SHA 2026 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology

Session Abstract

Music weaves its way through historical archaeology, whether through intriguing musical artifacts, sites of music-making and memorialization, songs about our work or our subject matter, the creative practices of its practitioners, and even the SHA “archaeology prom.” Music is also highly mobile across space and time, supposedly intangible (but yet very material) and clearly enduring. In this free-ranging creative forum, presenters will share a variety of connections to this theme through their chosen medium, including powerpoint, narrative, video, or song. Presentations focus primarily on North America but cover the full temporal spectrum of historical archaeology (from indigenous histories to the contemporary) and will be short (5-8 minutes) to leave plenty of time for discussion and reflection. The forum will end with a musical expression of appreciation for the sonic history of our host city.

Archaeology with and of Music—A Forum

Organizer(s): Bonnie Clark (University of Denver, United States of America), Jason De Leon (University of California, Los Angeles), Stephen Mrozowski (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Stephen Silliman (University of Massachusetts, Boston)

Chair(s): Krysta Ryzewski (Wayne State University)

Panelist(s): Bonnie Clark (University of Denver), Jason De Leon (University of California, Los Angeles), Stephen Mrozowski (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Stephen Silliman (University of Massachusetts, Boston), Kathlen Corbett (Corbett AHS), Sarah Pounders (Wayne State University), Sarah Miller (Florida Public Archaeology Network), Tadgh O'Keeffe (University College Dublin), Christopher Matthews (Montclair State University), Chelsea Rose (Southern Oregon University), Mark Tveskov (Southern Oregon University), Minette Church (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs)

Music weaves its way through historical archaeology, whether through intriguing musical artifacts, sites of music-making and memorialization, songs about our work or our subject matter, the creative practices of its practitioners, and even the SHA “archaeology prom.” Music is also highly mobile across space and time, supposedly intangible (but yet very material) and clearly enduring. In this free-ranging creative forum, presenters will share a variety of connections to this theme through their chosen medium, including powerpoint, narrative, video, or song. Presentations focus primarily on North America but cover the full temporal spectrum of historical archaeology (from indigenous histories to the contemporary) and will be short (5-8 minutes) to leave plenty of time for discussion and reflection. The forum will end with a musical expression of appreciation for the sonic history of our host city.

Conference Agenda