Resources
List of Topics (many of these links do not include links directly back to the ASV website)Virginia Archeology
New World Archeology
World Archeology
Archeological Publications, Journals, Magazines, and Book-search Services
Archaeological Science - Remote Sensing
Virginia Archeology:
To locate volunteer opportunities sponsored by
museums and historic attractions, please check out
Council of Virginia Archaeologists
The Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA) was founded in 1975 and incorporated in 1996 as an organization dedicated to the preservation and study of Virginia's archaeological resources. The council fosters public awareness, knowledge, and support for the preservation of Virginia archaeology; advances knowledge through dissemination of information on Virginia's archaeological resources; facilitates interaction between the communities of professional and avocational archaeologists in Virginia; and acts as an independent professional advisory group for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
The Virginia Department of Historic Resources maintains information on the Commonwealth's historic architecture and archeological sites. It is the mission of the department to foster, encourage, and support the stewardship of Virginia's significant historic, architectural, archeological, and cultural resources.
Click on the line with DHR Official Survey Manual (PDF) in the yellow box to go to the Guidelines for Conducting Historic Resources Survey in Virginia.These non-regulatory guidelines are implemented and distributed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources
The Secretary of the Interior has developed broad national performance standards and guidelines to assist federal agencies in carrying out their historic preservation activities. These federal standards and guidelines are titled Archeology and Historic Preservation: Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines (48 FR 44716-44742). Professionals working in Virginia have long recognized the need to standardize archeological field investigations. This set of guidelines was established to meet this need and to fill the gap between the broad-based federal guidelines and the various previously published field manuals. The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) guidelines are intended to provide standards and offer general guidance without hindering the development and use of new and innovative approaches.
Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service (FS). PIT volunteers work with professional FS archaeologists and historians on national forests throughout the U.S. on such diverse activities as archaeological survey and excavation, rock art restoration, archival research, historic structure restoration, oral history gathering, and analysis and curation of artifacts. The FS professional staff of archaeologists and historians will be your hosts, guides, and co-workers.
Over the years, volunteers have helped us stabilize ancient cliff dwellings in New Mexico, excavate a 10,000-year-old village site in Minnesota, restore a historic lookout tower in Oregon, clean vandalized rock art in Colorado, survey for sites in a rugged Montana wilderness, and excavate a 19th-century Chinese mining site in Hell's Canyon in Idaho.
New PIT volunteers receive a "Passport" and a PIT Passport number. Each time a volunteer visits a project, the project leader stamps the volunteer's passport and documents their hours. Volunteers for multiple projects can fill up their passports with stamps from projects all over the country!
The Virginia Canals & Navigations Society
The organization was formed in 1977 to preserve and enhance Virginia's rich inland waterways heritage in all its fascinating aspects. History, exploration, archeology, modeling, local lore and legend, restoration, preservation, park and trail development—these are some of the many areas of interest our members pursue to their own great satisfaction and frequently to the lasting benefit of their communities and state.
Virginia's Indians Past & Present
This website offers historical information, lesson plans, bibliographies, and links to tribal home pages. The site includes sections on the Powhatan Indians as well as on topics of early colonial history such as Jamestown and Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions. Much of the information is provided for younger readers, who may be researching class projects. The site is fully searchable and contains an index and sitemap.
Virginia Museum of Natural History
This website offers information on current research, lab activities, volunteer opportunities and information with a focus on studies of Invertebrate Paleontology, Vertebrate Paleontology, Recent Invertebrates, Archaeology, Mammalogy, Marine Science and Geology.
Guide to Virginia's Historical Resources
This website offers historical information on a variety of sites and locations that contain information about Virginia's past, including library and archival sites, as well as sites for kids and families.
Historical Archeology in Harpers Ferry and Loudoun Valley
An online presentation of historical archeology studies supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
A schoolteacher oriented website with emphasis on the greater Richmond, VA area.
New World Archeology
Society for Historical Archaeology
Provides written papers on all aspects of historical archaeology via a newsletter and a journal series—the premier North American historical archaeology publication series.
Society for American Archaeology
Provides written papers on all aspects of prehistorical archaeology via a newsletter and a journal series—the premier North American prehistorical archaeology publication series.
JFA publishes a quarterly journal devoted to field archaeology. JFA is a mix of theoretical and practical application for field and analytical studies in archaeology.
African-American Archaeology, History, and Cultures
This site provides detailed lists of resources related to African American archaeology, cultures, and history, divided into topical and regional sections, including the Mid-Atlantic region and Virginia sites.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archaeological resources. Properties listed on the National Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Maryland Historical Trust was formed in 1961 to assist the people of Maryland in identifying, studying, evaluating, preserving, protecting, and interpreting the state's significant prehistoric and historic districts, sites, structures, cultural landscapes, heritage areas, cultural objects, and artifacts, as well as less tangible human and community traditions. The trust is the principal operating unit within the Division of Historical and Cultural Programs, which is an agency of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland
The Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory's Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland web site has been created to provide an introduction to some of the most significant types of artifacts recovered from archaeological sites in Maryland. Their goal is to assist the professional archaeologist, and anyone else with an interest in Maryland archaeology, to recognize the objects typically found here, and to become familiar with the descriptive terms commonly used in this area. But many of these artifacts have a far broader geographical range than just Maryland, so we hope the web site will be of use to a wide audience.
The Archeological Society of Delaware
The Archeological Society of Delaware (ASD), founded in 1933, is a statewide organization of avocational and professional archeologists devoted to the study and conservation of Delaware archeology.
The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc.
The Archeological Society of Maryland, Inc. (ASM) is a statewide organization of lay and professional archeologists devoted to the study and conservation of Maryland archeology.
North Carolina Office of State Archaeology
This is the state's oldest nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation and study of the state's archaeological past.
West Virginia Archeological Society
WVAS was formed in 1948 for the emergency excavation of due to the threat to and the subsequent destruction of Natrium Mound. The society publishes the West Virginia Archeologists twice a year, has an annual meeting, records sites, assists in fieldwork and has a mission of site protection and dissemination of archaeological information.
West Virginia Division of Culture And History
This is the State Historic Preservation Office with the mission to encourage, inform, support, and participate in the efforts of the people of West Virginia to identify, recognize, preserve and protect West Virginia's prehistoric and historic structures, objects and sites.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex
This is a museum for the Adena period Grave Creek Mound complex. The Grave Creek Mound is the largest Adena mound.
Council for West Virginia Archaeology
This is composed of professional archaeologists working in West Virginia or with research interests here. Nearly all are associated with government agencies or the consulting firms that do much of the actual exploration and excavation required by Federal law.
Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology
CNEHA is dedicated to archaeological scholarship of the historic period in the American Northeast and extends as far south as Virginia.
Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference
MAAC meets annually, in early spring, for three days of papers, discussion groups, special workshops, a business meeting, and, of course, a party to catch up on what all our colleagues have been doing for the past year!
Southeastern Archaeological Conference
The Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC) was founded in response to the tremendous increase in federally funded archaeological work in the Southeast during the 1930s. SEAC was created to allow excavators to quickly share new data with each other and to standardize ceramic types.
Society for Industrial Archeology
The Society for Industrial Archeology (SIA) has a worldwide membership of over 1,800 individuals who have a strong interest in preserving, interpreting, and documenting our industrial past and heritage. Whatever your profession or favorite pursuit, if you share our interest in the industrial past, we welcome you to join us.
National Preservation Institute
The National Preservation Institute (NPI) is a nonprofit organization offering specialized information, continuing education, and professional training for the management, development, and preservation of historic, cultural, and environmental resources.
National Archeological Database: National Park Service's Links to the Past
The National Archeological Database (NADB)—a computerized communications network for the archeological and historic preservation community—is an internationally recognized source of information on public archeology. NADB was established to meet a congressional directive to improve access to information on archeological activities nationwide.
World Archeology
Archaeometry is an international journal covering the involvement of the physical and biological sciences with archeology and art history. The topics covered include dating methods, artifact studies, mathematical methods, remote sensing techniques, conservation science, and the study of man and his environment.
The Society for Archaeological Sciences
The Society for Archaeological Sciences (SAS) was founded to establish a forum for communication among scholars applying methods from the physical sciences to archaeology and to aid the broader archaeological community in assessing the potentials and problems of those methods. The SAS promotes such communication through its distribution of the SAS Bulletin; Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science series; and SASnet, an electronic forum on the Internet.
The Historical Metallurgy Society
The Historical Metallurgy Society (HMS) was founded to establish a forum for communication among scholars interested in the use of metals in the past. The HMS promotes such communication via its electronic forum on the Internet and via a newsletter.
The Association for Industrial Archaeology
The Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) was founded to establish a forum for communication among scholars interested in the archaeology of industry, primarily in the UK and Northern Europe.
Archaeology on the Net Web Ring
Archaeology on the Net Web Ring aims to bring together archaeology-oriented sites on the Internet to provide valuable links to a variety of groups and organizations. If you are running a website related to archaeology, we welcome you to join Archaeology on the Net Web Ring.
ArchNet serves as the World Wide Web's virtual library for archeology. This server provides access to archeological resources available on the Internet. Information is categorized by geographic region and subject.
This page aims to provide a large collection of archaeology-related links on the Internet.
Internet Archaeology is the first fully refereed e-journal for archaeology.
Archeological Publications, Journals, Magazines, and Book-search Services
This site contains links to many archaeological websites and publications, including Archaeology magazine, Discover, Biblical Archaeology Review, Archaeology Odyssey Magazine, and Kids Discover, among others.
Siftings is an eclectic mixture of news, announcements, and documents from participating organizations. Resources include membership forms, calls for papers, preliminary conference programs, back issues of publications, copyright releases, links, and more.
Texas A&M University Anthropology in the News
This website provides links to news stories and press releases published on the web by ABC, CNN, the New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, Nando, Archaeology, universities, and other sources. Some services require that you register and select a password in order to retrieve articles, but none charges a fee to retrieve these news stories.
Archaeological Science - Remote Sensing
This Minnesota based company provides non-invasive high-resolution geophysical surveys for academic and cultural resource management. It provides magnetometer, resistivity, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and full processing services that provide a view of what's underground without having to dig. In addition to site mapping, geophysical survey also guides excavations to those areas best able to answer research design questions. Their work at Falling Creek, VA showed the location of the first blast furnace in the New World.
The Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory is an independent tree-ring dating lab with close links for training with the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, Oxford University, as well as the Scientific Dating Section, English Heritage. It now covers most of Southern England, West Midlands, and Wales. There have also been incursions into France and a respectable group of buildings dated in America, including the Cary Forge at Falling Creek, VA.
Geoscan Research designs and manufactures geophysical instrumentation for both professional and amateur use, including instrumentation used the Falling Creek Ironworks at Falling Creek, VA.
US RADAR manufactures and distributes Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) units used for archaeological work, including artifact location, site feature mapping, graveyard investigations and others.
Beta Analytic performs Carbon14 dating for archaeological specimens.
This page has a summary of information about what can be learned from the study of human teeth and has a list of resources of previous studies.
Please send suggestions for additional links to be posted on this page—
especially for archeology in Virginia—to Lyle Browning.