Kentucky Society Lecture with Anne Duray
2025-09-25 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Transylvania University., Lexington, KY, 40508
Time TBD

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

Politics of Placement: The Development of the 18th Dynasty Theban Necropolis
2025-09-27 15:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Penn Museum, 3230 South Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Saturday, Sept. 27
3:30 PM EST
Penn Museum, Anthro Classroom 345
In-person; no registration required
Speaker: Dr. JJ Shirley, Managing Editor, Journal of Egyptian History; Director, TT110 Project; ARCE-PA Vice President
Title: Politics of Placement: The Development of the 18th Dynasty Theban Necropolis
Abstract:
In the 18th Dynasty the Theban Necropolis became a preferred location for elite burials, witnessing an explosion of tomb construction. But how did officials decide where to place their tombs? What were the determining factors? Rock quality, location on the mountain, spatial relationship to royal mortuary temples, status, some combination of these?
This talk focuses on the development of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna during the 18th Dynasty to examine the changes and shifts that took place both in tomb location and in which officials were able to build tombs. Certainly, a major purpose of a tomb was to enhance one’s afterlife, and thus having a good view to the royal mortuary temples and access to royal and sacred festival processions would have played a role in where a tomb was placed. However, there are also clear indications that a tomb served as a reflection of one’s place in the living world. As such, a tomb owner’s family and career could help to determine a tomb’s location in the necropolis. By examining the tombs from the perspective of the officials’ lives, it becomes clear that who one was, both in terms of family and career – which after all is how an ancient Egyptian defined himself – seems to have been a dominating factor in tomb placement within Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, but likely carried through into other parts of the necropolis as well.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. JJ Shirley received her PhD from The Johns Hopkins University, and has taught Egyptian Art, Archaeology and Language at the University of Michigan, University of Wales, Swansea, and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bryn Mawr College. Since 2007 she has been the Managing Editor for the Journal of Egyptian History, published by Brill. She has been ARCE-PA’s Vice President for many years, and also serves on several ARCE National committees. In 2014 Dr. Shirley founded the TT110 Field School, which focuses on epigraphic, illustration, and research training for Egyptian Ministry officials, and for which she has received three Antiquities Endowment Fund grants from the American Research Center in Egypt.
Dr. Shirley’s research interests include Late Second Intermediate Period and Early New Kingdom socio-political history and administration, power dynamics in the ancient world, manifestations of social status in art and architecture, Theban Tombs, and landscape archaeology. Her published work to date has largely focused on the intersection of prosopography and the socio-political history of Dynasty 18. She is currently working on a full publication of TT110 utilizing the new drawings produced by the field school students.
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Lectures are FREE to ARCE Members, $7 for University of Pennsylvania Museum Members and UPenn Staff and Faculty, $5 for Students with ID, and $10 for the general public.
Light refreshments served starting at 3pm.
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The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1948 by a consortium of educational and cultural institutions to support research on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture, foster broader knowledge among the general public, and strengthen American-Egyptian cultural ties. The ARCE Pennsylvania Chapter (ARCE-PA) is the local branch of the national institution. We host monthly events including scholarly lectures, Egyptian-themed workshops, social events, and guided tours of the Penn Museum’s Egyptian galleries. For more information or to learn about the perks of membership, please send an e-mail to info@arce-pa.org, or visit our website at www.arce-pa.org.

Texas Archeology Month with the Maxey House
2025-10-01 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site, 812 S Church St, Paris, TX, 75460, United States
Join us all of October for Texas Archeology Month at the Maxey House and Evergreen Cemetery. This event is a perfect opportunity for history enthusiasts and families to learn about the local archeology.
The Maxey House will have two free outdoor exhibits that can be seen by visitors throughout the entire month:
1) The first outdoor exhibit focuses on the historic structures that once stood on the grounds but are no longer there. Visitors can read more information on each of the structures by scanning QR codes placed next to each structure’s outline. The exhibit is located on site, 812 South Church Street in Paris, and can be explored seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
2) The second exhibit is located at Evergreen Cemetery, 560 Evergreen Street in Paris, where visitors will be able to learn about the meanings behind different symbols on certain gravestones by scanning QR codes. Visitors can explore Evergreen Cemetery seven days a week from dawn until dusk.
For more information, feel free to contact Elana at 903-785-5716 or elana.barton@thc.texas.gov.

Archaeology-Hour Screening: Beer in Mesopotamia
2025-10-02 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Whitman College Maxey Hall 207, 173 Stanton St., Walla Walla, WA, 99362, United States
Please join us for an in-person screening and informal discussion of the Archaeology Hour talk by Tate Paulette (North Carolina State University).
The inhabitants of the “land between rivers” (Mesopotamia) — today known as the Tigris and Euphrates rivers — experimented with many “firsts”… from urbanism to kingship to formalized systems of cuneiform writing. They also built the world’s first great beer culture. They loved their beer: its colors, textures, tastes, and intoxicating effects. They sipped it through long reed straws and praised it in song and story. They drank beer at home, on the job, and in neighborhood taverns––also at feasts, festivals and religious ceremonies. In this talk, Tate Paulette introduces his new book, In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia. This authoritative but light-hearted account explains exactly what we know about the beers, brewers, and drinkers of ancient Mesopotamia, what can be deciphered about it today, and what puzzles still remain to be solved.

Replacing Empires. The Archaeology of Political Transformation and Spatial Dynamics in 1st Millennium BCE Mesopotamia
2025-10-02 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, the Pennsylvania State University, 201 Old Main, University Park, PA, 16802, United States
Kershaw Lectures in Near East Archaeology

Mountain Archaeology and Climate Change
2025-10-03 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Thurman J. White Forum Building, 1704 Asp Ave, Norman, OK, 73072, United States
Dr. Aldenderfer will examine how past mountain peoples adapted to shifting climates, asking whether their strategies can inform those living in highland environments today. Drawing on archaeological evidence from regions such as the Alps, Andes, and Himalayas, he will discuss human resilience and vulnerability in the face of glacier retreat, variable precipitation, biodiversity loss, and climate-driven hazards.

Learn at Lunchtime virtual Lectures PHMC The PA State Museum
2025-10-03 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-10 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA, United States
Series of 4 Friday virtual lectures on archaeological subjects with four different lecturers.

Spokane Archaeology Day
2025-10-04 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Vancouver) | Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, 2316 West 1st Avenue, Spokane, WA, 99201, United States
The Spokane Society, along with other archaeological organizations, will welcome the public at booths on the grounds of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Activities will be available for all ages.

2025 Archaeological investigations at Fort Brewerton.
2025-10-04 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Fort Brewerton & Oliver Stevens Blockhouse Museum, Box 392 9 US Route 11, Brewerton, NY, 13029, United States
Join us for a day of archaeological investigations at Fort Brewerton.
Following a successful ground penetrating radar and magnetometer survey in the spring, we can now use this new data to give us more confidence in finding the remains of the north wall of blockhouse # 4. Previous excavations in this area over the last 4 years have yielded many interesting artifacts and features, giving us clues and its layout and use. Our first excavation on the 4th will be followed up by our second excavation on the 18th on international archaeology day.
Current Fort Brewerton Historical Society members are welcome to assist in the excavation, members of the public are welcome to observe. Please message us if you plan on volunteering to assist in the excavation. The blockhouse museum will not be open for tours on the 4th.
Additionally, members of the New York State Archaeological Association are welcomed to participate with written permission from their chapter representative. Please contact us for more information.

(Early) International Archaeology Day at the Rochester Museum and Science Center
2025-10-04 11:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Rochester Museum and Science Center, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14607, United States
Meet members of the Rochester Society of the Archaeological Institute of America for hands-on family activities including a mini-dig, arts and crafts, and play-doh, and have a chance to check out archaeology books, magazines, and real and reproduction artifacts!

Arkansas ArcheOlympics
2025-10-04 11:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Arkansas Archeological Survey Research Station, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 1 Rockefeller Dr, Morrilton, AR, 72110, United States
The ArcheOlympics is an annual competition that brings together teams of archeology students, Arkansas Archeological Society members, middle school students, and anyone else interested in archeology and having fun. The games consist of 3 events in which teams compete to show off their skills and knowledge in archeology-based games. The first is throwing a spear with an atlatl. This takes some skill, so most teams get together and practice before the event. Archeoletes throw for both distance and accuracy during the competition. The second event is the trivia contest. This event changes slightly each year based on the gameshow format that we choose, but archeoletes answer questions about archeology, important archeological sites, archeological ethics, and other topics related to the theme. This event directly pits teams against each other in answering the questions. The third event is the Excavation to Curation Obstacle course. The course changes slightly each year, but teams work together to make their way through the simulated stages of archeological research. They must lay out a 1m x 1m unit, “excavate” the unit, collect artifacts and interpret them, curate the artifacts, write the report, and get it accepted for publication.

Archaeology and the Art Museum: How To Be an Archaeologically Informed Curator
2025-10-05 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Martha Sharp Joukowsky Lectureships

The Missing Link: A Wari-Related Burial in Huanchaco, North Coast of Peru
2025-10-08 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | University of Florida, Library West, Room 212, 400 SW 13th Street, Gainesville, FL, 32601, United States
Despite more than 100 years of archaeological research on the North Coast of Peru, very little is known about the transition from the so-called Moche society into the Chimu empire.
This timeframe, CIRCA A.D. 850-1000/1050, is poorly understood not only in the North Coast of Peru, but more broadly all over the Central Andean Region. Current models explain this period of time as a moment of political, economic, and militaristic control of the Wari Society.
This southern highland group has expanded as a well-organized state-like formation. Indeed, some scholars suggest that it may be the first Andean empire, and current models also suggest alternative scenarios. The recent burial in Huanchaco provides insight into the behavior of lower elites following the collapse of the Moche society and its transition into the Chimu Empire, highlighting the persistence of religious and artistic traditions from earlier times, as well as the innovations introduced from the highlands to the coast.

Out of Anatolia: Hittites, Homer and the Trojan War
2025-10-08 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Yale University, Phelps Hall, Room 401, New Haven, CT
Homer A. and Dorothy B. Thompson Lectureship

Buried in Enemy territory: A Spartan tomb in Athens
2025-10-09 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Edmonton) | Business Building 2-09, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Oscar Broneer Memorial Lecture

The Kingdom of Philoktetes: Northern Greece in the Age of Homer
2025-10-09 16:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York)

Mothers, Wives, Warriors, Slaves: Violence and Women in the Ancient World
2025-10-09 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Phoenix)
Charles Eliot Norton Memorial Lectureship

Young archaeologists
2025-10-10 00:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-10 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Tirane) | Museum of Peja, Haxhi Zeka Square, Peja, Kosova, 38000
We will conduct (simulated) archaeological excavations with primary school students, dividing them into five groups: Archaeologist, Restorer, Conservator, Documentarian, and Repository Recorder. The activity will be held in the Archaeological Park near the Museum of Peja and will last one hour from 12:00 to 13:00.

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 - Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex
2025-10-11 11:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, 801 Jefferson Ave., Moundsville, WV, 26041, United States
Archaeology Day at Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is an all-ages day of hands-on activities and demonstrations. Visitors get the chance to learn about past peoples from professional archaeologists, view exhibits, and visit the Indigenous burial site, Grave Creek Mound.

Archaeology Game Day!
2025-10-11 13:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Penn Hills Library, 1037 Stotler Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235, United States
Play the new Archaeology Day Game at Penn Hills Library (1037 Stotler Road Pittsburgh, PA 15235). Fun for kids of all ages! This game involves a treasure hunt, teamwork, putting together a puzzle, library skills, and solving a mystery. Win prizes, make new friends, find cool books to read! Please register in advance with the library so we know how many players to set the game up for. See the library’s event calendar for more details (https://pennhills.librarycalendar.com/events/month/2025/10).

Community Archaeology Day at IUP
2025-10-11 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Indiana University of Pennsylvania, McElhaney Hall, Indiana, PA, 15701, United States
Public open house to enjoy all things archaeology including primitive technologies and mock excavations.

A monumental undertaking: conservation for the Penn Museum’s new Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries
2025-10-11 15:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Penn Museum, 3230 South Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Saturday, Oct. 11
3:30 PM EST
Penn Museum, Classroom 2
In-person; no registration required
International Archaeology Day Lecture!!
Speaker: Molly Gleeson, Head Conservator, Penn Museum
Title: A monumental undertaking: conservation for the Penn Museum’s new Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries
Abstract:
In 2018, the Penn Museum began planning for the renovation of its signature Ancient Egypt galleries. The ambitious plans include reconstructing components of an Old Kingdom funerary chapel and an 18th Dynasty palace complex and displaying thousands of artifacts from the Penn Museum’s collections. While many of the objects are well preserved, all of them require conservation treatment, which is taking place at the Museum and at an off-site purpose-built conservation lab by a large team of conservators. In this lecture, conservator Molly Gleeson will discuss the range of preservation challenges and innovative conservation approaches that conservation team has developed to make this monumental project possible, as well as the discoveries they have made along the way.
Speaker Bio:
Molly Gleeson is the Head of Conservation at the Penn Museum. Molly’s career in conservation began at the University of Delaware as an Art Conservation undergraduate student. She continued her studies as a graduate student in the UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. As a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation with over 20 years of experience in the field, Molly has worked in museums and archaeological sites in the United States, Chile, Easter Island, and Egypt. Molly is currently pursuing a PhD in the Preservation Studies Program at the University of Delaware.
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Lectures are FREE to ARCE Members, $7 for University of Pennsylvania Museum Members and UPenn Staff and Faculty, $5 for Students with ID, and $10 for the general public.
Light refreshments served starting at 3pm.
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The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1948 by a consortium of educational and cultural institutions to support research on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture, foster broader knowledge among the general public, and strengthen American-Egyptian cultural ties. The ARCE Pennsylvania Chapter (ARCE-PA) is the local branch of the national institution. We host monthly events including scholarly lectures, Egyptian-themed workshops, social events, and guided tours of the Penn Museum’s Egyptian galleries. For more information or to learn about the perks of membership, please send an e-mail to info@arce-pa.org, or visit our website at www.arce-pa.org.

INTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY DAY
2025-10-14 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Museum of History in Mohelnice, Kostelní náměstí 3, Mohelnice, 78985, Czech Republic
To celebrate the occasion of the International Archaeology Day, the Museum of History in Mohelnice has organized a program for schools, kindergartens, families with children, and other interested parties.
Visitors will be able to test their knowledge and improve their understanding of our ancestral cultures by exploring real archaeological finds and prehistoric crafts.
Participants can experience first-hand what life was like in prehistoric times. Craft stations will be established to enable hands-on demonstrations of common prehistoric techniques. There will also be displays of genuine archaeological findings from individual periods of our history.
The celebration program is suitable for all ages.

Alexandria: New Archaeological Perspectives on the City and its Legendary Lighthouse
2025-10-14 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
International Archaeology Day 2025 and UW Classics Ridgway Lecture. Presenter: Dr. Thomas Faucher (Centre d’Études Alexandrines)
For three decades, the Centre d’Études Alexandrines has reshaped our understanding of Alexandria, moving its history from ancient texts to a tangible reality. Terrestrial digs reveal the city’s daily life, while underwater excavations at the site of the legendary Lighthouse have yielded spectacular monumental discoveries. These integrated findings present a multi-layered city, allowing us to write a new history of Alexandria grounded in its material culture of adaptation and reuse.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 5:30 – 7pm
University of Washington, Dempsey 112 and on Zoom (link here)

Mavericks: Three Visionary Pharaohs of Egypt
2025-10-15 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Wednesday, October 15, 6:00–7:00 pm ET, Advance registration recommended for online and in-person attendance
Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Speaker: Lawrence M. Berman is John F. Cogan, Jr. and Mary L. Cornille Chair, Art of Ancient Egypt, Nubia, and the Near East, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III, and Akhenaten each ruled Egypt for long periods, leaving a lasting impact on its art, politics, and religion. Though all were powerful leaders, each tells a distinct story. In this lecture, Lawrence M. Berman explores the reigns and legacies of these three remarkable Eighteenth Dynasty pharaohs, considering questions such as: What made them successful—or controversial? How were they viewed in their own time, and how have archaeologists and the public interpreted them since? The talk also examines broader themes—from the power of images and identity to iconoclasm and the writing of history—inviting reflection on who gets to shape history, and why it still matters today.
Free admission. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 4:00 pm. Presented by the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture.
Head of Amenhotep III. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III, 1390–1352 BCE. Quartzite. Museum purchase with funds donated by Miss Anna D. Slocum, 09.288. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Detail of relief of Akhenaten as a sphinx. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Akhenaten, 1349–1336 BCE. Limestone. Egyptian Curator’s Fund, 64.1944. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Detail of fragment from Hatshepsut’s fallen obelisk at Karnak. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Hatshepsut, 1473–1458 BCE. Granite. Gift of heirs of Francis Cabot Lowell, 75.12. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
