Welcome to the Wake Forest University Archaeology Laboratory!
The Wake Forest University Archaeology Laboratory has been a leader in archaeological research and education in North Carolina for more than 45 years. We remain committed to our mission of conducting innovative and collaborative archaeological research that contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge about the past, providing exceptional professional training and research opportunities to students, and benefitting community through relevant, publicly-engaged archaeology and stewardship. Our current laboratory facility on the Reynolda Campus was designed and constructed in 1982, and a major renovation was completed in 2010. Dr. Paul Thacker has served as the Director of the Laboratory since 2003.
The Wake Forest University Archaeology Laboratory, a program within the WFU Department of Anthropology, currently partners with or has active collaborative research projects with numerous museums, historic sites, local governments, and state and federal agencies. Recent projects have included investigations of archaeological sites documenting prehistoric Native American lifeways, the French and Indian War in North Carolina, the settlement of the Carolina Backcountry, the Revolutionary War in North Carolina and Virginia, and Civil War military sites in North Carolina. Our research teams have investigated a wide range of historic sites that record the important past experiences of African-American, Moravian, and Native-American communities in the Piedmont. Our Collections Repository preserves artifact collections from archaeological sites across the Carolinas, including important research assemblages from U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and State of North Carolina lands. Our faculty and students facilitate and participate in outreach and education programs that demonstrate the importance of archaeology for everyone. Join us in efforts to understand and preserve the past!