The Archaeological Expedition will be taking a break in 2009 but will return to the British Virgin Islands in 2010 with an Anthropological focus.

Since 1996, the Longwood Archaeology Field School has conducted an expedition to the British Virgin Islands. This project is engaged in researching the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Virgin Island Group. The team, working in conjunction with Dr. Peter Drewett of the University of Sussex, formerly of the University of London, has excavated at the Belmont site located on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. In 1998, a team led by Dr. Bates conducted an island-wide survey of Jost Van Dyke, B.V.I. and identified one large pre-Columbian site that also had an historic component dating to the early 1600's located on it.

In 2004, a new phase of the long-term research project got under way as Bates and his team from Longwood commenced the first in-depth excavation of the Cape Wright site on Jost Van Dyke. The initial results are tantalizing, however more research is necessary before any conclusions about this site are possible. A field season in 2005 proved successful in defining certain aspects of the prehistoric occupation at Cape Wright. In 2007 the team will return to continue excavating this exciting site to learn more about life on Jost Van Dyke over 1,500 years ago.