National Archaeology Day

National Archaeology Day (NAD) is a day when the excitement of archaeological discovery is celebrated by AIA local societies and other archaeological groups across North America. Since 2011 when NAD was recognized by a congressional proclamation, this has become an annual event. Every October the AIA and archaeological organizations across the United States, Canada, and abroad present archaeological programs and activities for people of all ages and interests. Here in Milwaukee we have celebrated with open houses in UW-Milwaukee's Archaeological Research Laboratory.

In 2011 the theme of the open house was "Life after Fieldwork: Behind the Scenes at UW-Milwaukee's Archaeology Research Lab." The event showcased some of the important analytical work being done by UW-Milwaukee professors and graduate students on the materials discovered in their excavations. In 2012 the theme was "The Archaeology of Food and Drink." Faculty and students from UW-Milwaukee, Marquette University, Discovery World, and the Milwaukee Public Museum presented evidence from their research on what people from different cultures ate and drank, and how they prepared their dinners.

For more information on the 2012 NAD in Milwaukee, complete with photos of the event, blog posts by participants, and recipes, visit the 2012 National Archaeology Day pages. And stay tuned for plans for the next NAD in October 2013.

For more on National Archaeology Day and to see what other activities are being hosted at other local societies click on: http://www.archaeological.org/NAD.