Research Interests
- Bioarchaeology
- Stable Isotope Analysis
- Residential Mobility
- Paleodiet
- Mortuary Archaeology
- Near East, Arabia, Nubia
Her primary research program investigates prehistoric mortuary landscapes across the United Arab Emirates and Oman, seeking to evaluate how shifting mortuary traditions in southeastern Arabia reflect corresponding changes in sociopolitical complexity and subsistence strategies. From this, she explores how local identity was reinforced and negotiated through the construction of monumental tombs and treatment of the dead.
Dr. Gregoricka’s interest in embodied social identity has also taken her to Poland, where she worked with skeletons buried at the post-medieval cemetery at Drawsko as part of the Slavia Project.
She is also currently involved with research on the movements of pastoralist groups in ancient Nubia.
Research Interests: I specialize in human mobility and the evolution of social complexity in the Near East and Arabia. My research draws on the theoretical frameworks of many fields, including mortuary archaeology, social theory, and human agency. As a bioarchaeologist, I use human skeletal remains to interpret past behaviors, and in particular, analyze the biogeochemical components of ancient teeth and bone to learn more about life in the ancient world.
My interest in embodied social identity has also taken me to Poland, where I worked with skeletons buried at the post-medieval cemetery at Drawsko as part of the Slavia Project. The Drawsko cemetery is well-known for its deviant burials, and my research focused on the radiogenic and stable isotope analysis of the skeletal tissues of those interred as “vampires” to better discern why certain individuals were selected for apotropaic burial rites when others were not.
Area of expertise:
- Bronze Bronze Age Arabia
- Post-Medieval Poland
- Byzantine St. Stephen’s
I have conducted fieldwork across the Near East and Arabia, including the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, Turkey, and Israel, at sites ranging in date from the Neolithic to the Byzantine period.
