Student Lydia Maurice at New Harmony

This past summer I participated in USI's field school in New Harmony, Indiana with several other students. The first day we stayed inside, listening to our instructor, Dr. Mike Strezewski, explain what we would be doing at the site and what kind of things we would be looking for.  He explained to us that we were looking for pottery left behind the Harmonists, a group of people who came from Germany to start a utopian community at the site.  After that first day, we drove out every morning to New Harmony and began setting up our units.  We practiced digging straight down 10 centimeters at a time until we got the feeling of maintaining a flat surface across the bottom of the unit. At the end of each section, we had to fill out paperwork describing the unit and what we found in the soil. We found many bricks and rocks as well as some pesky mole holes that always seemed to appear in the unit I was digging. We also had to describe the soil color and texture, any charcoal or organic material within the soil, and, most importantly, if there was any mottling within the soil.

Lydia poses with dig mascot, "Christoph Weber."

After going down about 30 centimeters, we took all our units down to the same level and some features began to emerge.  While some of us worked on digging and cleaning the units, others screened the dirt, looking for pottery sherds and other artifacts that could tell us more about the people who once lived there.  Every morning two people would clean the artifacts we had found the previous day so we could better identify what they were.  Many people came to visit the dig while we worked, and if Dr. Mike was busy one of us would explain what we were doing at the site. We worked out at New Harmony for five weeks and only had to leave early one day due to bad weather conditions. Towards the end of the dig we also took half a day to visit a local potter and got to try making our own pottery.   

        

Fragment of a chamber pot found at New Harmony.

Overall I took a lot away from this course and gained some new insight as to what it was like working at a dig. Working at New Harmony taught me how to work with others, take careful notes and measurements, and handle delicate artifacts.  As much fun as I had, this dig helped me realize that, while I liked digging, I preferred doing the paperwork and the cleaning. I would recommend the New Harmony dig to anyone who wants to get out there and experience some cool local history with new people.   

SAHA Welcomes Students

The UE Society for Archaeology and the History of Art sponsored a party last Sunday night to welcome the new archaeology, art history, and classical studies majors.  SAHA provided an archaeology-themed cake.  Some alumni also returned to make the new students feel at home.  Welcome new students!

Cake-designer Emily with her creation.

Everyone agreed that the cake was not just pretty...

...it was yummy!

Student Carissa Kepner at Angel Mounds

Interning at Angel Mounds during the spring semester and in summer 2012 has been one of my most enjoyable college experiences so far. I have had many opportunities to solve problems and be creative and inventive, and I have really enjoyed getting to know the Angel Mounds staff.

Carissa stands next to a seed sorter at the spring Farm Fest event at Angel Mounds.

The first thing to know is that Angel Mounds isn’t a big museum, and you shouldn’t go into an internship at this site thinking that you’re going to be handling and cataloguing a lot of artifacts. In fact, most of what the interns do is interact with the public and help plan and run events. I have developed my people skills and improved my public speaking skills at Angel Mounds by giving presentations to visitors and helping out with off-site presentations in the community. I am very proud of my ability to talk to people on the phone, as when I started I was terrible at it and now I can talk smoothly and professionally. This summer I have been planning, setting up, and running events for the four themed day camps organized by Angel Mounds. I was even allowed to plan one entire day of camp with help from the staff. There is a lot of give and take between the interns and the staff that makes Angel Mounds feel like a family. There is a lot of trust that develops between the staff and their interns, and the staff members really made me feel like my work was contributing to the good of the site.

I helped kids build this boat for Angel Mounds Extreme Egypt camp and we all got to try it out.

I learned a lot from my time there, not only about the history of the site and Mississippian culture, but also about all of the different kinds of work that go into running a museum. Although the internship is unpaid, it is well worth your time, especially during the summer when you keep constantly busy. If you are willing to learn and work hard, you will have a lot of fun.

Student Carly Herrud Participates in the Island Archaeology Program in Maine

I didn't know what to expect on first experience of my first dig, let alone my first field school. What I came to find out was that a lot of effort is put into archaeological fieldwork, and seagulls are evil during their nesting season. I spent one week in summer 2012 working on Smuttynose Island as part of the Island Archaeology Program through the Shoals Marine Laboratory in Maine. Smuttynose Island first entered the historical record during the colonial period, when it was used for fish processing, most often giant cod. There was also a tavern that once stood on the island, but there are only two buildings left standing: Gull Cottage and the Hayley House.


Carly (right) in her trench.

I got to experience digging from the sod all the way down to Level 8 (prehistoric) in a standard 1 m² unit with my trench partner, Danielle. The number of artifacts we collected during one week was astounding. We found copious amounts of smoking pipes, glass, ceramics, and plenty of fauna (animal bones). Fish bones were the most common find, but we also found multiple cat skeletons in our unit. Danielle even found a lithic (stone tool)! Professor Nate Hamilton of the University of Southern Maine was the head faculty overseeing this excavation; the assistants were his former students Lindsay and Katherine. Even though most people were from schools much closer to the island than me, everyone was so nice. I’ll always remember Nate’s phrase of choice whenever we stumbled upon a cool find: wicked!

This experience was not only new to me because it was my first field school, but the living conditions were new to me as well. All of the students working through the Shoals Marine Laboratory resided in dorms on Appledore Island, which was a short boat ride away from where we worked. Shoals is very energy conscious, having purchased a wind turbine and composting toilets for the dining hall. With this awareness came the unfortunate limit on even navy style showers, which made cleaning up every day after field work nearly impossible. Dirtiness and aggressive seagulls aside, I had an amazing experience learning the basics of archaeological excavation and enjoying the beauty of this island environment.

 

Student Alyssa Reynolds at New Harmony, IN

“You’ve got to go dig those holes."

-“Dig it” D-Tent Boys

Having never been on an archaeological dig before, I have to admit I was a little worried. Will I get along with the other students? Since I’m not experienced in field methods, will the professor cast me off to the side? Those were just a few questions racing through my mind. However, after participating in the USI field school from May 9th – June 8th at New Harmony, IN, all of my doubts were erased.


Alyssa with a Harmonist red ware cup.

The focus of the 2012 field season of USI’s excavations at New Harmony was Christoph Weber’s pottery kiln. Previous field schools had uncovered the firebox for the kiln, but we were hoping to expand further on this feature. Much to director Dr. Michael Strezewski’s surprise, the kiln was larger than he had anticipated. Not a big surprise - considering this is archaeology. One of the most interesting artifacts discovered was a Harmonist redware cup. My digging partner and I were so excited when we pulled this out of the ground! Other artifacts unearthed included Harmonist pottery shards, rotary scissors, and kiln furniture. While expanding the kiln feature, the remnants of a church wall built after the Harmonist period and a brick floor from the Harmonist period were also discovered.

The amount of knowledge which I obtained from the field school was immense. I learned how to draw maps, measure, document, and dig using correct excavation methods, all while having a lot of fun. Making new friends was easier than I thought. Being in a hole with somebody for an extended period of time makes you get to know that person rather quickly. I will never forget this experience and all of the people I met. We all had such a good time together. Filling in the holes on the last day was a bittersweet experience for all of us. We reminisced about our five weeks together in the hot sun digging holes and discovering the past. We laughed, hugged, and vowed to do it all again if possible. I thank them for making my first field school unforgettable and reaffirming my career choice – archaeologist.

Alyssa in a trench at New Harmony.

Washington D.C.

Dr. Heidi Strobel was in Washington D.C. last weekend to do some research at the Folger Library and to see the "Royalists to Romantics" exhibition of late eighteen and early nineteenth-century female artists at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  She visited with recent Archaeology & Art History alum Leah Thomas, who will be starting a M.A. in Art History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall.  Dr. Strobel also made several visits to the National Gallery, where she is pictured below, along with Jean-Pierre-Antoine Tassaert's amusing sculpture Painting and Sculpture (c. 1775).

Jezreel Expedition featured on local public radio

UE Associate Professor of Archaeology and Co-Director of the Jezreel Expedition, Jennie Ebeling, was interviewed by Micah Schweizer on WNIN's The Trend on July 13, 2012.  Click here to listen to the interview (it's about halfway through the program).