Gender inequality carries high social costs, and understanding its causes and consequences remains a pressing concern. Numerous policymakers and academics have taken on this challenge, including anthropological archaeologists. Because archaeologists create narratives about the past that can justify or question current and future actions, contemporary archaeological practice impacts everyone. This themed issue builds on recent documentations of disparities and calls to address them. To do so, contributors use a mix of quantitative and qualitative analyses, as well as novel theoretical perspectives, to understand why intersectional gender-based inequalities continue and to propose interventions to rectify them. We begin by considering the history of feminist equity critiques. We then argue that scholars should build on existing research by reconceptualizing not only difference but also exclusion. Policymakers, academics, and others must move beyond the problematic yet ubiquitous metaphor of a leaky pipeline and instead consider the active—though often unconscious and unintentional—ways individuals and institutions exclude, including through notions of fit, prestige, and the hysteresis of habitus, also known as the Don Quixote effect. The overarching goal of the themed issue, and this article, is to advocate for interventions in contemporary archaeological practice and beyond.

In this article we present a methodological framework for integrating nondigital legacy excavation data with modern stratigraphic datasets in a 3D-GIS environment. Using a case study from the Late Bronze Age site of Hala Sultan Tekke (Cyprus), we demonstrate how georeferenced photogrammetric models can be combined with digitized legacy documentation to overcome inconsistencies in archival records. The approach enables the correction of elevation data, the reconstruction of stratigraphic layers that are no longer preserved, and the interpolation of missing contexts. By aligning old section drawings with high-resolution 3D models of recent sondages, we created a coherent spatial and chronological framework that facilitates new archaeological interpretations. This integrated model also supports cross-disciplinary collaboration and long-term digital preservation. The study contributes to wider discussions on the sustainable use of unpublished or fragmentary excavation records, offering a practical, step-by-step guide for researchers working with similar datasets. Ultimately, this approach underscores the potential of 3D modeling to revitalize underused archaeological archives and transform them into dynamic analytical tools, in line with current best practices in digital archaeology and open data sharing.

In STEM fields, women tend to leak out of the pipeline to the professoriate. In archaeology, however, robust databases and chronological control reveal that there is no leakage from earning a PhD to tenure-track positions. Nor is there a leak from assistant professor to associate professor. Nevertheless, men get hired as faculty in PhD programs more often than women. This is important because PhD programs are research-intensive and train future leaders. Furthermore, women PhD students have women as advisers more than often men and report advantages to this arrangement. Yet with fewer women faculty in PhD programs, women mentors are in short supply. Potential solutions to these problems target areas where bias can intervene. Specifically, job search committees should (1) wait until late in the process before consulting letters of recommendation, (2) standardize the valorization of coauthorship for both men and women, and (3) prioritize applicants who match the job description when creating long lists. Finally, implicit bias training is critically important, and mentoring should be continuous and enthusiastically positive.

Archaeologists have demonstrated the value of deep learning models for detecting archaeological objects in lidar data. As landscape-level projects become the norm, archaeological data derived from deep learning predictions can be integrated into these initiatives through coupled natural-cultural landscapes planning. However, the paucity of archaeological training datasets limits the application of deep learning models to relatively common and well-documented object classes. Using procedurally generated training datasets may be one approach to overcome this bottleneck. To test the efficacy of procedural generation for developing deep learning training data, we trained models to detect a novel object class (hypothesized historic tar kilns) in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. We developed two procedural generation approaches to embed simulated archaeological objects in a lidar-derived DEM and used these datasets to train deep learning (Mask R-CNN) models. We then evaluated model predictions within lidar-derived visualizations and during field survey. Our trained models detected targets with high recall but low precision. Field investigation suggested that the objects were not tar kilns but a different historic feature class. This study suggests that models trained on simulated objects are a useful addition to lidar analysis tool kits and can be directly integrated into archaeological field investigation workflows.

Academic and professional conferences provide opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge, networking, and professional development. Those in more prestigious roles often gain greater visibility, and invited roles in particular make important statements about whose research the profession values most. Conference participation is therefore a source of economic, social, and cultural capital that translates into real opportunities and future career success. In this article, we examine gender representation in the field of archaeology through the lens of participation in the annual meetings of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA). Using archived SAA annual meeting programs from 2002 to 2024, we analyze differences in gender representation across conference roles and participation formats. We find that although women and men are similarly likely to fill self-selected leadership roles, women are less frequently asked to fill invited roles by their peers, particularly when men serve as organizers. We thus argue that gender plays a strong role in determining who occupies positions of prestige and that decisions about who is “qualified” affect distributions of capital within the discipline. We conclude by recommending a series of interventions to session organizers, session participants, and the SAA to help redress gender-based differences in conference participation.

The manual identification of ancient agricultural terraces is time-consuming and subjective, limiting large-scale archaeological landscape documentation. This study applies deep learning to detect ancient terraces in the Bozburun Peninsula, southwestern Turkey, a historically significant Hellenistic landscape. Four U-Net–based architectures were implemented—early, intermediate, and late fusion, along with an RGB-only baseline—integrating high-resolution aerial imagery (30 cm) and digital elevation models (DEMs) across 193 km2. Sixteen manually digitized areas (37.8 ha) produced 256 training patches (512 × 512 px). The early fusion model that combined spectral and topographic data achieved the best performance (IoU = 0.754; accuracy = 85.9%). Monte Carlo evaluation confirmed its robustness. Spatial analysis showed that 89.8% of detected terraces lie below 300 m elevation, mainly on 10°–20° slopes with north-northwest orientation, in agreement with previous archaeological observations. Compared with expert digitization, the model yielded higher precision (87.4% vs. 79.3%), while experts achieved higher recall (94.3% vs. 76.6%). Applied to the full peninsula, the model mapped 2,517 ha of terraces. Validation using an existing archaeological dataset (Demirciler 2014) enabled direct comparison between automated and expert-based interpretations. The results indicate the potential of deep learning for terrace detection in Mediterranean landscapes and outline a methodological framework for documenting threatened cultural heritage.

Studies on authorship in archaeology have revealed inequalities that influence interpretations of archaeological narratives. Like other countries with rich archaeological heritage, Guatemala has drawn a diverse pool of researchers for decades, owing to its renowned Maya heritage. This study examines how gender and nationality shape knowledge production in Guatemalan archaeology. We analyze publication trends in Guatemala’s most prominent publication venue, the memoirs of the annual archaeology symposium, and two international journals: Latin American Antiquity and Estudios de Cultura Maya. We also incorporate alumni data from Guatemalan universities and responses from an exploratory survey of 103 local archaeologists regarding occupations, identities, and perceptions of inequalities. Our study reveals that although Guatemalan archaeology has been characterized by relative gender parity, the dissemination of academic knowledge has been predominantly led by men, even during periods when there have been more female professional archaeologists. These disparities likely stem from several factors, including occupational variations, traditional gender-role expectations, and institutional barriers. While men have traditionally led the dissemination of academic knowledge, women have achieved leadership in other domains. This study highlights the current state of diversity in Guatemalan archaeology and serves as a first step toward building a more inclusive archaeological community.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the contemporary world. Trickling deeper into archaeology and history, these technological changes will influence how the past is written about and visualized. Through the evaluation of text and images generated using AI, this article considers the systemic biases present in reconstructed archaeological scenes. We draw on advances in computer science, running large-scale, computational analyses to evaluate patterns in content. We present a case study examining Neanderthal behavior, juxtaposing published archaeological knowledge with images and text made using AI. Our study reveals a low correspondence between scientific literature and artificially intelligent material, which reflects dated knowledge and cultural anachronisms. Used to identify patterns in (mis)representations of the past, the methodology can be applied to understand the distance between scholarly knowledge and any domain of content generated using AI, across any archaeological time depth and beyond the discipline.

Feminist and gender-focused archaeology have advanced our field, but this research is marginalized rather than integrated into broader analyses of societies. To address this situation, I analyzed publication content and related equity issues. I reviewed major archaeology journals to see how participation in and citation of household archaeology changed from 1990 to 2019. Since 2000, interest in gender has held steady, with about half of household archaeology articles mentioning gender, women, or children. Gender is most prevalent in historical archaeology. Meanwhile, feminism is rarely mentioned. When women publish on household archaeology, their work is as highly cited as men’s. In terms of citation counts, neither men nor women are punished for focusing on gender. I hope these data encourage archaeologists to submit articles addressing gender to high-impact journals. To more fully integrate gender into our field, US-based archaeologists could address underrepresentation of women authors in journals, reluctance to engage with politics and activism, privileging of quantitative data, academic hiring, and strategic uses of different kinds of journals.

Cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology is a multimillion-dollar industry in Canada and the lead employer for archaeology graduates. Yet, the growth of and the challenges facing the Canadian CRM industry remain poorly documented. We therefore designed and distributed a job satisfaction and labor market survey to Canadian CRM practitioners with the goal of understanding how industry professionals feel about their positions and the health of the industry as well as what they believe are the most pressing challenges facing the Canadian CRM industry. These data indicate that the sector has grown faster than the supply of labor, that owner-operators are faced with difficult challenges related to the staffing required for the scale and volume of work, and that employees in the CRM sector are experiencing frustration with working conditions, compensation, and the preparation that postsecondary training offers. In this article, we attempt to determine the size of the Canadian CRM industry and highlight the challenges faced within the industry that must be addressed for CRM in Canada to attract and retain professional archaeologists.

Legal reforms in California are reshaping archaeological education and professional training in ways that may soon warrant national attention. These changes challenge traditional pedagogical models, particularly in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs that have long served as entry points into cultural resource management (CRM) careers. Drawing on one of the most extensive surveys of CRM organizations in California, this article examines how employers are responding to this evolving landscape. The data reveal a demand for field experience, local familiarity, knowledge of relevant laws, and interpersonal skills. We contextualize these findings within broader efforts to reform training and research models in California and discuss tensions in this shifting terrain. We advocate for a new public archaeology that redefines training and professional pathways through collaboration, accountability, and a deeper commitment to the communities that archaeology serves.

Authorship metrics are a key component of academic advancement. Given recent increases in the publication of collaborative, multiauthored articles, we examine patterns in the perceived gender of authors of peer-reviewed journal articles with five or more coauthors in 11 academic archaeology journals. Our results suggest consistent patterns in lead and last authors and in coauthors. Men are more likely to serve as both lead and last authors and to include far more men than women as coauthors on their publications. We consider the ways gender homophily, friendship networks, and other forms of often unintentional exclusion may have a negative impact on the careers of women and members of other marginalized communities in archaeology and propose recommendations to address these issues within the field. In addition to greater individual reflexivity around coauthorship decisions, we encourage the development of clear guidelines on author ascription by archaeological organizations and publishing outlets and advocate that institutions adopt both total publication and fractional publication counts as measures of individual productivity.

This article examines field experiences across archaeological sectors and demographics through the results of a survey aimed at understanding how the culture of toughness is manifest in archaeological fieldwork through the prevalence of discrimination and pressure to accept inappropriate behaviors and to push oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally. We selected these particular behaviors as they demonstrate ways in which archaeologists perceive expectations and how individuals prove they can endure, that they are tough enough. Our survey data demonstrate that women, noncisgendered, and entry-level archaeologists are the most vulnerable to negative experiences, that the pressure to push beyond one’s limits is universal, and that discrimination and harassment are factors increasingly considered by women as they decide whether to continue in the profession. We argue that many of these rules and social conditions are created and maintained inconspicuously through performative informality which is linked to the discipline’s culture of toughness. Through analysis of our quantitative survey results, we discuss how archaeology’s work culture shapes experiences in the industry and examine avenues for reform to promote equity in archaeology.

Postsecondary education is at the forefront of preparing the next generation of cultural resource management (CRM) practitioners for the workforce. We conducted a study from 2022 to 2023 to gain perspective on improving postsecondary CRM curricula in order to better prepare students for careers in CRM. Our research included semi-structured interviews of nine key consultants with careers in CRM, along with a survey of the broader CRM professional community in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Results from the research identified the necessary skills for new college graduates, areas where CRM programs could improve their curricula, and various approaches in and out of the classroom that are helpful in training students.

Despite improvement over the past few decades, particularly for white, cisgender women, intersectional gender-based inequality remains prominent within anthropological archaeology and beyond. Building on critiques of the leaky pipeline metaphor laid out in the introduction to this themed issue, and drawing on Black, Indigenous, and Posthumanist Feminisms, we advocate for a metaphorical shift focused on care, inclusivity, and diversity—that of a garden. The garden metaphor provides a way to express and explore the complex and intertwined ways disciplinary norms, institutions, and individuals structure and shape experiences in archaeology. After reviewing the garden metaphor and summarizing previous suggestions for improving equity in archaeology, we present recommendations for actionable steps at disciplinary, institutional, supervisory, and individual levels. Drawing on insights from the articles in the issue, as well as existing literature within and beyond archaeology, we argue that a greater emphasis on care, and its integration into the value structure of archaeology, would create a more inclusive discipline.

The field of anthropological archaeology in North America is undergoing significant changes, particularly within academia, with an increased focus on and inclusion of Indigenous perspectives. Concomitant with the reorientation of archaeological practice that centers on Indigenous voices, concerns, and sensibilities is a subsequent reorientation in the training of the next generation of practitioners. This article highlights an example of a collaborative archaeological field school developed by, with, and for the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, and the University of Oregon. We document the long-term use of collaborative field schools to train the next generation of Tribal and non-Tribal archaeologists in archaeological field methods and collaborative research practices with, for, and by Indigenous communities.

This digital review examines how feminist data science can inform, challenge, and reshape archaeological knowledge production in an era of expanding digital data infrastructures. Beginning with a historical analysis of the term “feminist” in American Antiquity, I demonstrate that although feminist perspectives have appeared consistently over four decades, such engagement remains limited in scope. Drawing from this context, I argue that the proliferation of online, publicly accessible archaeological datasets requires renewed feminist and decolonial scrutiny. I situate these challenges within broader conversations around FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles, Indigenous data sovereignty, and moderated openness, highlighting tensions between expanding digital access and resisting colonial datafication. Intersectional feminist data science, particularly the framework proposed by D’Ignazio and Klein (2020), offers actionable principles for confronting inequities embedded within archaeological data structures. I illustrate these principles through a multimodal collaborative project with the Pueblo of Zuni and the Hopi Tribe, which uses film-based storytelling to reframe relationships to ancestral collections and places. The article concludes with a reflection on citation inequities and disciplinary gatekeeping, underscoring how digital data practices can either reproduce or dismantle structural biases. I argue that transforming archaeological data science requires collective courage and sustained commitment to feminist, Indigenous, and community-engaged approaches that expand the inclusivity and ethical integrity of our field.

Community-based archaeology does not always arrange itself cleanly into standard frameworks of practice. As archaeologists, our relationships with communities are situated and emergent. It stands to reason that our methods should be as well. Several years ago, as a graduate student at the start of a community-based project, I remember my anxious desire for a roadmap—a prescribed set of methods that would guide my work with and in community. Actual practice, however, demonstrated that roadmaps have little utility on this type of terrain. Community-based archaeology is rooted in relationship building as much as research design, and relationships push us to reorient how we do (and write about) archaeology. This article examines my on-the-ground and emergent experiences using three methods during a community-based project: (1) working with oral histories as narrative sources, (2) navigating community archives in the field, and (3) learning and applying close-range photogrammetry. I argue that examining how methods emerge and change during community-based projects is a valuable aspect of archaeological practice and that a narrative approach to discussing methodology allows us to interrogate how specific challenges push us to develop creative and interdisciplinary ways to do archaeology with others.

Incorporating intangible aspects of prehistoric experience, including sound, has become increasingly important in rock art research, offering a more comprehensive interpretation of the past. Scholars suggest that the acoustic properties of certain rock art sites may have influenced not only artistic creation but also social and ritual practices. This article presents guidelines for recording, digitizing, and analyzing the acoustic features of open and semi-open rock art sites. The proposed protocol integrates two complementary approaches: a sonic exploration to gather subjective (person-centered) data, and experimental impulse response measurements based on room acoustics principles to obtain quantitative acoustic data. Given the lack of standardized methodologies for characterizing the acoustics of such sites, this protocol aims to enhance the reliability, reproducibility, and comparability of future archaeoacoustic research. By establishing a rigorous framework, it contributes to a deeper understanding of how sound shaped past human experiences.