Spring has finally seemed to have sprung which in the world
of archaeology means the annual spring conferences are in full swing. The
Society for American Archaeology meetings are this weekend (March 29-April 2,
2017) in Vancouver, B.C. and we reported on our last blog on the Mid-Atlantic meetings. Our focus this
week is on the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology’s (SPA) annual meeting.
Next weekend, April 7-9, 2017 the 88th annual SPA meeting, hosted by
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, State Museum of
Pennsylvania, Section of Archaeology will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Camp
Hill, PA. This year’s theme, Patterning
the Past: Current Contributions to
Pennsylvania Archaeology promises to be informative and encompassing topics
from prehistoric to historic site and artifact interpretations, technology in
archaeology as well as artifact curation.
As usual, the meeting will begin Friday afternoon with the
Pennsylvania Archaeology Council (PAC) symposium. This year’s theme is Public Outreach- Preserving the Past with
New Technology. These papers cover a range of topics that discuss different
forms of public outreach, the importance of public outreach and how technology
is currently used for new platforms and formats in public outreach. Sharing methods for engaging the public in
archaeology and increasing their awareness in their archaeological heritage and
site preservation is at the heart of this session.
The SPA annual meeting registration table is open on Friday at
12:00 pm, walk-ins are welcome! The program for the 2017 annual meeting
includes presentations in three sessions from Saturday morning through Sunday
morning. A poster session Saturday afternoon will highlight research by
students at the undergraduate and graduate level. Primitive games allow participants the
opportunity to test their skills at firestarting, atlatl accuracy and the
hammerstone toss. The annual dinner banquet Saturday night will feature guest speaker Dr. Robert D. Wall, Department
of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice at Towson University sharing
research on the Barton Site (https://sites.google.com/site/wmdasm/home/barton-village-site-18ag3)
, followed by the awards ceremony and live auction. Cordier Auctions will
conduct the fund raising auction which benefits the Society. Also,
the bookroom is open throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday. Book titles include Ice Age People of Pennsylvania , Indian Paths of Pennsylvania, The
Moravian Mission Diaries of David Zeisberger 1772–1781 and First Pennsylvanians. If
you are interested in archaeology or history, there are many titles of
interest.
The annual awards ceremony recognizes individuals
for a number of achievements in Pennsylvania archaeology including outstanding
avocational archaeologists, most archaeological sites recorded in the past year,
and for other significant contributions to Pennsylvania archaeology. Student scholarships are also awarded from the
Hatch Scholarship fund and the Kinsey fund.
The Lifetime Achievement award recognizes an individual who has been an
active member of the archaeological community for at least 25 years and has
made significant contributions to furthering both the Society and our
archaeological heritage in Pennsylvania.(http://www.pennsylvaniaarchaeology.com/Awards.htm)
The auction is a popular and exciting SPA
tradition, so be sure to bring a few extra bucks to bid on books,
archaeological field equipment, and gift baskets. Money raised will go to
benefit the Society, Elmer Erb Permanent Fund and Kinsey Scholarship fund.
The program concludes on Sunday morning with
another series of presentation session containing papers focused on the curation
and research of archaeology collections.
Please join us for an educational and entertaining
weekend. We hope to see you at the meeting!
For more information
on the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology and the annual meeting please visit
the website at: http://www.pennsylvaniaarchaeology.com.
The Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc. was organized
in 1929 to: Promote the study of the prehistoric and historic archaeological
resources of Pennsylvania and neighboring states; Encourage scientific research
and discourage exploration which is unscientific or irresponsible in intent or
practice; Promote the conservation of archaeological sites, artifacts, and
information; Encourage the establishment and maintenance of sources of
archaeological information such as museums, societies, and educational
programs; Promote the dissemination of archaeology by means of publications and
forums; Foster the exchange of information between the professional and the
avocational archaeologists.
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