November 19, 2025
The National Arts Club celebrated International Archaeology Day with a special presentation by Ambassador Andreas von Uexküll, Sweden’s Deputy Representative to the United Nations. Ambassador von Uexküll explored how trade has shaped integration, prosperity, and identity in Sweden and across the Baltic Sea region. From Viking voyages to Hanseatic dominance, commerce has long connected cultures, and during Sweden’s Age of Great Power (Stormaktstiden), trade routes became strategic assets—even if efforts to control them sometimes failed. The lecture also highlighted how global trade later fueled the Industrial Revolution and continues to influence politics today, showing how trade has remained a defining force in the region’s history and future.
The event featured special toasts, including one honoring Douglas Tilden, husband of former AIA director Teresa Keller, whose generosity covered all expenses for the celebration.
Notable attendees included former IAD speaker Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Edrees of Egypt (October 17, 2019), as well as ambassadors from Iceland, China, Georgia, and Germany, underscoring the global significance of the event and the AIA’s continued commitment to fostering international archaeological dialogue.
Join the National Arts Club on November 25 for a virtual International Archaeology Day lecture: “Lanka – The Crucial Hub of the Ancient Maritime Silk Road” with Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona. Discover the pivotal role Lanka played in ancient trade networks. Learn more here.
International Archaeology Day Blog
