Month: July 2022

Field Work || Part 2 – Excavation

Posted on by Theo Chiang

Due to rain, the only real day of excavating was Monday. Using ground penetrating radar (either with total system or mlit), archaeologists surveyed the field and found several hotspots across the meadow containing structural details and artifact deposits. I was assigned to one which originally contained the supportive, wooden post of a structure that left a colored impression in the surrounding soil. We were tasked with marking the outline of this 3D impression on a vertical and horizontal plane, recording it, and then excavating it.

Although the features my partner and I excavated were different from surrounding units which contained lithics, bones, and other objects, the processes of excavation, maintenance of walls, and shoveling and sharpening of trowels were similar. Like every group, we were required to write down and sketch every action we performed in our notebook and paperwork. Excavated objects had information tags with varying colors. Yellow indicated “all clear”, blue indicated “context obscured”, and red indicated “careful handling”.

At the end of excavation, a representative from each unit would participate in check-in, where every flote bag or artifact would be cataloged and documented for future reference. Because it rained on Thursday and Friday, we spent hours dredging our sites using empty cartons and sponges. During this time, we were not allowed to step into the units to preserve their structural integrity. This made cleaning out deep cavities very difficult. Some parts of our wall collapsed during this process.

All in all, excavation proved to be a laborious yet rewarding task.

Field Work || Part 1 – Introduction

Posted on by Theo Chiang

The German site in Kampsville, Illinois is a remarkable archaeological site within the Lower Illinois Valley. It belongs to a series of Late Woodland (Jersey Bluff) and Mississippian sites that are vital to Midwestern archaeological studies. Within a week of working in the Center of American Archaeology Highschool Field School, I gained an immense appreciation for the many methods through which archaeologists can retrieve valuable history from the ground.

Field school accommodations are pretty accommodating. The Center for American Archaeology Field School ran for four weeks, during which 15 - 25 students would be split into rooms with 2 to three students. Men and Women had respective dorms and bathroom facilities which had showers and multiple toilets. One of my favorite features of the dorm was the fact that it contained the laboratory. Every day during downtime students could go and explore for themselves many artifacts that were on display such as massive spear points and old ceramics. During downtime, students could play cards (there were nearly unlimited board games), grab a book from the shelves containing archaeological literature, or watch a movie. The dorm was located in a sizable meadow and a small creek where students could explore. There was also a barn that acted as a storage unit.

There was also a nice, shaded walking trail that meandered into the forest, but this was off limits. Breakfast and dinner were usually eaten at a local restaurant called The Landing where we would have unique breakfast and buffet options everyday. For lunch in the field, there would be a cooler available with different food options. I usually had several ham and cheese sandwiches.

The week’s schedule was uncertain due to environmental conditions, but we were still able to participate extensively in the field. We worked on a variety of tasks to gain a working knowledge of how artifacts are classified and transported from ground units to archaeologists, as well as what archaeologists then go on to do to study those objects. On Monday, Thursday, and Friday, we studied the procedures and logistics archaeologists follow to excavate the site itself to produce artifacts and flote bags. On Tuesday, my assigned group studied floating, the process in which bags of soil collected from the site are sifted through for artifacts and organized for bagging. On Monday and Thursday, I participated in organizing the products of flotation into neat bags. For the whole week, I helped with tabbing, where the bagged artifacts are manually classified into distinct categories (ie flakes, burnt bones, cultural shatter, etc) and then placed into containers ready for analysis. On Wednesday, we visited the massive mounds of Cahokia and listened to a lecture by Jason King where we gained an understanding of the analysis that takes place with those artifacts we so carefully prepared. All elements of this process required meticulous recording to ensure the preservation of original contexts. For instance, after each excavation session, students were required to tarp all units to prevent any environmental interference and submit a notebook containing all the actions taken in the unit. We later learned that the artifacts themselves hold less importance than their historical background. Once the origin and background of a specimen are lost, then the artifact is deemed “out of context” and removed from the archaeological process, even if the artifact itself is intact.

Next blog, we will discuss excavation in the CAA Field School

A Midnight Musing || PT 1

Posted on by Theo Chiang

A Midnight Musing On July 3rd, 2022, I was scheduled to arrive at the CAA Field School, my flight was scheduled to arrive by roughly 2:00 pm local time in Missouri. Due to airline issues, I arrived at around 10pm at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport where I met my professor. During the two hour commute to Kampsville in rural Illinois, we had many worthwhile musings and discussion points I thought would be interesting to share. Many of them share connections to topics outside archaeology, including politics, preservation, finance, and science.

Section 1: Money, Politics, and Historical Preservation

Outside of Saint Louis, we encountered moderate traffic across an elegant white bridge called the Stan Musial Veterans’s Bridge which connected Saint Louis, Missouri and St. Clair County, Illinois across the Mississippi river. My professor pointed it out, and explained that it was a relatively recent addition which was halted several times. He explained that while constructing the bridge, the remnants of a millennium old village were discovered on the banks of the river. Because resources had already been invested in the construction of the bridge by the Missouri and Illinois state governments, the structure was planned to continue construction into the ancient settlement. Government archaeologists were sent to study the site before it became obstructed.

Unfortunately, the extent of archaeological work ends where politics begin. Archaeologists are only responsible for the extraction and research of historical information from sites, but the application of this knowledge is left up to authorities. As a result, those who create legislation regarding the treatment of historically relevant sites are often not those who truly care about history, sometimes leading to the valuing of money over our nation’s own heritage.

Laws surrounding historical preservation are determined by local governments, and therefore depend on the political compasses of local populations. Although not always the case, blue states tend to lean towards preservation movements while red states do not. Supposedly, Illinois is not only a blue state, but is progressive in advocating for historical preservation in relation to neighboring states. Because of this, projects such as the Center for American Archaeology are able to base themselves in the state. All in all, I was told that the United States is poor in sustaining historical preservation compared to the rest of the world. Examples of countries that are ahead in this respect are the United Kingdom and Italy, both of which are strong countries for archaeology.

Stay tuned for part two!