Established: 1967
Joined System: 1977
Phone: (479) 575-3556
archeology.uark.edu

At a Glance
The mission of the Arkansas Archeological Survey is to study, document and protect the more than 13,000-year archeological heritage of Arkansas, to preserve and manage information and collections from archeological sites, and to communicate what is learned to the people of the state.  The survey has 10 research stations across Arkansas, each with a full-time Ph.D. archeologist associated with regional higher education institutions and state parks.  To find your local station, click here. Our archeologists conduct research, record sites, assist other state and federal agencies, and are available to local officials, amateur archeologists, landowners, educators, and students in need of information about archeology or archeological sites. The Survey’s Coordinating Office located at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, houses the administrative and support staff of the Survey, the Registrar who assigns archeological site numbers and curates artifacts and records from around the state, the State Archeologist, and other specialists like the Survey’s Education Outreach Coordinator, Science and Technology Administrator, Commercial Graphic Artist, Cemetery Preservation Specialist, and Publications Editor.

Points of Pride

• The Arkansas Archeological Survey is one of the oldest and most respected programs of its kind anywhere in the nation, acknowledged as a leader in public archeology.
• Research activities over the past year included development of a virtual museum featuring 3D models of artifacts from the Arkansas Archeological Survey and University of Arkansas museum, giving the public and researchers more access to collections spanning archeology, art, ethnography, geology, paleontology, zoology, and University of Arkansas history; development of an interactive website documenting Caddo pottery from the JEC Hodges Collection, a significant historical collection of Native American artifacts from Caddo and Quapaw Indian sites in the Middle Ouachita River Valley and Arkansas County; publication of books on Caddo mound sites in west-central Arkansas, the history and archeology of Arkansas Indians, and the history of watercraft and water transport in Arkansas. A full listing of available publications is here.
• The Survey’s state-of-the-art computer databases provide online access to information on over 50,000 archeological sites and over 7800 projects to state and federal agencies, private firms and Native American tribes involved in preserving cultural resources in Arkansas.
• Survey staff taught college classes at seven colleges and universities across the state to undergraduate and graduate students; provided lectures and demonstrations to thousands of public school students and teachers; and gave some 50 public lectures across the state reaching thousands of Arkansans of all ages.