Archaeological Institute of America, Detroit Society

Archaeological Institute of America
Detroit Society

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) has been dedicated to the encouragement and support of archaeological research and publication and to the protection of the world's cultural heritage for more than a century. A non-profit cultural and educational organization chartered by the U.S. Congress, it is the oldest and largest archaeological organization in North America, with more than 11,000 members around the world.

The Archaeological Institute of America/Institut Archéologique d'Amérique (AIA/IAA - Canada) was incorporated in Canada in 1994 as an independent affiliate of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA-U.S.).

Members of the Institute have conducted fieldwork in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The AIA has further promoted archaeological studies by founding research centers and schools in seven countries and maintains close relations with these institutions, including the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the School of Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome, and others.

Institute headquarters are located at
Boston University
656 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215-2006
Tel: 617-353-9361; Fax: 617-353-6550
Email: aia@bu.edu

GENERAL INFORMATION
on the Archaeological Institute of America,
a complete listing of local societies,
and information on membership.

Detroit Society Contact:
Sarah Bassett
(313) 577-2541
Email: aa2582@wayne.edu

The Archaeological Institute of America, Detroit Society,
announces two public lecture:

Paul Zimansky

is the AIA's Norton lecturer this year and will speak to the Detroit Society
on Saturday, October 4
Paul Zimansky,
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Ozymandias in Ararat:
The Cities of Near East’s Least Known Great Monarch From approximately 675-650 B.C., the last great king of Urartu, Rusa II, erected fortresses and cities in eastern Anatolia, northwest Iran, and Armenia in a building program that ranks him as one of the most ambitious builders in the history of the ancient Near East.
Newly excavated materials from Ayanis, near Lake Van, reveal something of the character of the cities that Rusa created. Conquered peoples were settled in housing created by architects of the state and furnished with centrally produced goods, transforming the character of the kingdom. The motives behind this activity are obscure, and the consequences may ultimately have been disastrous, since the citadels created by Rusa were all violently destroyed shortly after his death.
Saturday, October 4, 3:00 PM
The Purdy library on the Wayne State University campus,

Thomas Hikade

will speak on the site of Hierakonpolis, one of the most important early dynastic sites in Egypt.
Thomas Hikade, University of British Columbia
There is nothing more permanent than a posthole – recent excavations at Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt, by the University of British Columbia
During the 4th millennium BC Egypt saw the rise of regional powers in Upper Egypt with centers at sites such as Hierakonpolis, Naqada, and Abydos with emerging elites and craft specialization. Their fight for supremacy resulted in the political unification of Egypt. Hierakonpolis, the ancient Nekhen, was once the legendary capital of Upper Egypt. Here excavations have been conducted for more than one hundred years, discovering famous finds such as the Narmer Palette, the Burnt House, the earliest temple of Egypt, and cemeteries of the common people as well as the ruling elite, and more recently the remains of monumental architecture. The lecture will present an overview of previous excavation work at Hierakonpolis and the recent results of the UBC expedition from 2005-08.
Saturday, November 8, 3:00 PM
The Purdy library on the Wayne State University campus

Short bibliography and/or website on lecture topic (for lay reader):
Bard, K.A. 2000, The Emergence of the Egyptian State (c. 3200-2686 BC), in I. Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, pp. 61-88
Midant-Reynes, B. 2000, The Prehistory of Egypt: From the First Egyptians to the First Pharaohs, pp. 67-166
Official website of the Hierakonpolis Expedition http://www.hierakonpolis.org
Very good website of Francesco Raffaele on Late Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt with articles by Francesco, images and bibliographies, etc. http://xoomer.virgilio.it/francescoraf/index.htm

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Past schedules for some
previous Lecture Seasons are archived HERE

LINKS:
ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE

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