About the Archaeology Centre
The Archaeology Centre is a community that brings archaeologists and people interested in archaeology together across the University of Toronto and beyond. We aim to provide a centralized hub of information about opportunities (e.g., field schools, scholarships, etc.) and events (e.g., lectures, interest groups, symposia, etc.) related to archaeology. We are not an academic unit at the university and do not offer courses for credit or degree programs. Please do not email the Archaeology Centre with questions about degree requirements. If you are interested in academically pursuing archaeology at the University of Toronto, please see the following departments for more information and contacts, as well as UofT’s Mediterranean Archaeology Collaborative Specialization (MACS):
- Department of Anthropology
- Department of Art History
- Department of Classics
- Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
- Department of Earth Sciences
Regular Interest Groups
The Faunal Interest Group
The group has convened by-weekly (times TBA; in the Archaeology Centre boardroom AP140 at 19 Ursula Franklin Street) since September 2007. The group discusses new and old issues of zoo archaeological method and theory. For more information, please contact Moses Akogun at moses.akogun@mail.utoronto.ca.
Next meeting: January 23, at 12:00-1:30pm, over Zoom (link below). We will be doing some housekeeping for this first meeting. We are thinking to meet approximately every 2 weeks. A draft schedule would look like Jan 23, Feb 6, Feb 20 or Feb 27, Mar 13, and Mar 27. The last term we met online, but we think it would be great to make at least some of the meetings in-person again.
In addition to our usual journal article discussions, and occasional invited guest talks, we have a few ideas which may be of interest for this group, from organizing sets of short 5–10-minute research presentations on work we are doing in this group (could be like the ‘PechaKucha’ format) to roundtables and themed workshops. We are open to ideas. We would appreciate if you could fill in the following short survey (should take ~2 minutes) so that we can poll your interest and availability in attending our meetings: https://forms.gle/5JkpLR73reWezuwB6. If you could complete this survey by January 21 we would much appreciate it.
The Collections Interest Group
Join the Collections Interest Group and discuss a wide array of topics regarding the care, preservation, and public education of artifacts and histories in a collections setting. Whether you are interested in a career in the museum world, plan on interacting with collections in some capacity, or simply find an interest in the curation and preservation of histories, this group is for you. Topics of discussion look to explore the relationship between ‘the institution’ which houses objects and the communities which interact with its stories, the role of ever-evolving technology in a collections/museum setting, and sustainable collections management that serves present, past, and future generations. Interested? Please contact Savanna for more information (s.buehlmanbarbeau@mail.utoronto.ca).
Next meeting: Jan 29 from 4-5.
Please join the Collections Interest Group for our January meeting, where we will discuss community-based research in museums with Isaac et al’s Being present and bearing witness: talking about cultural revitalization programming in museums (2023). Reading is highly suggested but certainly not required; all are welcome to stop by to check out the group!
NEW – Archaeobotany & Environmental Archaeology Interest Group
Archaeobotany & Environmental Archaeology Interest Group
Are you interested in how people in the past engaged with plants, landscapes, and climate? Join the new Archaeobotany & Environmental Archaeology Interest Group at U of T!
This graduate-led group provides a space for discussion, collaboration, and curiosity-driven exploration of the intersections between plants, foodways, people, and environments in the past. We’ll focus on themes such as:
- Human–environment interactions in deep time
- Climate change and resilience in past societies
- Cuisine, diet, and the cultural significance of plants
- Methods and theories in environmental archaeology
Whether your background is in archaeology, anthropology, ecology, history, or related fields, this is a chance to share ideas, workshop projects, and build connections with others who care about reconstructing the lived experiences of past communities through their relationships with plants and landscapes. Come be part of shaping a vibrant intellectual community where we put people back into the past by exploring their environmental choices and legacies. Please email Lachlan Kyle-Robinson (lachlan.kylerobinson@mail.utoronto.ca) with any questions.
Next Meeting: TBD
January Talks
The Canadian Society for the Advancement of Turkish Studies (CSATS) presents: “Channeling Assumptions about the Anatolian Past Series: Göbeklitepe, Inaugural Lecture by Prof. Ted Banning” (Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto). Friday January 23rd 2026 at 5-7pm in the 2nd floor Conference Room at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (4 Bancroft Avenue). CSATS is pleased to announce the launch of a new lecture series, “Challenging Assumptions about the Anatolian Past.” The series will open with a talk by Prof. Ted Banning on Göbeklitepe, a Neolithic site in southeastern Anatolia renowned for its ritual structures featuring intricately designed T-shaped pillars. Prof. Banning will help us better understand the scholarly debates surrounding the site and delve deeper into the archaeological interpretations surrounding these circular structures. The talk is open to the public and intended for a general audience.
January Talks
The American Institute of Archaeology (Toronto society) and the Archaeology Centre present: “Beyond the Palace: Surface Survey Data and Communities in the Hinterland of Mycenaean Pylos,”by Dr. Efthymia Tsiolaki (Department of Classics, University of Toronto). Tuesday January 27, 2026, 6:10 PM EST, Anthropology Building, Room 130. Zoom link for online attendance: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84032814350. Mycenaean states emerged in mainland Greece over the course of the Late Bronze Age and are typically considered as complex, centralized institutions organized around administrative centers, known as palaces. In Messenia, located in southwestern Greece, the so-called Palace of Nestor (identified as Mycenaean Pylos) was one such center, dominating its surrounding territory. While research has traditionally emphasized the central role of palaces in Mycenaean society and economy, recent studies highlight the active role of regional elites and non-elite communities in the operation of Mycenaean states. To explore this perspective at a regional scale, in this talk I revisit legacy data collected by the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project (PRAP), an intensive surface survey of the palace’s immediate hinterland. By studying surface ceramics, I document variation in the economic and social practices across peripheral communities and shift the focus from centralized administration to the local communities. Ultimately, this approach emphasizes the importance of reconstructing Mycenaean society at multiple scales, from the palace to its hinterland.
