American Bottom Archaeological Field School
Summer Session II 2007
UNC Wilmington
What?
UNC Wilmington will offer a field school in the American Bottom region of North America from June 26-July 27. Our goal is to investigate Emergent Mississippian components in the Southern portion of the American Bottom, concentrating on the Hamill site (11S62) near Dupo, Illinois. Students will learn excavation techniques, record-keeping, surface surveying, mapping, and basic lab techniques, including flotation. We will also go on field trips to the many sites and features in the area, including Cahokia Mounds (my favorite!), some cultural attractions in St. Louis, and other archaeological excavations in the region.
UNCW students visiting Monks Mound at Cahokia. Look, they applied sunscreen!
The Hamill site is probably a village or town site, probably dating to the Emergent Mississippian period (ca. 950-1050 cal AD) located in the floodplain near the south bank of the Prairie du Pont Creek. We excavated the site in 2006, putting in 4 2 x 2 units to see what lay beneath the plow zone; the site is not well known, and we are the first crew to excavate it--who knows what we'll find! This year, we will complete the excavation of a house basin uncovered last year, and begin on a trash pit that we also located last year, as well as putting in some new units. We also hope to get a better handle on the date of at least part of the site.
Brian King backfilling Unit 2. Note the bluff edge in the background.
Where?
The American Bottom is the part of the Mississippi Valley where the floodplain is particularly wide and fertile. It extends from the Illinois River to the north, to the Kaskaskia in the south. St. Louis is the largest modern city in the American Bottom, and we will be within easy driving distance of St. Louis throughout the session.
Map of the American Bottom region showing major mound centers and the Hamill site, shown in red. George Reeves, also dug by UNCW students, is labelled in boldface type. Modern St. Louis is directly on top of the St. Louis mound group shown in the map.
We will be staying at either at nearby dormitories or at a field house in the area--it will take a little while to figure this out, as house availability changes from year to year. I will keep you posted.
Most of the 2006 crew at lunch around Unit 1. From left to right, Lucy Stortors, Matt Ladd, Jess Clifton, and Brian King.
Why?
This is important to help understand how the Middle Mississippian culture of the American Bottom began. The American Bottom produced the first complex chiefdom in the Southeastern United States, including an impressive concentration of large, complex urban mound sites. Our goal is to learn about how this complexity began, by digging up a series of Emergent Mississippian sites in the southern portion of the American Bottom. Our previous site was George Reeves, a few miles away from Hamill on the blufftop. By digging a group of sites from the same time period in the same area, we hope to learn about how complexity began in this region.
Erin Santos excavating a pit feature at the George Reeves site.
How Much?
The present estimate for costs including tuition, and accommodations in St. Louis but NOT food or transportation to St. Louis is $1507, with in-state tuition and $3493 out-of-state tuition. To learn about eligibility for in-state tuition, click here. There is some uncertainty in this estimate due to the housing question--it may decrease, but will not increase.
Most of the crew finishes up screening dirt. On left screen, Kelly McCallister, Claire Nanfro. On right screen, Matt Tuttle (with shirt on head), Joshua Fairchild (in large hat), and John Navarra. Photo taken by James Harrington.
Lucy Stortors and Jess Clifton map the features in Unit 1.
How Do I Sign Up?
If you're interested in taking the field school, or even thinking about it, please drop by my office in SBS 100F, or send me an e-mail at rebere@uncwil.edu. I need a count of interested people for departmental purposes. The deadline for application forms is April 2. Following acceptance into the field school, a packet of information and other forms will be sent to you.
Enrollment is limited to 12.
What Else?
For more information, contact rebere@uncw.edu, or (910)962-7734.