Archaeological Society of Nova Scotia

Archaeological Society of Nova Scotia
Name	Archaeological Society of Nova Scotia
Formation	1932
Type	Non-profit, learned society
Headquarters	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Region served	Nova Scotia, Canada
Language	English, French

Archaeological Society of Nova Scotia is a provincial learned society devoted to the study, preservation, and dissemination of archaeological knowledge in Nova Scotia. It connects amateur and professional archaeologists with institutions such as the Nova Scotia Museum, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and university departments at Dalhousie University and Saint Mary's University. The Society has collaborated with heritage bodies including Parks Canada, the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage (Nova Scotia), and Indigenous organizations such as the Mi'kmaq communities to document sites from pre-contact to historic periods.

History

Founded in the early 20th century during a growth of regional antiquarianism, the Society emerged alongside organizations like the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society and the Nova Scotia Historical Society. Its early membership included collectors and scholars associated with the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History and figures who corresponded with antiquaries at the Royal Ontario Museum, Canadian Museum of History, and the Smithsonian Institution. Over decades the Society navigated shifts prompted by legislation such as the Ancient Monuments Protection Act influences and provincial heritage policies, interacting with archaeological practice trends from culture-historical frameworks to processual and post-processual approaches advocated at institutions like the University of Toronto and McGill University.

Mission and Activities

The Society’s mission emphasizes site stewardship, ethical collecting, and dissemination of regional research. Activities range from organizing lectures featuring scholars from Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of New Brunswick, Acadia University, and Queen's University to coordinating field schools akin to programs run by the Canadian Archaeological Association and the Society for American Archaeology. It administers artifact accession guidance consistent with standards promoted by the Canadian Conservation Institute and archival practices used by the Public Archives of Nova Scotia.

Publications and Research

The Society publishes newsletters and occasional monographs that complement peer-reviewed outlets such as the Canadian Journal of Archaeology and regional journals like the Acadiensis. Its bibliographies and site reports reference collections held at the Nova Scotia Archives, the Nova Scotia Museum, and university repositories. Research topics include Paleoindian studies related to finds comparable to those at Folsom sites, maritime archaeology in the tradition of work at the Halifax Explosion sites, and contact-period studies paralleling analyses of the Beothuk and Basque seasonal fisheries.

Education and Public Outreach

Public outreach includes lecture series, museum partnerships with the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and school programs coordinated with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The Society participates in Heritage Week events like those organized by Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia and provides volunteer training modeled after national programs run by the Canadian Heritage Information Network and community archaeology initiatives seen in L'Anse aux Meadows and Fort Beauséjour.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises avocational members, students from St. Francis Xavier University, and professionals affiliated with agencies such as Parks Canada, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and municipal heritage offices in Halifax Regional Municipality. Governance follows by-laws similar to other learned societies, with elected officers and committees that liaise with regulatory bodies such as provincial Crown corporations and university ethics boards at Dalhousie University. The Society maintains codes of conduct reflecting standards of the Canadian Archaeological Association and international charters like the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

Major Projects and Excavations

Major projects have included surveys of coastal shell middens comparable to studies in Cape Breton Island and inland excavations with methodological parallels to work at Point Pleasant Park and historic sites in Lunenburg. Collaborative maritime investigations draw on techniques used in excavations of SS Atlantic and HMS Shannon wrecks, while terrestrial projects have examined Mi'kmaq seasonal encampments, colonial forts resembling Fort Anne (Annapolis Royal), and 19th-century industrial sites like those in Springhill. Fieldwork often employs GIS methods seen in projects at the Canadian Centre for Geospatial Excellence and radiocarbon dating services at labs such as Beta Analytic.

Partnerships and Funding

The Society partners with academic institutions including Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, and Acadia University; museums such as the Nova Scotia Museum and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic; and federal agencies like Parks Canada and the Canadian Heritage portfolio. Funding sources have included grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, provincial heritage funding streams, private donations, and project-specific sponsorships from organizations similar to the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia and corporate supporters in the maritime sector. These partnerships enable conservation work consistent with protocols developed by the Canadian Conservation Institute and collaborative stewardship with Mi'kmaq organizations.

Category:Organizations based in Nova Scotia Category:Archaeological organizations in Canada