Ancient Carolinians: A Virtual Museum of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology

Vin Steponaitis and Steve Davis

We are currently in the process of creating an interactive online resource entitled “Ancient North Carolinians: A Virtual Museum of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology.” This Virtual Museum will feature (1) exhibits on North Carolina archaeology and the ancient history of the state’s American Indian peoples; (2) resources for K-12 teachers and students, including lesson plans and inquiry-based activities; and (3) information for field trips and heritage tourism related to archaeological sites, Indian tribes, and other relevant cultural attractions within the state. The goal is to make this the premier web site for disseminating information on North Carolina’s ancient past to the general public and particularly to the state’s teachers and schoolchildren. We take as our model successful initiatives of this kind that have been carried out in other states, a prime example being the award-winning web site called Texas Beyond History.

This work is funded in part by a C. Felix Harvey Award for Advancing Institutional Priorities (UNC-Chapel Hill) and by the Kenan Creative Collaboratory (UNC-Chapel Hill).

A sample of the 3D models to be exhibited in the virtual museum can be found here.