The Archaeological Conservancy
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thearchcons.org
The Archaeological Conservancy
@thearchcons.org
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Preserving the past...for the future! We're the only National nonprofit dedicated to acquiring & preserving the most significant US archaeological sites, almost 600 sites in the past 40+ years. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thearchcons
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TEOTIHUACÁN, MEXICO—New reporting in the New York Times spotlights research arguing that Teotihuacan’s murals record a true writing system—likely encoding an early Uto-Aztecan language, ancestral to Nahuatl.

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#Teotihuacan #Mesoamerica #Epigraphy #UtoAztecan #Nahuatl
New Crack at an Ancient Puzzle Reignites Debate for Archaeologists
It is clear that the sprawling city of Teotihuacan near Mexico City was a major metropolis of the ancient world, but what do all those glyphs mean?
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CHESAPEAKE (VA/MD)—Community archaeology of segregated Catholic cemeteries: Open-access study blends geophysics, history, and engagement to document overlooked burial grounds.

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#PublicArchaeology #Cemeteries #CommunityHistory
LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA—Millersville University archaeologists and students are excavating the c.1725 Galbraith Ordinary—likely the county’s oldest tavern—north of Marietta, uncovering thousands of artifacts that illuminate colonial tavern life.

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Archaeologists unearth Lancaster County's oldest tavern, buried for centuries beneath pasture
Archaeologists recently uncovered the likely remains of Lancaster County's oldest colonial tavern from 1725, revealing thousands of artifacts that offer historically significant insights.
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MONTANA — Montana’s Chinese past isn’t past. Descendants, historians, and community partners are documenting mining camps, laundries, and temples—and pushing back on erasure with new research and interpretation across the state.

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#Archaeology #ChineseAmericanHistory
Montana’s Chinese past isn’t past - High Country News
A forgotten Chinese cemetery reveals how Missoula buries its past — and why the present is so familiar.
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SITE SPOTLIGHT—The Fast Archaeological Preserve is a 160-acre preserve in northern California donated in 2012. It is 10 sites comprised of rock rings, house depressions, rock stacks, groundstone, projectile points, cores, flakes, midden deposits, petroglyph panels, and a historic road.
GREAT BARDFIELD, ESSEX (UK)—Archaeologists with Operation Nightingale, DPAA, and Cotswold Archaeology are excavating the 1944 crash site of 2nd Lt. Lester Lowry’s P-47 “Lucky Boy,” recovering thousands of aircraft parts and personal items as they work to bring him home.

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23-Year-Old Pilot Crashed During WWII Training Exercise. He's Remained Missing in Action for Over 80 Years
U.K. archaeologists with Cotswold Archaeology have found over 5,000 artifacts from the fatal crash that killed WWII Pennysylanian Air Force pilot, Lester L. Lowry, on January 26, 1944.
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ONLINE — Dec. 4: SAA seminar, “Crafting Data-Driven Publications in Archaeology.” Learn practical workflows for reproducible analysis, effective data viz, and clearer reporting to strengthen articles and reports. Registration is required.

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Crafting Data-Driven Publications in Archaeology [Foundational Skills]
SEARCH
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WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA—Colonial Williamsburg will host its 28th annual Working Wood in the 18th Century conference, Jan. 22–25, 2026. The theme—United We Sit: Exploring Early American Chairs—features demos, keynotes, and shop talks with master makers and scholars.

Register: buff.ly/yp3Zt11
Working Wood In The 18th Century
The revolution is here. The story of our nation begins in Williamsburg.
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SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA—UCSB plans accelerated steps to return Native American ancestors and cultural items, including creating a dedicated Repatriation Office (2024), summarizing 800+ collections (≈135,000 items), and increasing rate of repatriation.
UCSB outlines progress and goals for Native American repatriation
The campus established a dedicated Repatriation Office in 2024 to oversee compliance with federal and state laws and to coordinate closely with Native Nations. The office is charged with summarizing…
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Looking for your next archaeology read? Explore American Archaeology’s searchable database of book reviews—filter by title, author, or topic to find trusted picks from our editorial archive.

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#AmericanArchaeology #ArchaeologyBooks #ReadingList #ArchaeologicalConservancy
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA—A 1,900-year-old Roman tombstone—once missing from a museum in Civitavecchia, Italy—ended up in a New Orleans backyard and is now being repatriated with help from scholars and the FBI Art Crime Team.

Popular Mechanics feature: buff.ly/zDLYbLS
AP:
A long-lost ancient Roman artifact reappears in a New Orleans backyard
A family cleaning their backyard in New Orleans discovered an unusual marble tablet with some characters in Latin.
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Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute have postponed their planned expedition to investigate the “Taraia Object,” believed by some to be Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra.

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Project site:
Home - PRF | Archaeological Legacy Institute
Led by Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue is partnering with the Archaeological Legacy Institute for a remarkable joint effort to locate Amelia Earhart’s lost aircraft and help complete the heroic…
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PARRIS ISLAND, S.C.—USC archaeologists recapped four decades of fieldwork and remote sensing at the 16th-century Spanish town of Santa Elena (a National Historic Landmark). A massive artifact collection is being curated for long-term access in the state repository.

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Parris Island archaeological project spans 40 years
USC professor Chester DePratter has been sorting through archaeological evidence gathered over nearly four decades of investigation at the 16th century Spanish settlement of Santa Elena on…
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OTTAWA, CANADA—The Vatican Museums will transfer several dozen Indigenous belongings—including an Inuvialuit kayak and ceremonial items—back to communities in Canada via a church-to-church process.
Read more: buff.ly/UIuejRk
CBC coverage: buff.ly/7wbXCfS
Vatican will return dozens of artifacts to Indigenous groups in Canada as gesture of reconciliation
The Vatican is expected to soon announce that it will return a few dozen artifacts sought by Indigenous communities in Canada.
apnews.com
New high-precision tree-ring radiocarbon dating and strontium isotope analysis pin the felling of Cahokia’s massive “Mitchell Log” marker post to A.D. 1124, right at the city’s peak—and indicate the 11,000-lb bald cypress was transported ~100+ miles

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PLOS ONE: buff.ly/YuchERa
News - Wooden Marker Post from Cahokia Analyzed - Archaeology Magazine
TUCSON, ARIZONA—A new analysis of the Mitchell Log, the largest marker post recovered from Cahokia, […]
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ONLINE—Oct. 30: Through a Zuni Lens: Museum Collections & Collaborative Filmmaking. Watch a 15-min film and join a conversation with Zuni leader Octavius Seowtewa and anthropologist Carrie Heitman on ancestral belongings at the Smithsonian. Free; registration recommended.

Read more: buff.ly/qQXsjjN
Through a Zuni Lens: Museum Collections and Collaborative Filmmaking - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Carrie Heitman and her team, working in collaboration with Octavius Seowtewa and other Zuni leaders, have spent the last three years making two short documentary films about archaeological and…
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EPPS, LOUISIANA—New research from Washington University in St. Louis reframes Poverty Point as a periodic gathering place built by egalitarian hunter-gatherers, not a top-down chiefdom.

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Why did ancient people build Poverty Point?
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis suggest new explanations for iconic prehistoric sites at Poverty Point in Louisiana.
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TULSA, OK: Archaeologists provided an update on Oaklawn Cemetery investigations into burials linked to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre—sharing progress, next steps for reporting. For the deeper story behind the work, see our feature in the current issue of American Archaeology
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Archaeologists give update on Tulsa Race Massacre Oaklawn Cemetery excavations
Archaeologists gave an update on the investigation into victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre at Oaklawn Cemetery on Monday.
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CAMBRIDGE, MASS.—Free hybrid lecture tonight, Oct. 29, 6–7 p.m. ET: “Death and Burial in Colonial Cambridge.” Learn how researchers use photography, digital mapping, and GPR to interpret colonial burials and New England’s slavery history. In person or online.

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Death and Burial in Colonial Cambridge – Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
hmsc.harvard.edu
OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN—Road work along Pratt Trail (Menominee Park) exposed pottery and features from a Native village (Woodland to Oneota). The city paused construction, brought in CRM specialists, and shared findings with the public.

Read more: buff.ly/RgDKIUm
News release: buff.ly/gLWoq1g
Ancient artifacts unearthed during Oshkosh Pratt Trail project will be focus of Sept. 24 event
Construction crews in Oshkosh uncovered artifacts from 500 B.C., prompting a full-scale archaeological dig.
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TEHUACÁN VALLEY, PUEBLA — A newly documented 205-ft scorpion-shaped effigy mound may align with the summer/winter solstices, hinting at community sky-watching tied to farming rituals (A.D. 600–1100).

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Journal article: bit.ly/4othFPk

#Archaeology #Mesoamerica
200-foot scorpion effigy mound in Mexico may align with the solstices
A 205-foot-long, scorpion-shaped mound in Mexico likely helped Mesoamericans mark the summer and winter solstices, a new study finds.
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — A family’s backyard “rock” turned out to be a 1,900-year-old Roman gravestone tied to a Thracian soldier; it’s now with the FBI for repatriation.

Read more: buff.ly/310d0LT

#Archaeology #Repatriation #CulturalHeritage #PublicHistory
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