Bilby Research Center

Lithic Casting, Research, and Teaching Laboratory (LCRTL)

Director: Dr. Francis E. Smiley, IV

Location: Room 166

The LCRTL hosts one of the largest collection of museum-quality polyurethane casts of diagnostic and important stone tools covering the entire human career. The cast collection makes approximately 2,000 artifact casts, all examples of human lithic technology, available hands-on to students.  In its 27^th year of operation, the LCRTL has a mission of providing research and teaching facilities and programs in all aspects of archaeological and… Read more

Ethnographic Collections

Manager: Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin

NAU’s ethnographic collections consists of items from around the world that have been donated to the department over the past 70 years. These are available for research and display but have not yet been adequately cataloged and stored for preservation and access.

The collection includes:

• Native North American dolls, moccasins, clothing, and baskets;
• Navajo weavings;
• tools and implements from Congo;
• Australian Aboriginal weapons; and
• tourist art from around the world.

Ceramic Analysis Laboratory

Directors: Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin, Dr. Chris Downum

Location: Rooms 160-160A

The Archaeological Ceramics Lab provides space, tools, and technology to process, sort, categorize, and analyze ancient pottery, and is equipped to salvage and research projects anywhere on the Colorado Plateau.

The facility includes:

• sinks, drying racks, and laboratory tables for processing field specimens and performing basic sorting and identification of pottery wares and types;
• optical microscopes, digital calipers, digital cameras, and digital scales to analyze pottery in terms of temper, thickness, size, painted… Read more