Matthew Betts

Matthew Betts’ technical specialty is zooarchaeology, the study of animal remains from archaeological sites. His current research focuses on maritime hunter-gatherers and their complex economic, ideological and social relationships with the animals they exploited. With colleagues from Idaho State University, he has developed a virtual faunal reference collection, VZAP, which provides high-resolution 2D and 3D images of northern vertebrate skeletons. He also recently curated the award-winning exhibit, Tombs of Eternity.

Matthew has published on a range of topics, including dating methods, historical archaeology, archaeological method and theory, and hunter-gatherer subsistence. In addition, he is responsible for maintaining the Canadian Archaeological Radiocarbon Database (CARD); currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of World Prehistory; he is also is adjunct professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of New Brunswick.

Born and raised in Atlantic Canada, Matthew received a master’s of science degree and a PhD from the University of Toronto. Before joining the Museum’s staff, he held research and teaching positions at Idaho State University and the University of Toronto.