Welcome to the annual Archaeology Symposium hosted by CAS and the Australian Society for Historical Archaeology. Held annually as part of the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival, registration is free, and all are very welcome and encouraged to attend. 

2026 theme
​The Symposium theme this year is ‘Mid-Century – Innovation, change and optimism’. This theme, not at first sight, ideal for application to archaeology, can be explored, for instance, by examining, archaeologically, related, major, historical themes/events that occurred in the mid-century period, say 1930s to 1960s. It could also consider the development of archaeology and perceptions of it as it relates to this period, and examine attempts to investigate little known, but important aspects of our history that need exposure. All these approaches are found in our Symposium papers.

Key papers
  • Emeritus Professor Annie Clarke and Dr Sally Brockwell - Aboriginal art and the role of aviation in the promotion of the Australian national identity.
  • Emeritus Professor Matthew Spriggs - The Modern Era of archaeological investigation in Australia did NOT begin on Friday 13 January 1956: A critique of the history of our archaeology
  • Dr Matthew Kelly - Investigating the archaeological remains of World War 2 in PNG
  • Stevie Skitmore - Hidden in plain sight: the shared landscape of Canberra’s mid-century workers’ camps
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We acknowledge and celebrate the First Australians on whose traditional lands we meet,
​and pay our respect to the elders past, present and emerging.