Beyond the Acropolis: Building Public Archaeology in Nashville, Tennessee

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Often called the Athens of the South, Nashville is the largest and most populous city in Tennessee and the thirteenth largest city by area in the United States. In recent years, Nashville has experienced waves of rapid development. As the city grows, more pressure is put on the city’s rich archaeological resources, but without enabling legislation, the ability to legally mandate archaeological assessment and preservation is limited. Preservation efforts have been more successful through a new public archaeology program focused on building awareness of this rich heritage and involving the public directly in local archaeology. This paper details the creation and growth of a public archaeology program in Nashville through several different platforms, from the development of tours and curriculum to public excavations and partnerships.   

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow