Introducing the Anth. 424: Archaeological Field Methods Blog

Greetings and welcome to the inaugural Anthropology Field Notes blog.  We hope that faculty and students will use the blog to share updates on your fieldwork with the rest of us in Anthropology at UD, our alumni, the larger university community, and others interested in anthropological fieldwork.

This spring, 19 anthropology and material culture preservation students are conducting a service learning project for the Delaware Historical Society at the Read House and Gardens property in Delaware’s colonial capital, New Castle.  We’re working on two properties adjoining the main house and garden lot that we’ve been studying for the past 15 years.  Our goals are to learn how to do historical archaeology—from researching historical documents to mapping, surveying, and excavating to processing and researching artifacts to sharing what we’re learning with various stakeholders—and to learn about the nature, extent, and dates of archaeological remains on these properties.

Each week through May, a few class members will post blogs—introducing themselves and reporting on our finds, our accomplishments, and even our frustrations.  Follow our progress, ask us questions, offer suggestions… we look forward to hearing from you!  And wish us good weather, good ‘digging’ soils, and good cultural-historical evidence buried beneath our feet.

Thanks to Andrea Anderson, our Laboratory Coordinator for setting up the blog and for all her efforts preparing us for the fieldwork, assisting in project direction, and managing the archaeology lab and collections work.  And thanks to new UD Anthropology and History alum, Julie Powers, who is serving as our Crew Chief this spring.

Lu Ann De Cunzo