Archaeology Day Fair
2023-11-04 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Lowry Mall, University of Missouri, 909 Lowry St, Columbia, Missouri, 65203, United States
Come learn about archaeology with faculty and graduate students in the Classics, Archaeology and Religion and Anthropology Departments! Join us on Lowry Mall and Ellis Library at the University of Missouri for some fun all-ages educational activities and demonstrations, fieldwork presentations by local archaeologists, tours of the university collections, and a bake sale!

AIA-Nashville Society Book Club
2023-11-13 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | The Parthenon, 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
AIA-Nashville Society Book Club
Join us for the fourth meeting of our free book club on Monday, November 13, at 6 PM. This event is free and open to the public, with RSVP. Mention “Book Club” at the Ticket Counter, receive free admission, and proceed to the Treasury on Level 2 for the friendly, informal discussion.
RSVP required: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084aa8af2ea5f58-aianashville#
THIS QUARTER’S BOOK SELECTION:
We will be discussing The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. Reserve your spot with a free RSVP: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084aa8af2ea5f58-aianashville#
Looking to purchase the book? It is now available in the Museum Store! Or, head over to Parnassus Books and mention the Archaeological Institute of America-Nashville Society book club at the Parthenon for a 10% discount.
ABOUT THE BOOK: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Description from Nashville Public Library:
Margaret Atwood returns with a shrewd, funny, and insightful retelling of the myth of Odysseus from the point of view of Penelope. Describing her own remarkable vision, the author writes in the foreword, “I’ve chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and to the twelve hanged maids. The maids form a chanting and singing Chorus, which focuses on two questions that must pose themselves after any close reading of the Odyssey : What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to? The story as told in the Odyssey doesn’t hold water: there are too many inconsistencies. I’ve always been haunted by the hanged maids and, in The Penelopiad , so is Penelope herself.” One of the high points of literary fiction in 2005, this critically acclaimed story found a vast audience and is finally available in paperback.
2024 BOOK CLUB DATES:
RSVP: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084aa8af2ea5f58-aianashville#
Monday, February 5, 2024
Monday, May 6, 2024
Monday, August 5, 2024
Monday, November 4, 2024
Stay tuned for details!
BOOK CLUB SPONSOR: AIA-Nashville Society
The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) promotes archaeological inquiry and public understanding of the material record of the human past to foster an appreciation of diverse cultures and our shared humanity. The AIA supports archaeologists, their research and its dissemination, and the ethical practice of archaeology. The AIA educates people of all ages about the significance of archaeological discovery and advocates for the preservation of the world’s archaeological heritage. Learn more.
ADDITIONAL BOOK CLUB SPONSORS: Centennial Park Conservancy, Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation
PREVIOUS AIA-NASHVILLE SOCIETY BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS:
Circe by Madeline Miller discussed February 22, 2023
Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker discussed May 8, 2023
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips discussed August 21, 2023

Sketching the Marbles
2023-11-24 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-12-29 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-26 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | The Parthenon, 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
Sketching the Marbles
For centuries, artists have drawn the Parthenon’s pediment sculptures. Join us for special art sessions to create your own classical masterpiece. Sketching the Marbles is held on the final Friday afternoon of each month (except Metro Nashville holidays).
–Recommended for ages 12 and older.
–This program takes place in the Treasury.
–All supplies are included— but you are welcome to bring your own.
–Participation is free for Centennial Park Conservancy members, or included with museum admission.
–The most updated times and dates are listed on the Calendar.
Love to draw, but not able to make it to museum soon? Try your hand at creating Parthenon art— from home! Browse our Parthenon Create video playlist on our YouTube channel.
THANK YOU TO JERRY’S ARTARAMA FOR PROVIDING ART SUPPLIES!

Mediterranean Marketplaces: Connecting the Ancient World - exhibit opening
2024-02-14 11:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, 6 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Much like today, ancient “consumers” were connected to distant markets. Both basic and precious goods from faraway lands “shipped” to royal palaces, elite estates—sometimes even rural households—and technological advances in craftsmanship and commerce transcended boundaries of language, religion, or culture to spread rapidly. Mediterranean Marketplaces explores how the movement of goods, peoples, and ideas around the ancient Mediterranean transformed the lives and livelihoods of people at all levels of society, driving innovations that had lasting impacts—even on the modern world. Audio tours available in English and Spanish.
image: EJSP Visual | Julieta Sarmiento

Manchester Community College -Sifting through Time
2024-04-02 11:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Manchester Community College – Student Union, 1066 Front St, Manchester, NH, 03102, United States
Featuring NH Archeological Society members.
The Social Science program will host its second archeology/anthropology expo. Professors Kurt Springs and Kimberly Kulesza will be joined by members of the New Hampshire Archeological Society in presenting an interactive experience for participants. Activities may include – demonstrations of flint knapping (making of stone tools), basketry, and geophysical projection. Also, displays of stone tools, pottery and ancient hunting implements, and a discussion of maps in archeology. Stop by and try making a stone blade, or see if you could hunt a Mastodon! Open to the public.

University of New Hampshire – Open Archaeology and Anthropology Day – featuring NH Archeological Society members
2024-04-05 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | LA
Experiment with flint knapping, atlatl throwing, and excavation! Learn about anthropology and experience cultural diversity! Squamscott Room in Holloway Commons, 75 Main St.Durham, NH 03824,

Indigenous Archaeology Day
2024-09-28 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Wheelock Academy, Wheelock Road, Garvin, Oklahoma, 74736, United States
Activities will include pottery, textile, atlatl throwing, children’s events, flint knapping, bow shooting, and stickball. Those attending will have the opportunity to visit with representatives from the Growing Hope Program, Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network (OKPAN) and Choctaw Nation Forestry.
Traditional foods will be prepared onsite and served at noon.
Growing Hope Garden walkthroughs will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Pop-Up Archaeology at the Buried Ships of Robinson Landing Exhibit
2024-10-04 16:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Buried Ships of Robinson Landing Exhibit, Pioneer Mill Way, Alexandria, VA, 22314, United States
Step inside the temporary Buried Ships of Robinson Landing windowfront exhibit for a special chance to see scale models of three 18th century vessel remnants excavated in 2018 on the same block. Talk with archaeologists and learn how these ships were used to create new land along the waterfront. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.alexandriava.gov/archaeology/archaeology-on-the-waterfront.

International Archaeology Day at the Campbell Creek Science Center
2024-10-12 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Anchorage) | BLM Campbell Creek Science Center, 5600 Science Center Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99507, United States
10 a.m.–2 p.m – Open house with educational booths
10–11:45 a.m. – WWII history interpretive walk
Noon– “A Beautiful Journey” movie showing followed by a
short presentation by Dr. Maria Williams on the uses of
birch and other materials from the boreal forest.
All events take place at Campbell Creek Science Center, 5600 Science Center Drive, Anchorage, AK 99507

SPRUCE Archaeological Dig
2024-10-16 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Silver Spruce Academy at Seventh Day Adventist Church, Florida Road, Durango, CO, 81301, United States
We have spent the first quarter of this school year learning about the process of archaeological digs, including excavation, documentation, looking for sites, preservation, and the archaeology of the Southwest. We will be performing our very own dig for artifacts, provided to us through the work of another class at the school. These created “artifacts” will include mud bricks resembling the corner of a structure, coins, and pottery. Students will perform the dig with a variety of tools, and document findings.

Archaeology Day at the Frontier Culture Museum
2024-10-19 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Frontier Culture Museum, 1290 Richmond Ave, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Saturday, October 19th is International Archaeology Day, and the Frontier Culture Museum is offering archaeological activities all day!
But just what is archaeology and why are we talking about it at a living history museum? Archaeology is the study of patterns of material culture, the tangible things that people made and used. Things that are still around, just in the ground beneath us. Archaeology gives us a snapshot of the past. Objects enter the ground, a house decays leaving only the foundation. We only get to see the remnants, not the activity. History, on the other hand, is the study of human behavior in the past, based on the records people themselves have left behind. You can see where one might inform the other. Both involve asking questions, forming hypotheses and doing research.
We look at all of these clues, carefully piece the fragments of a moment in time together, and create a picture of what life was like, for example, on the frontier.
So, what does Archaeology Day at the Frontier Culture Museum mean? It means walking around our Old World loop, the farms from places people left behind to come to the New World, and learning about different types of artifacts, like metal and ceramics, and also a little bit about experimental archaeology. It also means heading over to the New World section and being able to try your hand at excavation in our dig boxes and learning a bit about what happens after the artifacts are excavated. We hope to see you here at the museum, as we celebrate International Archaeology Day!

Color the Past
2024-10-19 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon, Princeton, NJ, 08542, United States
Members of the Visual Resources division of Princeton University’s Department of Art and Archaeology have partnered with The Princeton Public Library for this event. Participants can help themselves to free coloring supplies as well as some pen and ink drawings of monuments and artifacts drafted by Howard Crosby Butler during his campaigns to Sardis and Greece. Participants will be encouraged, after they color the drawings, to share their works of art on social media, tagging both the department (@artandarchaeologyprinceton), the Princeton Public Library (@PrincetonPL), the AIA (#IAD2024)!

Archaeology Fair
2024-10-19 11:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Marquette Regional History Center, 145 W Spring St, Marquette, MI, 49855, United States
This October the Marquette Regional History Center is joining hundreds of organizations around the world to celebrate International Archaeology Day. For the 12th year, our fair will provide a look at archaeology in our region and world-wide. Hands-on learning for all ages. Multiple booths both indoors and outdoors feature various displays and activities.
This year, we have a special presentation during the fair, at 11:30:
“Cosa: Excavations of a ‘Typical’ Latin Colony in Italy”
Archaeologist Melissa Ludke will present on the excavation of a Roman bath house. As an archaeological park and small town in Italy, Cosa has endured a long history of occupation from 273 BCE under the Romans to a small settlement during the Medieval period, and beyond. Join us at 11:30 to learn about the historical development of a colony that has been excavated since 1948. Ludke’s talk will touch on the history of the site, the archaeological exploration of various areas in the town, and ongoing excavations of a Roman bath by Florida State University. Working at this site since 2016, Ludke is currently participating in new investigations of a house and potential marketplace. She will present on exciting objects discovered at the site, including ancient coinage, which is one of her research specialties.
Register your booth to participate in our fair, up until October 11th! https://www.marquettehistory.org/archaeology-booth-reg.html

Archaeology Day activities
2024-10-19 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Gatehouse Garden, 1195 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10027, United States
Come and join Columbia University graduate students and faculty to learn about archaeology and try out different activities at the Gatehouse Community Garden on Amsterdam Avenue at 119th street

IAD: Community Archaeology Day in Providence, RI
2024-10-26 11:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Rhode Island Hall, 60 George Street, Providence, RI, 02912, United States
To celebrate International Archaeology Day, join the AIA Narragansett Society for a fun Saturday full of archaeological activities!
– In Rhode Island Hall on the Main Green of Brown University, come see ancient coins from Greece and Rome up close! Touch ancient animal bones! Examine and draw Persian and Roman ceramics, prehistoric tools, precious metals, and other artifacts from thousands of years ago – coached by experts! And talk with Brown’s archaeologists about their fieldwork all over the world! Family friendly, free and open to the public.
– On the lawn in front of List Art Building (64 College Street), come be part of an active archaeological excavation! Students from ARCH 1900: The Archaeology of College Hill will be digging the site of a 19th century home and processing artifacts from that household. Stop by any time between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm to see what artifacts students are discovering or even try your hand at digging. Family friendly, free and open to the public.

New Hampshire Archeological Society Annual Meeting
2024-11-02 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Manchester Community College – Student Union, 1066 Front St, Manchester, NH, 03102, United States
Zoom options available
Speakers will include:
William Griswold, Ph.D., retired National Park Service (NPS) archeologist. Owner of Hadley Woods Archaeological Services, LLC in Nashua, NH.. Reconstructing the Beginning of the second Revolutionary War battle of Saratoga
Mark Doperalski, NH State Archaeologist, Updates from SCRAP Work at Mollidgewock State Park
Kimberly Kulesza, Behavioral & Social Science Program Coordinator, Manchester Community College, Navigating Sacred Spaces: Cosmoeconomics and Religious Hybridization in Viking and Early Medieval Gotland
Bruce Bradley PhD., Principal Investigator, Wallace Ruin Project, Museum of Primitive Technology.Cortez, Colorado, Recent Developments at the Wallace Ruins Site

Animating Ancient Assyria: Teen Saturdays Workshop
2024-11-09 13:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Take a time machine to an ancient Assyrian royal palace! In this workshop, teens will be introduced to augmented reality using Snapchat features to overlay digital content on exhibits.
Explore art from 640 BCE that depicts royal victories, lion hunts, epic battles, and ancient rituals. Watch stone monuments spring to life with color and movement. Through activities, teens will decide what other exhibits should get the Snapchat lens treatment.
Teen Saturdays Workshops are designed to build community and improve the museum experience for multicultural and Spanish-speaking teens. Workshops are presented bilingually in Spanish and English. Snacks provided!
$10 fee includes free admission to all HMSC museums following the workshop.
Teens in high school ages 14–18 receive a membership worth $100 after attending three or more 2024 fall semester Teen Saturday Workshops. Or, receive a free admission pass (worth $15) for a return visit if you attend one of the four sessions.
September 14: Inside Egyptian Tombs
October 5: Creative 3D Design
November 9: Animating Ancient Assyria
December 7: Marvelous Holograms
Bring a smartphone. A limited number of tablets will be available for loan. Make a note on your registration form if you want to borrow one.
Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.

Archaeology Day Fair
2024-11-10 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | LA
Come learn about archaeology with faculty and graduate students in the Classics, Archaeology and Religion and Anthropology Departments! Join us on Lowry Mall and the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri for some fun all-ages educational activities and demonstrations, fieldwork presentations by local archaeologists, tours of the university collections, and a bake sale!

Office of State Archaeology Year-in-Review with Dr. Sarah Sportman
2025-01-25 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Buchanan Auditorium, Mansfield Public Library, 54 Warrenville Rd, Mansfield Center, CT, 06250, United States
Join the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH) and State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman for a public lecture about the Office of State Archaeology’s past year of work and what the next year will bring. Dr. Sportman’s talk will highlight the fieldwork, research, and other activities undertaken by the Office of State Archaeology (OSA) over the last year. Artifacts and recent finds by Dr. Sportman’s team will be on display before and after the talk. Remarks begin at 2:30 and will be followed by a Q&A and an informal reception.
If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Monday January 20.
The event is free and open to the public! If you plan on attending, please RSVP for reception planning. Visit https://csmnh.uconn.edu/programs/ to RSVP and for more information.

The Search for The Endurance: The Amazing Story of How Archaeology and Technology Were Used to Make History
2025-03-14 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | 114 Lake Michigan Hall, GVSU Allendale campus, Allendale, MI, 49401, United States
Timothy Jacob, Crew member of the SS Algulhas 2, will speak about his experience as part of the expedition to find the lost ship of Sir Ernest Shackleton in the Antarctic.
This presentation starts at 4pm in 114 Lake Michigan Hall, GVSU Allendale Campus.

2025 Mesoamerican Symposium
2025-03-22 09:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, United States
Cal State LA’s Art History Society presents the 2025 Mesoamerican Symposium on Saturday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the University-Student Union Theatre. The full-day event is organized as a homage to acclaimed archaeologist John M. D. Pohl and art historian Manuel Aguilar-Moreno.
John M. D. Pohl is an adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology at Cal State LA. A specialist in ancient Mesoamerican art and writing systems, Pohl has directed numerous archaeological excavations and surveys in Canada, the United States, México, and Central America as well as Europe. He is the author of several books on the ancient worlds of Mesoamerica including Exploring Mesoamerica, The Aztec Warrior: 1325-1519, and The Legend of Eight Deer. His unusual background in archaeology, art history, theater, and film production have taken him from museum exhibition design and development to writing, producing, designing, and directing feature and television productions.
Manuel Aguilar-Moreno is a professor in the Department of Art at Cal State LA. An expert in the art and culture of Latin America, he conducts research in the art and history of pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin America. He has co-directed an interdisciplinary research project about “Ulama: The Survival of the Mesoamerican Ballgame” and the research project, “Walls of Passion: The Murals of Los Angeles,” that featured documentations and analysis of approximately 500 murals of the city of Los Angeles. He also has written countless articles in edited books, journals, magazines, and newspapers on the history of Mexican art as well as world art in the United States, Mexico, and Europe.
Both Pohl and Aguilar-Moreno will be presented the Tlamatini Awards honoring their invaluable contributions to the field of Mesoamerica during the 4:45 p.m. closing ceremony. The awards presentation will include Stephen Trzaskoma, dean of the university’s College of Arts and Letters, and Carlos González Gutiérrez, Consul General of Mexico.
The theme for this year’s symposium is “At the Crossroads of Civilizations: The Cultures of West Mexico Through Time.” This conference will present a spectrum of interdisciplinary research through innovations in archaeological methods and historical and ethnographic studies, revealing West Mexico’s critical role in over two millennia of Pacific coastal influence extending from the Greater American Southwest, through northern Mexico to Mesoamerica and beyond.
Speakers include Diana Magaloni Kerpel of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mary Miller of the Getty Research Institute, Lorenza López-Mestas of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Jalisco, Mexico, Susana Ramírez-Urrea of the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, Michael Mathiowetz of the Getty Research Institute, José Luis Punzo of INAH – Mexico, Johannes Neurath of INAH – Mexico, Christian De Brer of UCLA -Fowler Museum, and Khristaan Villela of the Getty Research Institute.
As part of the symposium, the Treasures of West Mexico exhibition will be on display in the Special Collections and Archives reading room of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library at Cal State LA.
This event is free to the public and is organized by the Art History Society, the Anthropology Film Club, College of Arts and Letters, and College of Natural and Social Sciences at Cal State LA. It is made possible in part with the generous support of the Getty Research Institute and the Arvey Foundation.
Advanced ticket reservation is required. Please register online to attend the symposium at https://www.calstatela.edu/arthistorysociety. For additional information, please call Elizabeth Poz of the Art History Society at 310-302-7121.

Amazing Archaeology Fair at Harvard
2025-04-06 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, 02138, United States
Venture on archaeological expeditions around the world in this annual event for all ages. Talk with archaeologists who study ancient Egyptians, Incas, prehistoric peoples, and others. Try ancient cuneiform writing and use an app that animates detailed wall art in Assyrian palaces. Discover cave art made by Neanderthals and other early humans, and learn how mummies’ names reveal secrets of Egyptian “tomb recycling.” Discover these and other surprises during this popular event.
Regular museum admission rates apply. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.
Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.
Share the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1351593716201382
https://tinyurl.com/AmazingArchFair
https://tinyurl.com/IncreibleArqueologiaHarvard

Inside the Temple of Murals: Teen Saturdays Workshop
2025-04-12 13:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
In-Person Youth Program
Join us for an immersive virtual reality workshop at the Harvard Peabody Museum, where teens can discover the fascinating art of the ancient Maya through the Bonampak murals located in Chiapas, Mexico. Through engaging activities and discussions, teens will explore the themes depicted in these murals, including dance, music, and ceremonial rituals. In a hands-on activity, they will recreate elements from the murals using similar pigments and traditional Maya art techniques, encouraging them to appreciate the materials and methods of Maya artists.
Teen Saturday Workshops are offered bilingually in Spanish and English. They are designed to build community and improve the museum experience for multicultural teens. Snacks provided!
$10 fee includes free admission to all HMSC museums following the workshop.
Advance registration required.
Teens receive a membership worth $100 after attending three or more Teen Saturday Workshops per semester. Or, receive a free admission pass (worth $15) for a return visit if you attend one of the four sessions.
February 8: Writing Maya Glyphs
March 8: Divine Maya Cacao
April 12: Inside the Temple of Murals
May 17: Cochineal Red
Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.

Community Data Collection Day at Providence’s North Burial Ground
2025-09-18 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology, Rhode Island Hall, Brown University, 60 George Street, Providence, RI, 02912, United States
Help preserve Providence history! Join the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and the staff of Providence’s North Burial Ground for a community data collection day within the cemetery’s old Colonial sections. Founded in 1700, North Burial Ground predates the founding of the United States and the charter of the City of Providence. Help document the oldest tombstones at NBG to aid in research about Providence’s history and future preservation decisions. You will also learn about the cemetery’s history and many of the stories within it. Free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome. Please bring a pencil and a writing, though a limited number of clipboards and pencils will be available at the event.
Location: North Burial Ground, Rochambeau Entrance. Free parking on Main Street, or take the R bus line.
Contact: jiaaw@brown.edu or (401) 863-3188.

Archaeology Month Celebration at Battlefield Park
2025-09-20 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Tippecanoe Battlefield Park, 200 Battleground Ave, Battleground, IN, 47920, United States
Join the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and Purdue University’s Department of Anthropology to celebrate Indiana Archaeology Month!
This free, all-ages event will feature many hands-on activities, including an Atl Atl dart throw, Artifact Show and Tell and Identification, a mini excavation, and archaeology activity books. The Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum will also have free entry.

Play Again: Combining Archaeological and AI Methods to Study Ancient Games
2025-09-25 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Phoenix) | https://www.archaeological.org/event/play-again-combining-archaeological-and-ai-methods-to-study-ancient-games/
Play Again: Combining Archaeological and AI Methods to Study Ancient Games
with
Walter Crist, PhD
Lecturer
Faculty of Humanities
Centre for the Arts in Society
New Media & Digital Culture
Leiden University
The archaeology of ancient play has recently undergone a renaissance, as researchers have couched previous culture-historical research on ancient games in anthropological and archaeological theory, demonstrating the importance of play in ancient life. Further advances in AI technology allow for new applications of this technology in the study of ancient games, and the possibilities of such methods are only beginning to be explored. This research explores two case studies where AI-simulated play, when combined with traditional archaeological methods, provide new insights about ancient games.
Biography
Walter Crist is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University. His PhD dissertation (Arizona State University, 2016) examined the archaeological context of Bronze Age game boards in Cyprus to explore the intersection between gaming activity and social complexity. He is the lead author on the book Ancient Egyptians at Play, and has researched ancient games in Cyprus, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Greece, Turkey, and the Netherlands. As a postdoctoral researcher on the ERC Digital Ludeme Project, he constructed the Ludii Games Database, which documents the knowledge of the rules for traditional board games globally over the past 5000 years. Recent explorations on the ways that AI can inform archaeological research on games continue through his position as Vice Chair of the COST Action GameTable: Computational Techniques for Tabletop Games Heritage.
Registration is required. Follow this link to register: https://asu.zoom.us/meeting/register/KMQBlfk-TYCqAMr0j6l21w#/registration

Family Archeology Day
2025-10-11 10:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Camp Nelson National Monument, 6614 Danville Rd Loop 2, Nicholasville, KY, 40356, United States
Join Camp Nelson National Monument on October 11 from 10am-12:30pm for a fun filled day of family activities and learning! Learn about archeological excavations through our Dig in a box, analyze an artifact, go on a museum scavenger hunt, and learn about the park’s many cultural resources.

Archaeology Day
2025-10-18 | Frontier Culture Museum, 1290 Richmond Ave, Staunton, VA, 24401, United States
Saturday, October 18th is International Archaeology Day, and the Frontier Culture Museum is offering archaeological activities all day!
But just what is archaeology and why are we talking about it at a living history museum? Archaeology is the study of patterns of material culture, the tangible things that people made and used. Things that are still around, just in the ground beneath us. Archaeology gives us a snapshot of the past. Objects enter the ground, a house decays leaving only the foundation. We only get to see the remnants, not the activity. History, on the other hand, is the study of human behavior in the past, based on the records people themselves have left behind. You can see where one might inform the other. Both involve asking questions, forming hypotheses and doing research.
We look at all of these clues, carefully piece the fragments of a moment in time together, and create a picture of what life was like, for example, on the frontier.
