Archaeologists from around the nation (and beyond) converged for the annual Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Conference held from April 17–20, 2024 in New Orleans. Far more than simply a gathering of academics, the SAA Conference serves as a nexus for passionate professionals dedicated to the exploration, interpretation, and preservation of our shared archaeological heritage.
Among the many distinguished attendees, the IFR community made a significant impact with its diverse presentations and engaging discussions. Represented by a dynamic mix of staff, board members, field school directors and students alike, IFR made its presence felt at the conference in a big way. From sharing insights on climate and environmental impacts on the historical record to highlighting the use of experimental archaeology for public engagement, the IFR community showcased a wide array of projects and research.
Here’s a glimpse of the topics covered by the IFR community:
SYMPOSIUM RESOURCES AND SOCIETY IN ANCIENT CHINA
Chairs: Xin Su and Rowan Flad
Rowan Flad—Discussant
SYMPOSIUM *SE NOT YOUR FATHER’S POVERTY POINT:
REWRITING OLD NARRATIVES THROUGH NEW RESEARCH
Sarah Sherwood—Macro and Micro Floor Stratigraphy from Poverty
Point Ridge 2 Northwest
POSTER SYMPOSIUM BRIDGING GAPS: CONNECTING LEARNERS WITH ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES DURING COVID AND BEYOND
Chair: Lara Lloyd
Melissa Zabecki, Michelle Rathgaber, Judy Costello and Kimberly Hosey— Bridging the Distance: Creating Virtual Cultural Heritage Resources for Educators
Kara Fulton—Using Social Annotation to Improve Student’s Transferable Skills in an Online Archaeology Course
SYMPOSIUM *SE THE STATE OF THEORY IN SOUTHEASTERN
ARCHAEOLOGY
Chairs: Maureen Meyers and Sarah Baires
Participants: Meghan Buchanan, Melissa Baltus and Sarah Baires—Climate Change and
Environment in Cahokia’s History
SYMPOSIUM AGUADA FÉNIX AND THE MIDDLE USUMACINTA
REGION: INTERREGIONAL INTERACTIONS AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE MIDDLE PRECLASSIC PERIOD
Sarah Sherwood—Discussant
SYMPOSIUM MANAGING ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA AND COLLECTIONS
Chair: Kelli Barnes
Participants:Mary Hynes—Documentation: The “Other” Artifact
Hannah Rucinski, Georgia Abrams and Tamira Brennan—Moving a Monster, Part One: Preserving Illinois’ Cultural History in Perpetuity
Georgia Abrams, Hannah Rucinski and Tamira Brennan—Moving a Monster, Part Two: Preserving Illinois’ Cultural History in Perpetuity
Sara Pfannkuche and George Vassilatos—Curating Donations: Ethical Curation of Pesky Collections
SYMPOSIUM PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY IN EUROPE
AND BEYOND
Chair: Lynn Dodd
Lynn Dodd, Sabina Zonno and Lauren Malkoun—Making and Made: Time
and Virtual Material Action as Empowerment of Cultural Heritage
Curation Institutions
SYMPOSIUM THEORIZING PREHISTORIC LARGE LOW-DENSITY
SETTLEMENTS BEYOND URBANISM AND OTHER CONVENTIONAL
CLASSIFICATORY CONVENTIONS
Chairs: Roland Fletcher and Daniel Rodriguez Osorio
Participants: Sarah Baires—Vibrancy of Place and Cahokia’s Emergence
Sarah Baires—Discussant
POSTER SESSION CULTURAL RESOURCES AND HERITAGE
MANAGEMENT AROUND THE WORLD
Courtney Besaw and Tracie Mayfield—Colonoware alongside Imported Ceramics: Overview of Post-self-emancipation Local Pottery Production on Providencia Island, Colombia
SYMPOSIUM EXPERIMENTAL PEDAGOGIES: TEACHING THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY PART II
Chair: Marie Hopwood
Michelle Rathgaber, Jared Pebworth and Michael Evans—Using Experimental Archaeology to Engage the Public in Arkansas
SYMPOSIUM “THE CENTER AND THE EDGE”: HOW THE
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BELIZE IS FOUNDATIONAL FOR UNDERSTANDING
THE ANCIENT MAYA, PART II
David Mixter, Amy Thompson and Terry Powis—From Buried Preclassic
Villages to the Lexicon for Maya Architecture: The Impact of Architectural Studies in Belize on Maya Scholarship
SYMPOSIUM BUILDING BRIDGES: PAPERS IN HONOR OF TERESITA MAJEWSKI
Chairs: Kelly Jenks and Lauren Jelinek
Tracie Mayfield—Native Raizal Heritage: Landscape Utilization and Cultural Patrimony on Old Providence and Santa Catalina Islands,Colombia (1629–Present)
SYMPOSIUM ENTANGLED LEGACIES: HUMAN, FOREST, AND TREE
DYNAMICS
Chair: Bonnie Clark
Bonnie Clark, April Kamp-Whittaker, Steven Sharpe and Greg Kitajima—
Shades of Confinement: Collaborative Study of a Historic Treescape at
Amache National Historic Site
SYMPOSIUM THE BIOARCHAEOLOGY OF THE PHALERON CEMETERY,
ARCHAIC GREECE: CURRENT RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS
Jessica Cerezo-Román, Megan Walsh and Jane Buikstra—Cremation
Mortuary Practices at Phaleron during the Archaic Period
SYMPOSIUM DEMOCRATIZING HERITAGE CREATION: HOW-TO AND WHEN
Carla Klehm and Stefania Merlo—Digital Storytelling on African Urbanisms: Recommendations on Fostering Digitally Enabled Equitable
Participation in Heritage Production
SYMPOSIUM ACTIVATING HERITAGE: ENCOURAGING SUBSTANTIVE
PRACTICES FOR A JUST FUTURE
Chairs: Alexander Bauer and Tiffany Fryer
Tiffany Fryer and Alexander Bauer—Activating Heritage: Introductory
Remarks on Substantive and Pragmatic Archaeologies
SYMPOSIUM AD 1150 TO THE PRESENT: ANCIENT POLITICAL
ECONOMY TO CONTEMPORARY MATERIALITY—ARCHAEOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY IN HONOR OF JEANNE E. ARNOLD
Chair: Anthony Graesch
Jason De Leon and Nicole Smith—Erasure, Disappearance, and
Accountability: Rethinking Taphonomy and Site Formation Processes in
the Sonoran Desert
Anthony Graesch—Human-Object Severance: Archaeological
Interventions in Contemporary Material Flows and Massive Discard
Julie Stein—Discussant