Alan Leventhal

Volunteer Lecturer Anthropology

Current Research Activities

The principal focus of my studies in Central California prehistory is the rise of complex socially-stratified societies over the past millennia. This includes changes in subsistence-settlement patterns and other adaptive strategies. Another aspect involves conducting a DNA studies on the ancestral remains in concert with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Personal Connections to Research

I have served as one of the Tribal archaeologists and ethnohistorians working with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Amah-Mutsun Tribal Band and Esselen Nation. Over the past 36 years, I have been working collaboratively with these tribes along with the SJSU department of Anthropology and undergraduate and graduates students, conducting various analysis, co-authoring final archaeological reports and presenting results at professional meetings.