Virginiaís prehistoric and historic places span more than 16,000 years, from early Native American sites, colonial settlements, African American history, Civil War battlegrounds, to special neighborhoods and significant buildings of the 20th century. As the state repository for archaeological collections our mission is to care for the artifacts recovered from more than 850 archaeological sites representing Virginia's prehistory and history.
The departmentís Archaeological Collections Management Program encompasses artifact preservation, conservation, cataloging, long-term curation, exhibit services, and technical assistance. Among the services offered are conservation consultation, long-term curation agreements, and technical advice. Special arrangements can be made with the curator for loans to qualified institutions for research and exhibit. Contact Dee DeRoche, Chief Curator, or by phone at (804) 482-6441.
Educational programs administered by the program include class tours of the facility and collections, the ARK (Archaeology Resource Kit), which is available for teachers to use in the classroom, and the Teacherís Guide to Virginia Archaeology available free of charge. For further information and scheduling, please contact Dee DeRoche, Chief Curator, or by phone at (804) 482-6441.
Division of State Archaeology, Collections:
Regional Archaeology Programs:
Most of the department’s archaeological survey, field, and technical assistance activities are conducted from our regional offices. If you have questions pertaining to local archaeology, need help identifying or managing an archaeological site, or need educational information or speakers about area archaeology, contact the archaeologist who serves your region:
(To identify your region by county, go to this map: