About Us

The Archaeology Society of Staten Island was formed in 1962 at Wagner College in Staten Island, NY. In 1963, the Society began a series of lectures that have brought prominent scholars in the various fields of archaeology and anthropology to Staten Island. The Society affiliated with the Archaeological Institute of America in 1964 as The Staten Island Society, AIA.

The objectives of the Society are:

• To promote study, exploration, and research in the field of archaeology
• To conduct lectures relating to archaeology
• To sponsor and encourage archaeological tours
• To establish and issue publications that disseminate archaeological information

Update regarding Society Status, June 22, 2022:

Dear Archaeology Friends,

I want to send warm summer greetings and heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been part of our archaeology societies (Archaeology Society of Staten Island and the Staten Island Society of the Archaeological Institute of America).  It has been an amazing SIXTY YEARS for the ASSI.

As I have shared with you over the past two years via our newsletters, we have been struggling to keep the Society afloat given the workload involved (financials, outreach, and planning and running 7 events every year).  At this point we have only 5 active Board members, 4 of whom are stepping down at the end of this month.  In order for the Society to continue, we need at least 6 active Board members.  We have not, despite our requests, seen enough interest from our membership nor other contacts/attendees in joining the Board.

In April the vote passed to dissolve the societies at the end of June (this month), and gift our financial resources to Wagner College for the purposes of creating an endowed fund which will support an archaeological lecture/event each year to be run by the College.  This event will be open to the public and the college community.  While it is unfortunate we will dissolve, the Board is very much in support of and happy about this endowed lecture program.  Community members, students, scholars, and like-minded cultural organizations will be able to participate and benefit from this educational opportunity, and it will keep the mission of the Society alive here in Staten Island.

We encourage folks to maintain and/or join the Archaeological Institute of America and affiliate themselves with another local society.  These exist in NJ, Long Island, Westchester, and Manhattan.  Their programming is just as robust and exciting as ours has been. AIA memberships include a subscription to ARCHAEOLOGY magazine, complimentary access to Archaeology Abridged Premium online lectures, and other exciting benefits.

Our website and social media presence will become inactive at the end of this month.  However, once details are finalized for the annual program at Wagner (sometime this fall), I will share information via our email list.

Be well, and keep on digging!

-Sarah J. Scott

President