December 9, 2025
Congratulations to all the individuals, projects, and publications honored with AIA Awards! These outstanding contributors to our field will be formally celebrated at the 2026 AIA Awards Ceremony during the 127th Annual Meeting. We’ve reached out to this year’s winners to learn more about the discoveries that drove their projects, the experiences that shaped their journeys, and the inspirations that sparked their passion for archaeology. Stay tuned as we share their stories!
Tate Paulette (North Carolina State University)
Award: Felicia A. Holton Book Award
What drew you to archaeology?
Like many people, I got into archaeology at a young age. What comes to mind is a book that I made about the deities of ancient Egypt, pages sandwiched between wooden boards, hieroglyphs incised into the cover with a wood burner, the smell of charred balsa wood. Also, a trip to the big city (Charlotte, NC) to see the Ramses the Great exhibit in the late 80s. But, when I really committed to archaeology as an undergrad, it was archaeological fieldwork that I had in mind—the thought of a life spent working outdoors, with my hands, digging in the dirt, and a life spent traveling. There was also the allure of the archaeological record itself, of bringing to light traces of lives lived an unimaginably long time ago. And I was drawn to the visual, spatial documentation that archaeology demands: maps, plans, sections, illustrations, 3D reconstructions. This connects up with another early memory, when, as an elementary school student, I made a scale model of Stonehenge out of clay. I would still enjoy doing that today.
Tell us about your history with the AIA:
The AIA has been giving me opportunities to bring archaeology to the public for 16 years. This began in 2009, when the AIA Chicago society invited me to help out with their annual Archaeology Day. Between 2009 and 2013, alongside fellow grad student Kate Grossman, I introduced hundreds of students in the Chicago Public Schools system to archaeology. The highlight for them was a hands-on, ceramic reconstruction activity. The highlight for me was their questions—often insightful, sometimes surprising, occasionally hilarious. One student asked me, “Are you retired?” I was 32. Between 2017 and 2024, I then took part in the AIA National Lecture Program, delivering ten lectures to local AIA societies, often in bars and breweries. This experience played directly into my decision to write a book aimed at a public audience. Earlier this year, I also delivered a virtual lecture for the AIA Archaeology Hour.
What’s next for you professionally?
I am currently editing A Cultural History of Wine in Antiquity. I am also working on publishing the results from my current excavation project at the site of Makounta-Voules-Mersinoudia in Cyprus and my excavations between 2005 and 2010 at the site of Hamoukar in Syria.
How did you get started with your project/publication?
I got started by brewing ancient beer. Back in 2012, I had just begun exploring the topic, alongside fellow grad student Mike Fisher, when we learned about a new collaboration. Brewers from Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland had joined forces with scholars from the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) at the University of Chicago—our home institution—and they were looking for more team members. We volunteered and dove enthusiastically down that rabbit hole. So, I first found my way to the land of Ninkasi, goddess of beer in ancient Mesopotamia, by recreating her beers and serving them to the public at a series of tasting events.
Questions? Learn more about AIA Awards here or reach out to awards@archaeological.org
