Coffee with an Archaeologist: Michael P. Roller, PhD

Last month, I had the chance to sit down with Michael Roller, a lead archaeologist with the National Park Service (NPS). He’s responsible for overseeing the preservation of all archaeological sites across the national parks—no pressure, right?! I first met Mike outside my art studio, where he was taking in the pieces displayed in the hallway. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought that I’ve been curating that hallway as a kind of archaeologist trap— and it worked! For confidential reasons we couldn’t speak about his work for NPS, but that didn’t stop us from chatting about his experiences and knowledge in the field.

I learned so much about archaeology during this coffee chat, but I’d love to share three key takeaways.

First, he introduced me to the term experimental archaeology—the practice of replicating ancient tasks or artifacts to gain insight into the past. This concept immediately resonated with me, especially since my recent pottery-making, in response to Dr. Lynne Kvapil, has felt like a natural extension of this approach. Realizing that archaeologists view this kind of hands-on exploration as a legitimate research method makes me even more excited to keep going!

Second, he explained stratigraphy—the study of soil and rock layers used to date and sequence artifacts at excavation sites. I think this could be fun to visually narrate in upcoming pieces.

Third, he brought to my attention, Carolyn E. Boyd, an artist turned archaeologist who specializes in iconographic analysis. In tandem with her archaeological research, she works with spiritualism, specifically shamans, in decoding The White Shaman mural. From her research, the mural is believed to potentially be the oldest pictorial creation story in North America. Her artist to archaeologist story with an emphasis in iconographic analysis sends chills up my spine because in ways this is sounding eerily similar to my own journey.

Learn more about Kalli’s artist journey in the About tab on her website