Advocacy

Founded in 1879, the AIA was chartered by the United States Congress in 1906, in recognition of its role in the development and passage of the Antiquities Act, which Theodore Roosevelt signed into law that year. Today, the AIA remains committed to preserving the world’s archaeological resources and cultural heritage for the benefit of people in the present and in the future.

News, Issues, and Initiatives

CPAC Hearing, Washington, D.C.: A Personal Account

May 6, 2010

The State Department’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee met on May 6, 2010, to consider renewing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the U.S. and Italy in 2001 and extended in 2006. Read AIA First Vice-President, Elizabeth Bartman’s personal account of the meeting.

AIA Urges Protection of Iraq’s Archaeological Heritage

March 22, 2010

As the prospect for war in Iraq gains momentum, archaeologists have become increasingly concerned about the fate of that country’s archaeological sites, antiquities, and cultural property.

Open Declaration on Cultural Heritage at Risk in Iraq

March 22, 2010

The extraordinary global significance of the monuments, museums, and archaeological sites of Iraq (ancient Mesopotamia) imposes an obligation on all peoples and governments to protect them. In any military conflict that heritage is put at risk, and it appears now to be in grave danger.

Recovering Iraq’s Past – NEH Iraq Initiative

March 22, 2010

In the face of the recent destruction and looting of Iraq’s archaeological sites, museums and libraries, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has announced an initiative aimed at the preservation and documentation of “cultural resources in Iraq’s archives, libraries, and museums.

Politics & Archaeology

December 7, 2009

A First-Person Account of the CPAC Meeting Reviewing Italian Import Restrictions

U.S.-China Agreement Signed

March 20, 2009

A new Memorandum of Understanding was recently inked by the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The five-year agreement outlines steps designed to stem the flow of illicitly excavated or exported artifacts from China to the U.S.

AIA Statement on Attachment of Cultural Objects

February 9, 2009

The Archaeological Institute of America has issued the following statement concerning cultural objects on loan to U.S. institutions and calls for Congressional action to assure the security of international loans and exhibitions from attachment.

AIA Endorses UNESCO Underwater Convention

January 8, 2009

The AIA Governing Board endorsed the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Hague Convention Ratification

September 30, 2008

The statement of the AIA, the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, the U.S. Committee for the Blue Shield, and others urging Senate ratification can be downloaded here.

AIA Response to New Museum Acquisition Guidelines

June 4, 2008

The AIA applauds the AAMD’s revision of its Report and Guidelines on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art released on June 4. These new guidelines incorporate many principles that the AIA has long advocated.

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The AIA is North America's largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to archaeology. The Institute advances awareness, education, fieldwork, preservation, publication, and research of archaeological sites and cultural heritage throughout the world. Your contribution makes a difference.