Archaeological Institute of America

Prof. Debby Sneed, Assistant Professor of Classics, California State University, Long Beach, "Disability and the Greek Ideal: A Case Study in Marble"
2026-03-12 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | College of the Holy Cross, Hogan Campus Center, Room 401 (an accessible space), 1 College Street, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
The study of Greek art is heavily influenced by the notion of the ideal and idealized human body, which has long been assumed to exclude aspects of bodily difference and disability. In this talk, I consider a collection of 6th century BCE sculptures of maidens (korai) that were found on the Athenian Acropolis. As traditionally interpreted, these statues all stood together as representations of the feminine ideal in Greek art, but scholars tend to separate one maiden from her sisters because her body does not fit into modern definitions of beauty. By returning her to her rightful place in this collection, I present a reassessment of Greek sculptural ideals and, with it, of our understandings of Greek art, display, and dedication in late 6th century BCE Athens.

Escape from Pompeii: Tracing survivors from the 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius
2026-03-14 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum at Miami University, 801 S. Patterson Ave, Oxford, Ohio, 45056
Escape from Pompeii: Tracing survivors from the 79 CE eruption of Vesuvius
Dr. Steven Tuck, Archaeologist and Professor in the History Department at Miami University
Dr. Tuck will change the story of Pompeii from one of death and destruction to one of survival and hope. Through his research, he has traced those Romans who escaped the eruption of Vesuvius and discovered how and where they rebuilt lives, families, and businesses, while carrying with them reminders of their former lives.
About the Speaker:
Steven L. Tuck is Professor of History and Classics at Miami University. He has been recognized eight times for his undergraduate teaching and is the author of A History of Roman Art and many articles and chapters on Roman art, especially the art of gladiators and spectacle. He has also published extensively on disasters and disaster response in the Roman world. He has also created five courses for The Great Courses and some of his work has been featured in the recent PBS documentary “Pompeii: The New Dig” and in a recent episode of NPR’s Radiolab. His current research involves tracing those who escaped Pompeii during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, which appears in his new book Escape from Pompeii: The Great Eruption of Mount Vesuvius and its Survivors Oxford University Press, 2025.

The Problem of Distinguishing the Coronado Expedition’s Multiple Routes Across Southeastern Arizona
2026-03-17 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Pecos Trail Café, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM, 87505, United States
(Lecturers: Richard and Shirley Flint). There has been recent reporting of the discovery of what appear to be traces of sixteenth-century European presence in extreme south-central and southeastern Arizona. As a result, assertions have been made that those traces are indications of an outpost of the Coronado Expedition, called Suya in the surviving documentary record and San Gerónimo III by many modern scholars. Re-examination of sixteenth-century written records, however, shows that identification of that particular archaeological site as Suya is far from the only possibility. There are a total of at least eighteen known expeditionary episodes dating from the sixteenth century that could have left behind part or all of the material traces that have to date been identified in southern Arizona. The small, short-term occupation of Suya was dwarfed by the passage of the whole expeditionary force. Yet the current investigation claims to have located multiple sites associated with the minor Suya event and none linked to the vastly larger full expedition or any of its other sub-units. The evidence for Suya is thin, mostly conjectural, and not distinguishable from other events of the expedition.

Next to Turquoise Domes: Archaeological Investigations in the City of Bukhara
2026-03-17 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Semans Auditorium (Room 117), Belk Visual Arts Center, 315 N. Main St., Davidson, NC, 28036, United States
About the lecture:
Five extensive seasons of archaeological fieldwork have yielded a veritable treasure trove of new information about the long, complex history of the city of Bukhara, which was once a key node along the fabled “Silk Roads.” This presentation will introduce new data derived from finds and observations made at a series of fortifications, various kinds of dwellings, workshops, and burial contexts. They speak to a wide range of historical phenomena and problems, such as the potential existence of a Seleucid military colony in the area of the later city during the 3rd century BCE, the roots and stages of Bukhara’s urban growth as an important node within the Sogdiana trading networks during Late Antiquity (3rd to 8th centuries CE), transcontinental connections during the city’s heyday under the Samanid dynasty during the 10th century, and the health status of the urban populace on the eve of the Mongol invasion (late 12th/early 13th century).
About the speaker:
Dr. Sören Stark, Professor of Central Asian Archaeology at New York University, has close to two decades of experience in conducting and directing archaeological fieldwork in Central Asia. His current research interests are, among others, on Hellenistic and Late Antique/Early Medieval Sogdiana and the archaeology and history of nomadic groups close to oasis territories in Western Central Asia. His publications include a monograph on the archaeology of the 6th-8th century Türks in Inner and Central Asia, an exhibition catalogue on Early Iron Age kurgans from Kazakhstan, and numerous articles and book chapters on the history and archaeology of Sogdiana between the Hellenistic and the Islamic periods.

TBA (Mississippi/Memphis)
2026-03-18 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | TBA (Oxford MS/Memphis TN), United States
Charles Eliot Norton Memorial Lectureship

Horace and Rodolfo construct the Esquiline: examining garbage and graves at Rome and beyond
2026-03-19 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W 1st Ave, Spokane, WA, 99201, United States
Join us for a lecture by Dr. Kevin Dicus, University of Oregon at Eugene, discussing investigations at Rome’s Esquiline Hill.
Abstract:
Archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani captivated the public with his account of excavations on Rome’s
Esquiline Hill. No doubt influenced by Horace’s Satire 1.8 about the same region, his portrayal
of mass graves (puticuli) embedded within a vast field of municipal waste offered a thrilling,
dystopian vision that continues to resonate nearly 150 years later. Ancient Rome’s reputation has
yet to recover, as his report continues to shape perceptions of the metropolis as filthy and
mismanaged.
This talk revises Lanciani’s portrayal of the Esquiline as a wasteland of rotting corpses and
garbage and offers a new interpretation of Horace’s Satire 1.8. I argue that Horace describes not
mass graves on the hill but rather a modest cemetery where multiple graves shared the same plot
of land that also received the city’s refuse. The misreading that these were instead puticuli
originated with his imperial scholiasts and persisted to directly influence Lanciani.
Archaeological comparanda from across the Roman world demonstrate that individual, modest
graves dug into suburban municipal dumps were a common and legitimate form of burial for the
urban poor. This intersection between the city’s dumps and its dead provides new insight into
Roman attitudes toward waste: although the disposal of refuse beyond the city walls transformed
the suburban landscape, it did little to alter the cultural meaning of the extramural zone. People
continued to use these areas much as they had before their appropriation for refuse, including the
symbolically charged act of burying loved ones.

The Shipwreck at Gnalić—Gagliana Grossa (1569-1583)
2026-03-22 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | https://www.archaeological.org/event/the-shipwreck-at-gnalic-gagliana-grossa-1569-1583-2/
The George F. Bass Lectures

Landscapes of Time and Memory: Foragers in the Mojave Desert 3
2026-03-24 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | TBA (Tallahassee 1), Tallahassee, FL, United States
Martha Sharp Joukowsky Lectureship

"Beauty, Power, and Presence: The Neo-Assyrian Queens of Nimrud’s Northwest Palace, c. 865–705 BCE"
2026-03-24 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Lecture by Professor Amy Rebecca Gansell, St. John’s University

Beauty, Power, and Presence: The Neo- Assyrian Queens of Nimrud's Northwest Palace, c. 865-705 BCE
2026-03-24 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | PA
DC Society Annual Louise Davison Lecture, delivered by Professor Amy Rebecca Gansell, St. John’s University.
Reception at 6:15 pm; DC Society Business Meeting at 6:45 pm; Lecture at 7:00 pm. Location and hybrid Zoom registration link TBA.

New Approaches to Roman Urbanism: The Excavations of the Falerii Novi Project (Lazio, Italy) 3
2026-03-25 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | TBA (Buffalo), Buffalo, NY, United States
Martha Sharp Joukowsky Lectureship Time TBA

AIA Archaeology Hour March 2026: Dating Australia’s Oldest Rock Art
2026-03-25 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Take a virtual trip Down Under with the AIA as we catch up with Helen Green (University of Melbourne) as she presents the March edition of AIA Archaeology Hour: “Dating Australia’s Oldest Rock Art.”
This presentation will be given at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific.
Register here.

Tour of the Princeton Cemetery – Nassau Presbyterian Church
2026-03-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Princeton Cemetery, 29 Greenview Avenue, Princeton, NJ, 08542, United States
Join us for a tour of Princeton Cemetery, a burial ground established in 1757 that is presently operated and maintained by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. The cemetery serves as the final resting place for a President and a Vice President of the United States, most of the Presidents of Princeton University and the Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as soldiers from the Revolutionary War, professors, politicians, musicians, scientists, business executives, writers, a Nobel Laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners and many who have called the Princeton area home. Participants on this tour will learn about many of the cemetery’s historic inhabitants from Princeton Cemetery historian and guide Linda Gilmore. The tour will begin at the Princeton Cemetery entrance at Witherspoon Avenue and Green Street. You do not have to be a member of the AIA to attend, and there is no charge to attend this event, but participants are asked to RSVP in advance.
This event has been graciously supported by the AIA’s Society Outreach fund.

New Archaeological Research in the Republic of North Macedonia.
2026-03-28 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago)
ZOOM Lecture by Prof. Barbara Klesig, Dept. of Anthropology at Cal Poly Humboldt discussing new archaeological discoveries in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Stress, Sex and Death: Health and Survival in the Context of Medieval Famine and Plague
2026-03-29 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | 303 Paterson Hall, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Ann Santen Endowed Lecture

“The Search for Coffins and Carpenters: Insights into Technology and Religion in Ancient Egypt”
2026-03-29 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Jepson Hall, Room 118, Richmond Way 221, Richmond, VA, 23226, United States
Lecture by Carrie Arbuckle MacLeod (University of Saskatchewan). 15th Stuart L. Wheeler Gallery of the Ancient World Lecture, followed by open house reception at the Ancient World Gallery, Humanities Building 419.

TBA (Southwest Texas (San Antonio))
2026-03-31 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | TBA (San Antonio 1), San Antonio, TX, United States
Anna Marguerite McCann and Robert D. Taggart Lectureship in Underwater Archaeology Time TBA

Diving the Pyramids: Underwater Tombs and Excavation at the Royal Cemetery of Nuri, Sudan
2026-03-31 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | TBA (Northern New Jersey), Montclair, NY, United States
The Frederick R. and Margaret B. Matson Lectureship for Near Eastern Archaeology and Archaeological Technology

Justinian’s Tree: Underwater Environmental Histories in Byzantine Harbors 2
2026-04-01 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | TBA (Austin), Austin, TX, United States

Archaeology-Hour Screening: Dating Australia's Oldest Rock Art
2026-04-02 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 Helen Green (University of Melbourne).
Australia hosts the world’s oldest continuing culture, and Aboriginal rock art represents one of its most significant records of knowledge. These paintings and engravings remain of deep importance to Aboriginal people today and provide valuable evidence for researchers seeking to understand long-term human-environment interactions. Yet one of the greatest challenges in rock art research is determining age. Without knowing how old the paintings and engravings are, it is difficult to understand how the artworks relate to past changes in climate, environment, or culture. In this talk, Dr. Helen Green will outline the latest scientific techniques used to establish the age of Australia’s oldest rock art, and the innovative, multi-disciplinary projects that bring together traditional Indigenous knowledge and Western science to deepen our understanding of these remarkable cultural records and how we might protect them into the future.
This event is free and open to the public.

TBA (Kansas City/Lawrence)
2026-04-02 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | TBA (Kansas City/Lawrence), Lawrence, KS
George M.A. Hanfmann Memorial Lecture Time TBA

Exhibiting the Etruscans at UC Berkeley: The Phoebe A. Hearst Collection Unveiled
2026-04-07 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Dwinelle Hall, South Drive, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
A lecture by Dr. Lisa Pieraccini, AIA SF Society president, on her recent work with UC Berkeley students on exhibiting the Etruscan material from the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. We will begin on Berkeley time at 5:10pm in Dwinelle Hall, Room 3335. Light snacks to follow.

TBA (Cleveland)
2026-04-08 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | TBA (Cleveland), Cleveland, OH, United States
Time TBA

Highly Educated Slaves and Freedmen in Republican Rome
2026-04-08 18:00 - 19:30 (Europe/Rome) | John Cabot University – Aula Magna Regina, Via della Lungara 233, Roma, Roma, 00165, Italy
Slaves and freedmen played an important yet understudied role in the literary culture of the Roman Republic. Though their work went largely uncredited, they fulfilled vital roles as editors, researchers, and collaborators in the service of Rome’s literary and political elite.
During this public lecture, Prof. Flower (Princeton University) — Rome-SPQR Society Choice Lecturer – – will illustrate the stories of these gifted and highly educated young men, from Licinius the flute-player, who shaped the rhetorical style of the orator Gaius Gracchus, to the grammarian and teacher Tyrannio of Amisus, who was brought to Rome as a war captive.
Highlighting the unique social prestige of literary production and intellectual performance in a society pervaded by slave labor, Prof. Flower will show how the exorbitant prices paid for the highly educated encouraged a complex system of training young boys for the marketplace or acquiring educated captives as booty. Enslaved and manumitted intellectuals, far from being menial workers, shared close relationships with leading Romans of the day, and were relied on as coauthors and collaborators in a range of genres, with some gaining fame as authors themselves.
With lively case studies and insightful new interpretations of the ancient sources, this lecture will paint a more nuanced picture of enslaved labor in ancient Rome, revealing how the contributions of enslaved intellectuals were closely linked to the ambitious development of Latin literary culture and the dissemination of knowledge.

Cooking in the Bronze Age: What Ancient Pots Can Tell Us About Everyday Life in Crete
2026-04-09 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | UNCG Greensboro
A great variety of cooking pots are found in the archaeological record across geographical areas and time periods. Significant distinctions exist in vessel morphologies, fabrics, sizes and manufacturing techniques. To offer one explanation as to why these design differences exist, I have utilized an experimental approach to building and testing pottery to illuminate the probable pathways ancient people took to prepare cooked food on the Aegean Island of Crete during the Bronze Age. As a case study, I have applied a specific approach to domestic cooking assemblages that have been unearthed at the East Cretan coastal sites of Mochlos and at Papadiokambos, where evidence for Late Minoan I (LM I) cooking technology is preserved. This presentation defines the LM I cooking wares from these sites and outlines the experimental exercises that helped provide a greater insight into the individual ways individuals might have used them to prepare food.

Interpreting Variability in Ancient House Forms: the example of Iron Age Greece
2026-04-09 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | TBA (North Carolina), NC, United States

A Deep Dive into Deep Time: Archaeology Underwater
2026-04-10 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Toledo Museum of Art (Little Theater), 2445 Monroe St., Toledo, OH, 43697, United States
A lecture: The phrase “underwater archaeology” conjures notions of shipwrecks, ships lost at sea, and the dramatic catastrophes that sank them; however, the archaeology underwater can also reveal details about ancient landscapes that contain a record of past human occupations. Many of these sites are on the earth’s continental shelves where vast stretches of shallow, coastal lands were exposed at the end of the last Ice Age. These once dry landscapes supported life for plants, animals, and humans for thousands of years. Learn about these ancient submerged sites, the role they play in the global archaeological record and what unique data they have about the past. The talk will provide a general overview and the focus on 9,000 year old submerged sites in the North American Great Lakes.

Tour of the Princeton Battlefield State Park and Clarke House
2026-04-11 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Princeton Battlefield State Park and Clarke House, 500 Mercer Road, Princeton, NJ, 08540, United States
Join us for a tour of the Princeton Battlefield State Park and Clarke House, the place where American independence took root. The Princeton Battlefield State Park is one of the most significant Revolutionary War sites in New Jersey, where General George Washington led American troops to a pivotal victory on January 3, 1777. Likewise, the historic Clarke House, home a third-generation Quaker family of the Stony Brook Quaker Settlement, was transformed into a field hospital after the battle, taking in both British and American wounded. Participants on this tour will learn about these important landmarks and historical era from Resource Interpretive Specialist at the Princeton Battlefield State Park, Will Krakower. The tour will begin at Clarke House. You do not have to be a member of the AIA to attend, and there is no charge to attend this event, but participants are asked to RSVP in advance.
This event has been graciously supported by the Albert H. Clayburgh Lecture in Archaeology fund.

TALK & SENSORY TOUR: Art and Science Mingle in Medieval Gardens of Al-Andalus
2026-04-11 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | McGovern Centennial Gardens, Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX, 77004, United States
Explore the rich intersection of art, science, and nature in the medieval Muslim gardens of al-Andalus. This engaging program delves into how landscape, architecture, and water worked together to create spaces that were both sustainable and beautiful. Pollen studies show how these gardens reflected a deep understanding of ecology and design. Following the presentation, enjoy a guided stroll through McGovern Centennial Gardens with Hermann Park Conservancy staff to see how the same timeless principles continue to shape modern landscapes today.

Dung and Desert Copper: Environmental archaeology at the macro- and microscale
2026-04-12 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | TBA (Orange County)
Kershaw Lectures in Near East Archaeology Time TBA
