Cities on the Move – An Introduction and Retrospective

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Cities on the Move: Reflecting on Urban Archaeology in the 21st Century", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In the 1980s, a working group of urban archaeologists organized within the Society for Historical Archaeology to survey the state of the field, compile enabling legislation and program information, highlight important research emerging from cities, and discuss the challenges posed by this environment. The practice of archaeology in densely populated and dynamic urban environments continues to require collective energy. The goal of this introductory paper is to provide a historiographic framework for the study of urban archaeology. We then document how the definitions, methods, practices, and issues unique to archaeology in cities have changed over time. This paper also recommends possible future directions for a revitalized Urban Archaeology Network that would extend beyond the U.S., to be further discussed at the end of the session. Case studies from urban centers with long-standing archaeology programs – including Alexandria, Charleston, and New York – will also be integrated into the introduction.     

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Cities on the Move: Reflecting on Urban Archaeology in the 21st Century   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow