The focus of the Archaeology Department is using archaeological remains to interpret the nature and results of human activity in and around New York State, as well as activities in other regions that had an impact on people living in New York. Archaeological research at what would become the New York State Museum began in 1847, when the Board of Regents expanded the State Cabinet of Natural History to include an Historical and Antiquarian Collection. During the 20th century, formative research in archaeology was carried out by Museum staff members such as Arthur C. Parker, William A. Ritchie, Robert E. Funk, and William N. Fenton. Today, an active program of field and collections-based research in Native American and Euro-American archaeology, geoarchaeology, paleoethnobotany, and biological anthropology continues under staff members, museum research associates, and visiting researchers.
Research Departments
Bioarchaeology
CRSP
Historical Archaeology
Native American Archaeology
State Archaeologist
News Articles
Archaeology Staff Receive University at Albany's President's Award
Published May 11, 2016 | Archaeology
New York State Museum Archaeology staff recently received the University at Albany’s President’s Award for Exemplary Public Engagement in recognition of the joint Museum-University archaeological field school at the Pethick Site in Schohaire Count...
Student Profile: Museum Fellow Jordon Loucks
Published January 14, 2016 | Historical Archaeology
Jordon Loucks is a Ph.D student at SUNY Albany and works at the Museum to conduct research for his doctoral program. Jordon's research is focused on early 19th century immigrants in the Northeast United States, with a particular emphasis on Iri...
The Stratigraphy of the Million Dollar Beach Site
Published December 9, 2015 | CRSP
One of the first things archaeologists seek to understand when they are investigating a site is the stratigraphy. This entails both documentary research and ground-truthing through test excavations like shovel test pits (STPs) or small excavation ...
Introduction to Work at the Million Dollar Beach Site
Published December 9, 2015 | CRSP
The Million Dollar Beach Site was identified in August of 2013 during a survey of the area around the DEC parking lot and campground prior to road improvements (see Photo 1). This survey proceeded directly into limited test excavations after the d...
Archaeology Work in Utica
Published June 26, 2015 | CRSP
Since 2012, archaeologists from the State Museum have been working alongside a highway construction project in Utica, uncovering artifacts from the early 19th century. Why? The archaeologists are members of the Cultural Resources Survey Pr...
Recent Acquisition: Long Island Archaeology Collection
Published June 26, 2015 | Historical Archaeology
The State Museum recently acquired an archaeological collection from the former Institute for Long Island Archaeology at Stony Brook University. This collection consists of artifacts from 47 significant archaeological sites, including both pr...
Memory Keepers
Published December 9, 2013 | Archaeology
When former Research and Collections Assistant Director and Curator of Ichthyology Dr. Robert Daniels retired in late 2012, he took with him over 30 years of specialist knowledge of the Museum’s fish collection, as well as key information about th...
Archaeological Discovery at Lake George
Published December 3, 2013 | Native American Archaeology
New York State Museum archaeologists have identified archaeological remains associated with a small Early Archaic camp dating to approximately 8,000 B.C. along the shore of Lake George in Warren County, New York. The site produced bifurcate and Ge...