If you venture into the basement of Combs Hall, you’ll find a large room at the end of the hall with a wide fish-tank-like window. This space is the UMW Historic Preservation Department’s Archaeology Laboratory (Combs 012) and is a dynamic space for teaching, volunteering, and analysis. Dr. Katharine Parker, Associate Professor of Historic Preservation, is the Archaeology Lab Director and oversees all of the lab’s operations, volunteers, and two Student Aides.
This year, Makayla Bowman (Anthropology & Historic Preservation majors, Museum Studies minor, ‘26) and Jackson Daniels (Historic Preservation major, GIS certificate, ‘26) are the 2025-2026 Archaeology Lab Aides. Regarding a day-in-the-lab, if large boulders, hidden traps, and Indiana Jones came to mind, you’d be a little off the mark. However, on any given day, the Lab Aides could be repairing a broken glass vessel, pulling artifacts from the study collection to use in a class, inputting artifact data into a digital database, or working with volunteers to wash and rebag archaeological material.
“I love working in the lab! I hope to do this kind of analysis after I graduate, so getting the hands-on experience while in undergrad is such a special opportunity. One of my favorite parts about working in the lab is getting to share my love for archaeology with other curious, like-minded peers!” – Makayla Bowman (‘26)
This Fall, the Lab Aides have been focused on adding new artifacts to the Lab’s teaching collection. Through these additions, future students will have more materials to reference for archaeological analysis projects.
“Working in the lab the past two years has been one of the most amazing experiences I could have ever asked for. The chance to learn how a lab is run and gain significant experience before graduation is such a rare opportunity that I cannot be more grateful for. It’s a true joy working here: sharpening my analysis skills, working with volunteers, and learning what it’s like to do archaeology in the world outside UMW.” – Jackson Daniels (‘26)
A requirement for all Historic Preservation and Anthropology majors, HISP 207: American Archaeology is an introductory course that requires each student to volunteer in the Archaeology Lab for at least two hours spread across the spring semester. As the days start to get longer and warmer, Jackson and Makayla look forward to opening the lab up to the 207 volunteers.
Throughout the semester, Dr. Parker and the Lab Aides also host Get Dirty, Go Wash Artifacts nights where students–regardless of major–can gain experience washing artifacts in the lab while watching an archaeology-related film. These events are great opportunities for anyone interested in lab work or who just want to dip their toothbrushes into archaeology.
While the lab may not quite be ready to be in a Hollywood adventure movie, there is an homage to Indy Jones in between the Dry Lab and the Wet Lab!
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