The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America's oldest and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology with nearly 250,000 members and subscribers belonging to more than 100 local AIA societies in the United States, Canada, and overseas, united by a shared passion for archaeology and its role in furthering human knowledge. Click here to learn more

Archaeological Institute of America Gala
The 2009 AIA Gala was a great success thanks to the support of our many generous sponsors and our over 450 guests! Congratulations once again to our evening’s honorees, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and Harrison Ford. To view photos from the Gala, please click here.

Annual Meeting 2010 Call For Papers
The 2010 Call for Papers and online submission system are now posted online. Please review the Call for Papers prior to submitting your abstract since there have been several changes to the deadlines and submission process.

U.S.-China Agreement Signed
A new Memorandum of Understanding was recently inked by the United States and the People's Republic of China. The five-year agreement--supported by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)--outlines steps designed to stem the flow of illicitly excavated or exported artifacts from China to the U.S. Nicole Albertson at AIA's ARCHAEOLOGY office talked with Sebastian Heath, AIA's vice president of professional responsibilities, and Robert Murowchick, director of the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History at Boston University and a trustee of the AIA, about the China MOU.

AIA Statement on Attachment of Cultural Objects
The Archaeological Institute of America has issued the following statement concerning cultural objects on loan to U.S. institutions and calls for Congressional action to assure the security of international loans and exhibitions from attachment.

2009 Annual Meeting a Success
The 2009 AIA and APA Joint Annual Meeting exceeded attendance expectations on every level! We welcomed more than 2,800 attendees to the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott making it the second largest in overall attendance after the Chicago in 2008. Throughout the meeting, the bustling exhibit hall offered for sale hundreds of archaeology and classics books. Vendors who offered excavation equipment were well received and we plan to invite more to next year's meeting. The Poster Sessions and Roundtables were also well-attended.

Site Preservation Challenge Grant Matched!
The AIAs Site Preservation Fund has matched a $250,000 Challenge Grant, which gets our program off to a flying start and puts us in a position to protect our global heritage. While our fundraising will never be done, we are thrilled that we have met this important milestone which will benefit additional sites and the local communities that surround them.
For more on our program or to contribute, visit our Site Preservation page.

9th Annual Archaeology Fair a Huge Success
The 9th Annual Archaeology Fair--held at the AIA-APA Joint Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, on January 10, 2009--was a huge success! More than 1,700 visitors attended--a record for our annual fair! Most attendees were children and their parents, although some high-school students and archaeologists stopped by as well. Read more

AIA Endorses UNESCO Underwater Convention
On January 8, the AIA Governing Board approved the following motion endorsing the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage: The Archaeological Institute of America endorses the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001) and its Annex, and urges ratification of the same by the United States Government at the earliest practicable moment. It further encourages the timely adoption of the Convention and Annex's Articles, Rules and Principles into the laws, policies, professional standards and guidelines of all programs involved in the management of underwater cultural heritage. Accordingly, all members individually and through the local societies of the Institute are urged to make their support of the Convention and Annex known by communications to the appropriate governmental authorities.

AIA Lecturer Brendan Foley
Based at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, AIA Lecturer Brendan Foley specializes in archaeology in deep water, classical Greece, nineteenth-century maritime history and naval engineering, and advanced technologies and methods for archaeology. He recently shared some of his thoughts based on 17 years of experience in the field--about underwater cultural heritage, remotely operated vehicles, and more with our Lecture and Fellowship Coordinator Laurel Sparks. Click here to read the interview

AIA Selects Easter Island as its Second Site Preservation Project
The Archaeological Institute of America has selected Easter Island's Rapa Nui sculptures in Chile as its second site preservation project. With a $94,000 grant from the organization's AIA Site Preservation Task Force, the Easter Island Statue Project will develop stone preservation techniques to arrest the rapid deterioration of these statues as a result of the fragile nature of their volcanic stone, climate change and tourism. The Easter Island Statue Project is directed by UCLA archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg and co-directed by Crist�n Ar�valo Pakarati.

January Issue of AJA Available!
T.H. Carpenter addresses misconceptions about fourth-century B.C. Apulian red-figure pottery, noting that discussions of it start with two basic assumptions: that it was produced in Taranto and it was made principally for a Greek market. Carpenter argues that these assumptions are not based on solid textual or archaeological evidence. He concludes that the old models that Greeks produced these vases for colonial Greeks, or that locals obtained them primarily because they were Greek, must be discarded.
Go to the AJA website

Shop the AIA & Archaeology Store!
Looking for a gift? We have a fine selection of T-shirts, hats, and mugs, as well as our stuffed jaguar! You can also order ARCHAEOLOGY and American Journal of Archaeology issues you might have missed, plus our ARCHAEOLOGY books and other AIA publications. Give ARCHAEOLOGY, the gift that will be treasured all year! Click here to take advantage of our special offer: First gift subscription (six issues): $21.95, each additional gift subscription (six issues): $15.00. Click here for regular subscription and renewal information.

Beyond Stone and Bone
ARCHAEOLOGY's contributing editor Heather Pringle has written articles including "Medieval DNA, Modern Medicine," "Profiteers on the High Seas," and "Hitler's Willing Archaeologists." And, in a forthcoming issue, she'll examine the use of archaeology in making the case against Saddam Hussein and his cohorts in their genocide against the Kurds. Pringle has also assumed another role--the ARCHAEOLOGY website's "blogger-in-residence" with her weekly installments of Beyond Stone and Bone, which offers discussion, analysis, and insights on recent discoveries and issues in archaeology.
Click here for the latest installment

Join AIA Tours for Prehistoric Cave Art of Spain & France!
May 3-16, 2009
Discover the splendid cave art of Altamira II, Lascaux II, Niaux, Las Monedas, Pech Merle and Cueva del Castillo. Tour incomparable archaeological, ethnographic, and art museums, including Bilbao's Guggenheim and the Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies, with Paleolithic art expert Paul G. Bahn. Experience the rich cultures of Spain and France with visits to charming Medieval villages, including the well-preserved Santallina del Mar, while enjoying wonderful food and accommodations throughout.

Support the AIA, Give Now!
Your gift can be used to benefit the Institute in many ways, including our Annual Fund, our Education programs, or helping to save archaeological sites around the world through our Site Preservation Fund.
Please click here to support the Institute's programs

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