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{General info on Nebraska Archaeology}

Archaeology v. Archeology

You may notice that throughout this site, we generally spell archaeology with an ‘ae’, even though a number of agencies and organizations, including the Nebraska Association of Professional Archeologists, spell it without the extra ‘a’. Because of the variation in spelling between organizations in Nebraska, the official spelling for Archaeology Month and this site was put to a vote in 2014 by members of the archaeological community in Nebraska, and the ‘ae’ won out!

Still, why the discrepancy?
The ‘e’ spelling came about after the US Government Printing Office opted to economize by eliminating the ligatured ‘ae’ in all words that previously required it, and replacing the ligature with an ‘e’ in pronunciation and spelling. Thus, archaeology became archeology at government agencies (i.e. Midwest Archeological Center). Some academic institutions chose to follow suit, although the majority retained the ‘ae’ spelling (the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and its students use the ‘ae’). Although there is no set standard, organizations that are typically ‘academic’ in nature, such as museums and universities, use archaeology most often, while government and cultural resource management groups typically use the archeology spelling!

Visit the Society for American Archaeology’s page on the topic for more information!

Cover Photo: Site 25LC1, Nebraska State Historical Society