International Archaeology Day, October 15, 2022
October 15, 2022 is officially International Archaeology Day, though in fact, archaeologically oriented events throughout the month of October contribute to this world-wide celebration of archaeology.
Archaeology Day began in October 2011 with a proclamation from U.S. Congress. Since then, what began modestly as “National” Archaeology Day has grown to become a world-wide annual event, now called “International Archaeology Day” (IAD), a day when the excitement of archaeological discovery is celebrated by AIA local societies, museums and other archaeological groups across North America and around the world. Every October the AIA and archaeological organizations across the United States, Canada, and abroad present archaeological programs and activities for people of all ages and interests. Here in Milwaukee we have celebrated most years since 2011.
This year’s events include a live lecture here in Milwaukee on Sunday, October 16, and a virtual all-afternoon program on Saturday, October 15, sponsored by the international organization in Boston. Both events are FREE.
Saturday, October 15, 2022, 1:00 – 4:00pm Central Time
“Diving For the Clotilda: The Archaeology, History, And Legacy of The Last Known Slave Ship”
Registration Required: Webinar Registration – Zoom
This is a special virtual event where a panel of experts will explore the wreck of the infamous slave ship discovered in 2019 in the Mobile River in Alabama. You’ll hear from the archaeologists exploring the shipwreck, the historians researching its history, and the descendants of the people who were brought over on the ship, as they work to preserve the Clotilda and ensure that its legacy and its stories are not forgotten.
Speakers
Alexandra Jones, Ph.D., host and moderator for the event, is Assistant Professor of Practice in History and Anthropology at Goucher College. Her work focuses on African Diaspora Archaeology, Community Archaeology and archaeology outreach.
James Delgado, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President at SEARCH – an archaeology firm that provides cultural heritage services worldwide—and among the world’s leading experts in maritime archaeology and cultural heritage.
Ayana Omilade Flewellen, Assistant Professor at Stanford University’s Department of Anthropology, is a Black Feminist, an archaeologist, an artist scholar and a storyteller.
Darron Patterson is the President of the Clotilda Descendants Association. In addition to being President of the Association, Mr. Patterson was the first African American sportswriter at the Mobile Press Register and three-time Alabama Press Association award winner for “Best Story of the Year.”
Stacye Hathorn is the State Archaeologist at the Alabama Historical Commission.
Gabrielle Miller is a Program Specialist and Archaeologist for the Center for the Study of Global Slavery at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Milwaukee Event
Sunday, October 16, 2022, 3:00pm
“City Making in Byzantine Athens”
Dr. Fotini Kondyli, McIntyre Department of Art, University of Virginia
Sabin Hall Room G90, 3413 North Downer Ave., UWM Campus, Milwaukee, WI
Live, in-person Lecture; Free and open to the public
Dr. Kondyli’s lecture will discuss her attempt to reconstruct the topography and spatial layout of Byzantine Athens (4th-15th c AD), and better understand contemporary living conditions and socio-economic activities in the city. She will emphasize city-making processes and particularly the role of non-elite, ordinary people in them. Like modern cities, Byzantine ones were stages of key political events ranging from rituals that celebrated imperial power to riots and acts of resistance.
Dr. Kondyli is NEH Horace W. Goldsmith Distinguished Teaching Professor of Byzantine Art and Archaeology) is a Byzantine archaeologist who works on the Late Antique, Byzantine and Frankish periods (5th-15th c). Her research interests include spatial practices, community building processes and the material culture of Byzantine non-elites. She also works on cultural, economic, and political networks in the Eastern Mediterranean in the Late Byzantine period (13th- 15th c.). Her work brings together archaeology, archival research, spatial analysis, and the digital humanities.