Current Project
Our archaeologists are in the middle of a 5-year exploration of Custis Square, the 4-acre pasture on across from the Art Museums where the 18th-century home and gardens of John Custis IV once stood. Learn more about the project here.
Visit the Archaeologists
Come behind the fence for a closer look at current excavations, tour our labs where much of the discovery takes place, or find out more about what our latest projects have revealed.
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Rubbish, Treasures, and Colonial Life: The Archaeology Labs
View archaeological artifacts in the setting in which they're studied, and learn about the archaeological staff's current research.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Rediscover Custis Square
Take a guided tour through Custis Square and talk with archaeologists in the field about the current archaeological investigations at John Custis IV’s 4-acre home and early 18th century gardens.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Custis Square Community Open House
Archaeological site tours and hands-on activities at the Custis Square Archaeological site. See artifacts uncovered and take guided tours throughout the day.
Open to the Public
What Our Archaeologists Do
Digging is just one aspect of how archaeologists learn about the past, its people, and its places. Our archaeological researchers are a multidisciplinary team that includes field archaeologists, anthropologists, curators, and environmental specialists.
Field Research
Archaeologists continue to explore Williamsburg's 301-acre Historic Area more than 85 years after the first excavations began at the site of the Capitol. This work fuels new research, producing the data to examine 17th- and 18th-century life from fresh perspectives.
Our archaeologists can be found in the field year-round, but most frequently during the summer.
Lab Research
Once out of the ground, artifacts are taken to the archaeological lab where they are washed, cataloged, analyzed, and interpreted. In addition to their focus on artifacts from recent excavations, our curators return frequently to previously excavated sites to ask new questions. Zooarchaeology and environmental studies are important components of our lab research program.
Located on the edge of the Historic Area, Colonial Williamsburg's archaeological lab is home to a collection of more than 20 million artifacts—and counting. This collection is a valuable resource for Colonial Williamsburg staff, archaeology students, and outside scholars.
Areas of Investigation
Together, Colonial Williamsburg's archaeological lab and field staff examine topics that take us beyond the boundaries of individual sites. These areas of research are dynamic; they shift and expand as new questions arise. Some of the general areas in which our archaeologists have focused are:
- Archaeology of the enslaved
- Foodways research
- Environmental archaeology
- 17th-century settlement
- Garden archaeology
