What We Do
Mission Statement
The mission of the Archaeological Research Facility (ARF) is to encourage and carry out archaeological field and laboratory research conducted by U.C. Berkeley archaeologists and related specialists. As a field of research, archaeology is inherently interdisciplinary and collaborative; not only are there intimate research collaborations among natural scientists, social scientists and/or humanities scholars, but archaeology is practiced by scholars who expectedly hold faculty and/or research positions in a variety of departments, ranging from Classics to the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
Currently, 36 U.C. Berkeley faculty members from 10 departments and Organized Research Units are active participants in the Facility that is located in the 2251 College Building on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Thus, as an Organized Research Unit, the Archaeological Research Facility (ARF) has as its mission to make efficient use of resources, including laboratory facilities, to practitioners across campus; to develop resources and programs that benefit numerous scholars and their students, and thus to minimize duplication while being able to expand the requisite support - laboratory, equipment, funding - for an active, international field discipline such as archaeology.
The Archaeological Research Facility has experienced growth and increasing health, particularly over the past 8 years. A newsletter has been developed; the mailing list is well over 1000; guidelines and committees to oversee the administration of over $1,000,000.00 in endowments have been established; the publications income has been doubling, external grant totals have continued to increase and graduate student research can now be facilitated and supported through extramural grants and endowments; an educational outreach program has been initiated; new collaborative teaching and research relationships have been established among Berkeley and wider University of California archaeologists and researchers; and scholars of international repute, drawing crowds of over 400, have been among the sponsored lectures. We are particularly pleased that we have been able to develop such an expanded repertoire of scholarship and research, given what is without question a "bare bones" budget.
The Facility is headed by a full-time faculty member, who receives no "release time" from teaching. Our Director is Anthropology Professor Laurie Wilkie. The Facility is supported by Sherry Pierce Parrish (Office Manager), Tanya Smith (Editor), Sonya Wilson-Griffin (Administrative Assistant), Tomeko Wyrick (Contracts and Grants), and Nico Tripcevich (Laboratory Manager).
The Facility is governed by an Advisory Committee, appointed annually by the Vice Chancellor for Research's office upon the recommendation of the Director which consists of at least 5 members, to be drawn from a variety of departments or units on campus. There is a 3-person Publications Committee, to work with the Editor and oversee publications decisions and plans; and a Stahl Endowment Review Committee (see below).
The Archaeological Research Facility is involved in five major areas of scholarly activity
- Fundraising; the facilitation of funding requests; and the administration of grant funds and of endowments.
- Publishing reports and monographs on the results of archaeological research carried out by U. C. Berkeley and other scholars, through an active publications program, which includes publications displays and sales at national and regional meetings, as well as the bi- or tri-annual publication of a newsletter.
- Sponsoring lectures and meetings, including workshops for students and faculty.
- Continued renovation and enhancement of equipment in an undergraduate archaeology teaching laboratory, a "wet" sediment laboratory, and a photographic facility.
- Developing the new program of archaeology outreach education with area schools. For Anyone interested in contributing toward the accomplishment of our goals and furthering archaeological work at UC Berkeley, please see our development page.
A Few Notes on What We Don't Do
- As an Organized Research Unit, we are not directly involved in the teaching or scheduling of classes. If you have questions about archaeology courses offered at UC Berkeley or about undergraduate and graduate programs involving archaeology, please contact the relevant departments (e.g., Anthropology or Near Eastern Studies).
- We do not appraise the value or authenticity of artifacts, so please do not call us with such questions. We encourage you to leave all suspected artifacts and other archaeological material where you find them (whether in your back yard, an antique shop, or a foreign country) and to visit museums instead.
Donate to the ARF
The Archaeological Research Facility (ARF) is dedicated to supporting archaeological field and laboratory research conducted by U.C. Berkeley archaeologists and related specialists (for more information on what we do, see our mission statement).
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Donations to the ARF can benefit our program in many ways, including:
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If you are interested in contributing to the Archaeological Research Facility, you can make a donation on-line through the ARF page on the Give to Cal website.
The Give to Cal website is a secure site that allows you to safely make a donation on-line with your credit card. You can also contact one of the following to make a donation or to get further information:
| Sherry Pierce Parrish ARF Manager (510) 643-5797 parrish@berkeley.edu |
Prof. Laurie Wilkie ARF Director (510) 643-0677 lawilkie@berkeley.edu |
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Map & Directions to the ARF
The Archaeological Research Facility is located at 2251 College Building, a brick structure near the south-east corner of the UC Berkeley campus.
Campus parking lots with short term permits are available, or you may park in metered parking on nearby city streets. More information about nearby parking is available online.
Where do I park?
Parking near ARF and Kroeber Hall
Note: Map is oriented with East at the top of the map.
This map is modified from the official Campus Map PDF.
There are two UC Berkeley parking lots close to the ARF and to Kroeber Hall (Dept of Anthropology) shown in the map above. Parking is available to the public in the Boalt Lot, Kroeber Lot, and Bancroft Structure after 4:30 pm and costs $1 per hour. The Boalt Lot is accessed from Piedmont Avenue.
On city streets, metered parking is available on Bancroft Way and other nearby streets for $1.25 per hour (9am-6pm, Mon-Sat, free during the evenings, Sundays and holidays). Street parking on Piedmont Avenue near the International House is free (maximum of two hours until 7 PM, unlimited at night).
SFO Airport to ARF (by car)
- Beginning at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
- Head east [387 ft]
- Turn left (signs for Freeways) [0.2 mi]
- Merge onto US-101 N via the ramp to San Francisco [11.4 mi]
- Slight right at I-80 E (signs for Oakland/I-80/Bay Bridge/Seventh St/US-101 N)[7.5 mi]
- Take the exit onto I-580 E toward Downtown Oakland/Hayward-Stockton/CA-24 [1.7 mi]
- Take the exit onto CA-24 E toward Walnut Creek [1.5 mi]
- Take the Claremont Ave exit [0.2 mi]
- Turn left at Claremont Ave [0.7 mi]
- Slight left at College Ave [1.4 mi]
- Information about parking near the ARF is online. The ARF is in 2251 College Building, a brick structure located about 100 yards from the south edge of campus. Consult the map on the edge of campus for more detail.
Link to a GoogleMap showing these directions.
SFO Airport to ARF (public transport)
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Walk to San Francisco Int BART
About 2 mins
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Service run by Bay Area Rapid Transit
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0 secs to make transfer
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14 mins to make transfer
Service run by AC Transit
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Walk to 2251 College Building
About 2 mins
Consult map on edge of Berkeley campus for detailed information.
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Link to GoogleMap showing these directions
Oakland Airport (880 northbound) to ARF (by car)
- Head west on Airport Dr [0.3 mi]
- Turn left toward Airport Dr (signs for Long Term Parking) [0.3 mi]
- Turn left at Airport Dr [446 ft]
- Slight left to stay on Airport Dr [0.1 mi]
- Slight right to stay on Airport Dr (signs for exit/Freeway) [0.7 mi]
- Slight right to stay on Airport Dr (signs for Doolittle Dr/CA-61/Rental Car Center) [0.2 mi]
- Turn left at Doolittle Dr [0.1 mi]
- Turn right at Hegenberger Rd [1.1 mi]
- Merge onto I-880 N via the ramp to Downtown Oakland [6.4 mi]
- Slight right at I-980 E (signs for Walnut Creek/I-980/CA-24) [1.5 mi]
- Continue on CA-24 E (signs for Walnut Creek/Berkeley/CA-24) [1.7 mi]
- Take the Claremont Ave exit [0.2 mi]
- Turn left at Claremont Ave [0.7 mi]
- Slight left at College Ave [1.4 mi]
- Information about parking near the ARF is online. The ARF is in 2251 College Building, a brick structure located about 100 yards from the south edge of campus. Consult the map on the edge of campus for more detail.
Link to GoogleMap showing these directions.
Oakland Airport to ARF (public transport)
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Walk to Airport DR:Terminal #2; Oakland Intl Airport
About 10 mins
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Service run by AC Transit
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5 mins to make transfer
Service run by Bay Area Rapid Transit
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14 mins to make transfer
Service run by AC Transit
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Walk to 2251 College Building
Consult map on edge of campus for detailed information about ARF building location. |
Link to a GoogleMap showing these directions.