Cobb Institute of Archaeology

 department of archaeology  Add category

www.cobb.msstate.edu/Index.html
The Cobb Institute of Archaeology is a research and service unit of the College of Arts & Sciences of Mississippi State University.

It was founded in 1971 to promote archaeological research and education at Mississippi State University related to the Middle Eastern origins of Western Civilization and to the Indians of the South, particularly in Mississippi.

The Institute's facilities house the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology and its artifact collections. The Institute also manages a separate facility for the curation of research collections.

The Institute's staff hold formal cross-affiliations with the Departments of Philosophy and Religion and of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work through appointments in the instructional programs in Religion and Anthropology.

Staff archaeologists are involved in a full range of archaeological research, including basic cultural and historical investigations, field excavations, laboratory analysis and report preparation, as well as cultural resource management and public archaeology. The Institute works with businesses, municipalities, state, federal and international agencies to assist them in complying with antiquities regulations and with cultural resource and environmental laws.

Through affiliations with academic departments the Institute provides a wide range of opportunities for MSU undergraduate and graduate students to become engaged in archaeological research and study activities. The Institute also provides assistantships to students concentrating in archaeology in the Masters Program in Applied Anthropology of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work.

The annual program of the Institute features public lectures, tours and workshops, and the staff is routinely engaged in on- and off-campus outreach activities.

Department of Archaeology
www.cobb.msstate.edu/

For more than a quarter of a century the Cobb Institute at Mississippi State University has pursued its founding mission to provide sponsorship and support for archaeological research in the countries of the Middle East and North America. While Cobb sponsored investigations in the Middle East have brought a new dimension of research activity to the Mississippi State campus, its North American research work has continued and enhanced existing programs that were pioneered and developed during the 1960's by members of its Anthropology faculty.

Department of Anthropology
www.msstate.edu/dept/anthropology/programs/research/pub...

The Mississippi Antiquities Law (1972, amended 1983) makes it a crime to disturb Native American burials, whether on public or private land. The Mississippi Burial Law also applies. If federal funds pay for or contribute to a project or if a permit is required from a federal agency or certain state agencies, national laws protecting archaeological resources also apply. These include NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Any construction on state land is subject to all provisions of the Mississippi Antiquities Law.

It is important that developers, construction company personnel, and landowners in the Starkville and Oktibbeha County area be informed about the requirements of the law. It is also important for all to realize that there are many archaeological sites in the area which contain or are likely to contain Native American burials. Such burials are unmarked, so that they cannot easily be found prior to construction except through systematic archaeological survey work. Nonetheless, it is against the law to disturb or destroy sites that are known or likely to contain such burials.

In order to help preserve the information contained in local archaeological sites, archaeologists at Mississippi State University have volunteered to perform systematic archaeological surveys in Starkville and Oktibbeha County without charge. Ordinarily, such services cost ca. $300-$500 per day. These surveys will result in location and evaluation of archaeological sites in open fields, pastures, woods, and city lots. They must be done before major ground disturbance and as far in advance of planned construction as possible. If sites are found, the MSU archaeologists can provide, without charge, advice on how those sites should be treated. Also, results will be reported to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to provide official oversight and agreement to recommendations.

Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology
www.cobb.msstate.edu/museum/

The Cobb Institute Museum, named in honor of one of the Institute's founders, displays artifacts from the two major regions in which the Institute has research interests: the ancient Middle East and the Southeastern United States, as well as small collections from Central and South America, Greece, Rome, and eastern Europe. The substance of its holdings are formed by collections donated respectively by Jeanne and Lloyd Raport, and by Frieda and Gerald Dunham. Both couples are residents of the Washington D.C. area. Other materials that derive from the Institute's various excavation projects in Mississippi and in the Near East are featured in periodic exhibits.

The Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum serves as an integral part of the teaching and outreach programs of the Cobb Institute. The museum is open to visitors on regularly scheduled hours. University and school groups are encouraged to schedule group visits to the museum by contacting the Institute office (tel. 662-325-3826.)

A Virtual Museum

A long term initiative to create on-line access to the artifact collections of the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum has been undertaken. You are invited to visit the Cobb Virtual Museum (www.cobb.msstate.edu/museum/map.html) and view the 750 artifacts, representing many parts of the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe, now available on-line.