Archaeological Institute of America

Goddess in Progress
2025-06-13 | The Parthenon, 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
New museum exhibition at the Nashville Parthenon, June 13, 2025-April 19, 2026
Get the story behind the creation and construction of Nashville’s Athena Parthenos with this historic exhibit. Alan LeQuire won the commission in 1982 by proposing a historically-accurate replica of the ancient statue. The young artist began an odyssey of research which included a visit to the ancient Parthenon in Greece, and consultation with leading scholars. During the eight years of construction, LeQuire triumphed over engineering complications, political challenges, and a fire that demolished his studio. Travel with LeQuire on his journey to creating and scaling a figure that became the largest indoor sculpture in the Western world.
Museum hours, check NashvilleParthenon.com for updated hours.
Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday-Saturday 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Sunday 12:30 – 4:30 PM

The World Between: Egypt and Nubia in Africa - Exhibition Opening
2025-08-30 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | The Fralin Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903
Political boundaries are sharp, but cultures tend to blend into each other. That ‘in-betweenness’ is rarely contained by political frontiers. What kind of social and cultural worlds connected Egypt with its southern neighbors? And what was Egypt’s relationship with other African cultures of its time, like Nubia (in present day Sudan)? While contemporary scholarship acknowledges the indigenous origin of Egyptian culture, its story is still rarely told from an African perspective. How did the earliest Egyptian and Nubian cultures relate to each other? In ancient Egypt, Nubians were portrayed as wretched enemies, bound captives, or soldiers. To what extent were their lives defined by Egyptian ideas and colonization? What societal roles did they have and how did their cultural practices impact Egyptian ones? In later times, the Kushite and Meroitic rulers of Nubia revitalized pharaonic culture. Their adoption of Egyptian symbols and beliefs is frequently examined through the lens of ‘Egyptianization.’ What was the nature of this borrowing, and how were Egyptian customs blended with indigenous and other traditions? This exhibition aims to showcase the deep cultural embeddedness of ancient Egypt in Africa, beyond merely acknowledging its geographical position on the African continent. What did Egypt owe to other African cultures in Nubia and, inversely, what did it bequeath to them? The exhibition demonstrates the complex interaction of different cultures in Egypt and Nubia, from prehistory (ca. 3800 BCE) through the Post-Meroitic era (641 CE).

International Archaeology Day at the Parthenon
2025-10-18 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Nashville Parthenon, 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 37203, United States
On October 18, 2025, the Archaeological Institute of America-Nashville Society and the Nashville Parthenon are teaming up to join hundreds of archaeological organizations around the world to celebrate International Archaeology Day and the Tennessee STEAM Festival. Museum visitors at this archaeology fair event will view two special exhibits, Goddess In Progress in the East Gallery and The Role of Replica in the West Gallery, explore Level 2’s replica interior of the ancient Parthenon, participate in activity stations, and earn an “Official Archaeologist of the Nashville Parthenon” sticker! Stop by activity stations from 9 AM – 12 PM.
What is international archaeology Day at the Parthenon?
International Archaeology Day is a morning full of family-friendly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities that highlight archaeological work and artifacts to share the legacy of Greek culture to raise awareness of the ancient world.
RSVP in advance below for free museum admission for this event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parthenon-international-archaeology-day-tickets-1505905647329?aff=oddtdtcreator
You can also mention visiting for International Archaeology Day the day of for discounted admission.
Activities include:
–Ask an Archaeologist, 9 AM – 12 PM: Meet Dr. Debby Sneed, an archaeologist who and will answer questions about all things archaeology and ancient Greece. About Dr. Sneed: Dr. Debby Sneed is assistant professor of classics at California State University, Long Beach, and an archaeologist whose research focuses on disability in ancient Greece. She is also field director of the Agora Excavations in Athens, conducted by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, which is the preeminent research center for US scholars and students studying Greek culture from antiquity to the present. She earned a Ph.D. in archaeology from UCLA, and a MA in classics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Bonus: Register for a free virtual Symposium with Dr. Sneed, Sunday, October 20, at 10 AM Central!
–Gold Leafing Demonstration, 9 AM – 12 PM: Meet Micki & Mitch Cavanah of Reed’s Gold Leaf, the experts who helped gild Athena! They will be demonstrating the gold leafing process LIVE inside the Parthenon in honor of The Society of Gilders’ worldwide gilding symposium. The Society of Gilders is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education of the gilding arts.
–The Role of a Replica Talk, 10:30 AM: Join a Parthenon staff member for a special tour at 10:30 AM about the making of the exhibition in the West Gallery, The Role of a Replica.
–Polychromy at the Parthenon, 9 AM – 12 PM: Work with archaeologists from AIA-Nashville Society to create colorful masterpieces just like ancient statues and buildings.
–Conservation Station, 9 AM – 12 PM: Work to piece together ceramic fragments just like conservators study how broken fragments join to form a complete artifact. Many of the ceramics come from the Centennial Art Center, which used to be the Centennial Park Pool but now hosts art classes and workshops.
–Experimental Archaeology, 9 AM – 12 PM: Build miniature ancient structures with blocks and assorted materials just as archaeologists learn about the past by testing out ideas through experimentation of architectural steps and processes.
–Research Station, 9 AM – 12 PM: Designated the Quiet Area, this inclusive space offers books and resources on archaeology, ancient Greece, and mythology.
–Exterior Architecture Audio Tour, available 24/7: Free audio tour in English, Spanish, or Arabic!
IAD Helpful Information:
Never been to International Archaeology Day at the Parthenon before? This list of tips will help you prepare for a fun visit!
–We recommend arriving early to ensure enough time to explore and visit each activity station.
–AIA-Nashville Society members receive free museum admission.
–Metro Nashville Parks & Recreation employees receive free museum admission.
–RSVP in advance for free museum admission: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parthenon-international-archaeology-day-tickets-1505905647329?aff=oddtdtcreator
–If you miss the advance RSVP, mention visiting for International Archaeology Day on site at the museum Ticket Counter for discounted admission.
About International Archaeology Day
International Archaeology Day is a celebration of archaeology and the thrill of discovery. The Archaeological Institute of America and collaborating archaeological organizations across the United States, Canada, and abroad present archaeological programs and activities for people of all ages and interests. Whether it is a family-friendly archaeology fair, a guided tour of a local archaeological site, a simulated dig, a lecture or classroom visit from an archaeologist, interactive, hands-on International Archaeology Day programs provide the chance to indulge your inner Indiana Jones and be an archaeologist for the day. For more information about International Archaeology Day, visit http://www.archaeologyday.org.
About Tennessee STEAM Festival
Founded by the Discovery Center, the Tennessee STEAM Festival is a 10-day statewide celebration designed to build interest and excitement in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). For more information about the Tennessee STEAM Festival, visit www.tnsteam.org.

Uncover Archaeology: Community Archaeology Day at the Joukowsky Institute
2025-10-18 11:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology, Rhode Island Hall, Brown University, 60 George Street, Providence, RI, 02912, United States
Join the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and the AIA Narragansett Society for an archaeology-themed open house on Brown University’s Main Green. See ancient coins from Greece and Rome up close! Touch 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! Free and open to the public, and all ages are welcome.

Celtic Art Across the Ages - Opening
2026-03-06 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Discover the many forms of Celtic creativity and their artistic legacies in this sweeping story that spans ancient to modern times.
When you think of the word “Celtic,” what do you picture? Perhaps intricate knotwork designs, legendary warriors, or mystical spirituality? Maybe even a certain NBA team? Celtic Art Across the Ages will introduce visitors to the worlds of the various peoples who were historically labeled “Celts”—through the objects they created, the interactions they had across the European continent, and the myths that shaped their legacy, then as now. The exhibition stretches from 800 BCE through today, showcasing the craftsmanship, innovation, cultural connections, and multilayered reception that characterized Celtic art in Europe and beyond.
The first major exhibition on this topic to take place in the United States, Celtic Art Across the Ages offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore masterful metalwork, including exquisitely decorated weaponry, jewelry, and horse and chariot trappings of the first millennium BCE Iron Age and early medieval times, all brought to light through archaeological discoveries of the last 200 years. See how imagery transformed under Roman rule, and trace the revival of Celtic art and identities in the modern era. From shape-shifting ancient ornaments to the more well-known Celtic iconography of medieval Ireland and Scotland, the objects in this exhibition reveal rich and complex artistic traditions that defy stereotypes of what constitutes “Celtic art.”
Check out the exhibition catalogue, with essays from international experts considering the themes of the exhibition and providing a solid introduction to this often underappreciated area of art history.
Curated by Susanne Ebbinghaus, George M.A. Hanfmann Curator of Ancient Art and Head of the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, with Penny Coombe, Kelekian Curatorial Fellow in Ancient Art, Laure Marest, Damarete Associate Curator of Ancient Coins, and Matthew Rogan, Senior Curatorial Assistant for Special Exhibitions and Publications.

Walking Among Pharaohs: The Spectacular Career of Archaeologist George Reisner in Egypt and Nubia
2026-04-08 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | ONLINE/ZOOM
Please join us for the fourth and final lecture in The World Between: Egypt and Nubia in Africa series, sponsored by the Page-Barbour Committee, the Archaeological Institute of America and the Interdisciplinary Program in Archaeology.
Our speaker is Peter Der Manuelian, Barbara Bell Professor of Egyptology in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and the Anthropology Departments at Harvard University, and director of the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East. Specializing in Egyptology, he is also the director of the Giza Project run by Harvard University. Among his recent work is Walking Among Pharaohs: George Reisner and The Dawn of Modern Egyptology, which explores Reisner’s problematic legacy in Egyptological thought about Africa.
The lecture examines the life and work of America’s greatest Egyptian archaeologist, George Reisner (1867-1942). His legacy of forty-three years of breathtakingly successful excavations at twenty-three different archaeological sites in Egypt and Sudan (ancient Nubia) included pyramids, colossal statues, gold jewelry, decorated tomb chapels, temples, settlements, fortresses, ceramics, furniture, stone vessels, and hieroglyphic inscriptions everywhere. Leading the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, Reisner put American Egyptology on the world stage. The talk presents Reisner’s undeniable impact and considers his life within the context of Western colonialism, racism, and nationalism. It will also explore new visualization technologies, particularly at the Giza Pyramids, that Reisner’s work makes possible today.
Online only, please register in the link below.
