Archaeology

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The Office of the State Archaeologist serves as the center of disciplinary expertise in state government.

As dictated in Official Code of Georgia Annotated Sections 12-3-52, 12-3-80, and others the Office of the State Archaeologist has several duties including issuing permits for archaeological research on State owned lands and helping to coordinate the final resting place for burials that have been inadvertently disturbed.

We work closely with agencies and organizations both inside and outside state government. Some of our most important public partners are the Society for Georgia Archaeology, the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists, the Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, and the Georgia Archaeological Site File. The Office of the State Archaeologist provides assistance to the public, offering technical advice, information, and educational opportunities related to archaeology.

General Archaeology Information
Frequently Asked Questions

What we do:

External Resources

Classroom speakers
If you are interested in having an archaeologist come speak to school students, contact a professional archaeologist in your part of the state or check with a nearby university for an available archaeologist or anthropologist. Due to staff and time constraints, our office is unable to respond to all the requests we receive for classroom presentations. A directory of professional archaeology firms you may contact is available in our Consultants Directory. Also, contact the Society for Georgia Archaeology, the state-wide volunteer archaeology organization.
American Indians in Georgia
Georgia is home to thousands of American Indians today, even though there are no large tracts of land reserved for Indian groups in Georgia, such as in some western states. The State of Georgia formally recognizes three tribes under Official Code of Georgia Section 44-12-300. The Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns was formed under Code Section 44-12-280 and is active in current Indian affairs in Georgia. There are two state-owned historic sites associated with the Cherokee Indians: New Echota and Chief Vann House. Other state parks with prehistoric resources: Etowah Indian Mounds, Kolomoki Mounds Historic Park, and Fort Mountain.
Report an Archaeological Site
The Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) is the official repository for information about known archaeological sites in Georgia from all periods of prehistory and history. Located on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, the GASF maintains a website containing the form to fill out to report a site and other information: archaeology.uga.edu/site-forms or contact the office at: The Georgia Archaeological Site File, UGA Laboratory of Archaeology, 110 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602-4702, phone: (706) 542-8737, gasf@uga.edu
Web Resources and National Archaeology Organizations
· The Archaeology Channel
· The New Georgia Encyclopedia
· The Society for Georgia Archaeology
· The Archaeological Institute of America
· The Society for American Archaeology
· American Cultural Resources Association