journals and publications including Near Eastern Archeology and Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research.

Part of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, complete details about the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures may be found at www.amec.msstate.edu.

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