North Carolina Office of State Archaeology

09/09/2026

Ever wonder exactly why North Carolina has an Office of State Archaeology and State Historic Preservation Office? Join us tomorrow, Sept 10 at 6pm with our friends at the Iredell County Public Library in Statesville.

09/01/2026

Are you curious what happens at our OSA Conservation Lab, home of the Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project? A virtual tour is now available!

This is "Tales from the Queen Anne's Revenge" by Beyond The Exhibits/NCMOH on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

08/28/2026

08/18/2026

We are happy to share that Assistant State Archaeologist Amanda Burtt has co-authored a new paper, “Rapid response: dietary shifts by grey wolves in response to palaeoclimatic variations during the last glaciation,” now published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

Using dental microwear texture analysis, the study examines how the diets of grey wolves in Britain changed across different climatic periods during the last glaciation. The results demonstrate shifts in feeding behavior associated with changing climatic and ecological conditions, highlighting the dietary flexibility that allowed wolves to respond rapidly to environmental change.

The paper is part of the special issue “Advancing dental microwear analysis for dietary reconstruction: From dinosaurs to mammals,” which brings together research using dental wear to explore the diets and ecology of animals across deep time.

Congratulations to Amanda and her co-authors on this exciting publication!

DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.114120
https://tinyurl.com/4en7t7wc

07/20/2026

A side effect of managing our states submerged resources - skill in moving heavy objects! Always happy to help out our partners and colleagues - see you all at the opening!

06/23/2026

Our Underwater Archaeology Branch gave a presentation at the Cove City Library On June 18th as part of the state wide summer reading program with this year's theme "Unearth a Story". UAB staff showed off the tools of the trade, and spoke about what it takes to do archaeology underwater! We are fortunate to have the privilege to reach these communities and talk about the variety of work that OSA does!

06/19/2026

Come work with us!!

Come work for North Carolina Office of State Archaeology or the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office

OSA NC Archaeologist II
https://tinyurl.com/NCOSAArchII
Closes July 1st at midnight

SHPO Historic Preservation/Restoration Specialist
https://tinyurl.com/NCSHPOHistoricPres
Closes July 2nd at midnight

SHPO Architectural Survey Specialist
https://tinyurl.com/ArchitecSurveySpecialist
Closes July 14th at midnight

06/03/2026

This work was made possible through a permit granted by our Underwater Archaeology Branch, and in collaboration with Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge Shipwreck Project for storage and eventual conservation! Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site is a site rich in archaeological history and we look forward to our future collaborations with ECU Program in Maritime Studies and State HIstoric Sites.

05/19/2026

Come out at 6 pm tonight!

TOMORROW NIGHT!
Beneath the waters off Cape Fear lies the world’s largest concentration of American Civil War shipwrecks. On Tuesday, May 19, join Stephen Atkinson, MA, RPA, North Carolina's Deputy State Archaeologist – Underwater, for a fascinating look at Wilmington’s blockade runners, the vessels lost near Fort Fisher State Historic Site, and the ongoing archaeological work uncovering their stories.

For more information & tickets: http://bit.ly/shadow-of-goliath

04/10/2026