About
The Archaeology in Annapolis Program seeks to synthesize and make available the over thirty-five years of important archaeological research performed by the Archaeology in Annapolis (AiA) program in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland through the creation of a website and selected database. The website leads with the material record of Annapolis, Maryland, when it was capital of an English colony, through the American Revolution, capital of the State of Maryland, Emancipation, the twentieth century, and the uses of archaeology today. The material provides a wide perspective from its political leaders to free African Americans, the enslaved, wage workers, craftspeople, and women. Subsets of material culture like African-American bundles, planned landscapes, and a well-established public program of archaeology for residents and visitors are highlighted. Integrated with the material culture are the substantial publications record of the AiA program as well as records and available pertinent articles on the project in newspapers published as science news. The website includes a summary of each significant archaeological site. The overall goal is to increase access to the physical collection and to create a dedicated webpage digital database that will be available to the public and include information for researchers.
Archaeology in Annapolis
Archaeology in Annapolis is a partnership between the Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Historic Annapolis Foundation. Begun in 1981, the Archaeology in Annapolis project has been concerned with promoting better understandings of Annapolis' diverse past through the interpretation of material culture.
Since 2000, Archaeology in Annapolis has also worked on Maryland's Eastern Shore at William Paca's 1792 plantation on Wye Island, as well as at Wye House, the home of the Lloyd family and where Frederick Douglass—at five or six years old—found he was a slave. Since 2012, Archaeology in Annapolis has worked with the historic African American community of The Hill in Easton, Maryland. In 2014, AiA joined with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to investigate the archaeology of 19th century African American history at their Edgewater, MD campus.
Who We Are
Archaeology in Annapolis was founded by Mark Leone, who has worked with numerous graduate and undergraduate students and other scholars.
Dr. Mark P. Leone is a professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, College Park. He has been director of Archaeology in Annapolis since 1981. Work in Annapolis continues to serve the needs of historic preservation in the city through the scientific and scholarly work of undergraduates and doctoral students in the department under his direction.
Contact: mleone@umd.edu