8. Annotated Bibliography

"Archaeology." National Geographic Society. October 09, 2012. Accessed April 17, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/archaeology/.

This National Geographic article does an excellent job at breaking down the history of archaeology from lifting it out of the dust of grave robbing and building it into the calculated science that it has become today. It is important to understand how this science was developed over time, taking into account qualitative and quantitative data as well as standard excavation practices to truly understand how far ahead of his time Thomas Jefferson was during his own early excavations.

Jefferson, Thomas. Notes on the State of Virginia. Boston, MA: David Carlisle, 1801.

Thomas Jefferson’s book, Notes on the State of Virginia, provides incredible insight into the culture, population, industry, and history of the State of Virginia during its earliest days of statehood. This was a book written in response to a French Secretary’s questionnaire that had been issued to all of the original 13 states. In his response, Jefferson dedicates an entire chapter to the Native American tribes of Virginia, in painstaking, respectful detail as well as his methods and findings during the excavation of a burial mound located in the neighborhood of his home in Monticello. His procedures would contribute to the development of archaeology as it is known today, while his findings and hypotheses would stand out nearly a century ahead of their time.

"Jefferson's Excavation of an Indian Burial Mound." Monticello. Accessed April 18, 2019. https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jefersons-excavation-indian-burial-mound.

Monticello’s website in general is a wealth of knowledge on the Founding Father and his life. It does an excellent job at providing the history of the landmark and surrounding property while at the same time providing information and updates about on-going research projects and excavations. This particular page of the website includes a synopsis of Jefferson’s methods and findings as well as his impact on the development of the science of archaeology, earning him the title of the Father of American Archaeology.