Archaeology at Memorial
Archaeologists investigate past and present human cultures by studying the material traces—landscapes, sites, features, artifacts and ecofacts—left behind.
In the Department of Archaeology, our students engage in practical training and experiential learning in classroom, laboratory and fieldwork settings that provide a comprehensive education and transferable skills. Our state-of-the-art labs—focused on applied archaeological sciences, environmental archaeology, conservation, and artifact analysis—connect students with community-university research initiatives across Canada, the circumpolar North, the North Atlantic, and Europe.
As one of the largest Archaeology departments in the country, we prepare our students to become effective researchers, critical thinkers, and active stewards for our shared archaeological heritage.
News
Join us for our upcoming talk presented by Dr. Charlotta Hillerdal from the University of Aberdeen on their collaborative work with the Yup'ik community of Quinhagak at Nunalleq in southwest Alaska.
Date: 3pm on 5 Dec, 2025
Where: QC-2013, Queen's College
Associate Professor Catherine Losier, with Dr. Gaëlle Dieulefet of Nantes Université, have co-edited a new book The Archaeology of Connectivity and Complementarity Reflected Through Salt, Cod, and Sugar.
The book examines the importance of salt, cod and sugar for trade networks, and the associated circulation and mobility of commodities and individuals, which connected the far-flung territories of the Atlantic World from the 16th century onwards. While these goods are traditionally associated with distinct regions of the Atlantic World, each with their own, diverse historical and social context, this volume presents them as a triptych through which to view the transnational impact they had. Topics range across the Atlantic from the importance of Caribbean and European saltpans for the processing of cod, the impact of codfish on Caribbean, South American and African foodways, and in return the uses of sugar and its by-products for provisioning trading ships and fishing fleets.
Warm congratulations to Dr. Losier and colleagues, including current and former graduate students, Chermaine Liew, Aubrey O'Toole and Mallory Champagne who contributed to the volume.
Congratulations to two Memorial Archaeology students, Jesse Reid and Zoe Helleiner, on winning awards for best student poster during the Poster Session at the 2025 CAA Annual Meeting in St. John's back in May 2025.
Jesse Reid won the Undergraduate Student Prize for their poster titled: Mapping the Little St. Lawrence Whaling Station
Zoe Helleiner won the Graduate Student Prized for their poster titled: Inuvialuit and Birds: A Holistic Look at Change and Continuity in the Archaeological Record
Congratulations Jesse and Zoe!