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 lab

    Bioarchaeology

  • black and white photo man sitting in ground

    Cultural Resource Survey Program (CRSP)

  • Historical Archaeology

    Historical Archaeology

  • Archaeologist outside photo

    Native American Archaeology

  • Christina Reith

    State Archaeologist

News Articles

Onondaga and Empire (cover)

New Publication: Onondaga and Empire; An Iroquoian People in an Imperial Era

Published January 8, 2021 | Archaeology

Just released! The NYSM has published the latest volume in the Bulletin Series entitled, Onondaga and Empire; An Iroquoian People in an Imperial Era. As author James W. Bradley notes, the publication “continues the story of the Onondaga, central nation in the League of the Five Nations...

Excavation Site showing Stone Foundation and Drain Pipe

New Acquisition: West Family Farm Shaker Archaeological Collection

Published January 6, 2021 | Historical Archaeology

Ann Lee founded the first communal settlement of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, commonly known as the Shakers, in Watervliet New York in 1776. Lee died in 1784, but the community she established continued until 1915. Archaeological excavations at the West family...

Painting: "Still Life with Fruit" by Pieter Claesz (1644)

Newly identified - and edible! Re-analyzed privy soil yields increases knowledge of New Netherland diet

Published November 17, 2020 | Historical Archaeology

Archaeologists can glean a tremendous amount of information from soil sediments collected at archaeological sites. Pollen grains, phytoliths, seeds, and other remnant plant material can survive for thousands of years below ground under the right conditions. These data allow for the...

Here are some examples of Native American projectile points in the recently donated McVaugh collection.

The McVaugh Donation: Insights on Hudson Valley Indigenous History

Published November 2, 2020 | Native American Archaeology

Over the years, the NYSM has received donations of some very large archaeological collections numbering hundreds of thousands of specimens, but small collections can also be important accessions. Born in 1909, Roger McVaugh grew up on his parents’ small hog farm north of Kinderhook, Columbia...

Here are some examples of Native American projectile points in the recently donated McVaugh collection.

The McVaugh Donation: Insights on Hudson Valley Indigenous History

Published November 2, 2020 | Native American Archaeology

Over the years, the NYSM has received donations of some very large archaeological collections numbering hundreds of thousands of specimens, but small collections can also be important accessions. Born in 1909, Roger McVaugh grew up on his parents’ small hog farm north of Kinderhook, Columbia...

19th-century wine bottle fragment excavated at the Shaker Settlement, Watervliet, NY

Rare collection of 19th-century Shaker "not-so-pure" household objects acquired by NYSM Historical Archaeology collection

Published July 14, 2020 | Historical Archaeology

Ann Lee founded the first communal settlement of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, commonly known as the Shakers, in Watervliet New York in 1776. Lee died in 1784 but the community she established continued until 1915. Archaeological excavations at the...

A piece of grape shot (left) and an exploded mortar bomb (right) recovered during scientific excavation at the Lake George Battlefield Park

New acquisition: archaeological collection resulting from 3 field seasons at Lake George Battlefield Park

Published June 24, 2020 | Historical Archaeology

The NYSM Historical Archaeology Collections now includes artifacts from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 excavations at the Lake George Battlefield Park in Lake George, New York. David Starbuck, who conducted the first professional archaeology in the park in 2000 and 2001 (the artifacts recovered during...

Magnetic susceptibility results overlaid with surface artifact locations show a strong correlation between finds and MS "hot spots"

Controlled surface artifact collection combined with magnetic susceptibility yields tantalizing results

Published April 6, 2020 | Historical Archaeology

The New York State Museum, in collaboration with the Open Space Institute and Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Tribal Preservation Office, recently completed a controlled surface artifact collection and a magnetic susceptibility survey (MS) at the location of a tenant house owned by former Albany...

Volunteers Sue S. and Neil W. pause during block excavations at the OPS Site, July 10, 2019

NYSM Archaeologists Return for Fifth Field Season at OPS Paleoindian Site

Published April 6, 2020 | Native American Archaeology

In July and September 2019, NYSM archaeologists and volunteers conducted their fifth season of excavations at the OPS Paleoindian site in Madison County. Discovered in 2015, the OPS site has yielded stone fluted points of the Crowfield "style," indicating an early Native American encampment...

Spoil heap (also known as a backdirt pile) as it was seen in May 2019 at the Lake George Courtland Street Burial Ground

Bioarchaeology at the Courtland Street Burying Ground

Published December 19, 2019 | Bioarchaeology

When a historic unmarked cemetery was found during construction in Lake George, New York last winter, it was presumed to date to the mid-18th century French and Indian War. The discovery of a regimental button from the First Pennsylvania Battalion however placed the cemetery at the time of the...

Several shell buttons were also recovered from the Ten Broeck Mansion outer kitchen excavation; this one shown has two holes

Collaborative field schools completed at Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood

Published December 19, 2019 | Historical Archaeology

Archaeologists from the New York State Museum and the University of Albany completed two collaborative field schools in Historical Archaeology at the Ten Broeck Mansion, located in Albany, NY's Arbor Hill neighborhood during the summers of 2017 and 2018. These excavations concentrated on...

Examples of Paleoindian artifacts from the OPS site. A: fluted point with impact fracture; B: Endscraper, hafted tool likely used for hide working for skin clothing manufacture; C: Hafted perforator for working bone or wood; D: Graver, delicate hand-held

Owlville Pine South (OPS) Archaeological Site Owners Donate Paleoindian Artifacts to NYSM

Published December 19, 2019 | Native American Archaeology

In June 2015, avocational archaeologists Mike Beardsley and Mark Clymer were surveying for Native American archaeological sites on farm property owned by Tom and Joyce Bush in central New York. Walking across their fields, Mike spied a large scraping tool of chert. Days later, he discovered a...

Dr. Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology (left) and Marty Pickands, retired museum archaeologist (right) overlooking excavation by SUNY Albany field school students -- photo by Derek J. Healey

Curator's research at Albany, NY archaeological sites featured in latest issue of national magazine

Published December 21, 2018 | Historical Archaeology

The museum's curator of historical archaeology, Michael Lucas, and project manager of The Archaeology of Slavery in the Hudson Valley, is featured in the Winter 2018-19 issue of...

Lafayette Plate

Political engagement, social class and patriotic symbols in early 19th-century New York

Published December 20, 2018 | Historical Archaeology

Historical archaeology is a multidisciplinary field combining written historical records with archaeological data to study places, objects and issues of the past. In North America, historical archaeology begins with European colonization. One of the issues -- highly relevant to present day North...

OPS excavation crew, September 20, 2018

NYSM Archaeologists Return for Fourth Field Season at OPS Paleoindian Site

Published October 25, 2018 | Native American Archaeology

In September, NYSM archaeologists completed the 2018 excavations at the OPS Paleoindian site in Madison County, New York. The OPS site has yielded fluted points of the Crowfield "style," indicating an early Native American encampment dating to the late Ice Age, circa 12,000-11,600 years ago....

Detail of Suffern Rockshelter pot

NYSM Receives Donation of James Vieth Artifact Collection

Published October 25, 2018 | Native American Archaeology

From the 1930s through the early 1960s, avid avocational archaeologist Dr. James Vieth collected and conducted test excavations on Native American archaeological sites, most often in Rockland County, southeastern New York. His son, James Vieth Jr., accompanied his father on many of these field...

Archaeology Open House 2016

Archaeology Exposed: NYSM Open House at Schuyler Flatts a Success

Published July 6, 2016 | Archaeology

Archaeologists with the New York State Museum are working at Schuyler Flatts in Albany County to learn more about life along the Hudson River hundreds of years ago and how Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans left their marks in the form of artifacts and building foundations. On Saturday,...

University at Albany Presidential Award

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 County, New York. New York State Archaeologist,...

Man in collection area

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 Irish immigrants. "A typical day for me at the...

Million Dollar Beach Site

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 units. At its most basic, stratigraphy is...

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