The FAS Current | New faculty director gives Zooarchaeology Lab a refresh

The Zooarchaeology Laboratory at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is entering a new chapter under the leadership of Shayla Monroe, Assistant Professor at Harvard Anthropology.

A “hidden gem” within the museum, the lab houses more than 1,300 animal specimens and one of the world’s most significant zooarchaeological collections, built over decades by Richard H. Meadow. Now only its second director, Monroe—working alongside Lab Manager Jesse Wolfhagen—has reimagined the space to better support research and hands-on learning.

Gone are rows of exposed bone trays—replaced with carefully catalogued specimens, updated workspaces, and a brighter, more flexible layout designed for students and researchers alike.

“This space is very important to our discipline,” Monroe said. “I was cognizant that it deserved more resources.”

A specialist in faunal analysis, Monroe studies the relationships between humans and animals in the ancient world, with a focus on northeastern Africa. Her teaching brings that expertise into the lab, where students work directly with specimens to build skills in archaeological analysis.

“Zooarchaeology is such a difficult specialty,” she noted. “For those who choose it, they’re going to spend a lot of time in this lab—I wanted a lovely, comfortable space for that kind of sustained attention.”

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