Welcome back to Updates from the Field!
Once again the predicted Friday rain threatened to foil the plans of Dr. DeCunzo’s archeology students. Yet, another class went by without any raining disrupting our dig. If you walked around the grounds at Old Swedes Church at the end of class, you would think the anthropology students had been digging there for weeks with all of the progress that has been made. However, this past Friday was our first real class at getting down and dirty and beginning to excavate the church grounds.
What a picturesque archeological scene!
Now that our class has begun to dig in, literally, we are excited and motivated to work towards achieving our goals. Today, some of our classmates uncovered the first artifacts since our work began, old nails and wire, and the rest of the class is eager to uncover artifacts as well. Archeology gives us the opportunity to understand how our predecessors lived, what they did, and can give us a more holistic perspective of where we came from. We hope our archeological adventure here at Old Swedes can provide us with some of these answers about the Swedish colony that settled here many centuries ago.
Amara and Nicole focused on their excavation unit!
After planning for weeks, our class finally had the opportunity to take our plans and put them into action at our site. Archeology is far from simple. There is much more to this complex science. The preparation alone has taken us weeks. Measurements must be extremely precise and accurate. It took me an hour to set up the Transit; an instrument used to level the excavation unit. All of this work is done in order to ensure the validity and reliability of our work at Old Swedes. Our notes are composed of written documentation, picture documentation, and hand drawings. The archeological record is one of the most important aspects and our work is always done with hard word and diligence.
Ana determined to set up the Transit!
The enthusiasm is high in our class and at Old Swedes Church. This group of students is determined to discover what the grounds of Old Swedes have to tell. Check back next Friday for more updates about our excavation!