Research
William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, a former capital of the Colony of Virginia. Williamsburg is also part of a nucleus of adjacent English colonial settlements, which includes Jamestown and Yorktown, referred to collectively as the "Historic Triangle". The historical and archaeological resources in this area are ample and provide varied opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students such as chances for field experience and independent research. Many students in fact work with local institutions like the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Jamestowne Rediscovery, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Our department also partners with The National Historical Park (NPS) as well as federal and state archaeological agencies.
In addition to external opportunities, students can work with our collection of pre-colonial and modern assemblages, and our comparative osteological collections. Students can also consult the collections of Swem Library and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Our faculty also maintain pre-colonial and colonial period archaeology and bioarchaeology research laboratories in which students are trained in the identification and analysis of material and human remains.
We sponsor two Research Centers. W&M is home to two other centers that do anthropological research.
American Indian Resource Center (AIRC)
Institute for Historical Biology (IHB)
