The following is a modified version of Smoke's original introduction. Although I have taken some liberties with the format, and added some additional information I was aware of, the impetus of the research was all Smoke's. Please contact Kris Hirst with any additions or corrections.
This directory of Archaeological Societies began as a discussion on the HistArch mailing list in 1995 when it was noted that some directories are in print but nothing was available electronically to the internet community. A complete directory of State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO's) is available online. A directory of all State Archaeologists for the United States and its territories is maintained by the National Association of State Archaeologists.
There was a Directory of Archaeological Societies published in the 1996 North American Archaeologist 17(4):355-370, which contained a partial list of the societies in this directory. The NAA Directory was organized by state, region, national, and Canada and included numerous chapter listings. It also listed some museums, and "friends of site" type organizations. That directory included other information such as officers, membership/dues, date of organization, chapter names and addresses, and activities. It did not list Fax or e-mail addresses.
Another good source is the WEDA Directory (World E-mail Directory of Anthropologists) made available on the World Wide Web by Hugh Jarvis at the Anthropology Department, State University of New York at Buffalo. It presents a lengthy listing of Universities, Colleges, Museums, Institutes, Centers, Research Labs, government agencies, CRM firms, and some archaeological societies with their regular mailing addresses, phone, Fax, and e-mail as well as the specialties of listed persons, many of whom are archaeologists. WEDA is updated frequently.
The Administrative and Member Directory of the Society for American Archaeology is online, but it is of limited utility since only current SAA members with a password can access it.
A recent and excellent source for addresses in the United Kingdom is "The Current Archaeology Directory of British Archaeology". It has become an annual supplement, but is no longer online.
The Purpose of the Directory
The primary purpose of this directory is communication. In a small way, it is also a thank you to the many archaeologists who have taken time out of their busy schedules to find me some piece of esoteric information. The information contained in this directory was garnered, in most part, directly from the organizations cited, either officers or members. I am grateful to the hundreds of individuals who sent me information by e-mail, fax, and phone. This project could not have been done without them.This list is composed of six sections: National (U.S.)/International, Regional, State, other Journals and Newsletters, Australia, and Canada. No attempt was made to included more than a small sample of organizations from Great Britain due to the large number of them and wide availability of the directory published annually in Current Archaeology. Organization officers and dues or subscription amounts are not included since officers change and amounts of dues/subscriptions are sure to increase over time.
Michael A. "Smoke" Pfeiffer
- National and International Societies
- Regional Societies
- State Societies, Alabama through Indiana
- State Societies, Iowa through Tennessee
- State Societies Texas through Wyoming
- Directory of Associations in Canada
- Directory of Associations in Australia and New Zealand
- Archaeological Journals and Newsletters
