American Bottom Archaeological Field School
Summer Session II 2006
UNC Wilmington
What?
UNC Wilmington will offer a field school in the American Bottom region of North America from June 26-July 28. 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!
This will be our first year at Hamill, and we don't quite know what we're going to find! You could be among the first to find out--though we do expect to learn about the Emergent Mississippian culture of the southern part of the floodplain.
The 2004 field crew! From left, Tommy Livoti (now a graduate student at the University of Montana), Larry Kinsella, who's dug in the area for longer than
anyone will admit, Erin Santos (now a base archaeologist at Camp Lejeune), Chris Beeson, Laura Robards, Dr. Reber (front row), Zarley Zafe, and Dustin Elks (now a professional surveyor).
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.
Home, sweet home! Kelly McCallister, Matt Tuttle, and John Navarra enjoying a free evening.
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 price estimate for this field school has just dramatically decreased due to administrative support from UNCW!
The present estimate for costs including tuition, and accommodations in St. Louis but NOT food or transportation to St. Louis is $1259.28, in-state tuition and a shared room, $1491.78 with in-state tuition and a single room; $3245 out-of-state tuition and shared room. To learn about eligibility for in-state tuition, click here. Depending on the number of students we have, the estimate could decrease even more!
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.
Chris Beeson and Tommy Livoti exchange mudballs on the one rain day of the 2004 field season. Photo by Erin Santos.
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 now April 3. Following acceptance into the field school, a packet of information and other forms will be sent to you.
Enrollment is limited to 12.
Lunchtime! Site is in the background, as the crew relaxes under an old cedar tree. Standing is Joshua Fairchild. Sitting are John Navarra and Dr. Reber. Kelly McCallister and Claire Nanfro are lying down but still conscious, with Matt Tuttle fading out fast, and Patty Reese Eaton enjoying a nap. Photo by James Harrington.
What Else?
For more information, contact rebere@uncwil.edu, or (910)962-7734.