The discipline of Archaeology is concerned with the recovery, analysis, and interpretation of the material remains of past cultures and societies. It is a unique field of study that comprises Arts and Humanities, the Social Sciences, and Sciences. At UVA, the Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program combines the faculty and resources of several departments. Our undergraduate majors and minors undertake a program of study that combines prehistoric, historic, and Mediterranean archaeology, as well as field methods and hands-on training. Graduate students in Archaeology pursue more focused research through the departments of Anthropology or Art History. The topics of study at UVA can vary widely, ranging from issues of human origins and zooarchaeology to the study of the Classical, Roman, and Medieval Mediterranean; from the structure of ancestral Pueblo societies to colonialism in Virginia; and from the study of the ancient Near East and Pre-Columbian societies to the development of Swahili culture on the East African coast. 

The Archaeology faculty is composed of a group of core faculty, all archaeologists from the Anthropology and Art History departments. Our classes and seminars address many themes of relevance, including households, the landscape, mortuary practices, material culture, and religious ritual. In addition, faculty from Architectural History, History, Religious Studies, Classics, and Environmental Sciences offer many courses of direct relevance. Our On-Grounds and Fieldwork internships enable students to work closely with UVA faculty on research projects and many receive digital archaeology experience. Faculty sponsored field research is conducted in many parts of the world, including in Virginia, the Southwestern United States, the Caribbean, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, East Africa, the Southeastern Inka frontier.

If you would like to declare a major or minor in Archaeology, please contact Tyler Jo Smith, Program Director. 
 
If you are interested in graduate studies in Mediterranean Archaeology, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies in Art and Architectural History and the Program Coordinator. For graduate studies in Anthropological Archaeology, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies.

Archaeology Brown-Bag Workshops sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program provide an informal, interdisciplinary venue for presentations of work in progress by students, faculty, and visiting scholars, and for discussion of developments in the recent archaeological literature. Workshops convene in the conference room on the second floor of Brooks Hall, unless otherwise noted. 

Want to volunteer a talk or discussion topic? Contact Adria LaViolette or Fraser Neiman.

Organized and guest moderated by Dr. Garrett Fesler, these conference-paper length talks were scheduled to appear at the Society for Historical Archaeology's Annual Conference in January 2022. COVID prevented this session from happening live in Philadelphia. We are delighted to bring it to you now via DAACS Conversations.

Please note the format for these talks is slightly different from past DAACS Conversations.  We will host two or three short talks during each Conversation. There will be time after the talks for questions and discussion with the audience. When you register for one talk, you will be registered for all talks given during that Conversation.

Friday, Jan 28th | 12 pm ET Register Here

DAACS Open Academy 
Now Open for Registration
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DAACS Open Academy offers free virtual workshops and classes on a wide range of archaeological topics. In 2021, DAACS Open Academy focuses on teaching participants how to create and work with digital archaeological data.  

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Between the Rotunda and the Corner, just east of Brooks Hall, the new Memorial to Enslaved Laborers rises smoothly from the grass, its concentric rings honoring nearly 5,000 men and women, names known and unknown, who were enslaved at the University of Virginia. ​

Tyler Jo Smith 
Program Director
Fayerweather Hall 318
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Alexandra Shaul
Social Media Manager 
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