Welcome to wild, wonderful, weird Athens! We are excited to have the 73rd annual Southeastern Archaeological Conference meeting in Athens, Georgia known as “The Classic City of the South”. This year the conference will be held at the Classic Center located in the heart of downtown Athens from October 26th-29th. Athens is known for its hip music scene, fantastic bars, distinctive vibe, and good (inexpensive) food. Check out http://www.visitathensga.com/ for more information on Athens.
As a supplement to the official conference webpage, you can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/seac1conference

Victor Thompson, Chair
250A Baldwin Hall, Jackson St.
Athens, GA 30602-1619
vdthom@uga.edu

We are excited to offer 4 different hotels with reduced room rates ranging from $114-$142. Book fast as each hotel only has a certain number of rooms available at a reduced rate. Each hotel is within walking distance to the Classic Center. Click HERE for hotel options.
Groom transportation offers cheap roundtrip shuttle services from the Atlanta airport to Athens. Reservations are required. Please check out this link for booking information. Click HERE for Groome Transportation.
Regular member: $100
Student member: $60
Tribal member: Free
Non-member: $130
Student non-member: $65
Guest non-archaeologist: $25 (On-Site Registration Only)

Please visit the Conference Registration page to sign up to present and/or register to attend the meeting in Athens. Presentation guidelines can also be found there. Deadline for abstract submittal is August 31, 2016. Advance registration will close October 20, 2016. Click HERE for registration.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to offer on-site childcare services at the Classic Center during the conference. However, there are a number of great daycares that allow drop-ins (see link here). We are also looking into offering access to shared sitting via The Middle Sister, a local sitting service (http://themidsister.com/). This will involve a booking fee as well as an hourly rate for families who use this option; watch this space for more details as we get them. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Cook Hale at jcook@uga.edu. Childcare Information

Wednesday, 26 October 2016 -- Welcome to Athens

Historic Downtown Pub Crawl

Join us for a drink and a nice walk through Downtown Athens!

Athens is well-known for its diverse music scene and lively atmosphere, but the Historic Downtown District of Athens offers a glimpse into the developmental past of the Classic City. Whether this year’s SEAC is your first visit to Athens, or you’ve spent many nights in our beloved town, this event is a drop-in and leave-when-you-wish gathering to kick-off the first night of the conference. Our evening of bar-hopping will begin on Wednesday at 5pm in Little King’s Shuffle Club located at the corner of Hancock and Hull Streets. Little King’s plays host to eclectic academics and locals alike. We will depart our first bar at 5:45pm and make our way to Rooftop, atop Georgia Theatre, by 5:55pm. Enjoy the skyline and sunset with a beer located just above bustling Clayton Street. Around 6:40pm we will head to The Globe located on the corner of Clayton and Jackson Streets across from Rooftop. Boasting a relaxed environment, The Globe is the perfect place for a beer, cocktail, glass of wine, or a snack along our route. At 7:30pm, our final stop, Allgood Lounge, is located a few blocks away on Clayton Street. Two stories of potential seating and mingling space abound. Allgood Lounge is also the official bar and meeting place for SEAC 2016. Come and go as you please, this informal pub crawl will allow you to experience the Historic Downtown District of Athens and enjoy libations along the way. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Scales English at marsca@uga.edu. Be sure to follow the SEAC 2016 Facebook page for updates www.facebook.com/seac1conference.

Free. No registration is required.

pXRF Workshop at CAIS

THE WORKSHOP IS FULL, AUG. 30, 2016

The 2016 Southeastern Archaeological Conference will host its first ever pXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence) workshop in conjunction with UGA’s CAIS (Center for Applied Isotope Studies) http://cais.uga.edu! The workshop will be a day-long experience where attendees will learn and discuss the basics of pXRF analysis of archaeological materials. The workshop will be directed toward current novice and intermediate level pXRF practitioners that would like to learn more about the method and discuss the applicability of pXRF to Southeastern Archaeology. Masters and PhD students are encouraged to attend as well as members of institutions that have recently acquired a pXRF.

Topics will include fundamental principles of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, general and instrument specific methodologies for analyzing materials, and material specific interactions with instrumentation. The workshop will be led by members of CAIS. Speakers will include: Travis Jones, a graduate research assistant at CAIS; Dr. Alice Hunt, an archaeological materials scientist and the manager of the center’s XRF laboratory; and Dr. Jeff Speakman, an archaeological scientist, XRF expert, and the director of CAIS. Attendees also will be given the chance to meet many of the center’s staff and tour the center’s facilities which are home to a wide variety of instruments dedicated to isotopic and elemental analysis for archaeological, environmental, and industrial purposes.

The workshop will be held the first day of the conference (Wednesday, October 26). The $25.00 cost of attendance will include a catered lunch and coffee from Athens’ own Jittery Joe’s Coffee Shop. Transportation will be provided from downtown Athens to the Center for Applied Isotope Studies where the workshop will be held (approx. a 3-5 min. drive).

The center is not able to provide or loan pXRFs to attendees. Though bringing a pXRF from your parent institution is not mandatory, it is strongly encouraged.

Space is limited to 15 participants! Cost for members is $100, cost for students is $50, and non-members are not eligible to attend. Sign up is provided on the conference registration page.

12,000 Years in 45 Minutes: An Evening with Scott Jones

THE DINNER IS FULL, OCT. 11, 2016
The Foundry in Downtown Athens, 5:30 -7:30pm (Buffet Served at 6:00pm). Cost $30.00

Come join us for an “Evening with Scott Jones” on Wednesday for Dinner. Scott is an archaeologist and Native American technology specialist. His talk will be a unique blend of live demonstrations, past technologies, scholarly insights and storytelling. This is an event not to be missed if you are in town early for SEAC and will be fun for all ages!

Scott is an excellent public speaker who is both entertaining and informative and through his Media Prehistoria, educates the public and archaeologists about early technology and lifeways. For more about Scott Jones visit: http://mediaprehistoria.com.

Advanced ticket purchase required. Cost $30.00 per person. Sign up is provided on the registration page.

Thursday, 27 October 2016

Receptions at The Foundry

Join us on Thursday evening for the Student and General Membership Reception. We will host a student reception from 5:00 to 6:00 pm and a general membership reception from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at The Foundry. This location is a short walk from the major Athens hotels and offers lots of spaces to talk, eat, drink and listen to Athens music. http://thefoundryathens.com/

Attention all home brewers: SEAC 2016 Athens will resurrect the once-popular Great Spirits of SEAC. Bring your homemade beer, mead, and spirits to be tasted and enjoyed by all. The event will be held at The Foundry during the General Membership Reception from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Free. No registration is required.

Friday, 28 October 2016

Bayesian Chronological Modeling Workshop

The 2016 Southeastern Archaeological Conference will host its first ever Bayesian Chronological Modeling Workshop in conjunction with UGA's Center for Applied Isotope Studies (CAIS) & Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center (SUERC). Dr. Tony Krus & Dr. Derek Hamilton, the ‘Chronological Modeling Team’ from Glasgow, will teach this one-day interactive workshop. Space is very limited, so sign up now to learn, apply & critically evaluate Bayesian chronological modelling of archaeological phases. This will take place Friday, October 28th from 8:00am-5:00pm.

Cost for members is $100, cost for students is $50, and non-members are not eligible to attend. Sign up is provided on the registration page.

StoryCorps ~SEAC Style~

This year SEAC will be conducting its first ever StoryCorps! So, be brainstorming for your best SEAC memories, your perspective on the development of Southeastern Archaeology in general, and where you think lies the future of archaeology in the Southeast and beyond.

We will be offering 15 min slots for one person and 30 min slots for pairs to come and talk to the camera and/or to each other. SEAC StoryCorps will take place on Friday October 28th and will be recording your stories between the hours of 8 AM-12PM and 1-5PM.

Please reserve your slot in advance by emailing siwilliams@dot.ga.gov and providing your name, email address, and time slot you are interested in coming to share your archaeology experiences. SEAC StoryCorps will be set up in the book room.

SEAC Dance

SEAC 2016 Athens invites you to the SEAC Dance in the Classic Center’s Atrium Hall. Come dance or just listen to the music from 9:00 pm to 12:00 am.

Free. No registration is required.

Saturday, 29 October 2016

Saturday Evening Wind Down

THE Saturday Evening Wind Down IS FULL, Sept. 20, 2016
Supper at Little Kings Shuffle Club, 223 West Hancock Avenue in downtown Athens from 4:00-7:00 PM.

Little Kings is archaeologist-friendly and family-friendly. (Zombies and others may want to know that the Halloween Wild Rumpus Parade and Spectacle forms on the streets here at ~8:30 PM that night. See http://wildrumpus.org/ for more information.) Check out Little Kings on their Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/lkshuffleclub/.

Advanced ticket purchase required. Cost $25.00 per person. Sign up will be provided on the registration page.

Georgia, Can You Dig It? A Georgia Archaeology Faire

The Society for Georgia Archaeology (SGA) would like to invite you to join us at Georgia, Can You Dig It? A Georgia Archaeology Faire hosted by the Society for Georgia Archaeology (SGA). Participate in outreach activities led by Georgia archaeologists on Saturday 8am-2pm in the Horseshoe in front of the Classic Center. Visitors can explore Abby the ArchaeoBus, Georgia's Mobile Archaeology Classroom and traveling emissary for the SGA and earn their Jr. Archaeologist's Badge at UGA's Center for Applied Isotope Studies booth. Also featured will be several archaeological exhibits including:
* Georgia Historic Preservation Division’s collection from Fairview: An early-twentieth century African American campus
* Georgia Southern’s Camp Lawton Archaeological Project
* Georgia State University’s MARTA collection
* University of North Georgia’s local volunteer and student-engagement program
* University of West Georgia’s Traveling and Teaching Trunks from the Antonio J Waring, Jr Archaeological Lab’s educational and outreach initiatives

Free and Open to the Public. No registration is required.
http://thesga.org/2016/09/georgia-can-you-dig-it-a-georgia-archaeology-faire/