Work directly with 3,000+ year-old artifacts, participate in active research projects, and build hands-on skills in archaeology from your first year at USC.
The Archaeology Research Center (ARC Lab) is a teaching and research lab where USC students work directly with real artifacts from the ancient Near East, Egypt, and Mediterranean, offering direct insight into the historical world of the Bible.
The ARC Lab houses over 11,000 ancient objects, giving students rare hands-on access.
Start working with artifacts as early as your first year—learn how to join the Archaeology & Heritage Studies program.
USC archaeology students saved a California legend.
Support USC Archaeology & Heritage!
Archaeology Research Collection
Get Your Hands on the Past!
At ARC Lab, undergraduate students can:
Work hands-on with ancient artifacts
Participate in faculty-led research projects
Gain lab and digital archaeology skills
Prepare for fieldwork and excavation opportunities
Design original research projects using real archaeological materials
Build experience for graduate school or careers in heritage, museums, and research
Analyze artifacts to answer real historical and cultural questions
Archaeology Major/Minor
The Archaeology & Heritage major & minor lets you study real artifacts, work with leading faculty, and understand how the past shapes the present.
You don’t have to be an archaeologist to study archaeology & heritage. Just be curious about the past and how it shapes the world today. Or ponder how we create futures using what has been left behind. Join in making discoveries that change the human story.
Contact Us
Director of the Archaeology & Heritage Studies Program
Lynn Swartz Dodd
825 Bloom Walk, ACB 335
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1481
The Archaeology Research Center
