Field School - Week 5

Lots of things happened this week. We wrapped up excavations at one block and opened up 3 new ones. And several noteworthy finds were made throughout the enclosure.

For today I'm just going to talk about the block where I spent most of the week working and a little bit about a couple of the finds. The rest is going to have to wait a bit. It looks like I'll be posting about Field School for a while yet, even after its over. There are many points I haven't even touched on yet that warrant comment.

My focus for the week was on Block 3 which is the excavation being conducted across the northern edge of the embankment. The primary goal there was to determine the location and depth of the ditch. I don't have any earlier photos of this excavation so will start with this one taken at the end of the day on Monday. The digging is nearly complete at this point.

This shot is looking into the trench from the northern end. We have dug to just below the ditch on this end but still need to uncover the other side. The smaller trenches at the sides were dug so we could get a better look at the soil layers along the walls.

Heres a photo with Loren standing in the ditch so you can get a better idea of its depth.

As I'd mentioned before, the biggest thing we are looking for here is soil differentiation. Sometimes these differences stand out clearly; others are more ambiguous. Heres a shot of the northern wall of the trench.

Here the layers are quite distinct. The darker, upper layer is much higher in organic content. This is the plow zone; the depth to which farming during previous decades has impacted on the soil. The yellower soil beneath was unaffected by cultivation and is more sterile. We looked for similar differences to mark where the ditch itself could be found.

This is a view of the eastern wall.

Hopefully you can make out 3 different layers in this photo. There is a yellowish layer of relatively sterile soil that parallels the bottom of the trench. The upper boundary of this zone marks the base of the ditch. Directly above it is a triangular zone of dark soil. This is soil that was deposited through erosion prior to the period of cultivation. The grayish, upper soil equates to the plow zone.

These are the predominant zones. There are actually several others which can't be made out in this photo. All these zones were drawn onto a profile map and their characteristics were documented. This can be a relatively time-consuming process. Each of the 4 walls gets recorded separately. We spent more hours taking profiles of the trench this week than we did digging.

By the end of Thursday, all work for this block had been completed. Here is the end result.

The last task to be completed, once excavation and profiling was done, was to extract flotation samples. These were taken from where you see the 6 notches in the eastern wall (well, actually you only see 5. One is hidden behind the tree in the foreground.) with 2 additional samples coming from mid-way down the wall.

Flotation samples go through a different screening process than what we've been doing out in the field. It involves water and a much finer meshed screen. What we'll be looking for through flotation screening is botanical remains; plant seeds and pollen. These are indicators of environmental changes. They can also be used to document the emergence, development, and usage of domesticated plants.

And that is really all I have to say about this part of the excavation at this point. Any questions?

And now, off on a different tangent...

One of the things I haven't talked about yet is the artifacts we've found. Given discoveries made this week, its a good time for a quick peek at some of them. It seems that arrowheads are typically the first things that people ask about so we'll start there.

During the time period in which this enclosure was most recently inhabited, people were using what is called the Madison Point. These are true arrowheads. Many projectile points are commonly referred to as arrowheads but they are actually spear points which date to earlier times. The invention of the bow and arrow in North America is a relatively recent development; occuring around 800AD.

Madison Points are found throughout the central and eastern United States with little variation in style. They are small and triangular in shape. We have come across several made of chert (a type of flint). Most of them are in good condition. I don't have photos of those now in our collection (my camera doesn't take good close-ups) but this will give you an idea of how they look.

(http://www.uwlax.edu/MVAC/PointGuide/madison.htm)

However, this week we also found a couple of projectile points, at opposite sides of the enclosure, that date to a much earlier time period. I haven't seen the second one found yet, but the first one is comparable to the point in the center of this image.

(http://www.cmnh.org/site/ResearchandCollections/Archaeology/Research/GeneralAudienceNontechnicall/HistoryNEOhio.aspx)

This is an Early Archaic Point which would have been in use around 6000-8000 years ago. It is considerably larger than the Madison Points. The notches in the side allow for it to be hafted and tied to a spear shaft.

Why these Early Archaic points are present, or how they got there, is a matter of speculation. Their presence does not necessarily mean that the site was being inhabited by Early Archaic peoples. We have no evidence of earlier habitation here. It could well be the case that they had simply been found and used by later people. Or, given that they were also made of chert, they may have been collected in order to be recycled into Madison Points. Alternatively, they may have been found and passed on as family hierlooms. This may well be a question that goes unanswered.

And thats all for now!

Confused?

Question: How is it that I can post an entry on Monday (see the date of my last posting) that talks about things that didn't happen until the following Thursday?

Answer: I'm precognitive.

Okay, well, no, not really. But wouldn't it be cool if I were!

So here is what is really going on.

Some of these entries are composed over a span of several nights. I'll write a few paragraphs each night, then save what I have, thus far, as a 'draft.' When it is all finished, I 'publish' the full entry.

However, what appears to be happening is that the date that is assigned to that entry is the date on which I started writing it, not the date I finished the writing.

Hope that clears up any confusion you might have experienced.

And since I'm here now, might as well add a small Field School update...

We all spent Friday morning in the lab again. Storm fronts were passing through so we opted not to go out to the field. Ended up calling it an early day and went home at noon.

And a change to next week's agenda. I won't be starting a new unit right away after all. Maybe not at all in fact. Time constraints are becoming a concern as we only have 2 weeks left to finish this project and have much yet to do with the existing units.

So, instead of a new unit, I'll be going to help at the excavation across the northern end of the embankment. That part of the enclosure was once under cultivation. The goal there is to establish where the ditch and embankment were originally located so that we can better plot the full circumference of the enclosure.

Field School - Week 4

Monday was a rather productive day. Unfortunately I, once again, didn't get any photos taken. I meant to do that at the end of the day however a storm rolled in and we packed it up early (and quickly!). Hence, no photos for Monday.

Still, I can briefly describe the day's activities.

Shelly and I continued excavating Unit F outside the embankment. Ours is the deepest unit dug so far. Our goal there is to dig below the topsoils and find the original contour of the ditch.

Work continued to progress on Units D and E. Unit B was also re-opened Monday. We had extra people present so could give it a little more attention.

However Unit C, in the center of the trench, remained the focal point. I'll explain why in a bit.

Tuesday turned out to be a day of mixed activities. It was raining in the morning so work in the field was delayed until after lunch. During the morning hours we all worked on cataloguing in the lab.

In the afternoon we picked away at Units B, E, and F. Here's a photo, taken from the top of the embankment, with Shelly in our unit (Unit F). In the background you can see some large sheets of plastic. We use these to cover the units each day before we leave.

And here is a shot of the entire trench taken from outside the ditch.

In this photo Amy is wrapping up excavation of another level in Unit B.

Now I need to stop and explain a little bit.

In front of Amy is Unit C. You can see the boundary line between Units B and C by the apparent change in color of the soil. There really is no actual difference; its just that Unit B has been freshly worked while Unit C was left untouched this day.

The thing to note, though, is that Unit C has only been partially excavated. What we've done there is created a 'profile' wall mid-way through the unit. When we find interesting soil features, such as discolorations, this allows us to get a cross-sectional view of what we have found.

We have found several circular soil discolorations in Unit C which is why we are focusing a bit more heavily on that unit. Each of these points have been flagged, and will have a profile taken. Some may turn out to be nothing but others may offer evidence of something we were hoping to find here.

Here is a view of those discolorations, looking downward from the embankment.

And here is a closer look at one of them in profile.

It may be difficult to make out in this photo but in the middle of the profile is a V-shaped section where the soil is somewhat darker than the soil around it.

This is a post hole.

One upon a time a wooden post had been erected in this spot. Over the many centuries during which this site was uninhabited, the post decayed. In its place it left new soil high in organic content; different from the surrounding soil. Too, as it decayed, additional topsoil eroded into the void it left behind. What you end up with is a 'mold' in the shape of the original post.

So, why is this significant?

A string of such post molds would tell us that there once had been a wooden stockade erected around the enclosure at the crest of the embankment. We anticipated that this would be the case but needed to get below the layers of topsoil to see if the necessary evidence was there.

Granted, one post mold does not make a stockade. But, if we continue profiling in this manner we may get additional. supporting evidence. What it looks like at this point is that we may have a double line of posts. Here is the same photo but with hypothetical lines drawn in.

We should have a better grasp of the situation in a couple of days. However, somewhat regretably, I'm not going to be on hand to report on this as it develops.

The decision was made mid-afternoon Wednesday that I am to head off to tackle another project. A new unit is to be opened up in another part of the enclosure on Friday and I get to go excavate there.

So, with that in mind, I'm gonna wrap this entry up a bit early in the week. Today (Thursday) was spent in the lab again. Nothing new really to add on that topic.

Here is a parting shot as I left our trench on Wednesday. I expect that by the time I get back here to take photos again, it will have changed significantly.

I'll wait until next week to talk about my new excavation unit.

Field School - Week 3

While I was in the lab Monday, those who were out in the field continued to make progress.

I returned to the site Tuesday expecting to continue working in the same unit I had been. However, instead, I began excavation in the unit next to it; the untouched unit between the two that had already been started. Excavation of the first 2 levels went relatively quickly. This is because we were working on an incline and actually only had to excavate on the highest side of the unit.

While I had been away on Monday work had also begun on the next unit in line on the exterior side of the embankment. By the end of the day Tuesday we had 4 active units. Here is a view from the interior end.

I should probably clarify some terminology at this point. Each 2m X 2m square is termed a "unit." Each unit has it's own unique designator. The unit in the foreground above is Unit A. This is the unit I first started digging in. Next in line is Unit B, where I started working Tuesday. Beyond that are Units C & D, at the crest of the embankment.

In this photo Sharon is taking final depth measurements for Unit A while Adrienne (seated) records the data. For the time being, Unit A is as deep as it is going to get. The goal now is to bring Units B thru D down to that depth.

The following is a view from the opposite end of the trench.

From this angle, Unit D is now in the foreground. Unit C is immediately behind it, at the same level. The dividing line between them is at the point where you see proturberences on each side of the trench. These are termed "bulks." If you look back through the photos you may be able to see that the units are outlined in string. These strings are tied to metal pins driven into the ground. The bulks are those points at which the pins are located. These points are excavated around so that the pins stay anchored in place.

Work continued on Units B thru D on Wednesday. By the end of the day, this is where we stood.

On Thursday we expanded the operation by opening up the remaining 2 units, Units E and F, in the ditch on the exterior side of the embankment. These units are only half the size of the others, being 1m x 2m. Also, we will be excavating these in 20cm increments as opposed to 10cm increments as the others are. These are being excavated a bit differently primarily because we have a different research objective for these 2 units.

With these we are more interested in learning about the soil development, or profile. We wish to gain an understanding of how the ditch was constructed by looking at how the soil layers are deposited.

By the end of Thursday, both Units E and F had been excavated through their first level and work had begun on the second. This is how they looked at that point.

I didn't stop to take any photos on Friday so have nothing to add in that regard. Essentially, the units look the same as they did on Thursday, only a little bit deeper. I can add, though, that work in Unit B has been halted, at least temporarily, so that we can focus more heavily on Units c and D.

Next week things are gonna change. We will be moving some personnel around to other areas. I have mentioned that we are digging in other spots as well but haven't talked about them yet. We will also be opening a couple of new units in a different part of the enclosure. I anticipate that I will be among those who get relocated. Not a bad thing. That will give me the opportunity to show more about the overall project.

And, while I've been talking about 'what' we are doing, I haven't really touched upon 'why' we are doing it. Nor have I talked about what we have found so far. Hopefully I can get into those issues next week as well.

Field School - Cataloguing

Monday was lab day for me. Thought I'd break that part of the chat out and deal with it seperately.

The cataloguing of artifacts is what comes after their cleaning. It is essentially the paperwork part of the project where everything that has been found is organized and documented.

Here is a view of our work area part-way through the process.

While this may look somewhat chaotic at first glance, it's really not. Or, at least we can call it an organized chaos. It makes more sense when you take a closer look at what is on the tables.


In this situation, each white piece of paper is a log of all the artifacts found in a specific shovel test probe (STP). Each artifact type receives it's own line on the document where it is described, a count is given of how many pieces of that type are present, and a total combined weight of those artifacts is noted. Each line correlates to a unique catalogue number. At the top of the sheet is all the relevant general information pertaining to the project itself. When the cataloguing is complete, the details on these sheets will be entered into the computer database.

Each artifact type also gets a smaller tan tag. Information recorded on this tag relates it back to the catalogue entry.

Here is another batch that is a little bit further along in the process.

At this point all the paperwork is complete. Now we have to write the catalogue numbers on the artifacts themselves. To do this we first apply a water soluble coating to the writing surface. This is done so that the numbers can be removed at a later date should the need arise. On lighter colored artifacts we apply a clear coating. The darker items get a white paint so that our black ink will be visible. You can see this on a couple of the items above. Then the numbers are written on top of that base coating. Afterwards, a clear coating is applied as a sealant so the numbers don't get rubbed off during handling.

Now they are ready to be bagged and boxed. The artifacts themselves stay with the tan tags, with each tag and its associated artifacts getting an individual bag.

For this project we grouped the invidual bags according to artifact type. All the similar smaller bags went into one larger bag which was labeled as to what it contained and where they came from. Then all the large bags were boxed up together, with the boxes being labeled in a similar manner.

The completed boxes go into the curation facility. There the artifacts will be available for future analysis.

Field School - Week 2

Even though Monday was a holiday, making for a short week, it still proved to be a busy week.

Tuesday started with a classroom lecture so we didn't actually get out in the field until late morning. Still, we managed to finish up the last of the STPs in short order.

Following that we commenced a surface collection of the eastern portion of the site. At one time, not too long ago, the St. Joe River was damned and water levels were much higher here than they are at present. It is believed that there were historic structures here during that period, but the nature of those structures remains unknown. Regardless, there is much evidence of modern activity; glass objects, bricks, wire and metallic artifacts. All these things needed to be collected as part of the project.

Afterwards we started laying out our excavation plots. We will be focusing on these areas for the duration. We have one excavation area in the eastern side of the site (just within the embankment), another on the northern side where we hope to establish the northern boundary of the embankment, and a third on the western edge that will cut across both the embankment and the ditch. This last area is the largest and is the excavation on which I am working.

By the end of Tuesday we had marked out the boundaries of our excavation trench. This will cover an area 2m x 12m, broken into smaller 2m x 2m blocks. Each block will be excavated individually. The image below shows the portion of the embankment which we will be cutting across.

I spent the day Wednesday working in the lab cleaning the artifacts collected from the STPs so did not get to participate in the first stages of the dig. Which is fine. Most of the work of archaeologists is actually conducted in the lab rather than on the site. So time spent there is crucial to the learning process.

The cleaning of artifacts is done simply by scrubbing them lightly with water and a toothbrush. Here is Nick in action...

I'll talk more next week about the artifacts themselves and what happens with them after cleaning.

Meanwhile, the excavating had begun. I returned to the site and worked on that Thursday and Friday. Working in 10cm increments, we gradually increased our excavation depth. By late in the day Friday we were finally below the first layer of soil. Here is what the block I am working on looks like at this point. Those are tree roots that you are seeing inside the block.

This is the western-most block of the trench, lying on the interior of the embankment. Others were digging at the top of the embankment in another block.

Here is an image taken from the ditch showing how these 2 blocks are situated in relation to each other. There is an untouched block between the two which will be excavated at a later time.

A couple of things to point out in this last photo...

First, the person you see at the left is Dr. McCullough, our instructor and director of the IPFW Archaeological Survey. The wooden apparatus he is standing in front of (with another to his right) is our soil screen; a larger version of what we were using during the STP phase.

Also, the square red gizmo in the center foreground is a laser level. We can take measurements from this, anywhere within the trench, to determine our current depth. It gives us a stable reference point, called a datum, which is necessary for accuracy and consistency throughout the excavation.

And that is where things stand for now. I'll be back in the lab again on Monday but out at the site for the remainder of next week.

Field School - Week 1

Picking up where I left off …

As I mentioned previously, the Kramer enclosure is a circular earthen embankment surrounded by a ditch. The area inside the embankment is termed the ‘central plaza‘.

What I didn’t mention before is that, in the many centuries that have passed since the site has been in use, it has become a wooded area covered in trees and brush.

Here is a view from our parking area. The site is in the trees, to the south, directly behind our tool trailer.



The area in which we are parking was once under cultivation. At that time the field extended into the enclosure itself. Many years of plowing have eradicated visible signs of the embankment on the northern side. Part of our project will be to excavate trenches in this area to get below the plow zone and determine where, exactly, the embankment had been positioned.

As to the site itself, this is how the central plaza looks today…


The embankment can still be seen on the eastern and western perimeter even though time has altered the terrain to some degree.

On Wednesday we started in on the first phase of the project. This being, to lay out a grid covering the site, both inside and outside the embankment. We did this by measuring out and placing flags every 10 meters along both the north-south and east-west axis. Effectively, then, each flag marks the corner of a 10m x 10m plot.

Given the environment, this was not often an easy task to accomplish. Too, the underbrush and vegetation easily obscured the flags once they were planted, as the photo below demonstrates (the circles mark where 2 of our flags can be found).

Laying out the grid took until late Thursday afternoon. While I was working on this, other crew members were starting in on the next step; shovel test probes (STPs)

The STP is a small hole dug with a shovel (duh). Each hole is dug down until an obvious difference in soil coloration is encountered. Soil characteristics and the depths where changes occur are recorded. The volume of soil taken from the hole is measured. Then, that soil is run through a 1/4" screen. This allows us to recover any artifacts that might be present. Here is Jamie doing just that...

This practice lets us get a representative sampling of artifacts for the entire site. All artifacts are bagged and labeled as to where they were discovered. By taking the soil volume and and quantity of artifacts found at every STP, we can map out artifact densities across the site. Areas of higher concentration may warrant further excavation

As of the end of the day Friday, we were still working on the STPs. Most have been done. Hopefully the rest will be completed by noon on Tuesday (Its a 3-day holiday weekend so we won't be out there on Monday).

The next step will be to start excavating trenches across the embankment at select locations.

Beware "free" stuff

Businesses today are offering all kinds of gimmicks to attract customers. Always watch out for any such programs that claim to be "free." Chances are that they are not.

I went to Chase Bank today to make a simple deposit and was presented with one of these deals afterwards. The teller suggested I upgrade my debit card to take part in their "rewards program." Through that, I would earn points redeemable for various things. You've all seen these programs before. Here is the particular program she was trying to sell me on. I didn't buy into it.

She even went so far as to call in one of her co-workers to help make the sale; both chanting the mantra "its free.. its free..." Like the double-team, hard-sell, was really going to change my mind. Seriously? All that did was aggravate me.

I looked up the bank website after returning home to investigate the situation. It turns out that the "free" part refers only to joining the program. After that there is a $25 annual fee. Gee, guess they just forgot to mention that during the sales pitch.

Just goes to show that you should always check out the fine print before signing up for anything.

If Chase Bank really wants to give its customers something, hows about giving us lower service charges or interest on our currently non-interest-yielding accounts.

I'm just saying...

Networking Pays Off

I received word today that I'm going to be able to participate at another dig site for 2 weeks in September. WOOHOO!

This will be at the Yankeetown site, just east of Evansville, Indiana. I'll be working as a volunteer but they will cover lodging expenses and per diem. This will be a great opportunity to gain much needed experience while I progress toward the transition into professional archaeology on a permanent basis.

Still hoping on getting involved with several other local projects as well but it may be a while yet before I receive confirmation on any of those.

Field School Introduction

Well, Field School started yesterday. Not too much to report on regarding that as of yet. Monday morning was spent in the classroom doing paperwork and covering the basics of what we can expect once we get into the field. Afterwards we had a cookout; something of a "getting acquainted" gathering hosted by the staff. A fine way to begin if you ask me.

Today began with more classroom time. We were introduced to the many recordkeeping forms which we will be using. Following that were lectures presenting us with some historical and cultural background information that relates to our dig site.

After lunch we started practicing with some of the equipment outside on the campus lawn; taking measurements and laying out grids. I didn't take my camera (thinking we were to be in the classroom all day) so missed a good opportunity for photos. However, I will have it with me every day from now on.

We concluded the day by washing artifacts in the Archaeology Lab. That may not sound especially exciting but it is a necessary part of the process. Things need to be cleaned up before they can be processed and analyzed. And, too, that exercise started getting us familiar with the types of materials we will probably find, and their characteristics, so that we can better discern them from naturally occuring materials.

What we will be excavating is a Late Woodland Period site named the Kramer Enclosure. This site, located next to the St. Joe River, has been roughly dated to around 1000-1400AD based upon artifacts found to date. Our research goal is to determine to what degree, and in what manner, this site relates to other sites and cultures found in Central Indiana. I'll talk more about this aspect of the project at a later date.

The site itself consists of a circular earthen embankment, some 300 meters in diameter, surrounded by a ditch. This is the typical layout for this region and time period. However, why this particular layout was employed is still under discussion. Some say it represents defensive fortifications; others that it is a ceremonial/civic center at which dispersed peoples would come together for religious activities or trade. Hopefully this excavation will help further the debate.

Previous surveys of the site suggest that we may find a considerable amount of material remains. Expectations appear somewhat high that we may even find evidence of domestic structures. If so, this would be the first such find in this area for that time period.

I do not exist!

Does this mean I don't have to pay taxes anymore?!?!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Medieval Times

For those who haven’t been to any of the Medieval Times castles - GO!!!

The show is phenomenal. It’s takes dinner theater to a whole new level. And the food is excellent (if you don’t mind eating with your fingers - no utensils provided).

The setting is (obviously) the medieval era; a time of Kings and Knights. During the show you get to witness various competitions between the knights, intertwined within an over-reaching story arc. The arena is divided into 6 sections, each of which is the cheering section for one of the Knights in the court. The King and the Princess preside over the festivities from a throne at one end of the arena. There is feasting, jousting, and hand-to-hand combat. It really must be experienced to be appreciated. All I can do is provide just a taste of what the show is like.

Here we have the King leading the Knights into the arena.



We cheer on our champion, the Red & Yellow Knight, as he awaits the next competition.



Nicole receives a rose from our Knight.



Following the joust, the Knights engage in hand-to-hand combat.




Of course, all these activities are choreographed but they do seek to provide a sense of realism. The weapons being used are functional, albeit dulled for safety. These guys really do take a beating but they obviously enjoy what they are doing.

Home from Chicago

Chicago was a blast (but , of course, I knew it was going to be). We arrived mid-afternoon on Monday and stayed until early evening on Friday. We were pretty much on the go the whole time there. Our days were spent visiting museums and similar sites. During the evenings we took in the local nightlife. Wednesday night we drove to Schaumburg for Medieval Times. We capped of the trip on Friday with stops at the University of Chicago and Chinatown. A busy week, but well worth it. Lots of photos were taken but I’ll only put up a few here for now. I’ll come back and post more about the trip later, between other things, as time permits. For now I’ll just throw out a couple things from the Field Museum.

The photos below show a portion of the Regenstein Laboratory. This is a facility for the preservation and restoration of artifacts. From this vantage point visitors can get a “behind-the-scenes” look at what conservators do to build and maintain their collections. For those who have asked what I want to do when I grow up, this is the type of facility I hope to work in.

The Field Museum has materials from a wide array of cultures and periods. Here are a couple of samples from just one culture.

These ceramic artifacts come from the Moche culture of coastal northern Peru which emerged ~200AD and collapsed ~600AD. Theirs was a highly stratified society which maintained a complex economy heavily reliant on maize agriculture and marine resources. Moche ceramics are well known for their lifelike representations. Scenes portraying animals, plants, and daily activities are commonly found. Many animals played important roles in their religious beliefs. The vessel below takes the form of one such creature; a supernatural bat.

Moche portrait vessels are another common find. These vessels depicted unique individuals as can be seen through distinctive facial features, expressions and even physical deformities. Commoners and elites, alike, were represented. In some cases the same individuals have been found to have been portrayed in several stages of their life. The image below shows an example of how of a high-status individual is portrayed.

Starting Over - Starting Fresh

I’ve left this site collecting cyber-dust for far too long. So, I’m dusting it off, deleting the old entries, and preparing for new stuff. Things coming up include a trip to Chicago during the upcoming week and Archaeology Field School which starts the week after that and lasts through June. Which means that I’ll be starting back to work on the 4th of July weekend, so I’m sure there will be much to complain about following that. Beyond that, well, we’ll just have to see what develops.