About Us – Ontario Archaeological Society

Who We Are

The Ontario Archaeological Society is a registered charitable organization that promotes the ethical practice of archaeology in the Province of Ontario and beyond. We believe that Ontario’s archaeological heritage is a vital part of our collective past, and an essential dimension to understanding the places and spaces we love, live in, and work at, and the many past generations of ancestors who shaped the place and history of what we call Ontario today.

This is an extremely fragile heritage, easily lost as a result of land changes or development, or even as a result of poorly conducted excavation or digging for artifacts. We believe that everyone who lives here or visits Ontario all share in the responsibility to care for and properly conserve this record, so that we can all come to understand and appreciate further the rich and complex human heritage that reveals itself through the archaeological remains left behind over the millennia.

Everyone is encouraged to become members of the Society and to support its co-ordinating role in helping to promote, record, and preserve our archaeological heritage. We provide members the opportunity to connect and share their concerns and passion for archaeology with a broad range of professional, student, and avocational archaeologists, as well as to work together with the public and descendants of those whose heritage we study and safeguard today.

OUR AIMS

To bring together individuals interested in the practice, promotion, and advancement of archaeology, particularly in the province of Ontario.

To encourage and assist every effort, both individual and collective, which fosters, elevates, and advances archaeology in the fields of learning and culture.

To discourage illegal archaeological looting and destruction, and to speak out against poor practices and poor management of the record.

To facilitate the exchange of ideas and information, and to encourage co-operation among all those interested in the study of archaeology.

To publish archaeological findings using all means to advance our knowledge of the past.

To broaden the interest in archaeology to all Ontarians and beyond.