WILLIAMSBURG— Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation recently announced that Sean Romo has been appointed Director of Archaeology at Jamestown.
According to Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation (JRF), Romo brings extensive experience in archaeology in this region and a deep passion for uncovering the past. In his new role, he will oversee archaeological research and excavations at the site.
Romo’s career in archaeology began in Jamestown, when he attended the Jamestown Rediscovery – University of Virginia Summer Field School in 2007. Graduating from Rutgers University the following year, he moved to Virginia to pursue professional archaeological roles.
After stints at Monticello and the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research, Romo completed a graduate program in historical archaeology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Prior to returning to Jamestown Rediscovery in 2019, Romo worked in cultural resource management archaeology at many sites in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, ranging from Archaic Period Indigenous sites to early 19th-century sites of enslavement. JRF noted his broad range of experience in diverse locations across different time periods is vital for understanding Jamestown’s multi-layered past.
“Sean comes into this role with more than 15 years of experience excavating and managing archaeological projects in the region,” said Jamestown Rediscovery President & CO Jim Horn. “He is a terrific field archaeologist with a high level of technical skill, which is particularly important as we pivot our fieldwork to focus on areas of the site impacted most by recurrent flooding caused by climate change.”
Reflecting on his new role, Romo said, “From the beginning of my career, Jamestown has been the benchmark. For thirty years, the work done here to uncover evidence of the past has changed how we understand the earliest days of our nation and I’m incredibly honored to take on this new role as we look towards the next thirty years. It’s all one gigantic puzzle and I’m excited to continue disentangling the pieces of this fascinating history.”
Romo’s commitment to the view that artifacts and features speak to individuals’ lives, opinions, and ideals is at the core of his approach to archaeology and research, JRF said, adding that at Jamestown, his skills using GIS mapping, lidar, and ground-penetrating radar help to reconstruct the environment of 400 years ago.
By envisioning where and how people in the past lived, researchers and visitors can better understand the challenges English settlers faced as they adjusted to their new home, how Virginia Indians interacted with the landscape before 1607 and with the English after, and the lives of enslaved Africans forcibly brought to Jamestown in 1619 and after, the foundation added.
Jamestown Rediscovery is affiliated with Preservation Virginia, a privately-funded, statewide historic preservation organization that is steward to Bacon’s Castle, Cape Henry Lighthouse, Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown, Historic Jamestowne, the John Marshall House and Smith’s Fort.