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Collections

Below you will find information about the North Carolina Archaeological Collection maintained by the RLA along with searchable databases of artifacts, photographs, fossil casts, and 3D images.

Check out our new resource highlighting archaeofaunal and archaeobotanical materials within the North Carolina Archaeological Collection.

To access other types of collections such as project archives, online publications, historical maps, drawings, narratives, please visit our Archives and Publications pages.

NAGPRA Inventory

Review an abbreviated version of the RLA’s 1996 NAGPRA Inventory. This document contains a discussion of the inventory procedures, determination of cultural affiliation, and site summaries in complainace with Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Searchable Databases

North Carolina Archaeological Collection – Artifacts
A portal to the state’s largest archaeological archive with more than 8 million artifacts in the RLA collections. Information includes catalog number, RLA site number, site name, state site number, country, state, county, artifact category, and artifact material plus many more details under the Full Record Information. Many records have a digital image associated with them. Maintained by the UNC Libraries Digital Collections Repository.

North Carolina Archaeological Collection – Photographs & Documents
A portal to more than 69,000 digital files (as of December 2016) in the RLA collections. Entries include black-and-white photographs, color slides, digital images, publications, and more. Maintained by the UNC Libraries Digital Collections Repository.

Artifact Collections

Site Catalog
A catalog (list) of more than 8,000 sites from which the RLA curates archaeological collections. Information includes RLA site number, state site number, county, state, and comments. List ordered by state and site number.

Accession Ledger
A digital version of the RLA’s leather-bound ledgers that contain the collections accession records. Information includes accession number, collection description, collector, date accessioned, collection location, RLA site number(s), total entries, and artifact count. List ordered by accession number.

Accession Record
A catalog (list) of the collections accession records representing more than 8 million artifacts in the RLA collections. Information includes RLA site number, accession number, specimen number, year accessioned, recorder’s name, and collection location. List ordered by year and accession number.

Specimen Catalog
Search the RLA Specimen Catalog, which contains entries for more than 8 million artifacts.

James Bell Bullitt Collection
This collection contains mostly Paleolithic artifacts collected during the 1920s by UNC Professor of Medicine, Dr. James B. Bullitt along with his travel journal and photographs taken throughout France, England, Spain, and Switzerland.

Fossil Cast Collection

Fossil Cast Collection
A collection of 140 human crania and postcrania casts as well as nonhuman primates dating from roughly 35 million years BP to present.

3D Image Collections

Online 3D Image Archive
A collection of 3D models of artifacts and excavations in the RLA collections.

Bell Tower at UNC – Chapel Hill
A collaborative project between the RLA, Aer Analytica LLC (Raleigh, NC USA), Charlotte Aerial Solutions (Charlotte, NC USA), and vaireco GmbH (Konstanz, Germany).

Old Well at UNC – Chapel Hill
A collaborative project between Steve Davis (RLA) and Ken Varner (vaireco GmbH, Konstanz, Germany).

Historic Ayr Mount, Hillsborough, NC
A collaborative project between the RLA, Aer Analytica LLC (Raleigh, NC USA), Charlotte Aerial Solutions (Charlotte, NC USA), and vaireco GmbH (Konstanz, Germany), this model was created using more than 120 ground photos and 550 aerial photos.