Izumi Shimada

Izumi Shimada (島田泉) is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (SIUC) and 2007 Outstanding Scholar[1] with research interests in the archaeology of complex pre-Hispanic cultures in the Andes, the technology and organization of craft production, mortuary analysis, experimental archaeology, the role of ideology and organized religion in cultural developments, and ecology-culture interaction.

Two seasons (1973, 1975) of archaeological fieldwork at the Moche city of Pampa Grande (c. AD 600-750) on the northern coast of Peru led to his doctorate in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1976.

In 2003 Shimada began interdisciplinary investigation into the social foundations and the paleo-environmental context of the famed prehistoric religious center of Pachacamac, outside the city of Lima.

The executive government (2003) and the congress (2006) of Peru bestowed him medals of honor for his contribution to Peruvian cultural and historical knowledge and understanding.

He has written 150 journal articles and book chapters, collaborating on many of them with other prominent scholars in the field, including, but not limited to, Kenichi Shinoda and Robert Corruccini.