Archaeological Services is a research center based in the Anthropology Department and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. During the past fifteen years, we have conducted more than $5,000,000 dollars of projects and provided technical assistance to agencies as diverse as the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Indiana County, township planning commissions, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Pittsburgh District, and the Allegheny National Forest. We are fully staffed to conduct field and laboratory projects with personnel computers; GPS units; and geophysical instruments, including Ground Penetrating Radar, magnetometers, gradiometers, magnetic susceptibility instruments, and electrical resistivity; a Nikon Total Data Station; and Arc View and Map Info software mapping packages. We are located in McElhaney Hall on the IUP campus.
Why Archaeology?
Archaeological sites are the reservoir of more than 15,000 years of Pennsylvania history, from the first Paleo-Indians at the end of the Ice Age to the European settlers who carved their farms and lives into Pennsylvania’s woods. More than 14,000 archaeological sites exist in the state in urban areas, and these sites are threatened by destruction each day as society marches forward.
While archaeological sites contain important information about Pennsylvania’s heritage, most Pennsylvanians are not even aware of their presence. To protect sites, the state and federal governments have passed laws which affect those who may need federal or state funding for projects, permits for construction or mining, or development grants.
Archaeological sites are a hidden resource, one that needs to be preserved. Archaeologists provide this service and, in addition, provide the public with an understanding of the past and, in turn, a valuable connection to it. If we don’t know where we came from, how can we understand where we are going?
