Guide to Federal Archaeology Web Sites

Laws

Federal Archaeology Laws

http://www.arch.dcr.state.nc.us/fedlaws.htm

This web site is provided by the North Carolina Archaeology Home Page. The site provides an excellent overview of the major federal laws that pertain to archaeology. 

US Cultural Protection Legislation

http://archnet.asu.edu/archnet/topical/crm/crmusdoc.html

This site contains less narrative explanations then the site mentioned above, but is deeper in scope, better maintained (e.g., no dead links), and linked to archived copies of legislation. ArchNet, the nonprofit organization that produces this site, has a reputation for being a good source for online archaeology data.

General

National Register of Historic Places

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/index.htm

The National Register is a list of U.S. cultural properties that have been deemed worthy of preservation. Properties include buildings, archaeological sites, landscapes, battlefields, bridges, etc. The site has excellent search functions and even provides travel itineraries for trips to historical sites.

National Archaeological Database (NADB)
http://www.cast.uark.edu/other/nps/nadb/

NADB is a resource containing information on public archaeology. The “reports” section of this site contains over 240,000 archaeology reports, many of them being of limited circulation (gray-literature). The maps portion of this site contains maps (GIS data) of various cultural property densities.

Smithsonian--Department of Anthropology
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/outrch1.html
The Smithsonian’s Department of Archaeology provides a variety of educational leaflets and bibliographies covering anthropology and archaeology.
 

Bureau of Land Management--Anasazi Heritage Center

http://www.co.blm.gov/ahc/hmepge.htm

This web site features information about the Anasazi Heritage Center, which is dedicated to the Pueblo people who lived in the four corners region of the American Southwest. The site also features the BLM's Project Archaeology Heritage Archaeology Program (http://www.blm.gov/heritage/project_archaeology.htm), which is aimed at young people in an attempt to teach them a greater understanding of cultural resources. According to the site the BLM manages approximately 5 million prehistoric and historic properties.

The National Anthropological Archives  (NAA)

http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/

The NAA collects a variety of materials (field notes, maps, recordings) from all the fields of anthropology (archaeology, ethnology, linguistics, and physical anthropology). The collection is made up of materials from the Smithsonian's early work with native North Americans, the Smithsonian's Department of Anthropology,  the Bureau of American Ethnology, the U.S. National Museum's Division of Ethnology and its Division of Physical Anthropology, and a number of other organizations.

National Park Service--Links to the Past-Archaeology *Highly Recommended*
http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology.htm
This is, perhaps, the most complete archaeology site produced by the federal government. The National Park Service is the primary government agency responsible for archaeological matters. The NPS preserves over 60,000 archaeological sites and provides extensive educational and regulatory information on its site.

NASA--Archaeology
http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/archeology/
Who would have thought NASA would be involved with archaeology? This site explains NASA’s application of remote sensing technology in archaeological investigations.

Department of the Navy--Underwater Archaeology Branch

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg12.htm
This very interesting site is dedicated to the archaeology and preservation of US. Navy ships and airplane wrecks. The site contains information on policy, conservation, text resources, and examples of some historic navy wrecks.

Passport in Time (PIT)

http://www.passportintime.com/

Passport in Time is an archaeological volunteer program sponsored by the USDA Forest Service. PIT provides excellent opportunities for those who would like to participate in "real" archaeological excavation.
 

Print

Many archaeological sources are accessible only in paper. One way to find these is to use the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. Coverage begins in 1994.

http://catalog.gpo.gov/F/

Library of Congress Collections Overviews - Social Sciences-ANTHROPOLOGY, ARCHAEOLOGY and ETHNOLOGY

http://www.loc.gov/acq/devpol/colloverviews/anthropo.html

This site provides a brief statement discussing the scope, size, strengths and weaknesses of the archaeological holdings of the Library of Congress.

In the Dewey Decimal Classification system archaeology can be found in the 930s.

In the Library of Congress Classification system anthropology can be can be found in the GNs, and prehistoric archaeology can be found specifically in GN700-890.

Specific Archaeology Sites

Archaeology at Andersonville

http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/andearch.htm

During the American Civil War, the Andersonville prisoner of war camp held thousands of Union prisoners. Largely due to the poor conditions of the camp, almost 13,000 prisoners died there during the 15 months the prison was open. This site, provided by the NPS Southeast Archeological Center,documents the historical and archaeological record of the camp.

The Five Points Site

http://r2.gsa.gov/fivept/fphome.htm

This site describes the historical and archaeological investigations of the "Five Points" slum in New York City. This site provides a good example of historical and urban archaeology. The web site does an excellent job at showing the importance of historical archaeology in the interpretation of the past.

Travis Dolence

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
created 5/1/02, links checked 10/29/02