Tennessee Division of Archaeology
| TDOA | |
| 160px | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1972 |
| Jurisdiction | State of Tennessee |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Agency executive | |
| Parent agency | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |
| Website | [1] |
The Tennessee Division of Archaeology (TDOA) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation responsible for managing prehistoric archaeological sites on lands owned by the U.S. state of Tennessee, conducting archaeological excavations and research, informing the public about Tennessee’s prehistoric past, and coordinating with other state agencies regarding archaeological preservation issues.
The TDOA has two main divisions. The Asset Management division maintains the official State Site File record, including data on all recorded archaeological sites within the state. The Technical Assistance division coordinates with other state agencies and federal entities to ensure government activities (e.g., highway construction) do not significantly harm the state's archaeological sites. The TDOA presently employs seven archaeologists, a site files coordinator, and an administrative secretary at the Nashville location. An auxiliary storage facility is located at Pinson Mounds State Park near Jackson, Tennessee. A SHPO-Archaeologist at the TDOA facility in Nashville reviews all federally funded projects within Tennessee to determine if they present a potential impact to archaeological resources.
Each January, the TDOA, in conjunction with the Middle Tennessee State University Sociology and Anthropology department, co-sponsors the Current Research in Tennessee Archaeology meeting. The meeting is open to the public and features presentations by both professional and avocational archaeologists.
