Medieval fortifications remain among the most enduring material witnesses to the political, military, and cultural landscapes of the past. Castles and strongholds served not only as centers of defense but also as loci of administration, economic control, and symbolic power. While Western European castles have been extensively studied, the fortifications of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus regions that stood at the crossroads of empires, trade routes, and shifting frontiers have received comparatively less international attention. Yet these regions preserve a remarkable diversity of fortified sites, from citadels crowning volcanic promontories to walled urban centers and frontier garrisons. This session seeks to bring together scholars investigating the construction, function, and transformation of medieval fortifications across these interconnected regions. Contributions may explore themes including: architectural typologies and innovations; the role of fortifications in shaping settlement hierarchies and landscapes; military strategies and siege technologies; and the cultural meanings of castles as symbols of authority, identity, and resistance. We also welcome case studies that integrate archaeological, historical, and scientific approaches as bioarcheology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and materials analysis to illuminate the lived experiences of those who built, inhabited, and attacked these strongholds. By highlighting the fortifications of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus within a broader comparative framework, this session aims to foster dialogue on regional particularities as well as shared patterns of medieval defensive architecture. In doing so, it will contribute to a more inclusive understanding of medieval fortifications as dynamic elements of social, political, and cultural life across Eurasia.

The questions of when and how human beings entered North America endure as keystone themes of Quaternary science. Although intrinsically archaeological questions, addressing them has spurred significant advances in many social and natural science disciplines for over a century, inquiry of human dispersal into and within the North American landscape also provides a space where Indigenous ways of knowing and scientific principles can intertwine, although this remains a developing practice.

These epistemological connections mirror the geographic, cultural, and biological connections observed in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene archaeological record. What appeared to be a simple story of ice age journeys between two ice sheets has turned into a complex web that ties Asia to America, coast to interior, and most importantly, humans to each other. These bonds also resonate through time, ranging from scientific, narrative, and spiritual pasts into the studies and stories of today.

The aim of this session is to examine the entry of humans into North America and the legacy of that arrival. Studies from archaeological, Indigenous, anthropological, geoscientific, paleoenvironmental, genomic, historic, and any other relevant perspectives are welcome.

Fibre and perishable artifacts present unique analytical, conservation, and interpretive challenges stemming from their inherent perishability and the lack of attention they receive. Recent research highlights the need for further work on basic plant fibre identification procedures and reference materials, as well as on basic training in artifact identification, description, handling, and storage procedures. This session invites papers and project descriptions focused on detailed recording, conservation and analysis of fibre and perishable artifacts from archaeological, historical, or museum contexts. We welcome projects that demonstrate the research value and potential of these artifacts, that contribute to or utilize new methods for fibre or dye identification, or that demonstrate best practices for handling, recording, and storing fibre and perishable artifacts and associated tools.

Despite previous work (primarily centered in Eastern Canada) Black heritages sites remain understudied and poorly represented in Canadian scholarship, an issue addressed by sessions at the 2019 and 2024 CAA’s which highlighted the important, but limited, work that had occurred in this space. Through the identification and study of Black heritage sites, papers in this session highlight the important work that has occurred in the intervening years to amplify stories of the Black communities and individuals who are part of Canadian history and demonstrate that archaeological study of Black heritage sites can counter histories of erasure, both in the past and present, through the preservation and celebration of heritage sites. The heightened need for this work is underscored by growing threats to Black heritage sites, which increasingly face pressures from development, social dynamics, and revisionist historical narratives that risk erasing these communities and their history. By investigating Black heritage sites across the country, archaeologists have the opportunity to tell historical stories in a way that includes stories from the many Black individuals and communities who have contributed to our modern identities and to create historical narratives in which these communities see themselves represented. 

Non-invasive archaeological methods have become crucial components in truth and reconciliation initiatives across Canada. Archaeologists and Indigenous Nations are regularly employing these technologies to answer a broad spectrum of questions while grappling with the associated complexities. Most notably among these applications is the deployment of geophysical and remote sensing techniques (e.g., ground-penetrating radar or GPR) to identify graves at highly sensitive sites (e.g., former Indian Residential Schools). While ground search techniques and results often dominate public discourse, in practice, non-invasive archaeology encompasses a much broader suite of methods, applications, and questions.

This session will explore the breadth of non-invasive research being undertaken within Canadian archaeology, with a focus on applications, challenges, and ethical responsibilities related to investigating burial landscapes and other truth and reconciliation initiatives. Presentations will showcase applications of ground- and drone-based geophysical and remote-sensing technologies; their integration with archaeological, archival, oral testimony, and geospatial evidence; and the complexities and challenges that come with conducting this type of work. Papers may also address issues such as data sovereignty, analytical uncertainty, trauma-informed and culturally-grounded practice, and the challenges associated with communicating results to Survivors, descendant communities, and the public.

This poster session honours the legacy of Janet Blakey – her love for and contributions to archaeology, and her gift for supporting and advancing archaeology by creating lasting friendships with and networks among her peers and colleagues. We invite participants from all stages and branches of the field – student, avocational, academic, consulting and beyond – to join us in celebrating Janet’s ability for making lasting bonds in her archaeological pursuits, along with her talent for creating effective and engaging conference posters. We particularly encourage contributions that highlight Janet’s passion for public archaeology, Alberta archaeology and what it means to be a consulting archaeologist. At the same time, like Janet, this session also welcomes contributions that make broader connections between archaeology and the many people for whom it holds meaning.

Archaeology is an inherently multi-disciplinary pursuit. To build narratives that integrate the varied data produced by archaeological research, we rely on specialists across diverse, allied fields. In this session, we aim to create a space to discuss both traditional and novel research methods in Mesoamerican archaeology and to foreground the bridges that connect them.

This session engages classic methods (e.g. ceramic and lithic analysis, zooarchaeology, paleoethnobotany, epigraphy, iconography, and ethnography) in synergy with newer techniques, including but not limited to remote sensing, GIS-based modelling, residue/lipid analysis, stable isotopes, proteomics, 3D modelling, ancient DNA, machine learning, and multisensory ethnography. Case studies integrating multiple lines of evidence to answer long-standing questions about subsistence, landscape modifications and monumentality, socio-political complexity, ritual practice, sustainability, and colonial entanglements across Mesoamerica are especially welcome. 

As part of rigorous method-building, we highlight works that operationalize decolonizing and Indigenizing frameworks in concrete ways: community-informed research questions, co-developed sampling and curation strategies, Indigenous data sovereignty and consent, and co-production of knowledge. Of particular interest are studies showing how these commitments shape methodological choices and strengthen knowledge acquisition, interpretation, and dissemination. 

This session aims to sustain a genuine dialogue between methods rather than parallel monologues. By centering collaborations among archaeologists, curators, data scientists, and Indigenous knowledge keepers, this session will highlight approaches that couple rigour with innovation and reflexivity to sharpen our interpretations of Mesoamerica’s past. 
 

Alongside the rise of collaborative community-based approaches in archaeology and cultural heritage in recent decades we have seen a call for “slow archaeology.” It is part of a broader “slow science” movement that counters the dominant “fast science” approach that is “competitive, data-centric, technocratic, and alienated from the societies it serves and studies” (Cunningham & MacEachern 2014:4). Slow archaeology prioritizes deep long-term engagements with research collaborators, participants and the material record, and reflexive, ethical practice. Drawing on grounded theory, it involves embracing process, listening and being responsive, taking an iterative approach that demands patience and sitting with uncertainty.

This session invites reflections on the benefits and challenges of slow archaeology’s longer timelines in community-based research. How does the slower pace and the focus on relationships influence the outcomes and impact of the work? How do we build and maintain long-term research relationships and how do they develop and change over time? What tensions exist between a slow, relational approach and existing structures in the academy, museums and CRM, and how might we alleviate them?

Join us and share your slow archaeology research journeys: lessons learned (sometimes the hard way), things (big and small) to celebrate along the way, and implications for broader archaeology and heritage research practice.