Archaeology Resources at the University of Florida
The Laboratory of Southeastern Archaeology (LSA) is dedicated to the archaeology of prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the American Southeast, with current emphases on the middle Savannah and St. Johns River valleys.
The Land Use and Environmental Changes Institute GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Remote Sensing Lab has state-of-the-art facilities (computers, GIS software, scanners, printers, digitizer) to allow for the spatial analysis of data collected from Earth-observing remote sensing platforms and field studies in order to study land use/land cover change and long-term climatic changes. Open to all students and facult y, it is designed to promote interdisciplinary studies in climate-environment-human interactions.
The Zooarchaeology Lab is dedicated to the identification and analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites. Graduate and advanced undergraduates may use the lab to conduct analyses of faunal remains. The lab houses a number of comparative skeletons of modern animals and teaching specimens that are for use in both graduate (Zooarchaeology ANG 5126) and undergraduate education (Introduction to Zooarchaeology ANT 3126). Current projects in the lab include the analyses of Pre-Columbian material from the Tibes Ceremonial Center, Puerto Rico and 18th century material from the San Saba presidio located in Central Texas.
The Mesoamerican Archaeology and Iconography Lab provides space and resources for graduate and undergraduate student projects. Its special mission is the creation of a data-based archive of digitized images of artworks and architecture of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, beginning with Olmec (Formative period) monuments and portable objects. A second major focus is the analysis of spatial patterns and regional and long-term studies of Mesoamerican archaeology, with plans to closely integrate with the university's GIS resources.
Archaeological Field Schools
Students concentrating in archaeology are strongly encouraged to take an archaeological field school. A good field school should offer training in both field and laboratory methods. The University of Florida offers 3 different field schools on a rotating basis: Historical St. Augustine (Dr. Kathleen Deagan), Southeastern Prehistory (Dr. Ken Sassaman), and African-American Archaeology at Kingsley Plantation (Dr. James M. Davidson). The anthropology department will also accept credit from field schools offered by other universities. The American Anthropological Association (AAA) publishes an annual listing of field schools in February.
St. Johns Archaeological Field School
Kingsley Plantation National Park
