Field Season Over...with video recap

We finished up our 2013 excavations last Monday and backfilled the final unit in a torrential downpour.


There will be more detail to come, but I wanted to post this clip put together by Colin Duryea

After the Rain

Field Class-Week 3

Another week, another rain day.  This time, at least we had enough artifacts to warrant a day of washing.  We also had a visit from the college videographer...so stay tuned for a slick trailer for next year's class.

Field Class--Week 2, or really 1.5

Evidence of Sophisticated Behavior.

Our first couple of weeks in the field were abbreviated by an unsettled weather pattern, which brought one cancelled day and one significantly shortened one.  Nevertheless, we've made some progress.

Day 1--SUNY-Orange Archaeological Field School 2013

Today, the 2013 season of the SUNY-Orange Field school begins.

Talking Up the Field School

Last night, I had the opportunity to present about the 2012 summer field school--both the class and its initial findings--at the Wisner Library in Warwick.  One of the great results of such public presentations is getting to talk to folks with expertise and knowledge you didn't previously have.  I believe some of the leads will prove productive in future field seasons.

The Catalog is Done, Dude...

Joe and I completed the initial catalog of artifacts today.  About 1166 recovered in our four weeks on site.  There's still a lot of research and writing to do, but I hadn't expected to find the diversity or abundance of artifacts prior to the field season.  I still feel we're looking at a late 19th Century occupation, but the specific nature of the activities at the site are still not clear...though they were smoking.

Here's a few more shots of the artifacts...many more details to come.

Almost Famous

We made the local paper.  I'll just add that I think our gear in the background of the photo looks like a mess and I really wish we had some crew who would have kept it organized.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120709/NEWS/207090328

Engage Cataloging

Maybe it's the day alone in my office with nothing but artifacts and I feel I must seek out some human connection...so here's another post.  As noted earlier (yes, today), all artifacts recovered from the 2012 season have been washed.  This afternoon, I began the cataloging process and have gotten through 133 individual artifacts (and there's many more to do, my guess is that I got through about 10% today).

I've included some quick pictures, including of a pipe bowl fragment that seems to have an eagle wing and neck design on it.

Pipe Bowl Fragment (you can't really see the design in this image)

Final Clean Up

The transition out of the field is almost complete.  Today, I hope to finish the last of the basic washing of the remaining artifacts we recovered.  Here's an exciting shot of sherds (yes, that is how you spell it) and sundry rocks (likely nothing) drying in the bright July sun on the porch of the Christine Morrison House (side note: my department recently moved buildings on campus and as far as space goes, we've experienced a significant downgrade.  However, the porch is a nice consolation prize).

Science!!!

Once the cleaning is done, I, and hopefully some students in the fall, will begin analysis to get a fuller sense of the dating and functions of the artifacts.  After that's complete, we'll be in a much better position to say what was really going on at the site.

Burial of Joe

I'm in the unusual situation of my kids being occupied and me having run out of small projects to complete around the house.  So, I'll add another post in honor of the end of the 2012 season.

As we (who am I kidding? I didn't backfill, I made the students do it) backfilled the final excavation unit, it seemed appropriate to return something to the earth since we'd removed so many artifacts.  I give you that dedication.

End of Field Season 2012

Yesterday, we finished up the first field season for the SUNY-Orange archaeological field school.  The last day was full of last minute profiles (four of them, most with standing stone walls on top), photos and finally backfilling of the last feature.  All in all, we excavated 49 shovel test pits and four excavation units.  I now have an office full of artifacts to catalog, identify and analyze...which I am looking forward to. 

I'm still largely in the dark about what exactly what was going on at the site, but we already know a lot more than we did a month ago.  Once the artifact analysis really gets going, we will get a good sense of the when and what of the site.

The site did have a number of features visible on ground surface, but very few surface artifacts (one barrel ring).  Prior to the field class, my doomsday scenario was that we would find no artifacts (a sure fire way to make students uninterested in archaeology).  Fortunately, that was not the case.  I haven't yet tallied, but my ballpark estimate is that we recovered somewhere around 300 artifacts.  Almost every excavation unit was positive for artifacts.   The bulk of the recovered artifacts were historic ceramics, glass and metal, though we do have at least one clear lithic flake (there's a few questionable that are awaiting a date with a toothbrush).

All in all, I'm very pleased with how things went for this inaugural year, and hope and intend to continue for many years to come. 

I'd like to thank the Orange County Land Trust for their permission and enthusiastic support of the project.  Their help is essential to this and future projects.  Having a cooperating land owner/manager makes all the difference in the world.  Of course, the project also wouldn't be anything without the students involved, so thanks (in no particular order) Brandon, Leah, Sean, Sean, Jordan, Daisy, Mike, Rich, and Joe.

Artifact Washing and Rapid Research

Washing Day

As seems to always be the case, I called an artifact washing day today because of a rainy weather forecast.  As you can see from the photo down below, that's not what we ran into for most of the day.  I've convinced myself, though, that the site really needed to dry out.

Hard Rubber Button

Bottle Neck

Stone Floor of Feature where Bottle Uncovered

Beautiful, Sunny Blue Skies

Regardless, in addition to washing our assemblage to date, the students also spent much of the morning engaged in some very preliminary, rapid-fire research on two artifacts that possess diagnostic characteristics.  At the moment, both are pointing toward a mid to late 19th Century occupation for the site.  One hard rubber button with a readable (though very tiny) "Goodyear" and "N.R. Co." and one bottle neck both sit in that time frame.  We've also recovered somewhere around 50 small, whiteware sherds, but so far, they don't seem to indicate much temporal information other than post-dating 1820.

Week 1

On Tuesday, we finally got going after our rain delay, so only a total of three days in the field. So far, we've completed all the shovel test pits of the smaller of two areas we'll be testing this season. Some artifacts have been recovered, but no unknown features were found. Next week, we'll begin excavating the two visible surface features.

Class on the first day, clean and awkwardly taken by surprise with unexpected photo.

First shovel test of the day.  Here, I'm trying to impart good technique.

Examining first potential artifact of project

Feature 1 with surface accumulation cleared (twine borders funky due to lack of good spots for nails)

First run through with screening.

Washout

Today became quite the bummer.  June 4 was supposed to be the first day of the first SUNY-Orange archaeological field project, but the rain would not cooperate.

The rain was falling as I was driving my kids to their daycare, but seemed to lighten up as I dropped them off.  But, driving south correlated with increasing rain intensity...almost like the project site was a magnet for it.

All the students showed, or called, but the rain was just too much.  The students and I held a quick meeting under the awning of a Rite Aid and then I drank too much coffee.  Thankfully, the rain has continued since I made the weather cancellation call. 

Here's hoping for better luck tomorrow.

Setting Out the Grid

Feature 2 in Locus A

The groundwork has been laid for next week.  We will begin our excavations in the smaller of two areas, one that I've labeled Locus A.  There we will excavate 18 systematically placed shovel test pits (and likely a few judgmental as well) around at least two features.  Additionally, we should excavate two or more 1x1 meter excavation units near the features.

Too Awesome Not to Post

This image has little direct relevance to the field class that begins next week, but it's just such an awesome artifact that I had to post it. In graduate school, I worked on a couple of Hohokam sites, so their material culture is near and dear to my heart, though I have to say that I was never aware of this one.

Here's the caption that accompanied the image on the Arizona State Museum's website:

This Hohokam rabbit net, about 165 ft long by 3.6 ft wide, is made of knotted human hair! This photo is from 1967 (by Helga Teiwes) and shows E. Leavitt and R. Medieiars laying it out on the sidewalk adjacent to the museum.

Feeling Soil Texture

This video will likely seem strange and boring to you field students right now, but it will serve as a good reference as we go through the season.

Equipment is arriving.  Your $50 is being put to good use.  June 4 is a go.

Mapping, Day 2

Rake Triage

Today, we were able to finish up the base map for the site and this summer's field project.  Currently, we have two distinct loci of features with a total of at least six features.  Several of the features seem to have grown as we went to town with more raking today.

Feature 4

Thus far, very few artifacts have been noted on the surface of the site.  This seems a bit unusual, but there also is a good amount of deposition at the site, despite it being between two bedrock outcrops.  I'm hoping the deposition is covering a decent collection of artifacts. As I was telling the team today, though, negative evidence tells us something too, though most won't find that that rewarding when excavating.

Rakers at Work

As with yesterday, I continue to be impressed with the value of rakes in archaeology. Taking of the cover of leaf litter and exposing stone underneath really is analogous to troweling down in an excavation unit on features and artifacts.

Extension of Wall Uncovered Through Raking

Orange Archaeology, Day 1 (Mapping)

Today, myself and a handful of very helpful volunteers begin the preparations for this summer's field project. For the most part, today was about getting familiar with the site and starting the base field map that will serve as a summary reference for excavation units completed this summer.

Stone Walls

Corner Uncovered with Rake

It was a good day, hot (for March), but good.  The central place of rakes in archaeology was reinforced as one of the most often said phrases was, "get the rake!"  I'll post raking action shots later this week.

Our Mapping Instrument

Earthen Berm (it's difficult to see in this image)