Field School in North American Archaeology
Anthropology 451 (6 credit hours)
UNC-Chapel Hill
Summer 2015
Profs.: Steve Davis <[email protected]>
Brett Riggs <[email protected]>
TAs: Rosie Blewitt <[email protected]>
Ashley Peles <[email protected]>
Course Description: In this course you will learn basic archaeological field procedures in a “hands-on”
fashion, by actually excavating an ancient site. This summer we will excavate at the Wall site, a late
precontact village site near Hillsborough, NC.
Course Structure: We will generally work in the field five days each week, Monday through Friday,
although the schedule may vary depending on weather and other circumstances. On a typical day we will
leave for the site at 7:30 am sharp, and we will return to the UNC campus by 5:00 pm. On rainy days we
will have indoor demonstrations, lectures, lab work, or take field trips to nearby sites.
Required Readings: Occasional readings will be posted on the course web site (see below).
Course Requirements: Grading is based on participation (30%), performance (30%), a daily field journal
(30%), and a final exam (10%).
* Participation involves being at the site each day (unless there is an acceptable excuse) and being
mentally engaged in the various day-to-day activities at the site.
* Performance involves how well a student progresses in mastering the various archaeological tasks,
including (but not limited to) digging levels with a shovel, screening, troweling, excavating features,
drawing plans and profiles, and taking field notes. Performance also involves how well a student is able
to excavate and record data independently (once those skills have been mastered) and how the student
contributes generally to the overall success of the excavation (that is, helping out wherever needed).
* The journal comprises the written component of the course and is designed both as an exercise in
descriptive observation and documentation, and as a means for staff to gauge how well a student
understands the process of data recovery.
Course Web Site: The course web site contains not only the information in this syllabus, but also the
readings and a variety of supplemental materials. It will be updated throughout the semester. The course
web site can be found at <http://rla.unc.edu/courses/anth451/>.
Honor Code: Students are expected to adhere to UNC's Honor Code <http://honor.unc.edu/>.
Sexual Harassment Policy. The field school staff is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all
students. Any student who is impacted by discrimination, harassment, interpersonal (relationship)
violence, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking is encouraged to seek resources on campus or in
the community. Please contact the Interim Title IX Coordinator (Katie Nolan, [email protected]),
Student Complaint/Deputy Title IX Coordinator (Ew Quimbaya-Winship, [email protected]), Counseling &
Psychological Services (confidential) in Campus Health Services at (919) 966-3658, or the Gender
Violence Services Coordinator (confidential) (Cassidy Johnson, [email protected]) to discuss
your specific needs. Additional resources are available at <http://safe.unc.edu/>.
Overall Schedule:
Wed 5/13 Course begins; orientation and start of excavation.
Mon 5/25 Holiday (Memorial Day).
Mon 6/15 Last day of site excavation.
Wed 6/17 Turn in take-home final exam.
Required Readings:
Dickens, Roy S., Jr., H. Trawick Ward, and R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr. (editors) (1987). The Siouan
Project: Seasons I and II. Monograph 1. Research Laboratories of Anthropology, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill. (sections dealing with the Wall site)
<http://www.rla.unc.edu/Publications/pdf/Monograph1.pdf>
Ward, H. Trawick, and R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr. (1999). Time Before History: The Archaeology of North
Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. (Chapters 1, 4, and 7)
<http://rla.unc.edu/Teaching/Fieldschool2015/Time_Before_History_partial.pdf>
Optional Readings:
Davis, R. P. Stephen, Jr., Patrick C. Livingood, H. Trawick Ward, and Vincas P. Steponaitis (2003).
Excavating Occaneechi Town: Archaeology of an Eighteenth-Century Indian Village in North Carolina
(web edition). University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
<http://www.rla.unc.edu/dig/>
Ward, H. Trawick, and R. P. Stephen Davis, Jr. (1993). Indian Communities on the North Carolina
Piedmont, AD 1000 to 1700. Monograph 1. Research Laboratories of Anthropology, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill. (Chapters 1, 12, 13, and 14)