In response to ongoing looting of their archaeological and cultural heritage, the People's Republic of China has requested a bi-lateral agreement with the United States under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and implemented by the U.S. Cultural Property Implementation Act. If China's request is granted the U.S. would impose import restrictions on a wide range of Chinese antiquities. Artifacts that are accompanied by a legal export permit from China, or that can be…
Contact: Jane C. Waldbaum President, Archaeological Institute of America 414-229-3334 OR 414-517-7558 OR jcw@uwm.edu In response to the Association of Art Museum Directors' (AAMD) new guidelines on the loan of archaeological artifacts and ancient artworks, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) today issued a statement pointing out its shortcomings and proposed a set of principles for future acquisitions or loans of antiquities by American museums. “The AIA applauds the efforts of the museum community to…
"We hope it will be a small step towards stemming the tide of illegal excavation or clandestine removal of accidentally discovered objects from countries the world over," said IMA Director and CEO Maxwell Anderson in an internet posting on April 30. " It is our hope that the IMA's moratorium will encourage other major collecting institutions around the world to take a similar step, along with collectors and dealers." "Ancient art deserves the highest level…
Project will use technology to recreate a five-thousand-year-old Chalcolithic roundhouse in Cyprus Isometric drawing of a Late Chalcolithic roundhouse The Kissonerga archaeological sites in Cyprus will benefit from a Site Preservation Grant from the Archaeological Institute of America. The grant will finance the use of 3-D and computer animation technologies to complement the reconstruction of a five-thousand-year-old Chalcolithic roundhouse. AIA funds will support the filming of the physical reconstruction of the building and the creation…
Site Preservation will be a Live Auction Item at the AIA’s Gala on April 28, 2010, at Guastavino’s in New York City. Attendees will be given the opportunity to place bids in $500 increments to help stop the destruction of archaeological sites and save our irreplaceable cultural heritage. The AIA supports projects that combine established preservation techniques with community involvement and economic development to create sustainable preservation. The AIA also uses its membership, outreach, and…
Download article (PDF) Since the excavations of Pompeii, archaeological sites have long been a part of heritage and tourism, certainly before the use of the term "heritage" and the formal study of tourism. Archaeological sites exist in a state rarely imagined by their makers. Their fragmentation, dereliction, and abandonment are further modified through subsequent practices of excavation and display--the latter intended to reveal and give evidence of history and experience. The anticipation of preservation as…
The AIA has awarded its latest Site Preservation Grant to co-directors, Pearce Paul Creasman, Associate Professor in the College of Science at the University of Arizona and Meghan Elizabeth Strong, Research Associate, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University, and assistant director, Abagail Breidenstein, doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan, for their work with the Royal Pyramids at Nuri, Sudan. The project is conducted in collaboration with…
The Nuri and Royal Pyramids site located in Nuri, Northern State, Sudan, is the largest and most isolated part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of “Napata.” Nuri contains the largest pyramid in ancient Nubia/modern Sudan, belonging to the 25th Dynasty pharaoh Taharqa, who is thought to have established the royal necropolis there. The site is the largest known royal cemetery in Sudan, and once had over 80 pyramids. It serves as the final resting…
Governing Board The following individuals were elected to the Governing Board: Vice President for Cultural Heritage Elizabeth S. Greene (Term 2) Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs Thomas Tartaron (Term 1) Vice President for Societies Connie Rodriguez (Term 1) Treasurer David Seigle (Term 1) General Trustees Jeanne McKenzie Bailey (Term 1) David Boochever (Term 2) Larry Cripe (Term 1) Barbara Meyer (Term 2) Laura Rich (Term 1) Academic Trustees Thomas Levy (Term 2) Kim…
The 2023 Council election saw a presidential change for the AIA. Elizabeth S. Greene (left) was elected to the role of President. Brian I. Daniels (center) was elected to the role of First Vice President. Laetitia La Follette (right) ended her term as President and assumed the role of Past President. Governing Board The AIA congratulates the following individuals who were elected to the Governing Board at the Council Meeting on January 7, 2023. President…
Athens, GR
This summer course examines the Archaeology of St. Paul through the presence and history of the communities of the Jewish Diaspora and early Christianity in the Graeco-Roman world, on the basis of literary source (Pagan, Jewish and Christian authors), epigraphic evidence (ancient inscriptions) and other archaeological finds. Archaeological finds and references by ancient authors suggest that Jewish communities flourished all over the Greek Mainland and the Aegean Sea from the 3rd century BCE onwards. These…
Governing Board The following individuals were elected to the Governing Board: Vice President for Cultural Heritage Brian I. Daniels, Term 2 (2022-2024) Vice President for Outreach and Education Laura Rich, Term 2 (2022-2024) Academic Trustees Kim Shelton, Term 2 (2022-2025) Margaret Laird, Term 1 (2022-2025) General Trustees Jeanne Bailey, Term 2 (2022-2025) Lawrence Cripe, Term 2 (2022-2025) Mark Hurst, Term 2 (2022-2025) Elizabeth Macauley, Term 1 (2021-2024)*confirmation of prior appointment Jay Conger, Term 1 (2021-2024)*confirmation…
We're delighted to share news from the Los Angeles Society about recent happenings they've organized to bring archaeology to wider audiences. Book Talks Book Talk - Dr. Alba Mazza - Early Bronze Age Seafaring in the Aeolian IslandsBook Talk - Prof. Paul Scotton - Imperial Cult, Imperial Power, and The Julian Basilica Corinth LA Society President Prof. Aaron Burke tells us about a new program the Society launched called Book Talks. “While the 2020-2021 year…
Photo taken in Aphidna, Greece by Anastasia Dakouri-Hild. We've had a busy start to the fall! September was our first-ever Student Membership Drive and we wrapped up Membership Month in October. In September, we raised $600 for our Student Membership Drive, thanks to your generous support. That means we we were able to sponsor 20 new student members. The group consisted of 16 undergraduate and 4 graduate students, representing 14 Societies across the United States…
This month, we're delighted to feature two incredible members - Bill and Suzanne Murray of the Tampa Bay Society. Both Bill and Suzanne teach in the Department of History at the University of South Florida. They started the Tampa Bay Society in 1989 and have served as its President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Program Coordinator over thirty years. Bill has also been a lecturer in the National Lecture Program since 1989, holding various lectureships including Norton,…
Join an expert-led journey through northern Spain and southern France to explore an exceptional array of prehistoric cave art, guided by renowned prehistorian and longtime AIA tour leader Paul Bahn. Travel in the company of fellow enthusiasts while enjoying fine regional cuisine and charming accommodations, including the 200-year-old French château Le Manoir d’Agnès. Experience some of the world’s most remarkable Paleolithic masterpieces—engravings, paintings, and etchings—up close, with expert insights bringing their ancient context to life.…
Join an expert-led journey around Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and through northern Chile to explore Polynesian and pre-Columbian archaeology and history, guided by renowned prehistorian and longtime AIA tour leader Paul Bahn. Marvel at some of the most remarkable reminders of the local ancient cultures—such as moai (monumental statues) and geoglyphs (figures etched into or built on the Earth’s surface)—in person, with expert insights that bring their contexts to life.We will mull over the organization,…
Join renowned prehistorian and longtime AIA tour leader Paul Bahn on an expert-led journey through Spain and the Pyrenees and Rhone Valley regions of France to discover extraordinary prehistoric cave art and Ice Age masterpieces. This program is one of two Prehistoric Cave Art tours (formerly titled Decorated Cave Art of the Pyrenees and the Rhone Valley) designed to explore the varied decorated caves of the Spain and France region. Experience some of the world’s…
September 23
Investigate southwestern Europe’s most extraordinary prehistoric caves, including Lascaux IV, a new, exact reproduction of one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites ever discovered; Altamira II, a precise replica of the original that is often called the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art”; Atapuerca, the most significant early human site in western Europe; Las Monedas Cave and Cueva del Castillo, where 455 animal likenesses were painted and engraved some 22,000-14,000 years ago, but other motifs such…
Investigate southwestern Europe’s most extraordinary prehistoric caves, including Lascaux IV, a new, exact reproduction of one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites ever discovered; Altamira II, a precise replica of the original that is often called the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art”; Atapuerca, the most significant early human site in western Europe; Las Monedas Cave and Cueva del Castillo, where 455 animal likenesses were painted and engraved some 22,000-14,000 years ago, but other motifs such…
