Dr Jacob Bongers is a digital archaeologist specializing in drone mapping at the University of Sydney. He is the Tom Austen Brown Postdoctoral Research Associate in Archeology in the School of Humanities and a key core member of the Vere Gordon Childress Center (VGCC), the flagship center of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, dedicated to bringing together experts from across disciplines to research humanity over time. He is also currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Australian Museum Research Institute. Dr Bongers previously worked as an Andean archeology expert for the Australian Museum’s Machu Picchu exhibition.
Professor Kirsten McKenzie, Director of the VGCC, said Dr. Bongers’ work exemplifies the Centre’s mission in both its multidisciplinary foundation and exemplary engagement with the community.
“We are all extremely proud of his achievement,” he said. “Monte Sierpe is a high-profile site that attracts a lot of popular comment online, including misinformation that threatens community ownership and the Indigenous knowledge base on history and heritage.
“Dr. Bongers’ team brought forward an incredible example of indigenous accounting and exchange through interdisciplinary research and diverse expertise, demonstrating how cutting-edge technologies and analyzes led to entirely new understandings of Andean communities in the past.”
Announcement
This research was funded by a Franklin Research Grant, the Dean’s Office of the University of South Florida, and the Cotsen Archaeological Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. The authors thank the Peruvian Ministry of Culture for granting us the permit (000318-2024-DCIA-DGPA-VMPCIC/MC), which allowed us to conduct this study. Open access funding provided by the University of Sydney
Hero: Aerial photograph of Monte Sierpe, looking northeast. Photo: Jacob Bongers