The William and Mary campus and environs encompass a wealth of historical and archaeological resources and an equally rich range of theoretical viewpoints and methodological approaches to historical anthropological and archaeological problems and interpretations.
These include such local institutions as the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Jamestowne Rediscovery, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the Colonial National Historical Park (NPS), and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. The Department also has links to federal and state archaeological agencies, providing research contacts and opportunities in Virginia, the wider U.S. and abroad.
The teaching and research facilities of the Department of Anthropology include laboratories dedicated to archeological research, primate and human biological anthropology, and artifact conservation. The Department also houses extensive collections of historic and contemporary ethnographic objects, prehistoric and historic archaeological artifacts, and comparative osteological collections. Available library resources include a departmental collection focused on ethnography, archaeology and material culture studies; the College's Earl Greg Swem Libary; and the Rockefeller Library at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
The Department of Anthropology sponsors three research Centers: the American Indian Resource Center, which brings Native peoples of the region together with scholars and students at the College for a variety of research and arts programs; the Institute for Historical Biology, which conducts research in human comparative osteology; and the Archaeological Conservation Center, which offers facilities for the examination and treatment of archaeological artifacts. In addition, the Department has close ties with the Center for Archaeological Research, which conducts archaeological survey, excavation, and analysis for a variety of government and private organizations.