Laboratories and Facilities

The Anthropology Department is located in South Stadium Hall in Neyland Stadium. All faculty and departmental administrative offices, 3 small (20-40 student capacity) classrooms, as well as physical anthropology, archaeology and zooarchaeology laboratories, are located on the first and second floor of South Stadium Hall. The Anthropology Annex is the only building from the 1982 World's Fair that the University retained. This 10,000 square foot concrete and cinder block building houses processing laboratories. Archaeological and Bioanthropological collections are housed in The Middlebrook Building and McClung Museum.

Archaeological Research Laboratory (Middlebrook Building)
The Archaeological Research Laboratory (ARL) is a research, cultural resource assessment, and consulting unit dedicated to the conduct of high quality and timely work while providing a practical institutional mechanism for student experiential learning and continuing education. The ARL encompasses 8,000 square feet of space devoted to artifact processing areas, flotation lab, lithics lab, offices, curation space, computer mapping (GIS) and database facilities, and storage. The ARL maintains all the necessary equipment for conducting consecutive archaeological field and laboratory investigations including specialized microscopes and computer equipment.

Historic Archaeology Laboratory (South Stadium Hall)
The Historical Archaeology Laboratory at UT has full processing facilities, a small library of books and articles on artifact identification, and a large type collection of ceramics and glass. Our comparative architectural collection contains bricks, nails, window glass, and other construction materials from standing structures that are used to compare archaeological specimens.

Student Computer Laboratory (South Stadium Hall)
This lab provides computer facilities for both upper-division Anthropology majors and graduate students. The lab currently contains 5 Dell computers with ethernet connections, a color scanner, and a laser printer.

Human Osteology Laboratory (South Stadium Hall)
The Human Osteology Laboratories include facilities for skeletal processing, research , and long-term curation. The curation facilities include state-of-the art archival quality storage in acid and lignin-free containers (see NSF Grant abstract). Research and teaching equipment include two computers, standard osteometric equipment, and a 3-D digitizer suitable for collecting coordinate data on cranial landmarks.

Paleoanthropology Laboratory (South Stadium Hall)
The Paleoanthropology Laboratory has an extensive collection of high quality casts of fossil hominids and extinct primates. A representative sample of modern primate skeletal material is housed there as well. These resources are used in various research, instructional and outreach programs.

Zooarchaeological Research Facilities (South Stadium Hall & Anthropology Annex)
The main teaching lab for zooarchaeology is located within the Department of Anthropology. This lab is equipped with two specimens each of species occurring mainly in the eastern North America. We also have common domestic species found on historic sites. Also available are seminar teaching space, microscopes and ample bench space. Several other rooms around the main lab house the rest of our extensive skeletal collections. Typically each class is stored in in cabinets in separate rooms. A large series of specimens is available for several species.

A key aspect of our collections and facilities is our processing lab. Located in the Anthropology Annex, this lab enables us to process specimens using dermestids, maceration, and slow simmering. It is equipped with fume hoods and several deep freezes for storage. Any requests or questions about the zooarchaeological comparative collections should be directed to Dr. Walter Klippel.

Learning Resource Center (East Stadium Hall)
The Learning Resource Center is a gathering place for students with an adjoining classroom, a kitchen, and a departmental library.

Forensic Anthropology Center (East Stadium Hall)
An endowed center within the Anthropology Department/University for the recovery, analysis and research on decomposing and skeletal remains.

Mineral Tissue Histology Laboratory (Anthropology Annex)
The laboratory houses thin section saws and grinder/polishers for preparation of mineralized tissue for light or scanning electron microscopy. Presently, sectioning of dental samples from 4 historic European- and African-American samples is underway.

Laboratory of Analytical Archaeology(South Stadium Hall)
This lab contains equipment for basic sediment analysis and other general experimentation. Equipment includes extensive glassware, hydrometer jar bath, 2 microscopes (polarizing and reflected light), analytical balances, and a Gateway E-3000 with an ethernet connection.

Archaeometry Laboratory (Science and Technology Building)
The Archaeometry Lab centers on analytical services in the areas of C-14, TL, ESR and Obsidian Diffusion Dating. To date the facility has received funding support from the Lucille Thompson Foundation (for developing C-14 capabilities) and the National Science Foundation (for developing the obsidian diffusion dating method). Collaborators include researchers in the Depts. of Geology and Nuclear Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.