Research
 Photo: Mark Horton
Later Zanzibar Archaeology Project (LZAP) |
Adria LaViolette LZAP, or the Later Zanzibar Archaeology Project, is a collaboration between Adria LaViolette, Neil Norman (William & Mary), and Abdallah Ali (Zanzibar Antiquities), to examine the early European colonial period in the Zanzibar countryside. It focuses on two walled Portuguese ‘farmsteads’ in northwest Zanzibar, built to manage attempts at commercial agriculture, as well as the immediately surrounding countryside of Swahili settlements. They are studying the kinds of interactions between Swahili and Portuguese people taking place in the 15th-16th centuries that are discernible from the archaeological record. Although ultimately the Portuguese failed at colonizing this region in these centuries, their efforts signaled the beginning of Arab and European colonization of eastern Africa and other Indian Ocean regions. This work builds on Prof. LaViolette’s ongoing research into Swahili life, 7th-15th centuries CE, and opens up new questions about the less well-examined, last 500 years of Swahili archaeology. Archaeological research featuring the last few centuries is of great interest to local communities and visitors on Zanzibar, and thus this project includes heritage management conservation and education in cooperation with local heritage and archaeological authorities. Contact: Adria LaViolette 3D Greek Vases | Tyler Jo Smith
The 3D Greek Vase Scanning and Printing Project (3DGV) brings together faculty, staff, and students at the University of Virginia to create scale replicas of the Greek vases in the collection of the Fralin Museum of Art using rapid prototyping technologies. Beginning in January 2015 as the brainchild of Professor Tyler Jo Smith and undergraduate engineering student Gregory Lewis, the project has since grown into a collaborative effort between the archaeology program, the UVa Library System, the UVa Engineering School, and the Fralin Museum, and has been featured in numerous articles, talks, and conferences, both at UVa and across the country.
Contact: Prof. Tyler Jo Smith Monticello | Fraser D. Neiman
The Department of Archaeology is dedicated to studying and preserving Monticello's archaeological record, and to deciphering its meaning through comparative research. Historical topics of special focus in the Department's fieldwork include landscape history and slavery, both at Monticello and in the Chesapeake region. The Department is home to the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery, an Internet-based initiative designed to foster collaborative research and data sharing among archaeologists. The Department also houses extensive artifact collections from past and ongoing archaeological fieldwork at Monticello.
Contact: Monticello Archaeology Flowerdew Hundred | University of Virginia Library
Featuring archaeological artifacts excavated at Flowerdew Hundred, a historic site on the James River, this exhibit presents material evidence of Virginia's early inhabitants: Native American pottery sherds; arms and armor used to defend the new colony; refined, imported wares from Europe; and American-made goods, including items manufactured by African Americans.
Contact: Meg Kennedy - Project Coordinator 
Insurgent Artifacts | Fiona Greenland
Insurgent Artifacts studies the exploitation of archaeological materials in areas of armed conflict, with a particular interest in the Syrian civil war. Artifacts were systematically damaged by the Islamic State as part of its propaganda campaign against secular learning and pre-Islamic civilizations. They were also damaged via systematic looting of archaeological sites, a practice undertaken by several insurgent groups in the region. This project seeks to break new theoretical ground by asking whether artifact exploitation correlates with direct violence against civilian populations. Students with interest in archaeology, sociology, anthropology, and political science are particularly welcome to inquire about research opportunities. Contact: Fiona Greenland |
Kotroni Archaeological Survey Project (KASP) | Anastasia Dakouri Hild
Beginning in summer 2019, the Kotroni Archaeological Survey Project (KASP), led by Dr Anastasia Dakouri-Hild was launched as a collaboration between the Ephorate of Antiquities of East Attica and the Irish Institute for Hellenic Studies at Athens with the friendly agreement of the Athens University excavations. Details about the site and the project are available at: https://afidna.org/ Contact: Prof. Anastasia Dakouri-Hild Proyecto Arqueológico Samaipata |
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