Archaeological Institute of America

October 6, 2026 Sailing the Hellenistic Aegean: A Social Archaeology of Shipwrecks by Nicole Constantine With the support of the Anna C. & Oliver C. Colburn Fellowship, Nicole Constantine spent three weeks in Greece conducting museum research for her dissertation on the daily lives of Mediterranean sailors during the Hellenistic period. Below, Nicole shares what these seemingly ordinary objects reveal about the people who ate, drank, worked, and lived aboard the ship.

Fortified Temple and 13 Towers of the Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex © 2023 by Corrispo, used under CC BY-SA Your experience matters! Join our letter writing campaign to save a place you love. The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet in October to discuss the renewal requests from Cyprus, Guatemala, and Peru for bilateral agreements to protect their cultural resources from being illegally imported into the United States.

Looking for funding to support your archaeological research?

AIA offers a range of funding opportunities to support archaeological research, fieldwork, study, and publication. Details on the fellowships/grants, eligibility requirements, and information on how to apply can be found on our website. • NEW: Thomas H. Carpenter and Lynne C. Lancaster Traveling Fellowships • AIA Fellowship for Study in the U.S. • Kathleen and David Boochever Endowment for Fieldwork and Scientific Analyses

Congratulations to the Worcester Society for winning the 2027 Golden Trowel Award! Between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, the Worcester Society achieved a growth of 36%. The Neon Nerdettes, a middle school robotics team that the Worcester Society supported as they worked on their Lego League project.

New fellowship will provide extended research travel support for graduate students and emerging scholars. AUBURNDALE, MA — The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is pleased to announce a $500,000 gift from Dr. Thomas H. Carpenter and Dr. Lynne C. Lancaster to establish the Thomas H. Carpenter and Lynne C. Lancaster Fellowships. This generous gift will provide critical support for graduate students and recent PhDs whose research advances the study of archaeology within the Mediterranean world.

Bob Sutton, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University Recovering Zeuxis’ Helen: The Invention of the Female Nude Classical Athenian painted vases often displayed risqué images of naked female bathers. Around 430 BCE, this theme is suddenly transformed into noble images of goddesses, brides, and Helen of Troy that decorate vessels designed for female use. Appearing as the discretely nude kneeling bather type, they likely reflect a lost monumental painting of Helen by Zeuxis of Heraclea.

Tim Maxwell, Ph.D. (Museum of New Mexico, Office of Archaeological Studies) The possible sources of turquoise found throughout Mesoamerica have long drawn scholarly attention. Although the southwestern United States contains several major sources, turquoise also occurs in Mexico. Can researchers determine the source of turquoise incorporated in thousands of Mesoamerican artifacts? When placing events on your calendar using these buttons, please check that time zone displays correctly.

September 3, 2026 AIA Joins More Than 700 Organizations to Defend Section 106 The AIA joined a national coalition of more than 700 organizations representing 7 million Americans to call on Congress to reject efforts to weaken or dismantle Section 106, a set of regulations that has protected important buildings, structures, archaeological sites, objects, and historic districts since 1966.

The #DigThis Photo Challenge put participants’ creativity and photography skills to the test! From June 1 through August 31, archaeology enthusiasts captured images inspired by a variety of fun photo prompts on the #DigThis bingo card. Participants could complete bingo rows vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, with each completed row counting as an entry into the prize drawing.