The Society for Historical Archaeology

What The Society for Historical Archaeology does

The Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) is a U.S.-based non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1967 and incorporated in Pennsylvania on April 1, 1968, that serves as the largest scholarly group dedicated to the archaeology of the modern world (A.D. 1400–present) and the third largest anthropological organization in the United States. It serves professional archaeologists, students, academic institutions, government heritage agencies such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, and cultural resource management firms through individual, institutional, and adjunct membership tiers and the joint annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology held with the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA) under a 2003 Memorandum of Agreement.

SHA's core offerings center on scholarly publishing and member services rather than technology. The portfolio includes the quarterly peer-reviewed Historical Archaeology journal (established 1969), the SHA Newsletter, Special Publications, a Technical Briefs Series, Book Reviews, "Perspectives from SHA," and co-publications distributed through five university presses (Springer, University of Nebraska, University of Florida, University of Alabama, University of Tennessee). Supporting products include the Field School Board, an online Historic Bottle Identification resource, scholarships of $500–$2,000 for field schools and dissertation research, named awards such as the J.C. Harrington lifetime achievement medal (1981) and John L. Cotter early-career award (1998), and a Book Room at the annual conference. SHA operates a small headquarters in Briarcliff Manor, New York under Executive Director Sara Mascia, with a volunteer-led board currently chaired by President Audrey J. Horning (2024–2025) and President-Elect Amanda Evans.

Revenue is generated through annual membership dues set by the board, conference registration fees, publication sales, and donations, with no disclosed equity funding and no paid acquisition or expansion program. Distribution is largely direct via the SHA website (sha.org) and headquarters, supplemented by university press distribution channels and the on-site conference Book Room. The society holds additional standing through accredited NGO status to the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, alongside ACUA, providing international regulatory standing in underwater cultural heritage.

Name

The Society for Historical Archaeology

Legal name

The Society for Historical Archaeology

Website

https://sha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Society for Historical Archaeology is a U.S. non-profit scholarly organization, founded in 1967, that serves professional archaeologists, students, universities, government heritage agencies, and cultural resource management firms through membership, the Historical Archaeology journal, and the joint annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology held with ACUA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scholarly Society

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Historical archaeology
• Scholarly publications
• Professional membership organization
• Academic conferences
• Cultural heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues that provide voting rights, publications, and other membership privileges. Dues are determined by the board of directors and cover individual, institutional, and adjunct membership categories.
2. Conference Fees: Registration fees for the annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology held jointly with the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA).
3. Publications: Revenue from the Historical Archaeology journal, special publications, co-publications with university presses (Springer, University of Nebraska Press, University of Florida Press, University of Alabama Press, University of Tennessee Press), and book sales through the annual conference book room.
4. Donations: The society accepts donations including endowed awards (e.g., Daniel G. Roberts Award was created and endowed by John Milner Associates, Inc. staff). The scholarship program is made possible through generous donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) is a non-profit professional membership organization that promotes scholarly research and education in historical archaeology (A.D. 1400-present). It sells individual, institutional, and adjunct memberships that include access to the quarterly Historical Archaeology journal, special publications, and conference registration, while operating the annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology jointly with the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA). The society also distributes scholarships, awards, and educational resources to professional archaeologists, students, academic institutions, and government agencies.

Product overview

The Society for Historical Archaeology offers a portfolio of scholarly publications, awards, educational resources, and professional development opportunities for members. The core offerings include the quarterly Historical Archaeology Journal, the SHA Newsletter, SHA Special Publications, the Technical Briefs Series, and Co-Publications with major university presses. The society supports students through its Scholarship Program and Field School Board. Professional recognition is provided through multiple awards including the J.C. Harrington Award (lifetime achievement) and John L. Cotter Award (early career). The society also organizes the annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology held jointly with the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SHA Membership Annual membership offering individual, institutional, and adjunct tiers that include voting rights, publications, and society privileges for professional archaeologists, students, and academic institutions.
• Historical Archaeology Journal Quarterly peer-reviewed scholarly journal covering historical archaeology of the modern world (A.D. 1400-present), distributed to members and institutional subscribers.
• Annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology Annual professional conference held jointly with the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology, featuring paper presentations, workshops, networking, and the SHA Book Room.
• SHA Special Publications Specialized monograph and thematic publications on historical archaeology topics beyond the main journal.
• Technical Briefs Series Series of technical briefs providing practical guidance and methodological resources for historical archaeologists.
• Co-Publications with University Presses Co-published scholarly works distributed through Springer Press, University of Nebraska Press, University of Florida Press, University of Alabama Press, and University of Tennessee Press.
• SHA Scholarship Program Field school and dissertation research scholarships for SHA student members, with awards typically ranging from $500 to $2,000 per recipient.
• Historic Bottle Identification Resource Online reference resource for identifying historic bottles, available through the SHA website.
• Readings in Historical Archaeology Curated collection of books offering examples and descriptions of historical archaeology written for non-professional audiences.
• Field School Board Listing of approved archaeological field schools for students seeking hands-on training in historical archaeology methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of operation since 1967, with the first annual meeting held in 1968 in Williamsburg
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology (ACUA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2003ACUA is a separately incorporated, not-for-profit corporation serving as an international advisory body on underwater archaeology, conservation, and submerged cultural resources management. SHA and ACUA work cooperatively through a Memorandum of Agreement signed in July 2003 to advance their mutual commitment to encourage responsible cultural resource stewardship, promote scientific inquiry, and provide knowledge dissemination. Both organizations are accredited NGOs to the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. The two organizations share the annual conference in January.
• Springer PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHA co-publishes scholarly works with Springer Press as part of its publication program, making archaeological research available through this academic publisher.
• University of Nebraska PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHA co-publishes scholarly works with the University of Nebraska Press as part of its publication program for historical archaeology research.
• University of Florida PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHA co-publishes scholarly works with the University of Florida Press as part of its publication program, including dissertation prize publications.
• University of Alabama PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHA co-publishes scholarly works with the University of Alabama Press as part of its publication program.
• University of Tennessee PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSHA co-publishes scholarly works with the University of Tennessee Press as part of its publication program.
• UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural HeritagecoreOthersBoth SHA and ACUA are accredited NGOs to the UNESCO 2001 Convention, providing international standing and regulatory recognition in underwater cultural heritage protection.
• Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHA is a sponsoring organization of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA). SHA members are encouraged to join the RPA and the SHA uses the RPA grievance process for ethics grievances.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Anthropological Association: AAA is the largest anthropological organization in the U.S. and the parent discipline to which SHA belongs (SHA is the third-largest anthropological organization in the U.S.). It is a broader umbrella society that competes for the same dues-paying academic audience.
• National Geographic Society: National Geographic Society is a much larger nonprofit that funds archaeological research, publishes popular archaeology content, and engages the same public audience SHA targets through its Public Links Database and public education resources.

Regional players

• Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology: CNAH is a U.S. regional affiliate focusing on historical archaeology in the Northeast, with overlapping publication and conference activities. It is a regional peer that splits memberships geographically within SHA's core New World emphasis.
• European Association of Archaeologists: EAA is the principal European scholarly society for archaeology, with a similar membership/journal/conference model. It is a regional parallel that competes for international members and an alternative conference venue.
• Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology: Based in the UK, the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology is a regional parallel organization covering a similar timeframe of historical archaeology. It competes for European members and publishing contributions.
• Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology: ASHA is the historical-archaeology-focused parallel organization serving Australia and New Zealand, explicitly cited by SHA as a regional counterpart. It competes for members and attention in the geographic coverage SHA extends to Oceania.

Direct peers

• Society for American Archaeology: The SAA is the largest U.S.-based professional society for archaeology, with overlapping membership in academic and CRM archaeology, a flagship journal (American Antiquity), and an annual meeting. It directly competes with SHA for members, conference attendance, and publishing submissions.
• Register of Professional Archaeologists: RPA is a separately incorporated registration body for professional archaeologists that SHA officially sponsors. It operates in the same professional standards and ethics space as SHA and shares overlapping members.
• World Archaeological Congress: WAC is an international scholarly organization that holds a major biennial congress and serves a similar academic and CRM member base. It is a global peer competing for international archaeology scholars and conference participation.
• Archaeological Institute of America: AIA is a North American nonprofit membership organization for archaeological research and education, operating a similar dues+journal+annual-meeting model. Although it focuses more on classical archaeology, it competes for the same institutional and academic members as SHA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sha_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/SocietyforHistoricalArchaeology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/society-for-historical-archaeology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Society for Historical Archaeology