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Every March, we celebrate Arkansas Archeology Month, an annual event designed to broaden the public’s interest and appreciation for Arkansas’s archeological resources and to encourage public participation in conservation and preservation efforts. This year, we have over 30 events planned and hosted by archeologists, historians, and state park interpreters across the state of Arkansas, including hands-on activities for families, and programs and workshops for people looking to volunteer or pursue careers in archeology. Hopefully this means that there will be something local for you to check out. We invite you to travel around and participate in events farther afield as well. You can get the full list of virtual and in-person events on our events calendar or by downloading the events flyer (note that any events submitted after the deadline are not included in the downloadable flyer but are on the digital calendar).
Arkansas Archeology Month is a time to celebrate Arkansas’s long and diverse history. We have archeological evidence of human occupation in our state dating back almost 14,000 years! And we see continuous habitation up until the present. Our state boasts amazing state parks and historical museums where anyone can visit and learn about the past through archeology. We have three state parks dedicated to archeological research in Arkansas (Hampson Archeological Museum State Park, Parkin Archeological State Park, and Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park) as well as many other state parks that also interpret the past as part of their missions. We also have archeologists at the Arkansas Archeological Survey, cultural resource management companies, federal and state agencies, and universities who do archeological research in Arkansas and share it with the public throughout the year, but especially during Arkansas Archeology Month.
In addition to partnerships with historic, archeological, and academic institutions, Archeology Month highlights the continued partnership between the Arkansas Archeological Survey (ARAS) and the Arkansas Archeological Society (AAS). The Society was founded in 1960 by a group of avocational, or non-career, archeologists who saw a need to protect archeological sites from destruction. Members of the Society lobbied for the Survey’s creation through the Arkansas State Legislature, and the rest is history! To this day, both organizations share a common goal of protecting archeological and historical sites and involving the public in archeological research. Through Archeology Month events, both organizations, local volunteer chapters, and local research stations host events throughout the state and work alongside other partners to encourage public interest in archeology.
Watercolor of people gathered in the center of three man-made earthen mounds by a river.
Select the image to view or download a printable poster (PDF).
2025 Archeology Month Poster and Theme: Community
This year’s Archeology Month theme is “Community.”  The 2025 Archeology Month poster design showcases communities in archeology, in keeping with the community-based research design for the ARAS/AAS Training Program that will take place at Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park this summer. The poster is based on a watercolor painting created by the Survey’s Graphic Artist, Rachel Tebbetts. The painting depicts different communities using the Plum Bayou Mounds site in different ways throughout history, from the Terminal Woodland period (650-1050CE)—with fire, houses, and gatherings across the site—all the way up to the present, with archeologists conducting an excavation of the site on the right and a modern housing development in the top left. We have an idea about how the site has been used through time from archeological research that has been conducted by the Arkansas Archeological Survey and Society at the site since the 1970s. There are still more questions to be answered though, so this year’s poster honors our return to Plum Bayou for the Survey and Society’s annual Training Program in archeology.
An 11" x 14'" high quality giclee print of the original watercolor used in the poster is available for purchase through our Publications storefront.
Visit our Publications page for details.
The ARAS/AAS Training Program
This year’s ARAS/AAS Training Program amplifies the theme of community in several ways in terms of its research design and public involvement. Here we aim to build community with one another as we research and rediscover past communities in Arkansas. This program is always exciting, no matter its location, as it brings together folks from all walks of life with an interest in archeology. For some, this will be their first experience in archeology, while others have been working in archeology for decades. Each year, we build upon this community and add new faces to work in Arkansas archeology, researching the past and connecting with one another in the field and in the lab. Whether you come for a day or spend the entire two weeks with us learning more about what we do, we invite you to join our community to learn about the past!
The specific excavations and research taking place during the Training Program this year take aim at the theme of community in other ways. Our efforts will focus on the Terminal Late Woodland (650-1050CE) communities, nicknamed the Plum Bayou culture; we will be excavating multiple areas at two separate archeological sites: Plum Bayou Mounds – a ceremonial mound center – as well as a nearby village site. These excavations will build upon our current understandings of how Plum Bayou communities lived their daily lives, how they built their own communities, and how they engaged with one another in ceremonial gathering places such as Plum Bayou Mounds. In examining these sites in tandem, we can learn about Plum Bayou communities from multiple angles: the everyday and the exceptional. What connects the two, and how does this play into community-led experiences in this region? The research aims to collect new data, and thus, shed new light on community experience and interactions in central Arkansas from an archeological perspective during this time period. We hope to have you along in this community-focused work!
Get Involved
Archeology Month events cater to different age groups, interests, and local communities’ histories. These events range from outdoor hikes with historical interpretation to archeology-themed trivia at a local brewery to hands-on activities at libraries and museums. There are countless ways for community members to get involved. Archeology Month is the catalyst for Arkansans to learn about our shared past, and it’s just the beginning! You can learn about specific archeological sites, how artifacts help archeologists learn more about past peoples, and how to participate in archeological research yourself. The Society is the best way to get involved in Arkansas archeology—it has nine local chapters that meet throughout the year, and these chapters include community members of many age ranges, interests, and career fields. It’s the perfect opportunity to rekindle your childhood curiosity about the past and learn about what archeological and historic communities were like in Arkansas. We hope to see you at an event in March or at our archeology training program in June!
Learn about past Archeology Month events through the links below...