Our Mission:
(1) Inquiring into the nature of human societies and the development of archaeological methods through cutting edge research;
(2) Preserving and curating qualified archaeological collections and records for future study;
(3) Facilitating research for qualified individuals from around the world who wish to study the collections;
(4) Train archaeology students in experiential learning settings in both the field and laboratory;
(5) Making archaeology more accessible to descendant communities and the general public;
(6) Service to the state of Georgia
The Laboratory is part of the University of Georgia, Department of Anthropology, which has the only Ph.D. program in anthropology with a focus in archaeology in the state of Georgia. Click here for history of the Laboratory. As the flagship institution in the state, the University of Georgia’s Laboratory of Archaeology produces significant scholarly work on the history of Georgia’s people. This research has appeared in the top journals and university presses in the world. Faculty and staff at the Laboratory have produced works that enrich not only scholarly understanding but also public awareness of the deep histories of Georgia—some 14,000 years.
Exceeding the Standard
The Laboratory of Archaeology meets Federal standards (36CFR79 and Antiquities Act of 1906) for archaeological curation and is compliant with all state and federal laws. The Laboratory of Archaeology also adheres to standard curation guidelines established by the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists as well as standards of all state and federal agencies.
Preserving Georgia's Past
The Laboratory works closely with descendant communities who have ancestral and cultural ties to the collections that we steward. Please click here for more information on our descendant community engagement.
The Laboratory also works in concert with the Georgia Museum of Natural History, which holds one of the largest museum collections associated with a university in the United States. In addition, the Laboratory of Archaeology is home to the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF). Currently, there are over 60,000 cultural sites recorded in Georgia. The site file curates the site forms and CRM reports (over 14,000) that contain information about these cultural sites including cultural periods and information relating to the National Register of Historic Places.