Orrin Shane is currently living in St. Paul, Minnesota. Orrin started his studies at the University of Michigan where he received a Bachelors Degree in Engineering followed by a Bachelors Degree and a Masters Degree in Anthropology. He also earned a Bachelors Degree in Physics at Kalamazoo College in 1961. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the Case Institute of Technology in 1967. Since then he has taken on many projects. Immediately after college he went to work for Kent State University, where he became a full professor in 1976.
After leaving Kent State he went to work for the Saint Paul Science Museum, where he works today. Throughout Orrin's career he has joined many other archeological groups, including Macalester College, Dayton Museum of Natural History, and the Institute for Minnesota Archeology. Currently Orrin is working for the Saint Paul Science Museum, as the Department Head of Anthropology, the Curator for Archeology, and the Chief Curator for the Museum.
Orrin Shane has contributed considerably to the science of anthropology through his fieldwork. He has done excavations throughout Minnesota, Ohio, and Idaho. In Minnesota, he has worked at Rattle Snake Cave, the Cross site, and several sites in Blue Earth county. His current project takes him around the world to the Republic of Turkey. The Catalhoyuk in Turkey, is the location of a massive ancient city, holding possibly thousands of people. The project is a multinational endeavor, including the US, Italy, Greece, the UK, South Africa, Spain, and Germany. Orrin Shane is the public programs coordinator for the Catalhoyuk project.
Catalhoyuk is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was occupied from 8500 BP to 5400 BP. It was the largest city of the time period. The people of Catalhoyuk used irrigation for farming and tended sheep and cattle. The city was also a major trading site for the Near East. Trading in obsidian, textiles, skins, food, and information. The Saint Paul Science Museum has a web site dedicated to keeping the public informed of the status of the project.
People of the Çatalhöyük Project, Orrin Shane "http://www.smm.org/catal/people/bios/orrin.htm"
Personal Correspondence with Orrin Shane. (4-3-00)
By David Orser