Archaeological Institute of America

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For other uses, see AIA (disambiguation).

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is a North American nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of public interest in archaeology, and the preservation of archaeological sites. It is based at Boston University.

The institute was founded in 1879, with Charles Eliot Norton as its first President until 1890. It was chartered in 1906 by the United States Congress. The institute currently has about 9,000 members in 102 local societies.

The American Journal of Archaeology, published by the Institute, is freely available on the net. The institute has also published the magazine Archaeology since 1948.

Harrison Ford, who portrayed the fictional archaeologist Indiana Jones in four films, serves as a General Trustee on the Governing Board of the AIA.^[1]

The AIA has just started a new Site Preservation Task Force and Program, chaired by Inka archaeologist Lawrence S. Coben. The Task Force focuses on preservation in non-OECD countries, Mexico, Turkey and Greece, and seeks to utilize new paradigms of preservation that incorporate local empowerment and sustainable economic development.