ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA – Each year, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) selects a distinguished group of scholars to deliver the esteemed Kershaw Lectures in Near East Archaeology. These lectures take place at various museums, society meetings, and universities across the nation. This year, Dr. Shane Thompson, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU), has been chosen as one of the Kershaw Lecturers.
The Kershaw Lectures were established in 1994 by Norma and Reuben Kershaw, thanks to a generous endowment from the Kershaw Family Trust. These lectures honor Norma Kershaw, an AIA Trustee Emerita and long-time supporter of Near East archaeology. The Kershaw Lectures cover archaeological research in the regions of present-day Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, focusing on periods between 7000 B.C. and 400 A.D.
Dr. Thompson was recommended for this honor by the AIA Near East Archaeology Interest Group to the AIA Lecture Program Committee. His selection highlights his outstanding contributions to the field.
A rising star among NCWU’s faculty, Dr. Thompson has an impressive academic background. He earned his B.A. at Wake Forest University and holds multiple master’s degrees from Emory University, Brandeis University, and the University of Kansas. He completed his Ph.D. at Brown University in 2021 and has been serving as an Assistant Professor at NCWU since then.
Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on the material culture and political and cultural dynamics of the ancient Middle East. He has authored, co-authored, or co-edited fifteen books and published over a dozen articles and book chapters. His work in digital humanities, in collaboration with Associate Professor Jason Buel, recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities Spotlight on the Humanities Grant. He is also deeply committed to mentoring undergraduate students, having guided the second winner of the Undergraduate Research Award. In May 2024, Dr. Thompson was appointed to serve as the second Director of the Office for Undergraduate Research.
Dr. Joseph Lane, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at NCWU, expressed his pride in Dr. Thompson’s achievements: “We are overjoyed that Dr. Thompson is receiving this well-deserved recognition for his groundbreaking work on the ancient Near East. He embodies the Wesleyan ideal of the engaged teacher-scholar. At NCWU, students have the opportunity to work directly with some of the most accomplished scholars in their field, and Dr. Thompson exemplifies the idea that great thinkers are also great teachers. We look forward to sharing his engaging and insightful stories about the ancient Near East with wider audiences.”
