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UWM Field School Week 6

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The last week of Field School has passed. The students excavated features, expanded the trench, and, most importantly - excelled. For instructors, this week is both bittersweet and fulfilling, as it is difficult to say goodbye to capable, hardworking, and unique individuals. Watching skills develop and growth occur is the most rewarding part of education. It will be exciting to see where our future archaeologists go!  Figure 1. Aubrey Morris and Anissa Zaske screening. Anissa is holding a small Madison point.  Figure 2. Gil Amador in a wall trench with a total station rod. The rod is a receiver for the total station's laser, measuring point position.  Figure 3. In the foreground, Madison Baynes works in a large feature. In the background, Ricky Huertas opens up a new trench.  Figure 4. Tim Piatek, Bryce Hansen, and Anissa Zaske uncover a large ceramic pot in situ. Figure 5. Rachel Stewart cleaning a floor for a photograph.  Figure 6. Crystal Morgan, an archaeolo...
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UWM Field School Week 5

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 "Make it work" - a quote from fashion expert Tim Gunn and the motto of the field school for this week. Due to the poor air quality from Canadian wildfires, students were out of the field for several days. Fortunately, archaeological work never ends, and students had the opportunity to learn how to wash and sort artifacts at UWM and visit the Hoard Museum. When it was safe to be in the field, students continued excavating features.  Figure 1. The week started out strong with cupcakes from Maria Innis' talented mother. Note the little handmade screens! Figure 2. Elsie Touchstone, Bryce Hansen, Gil Amador, Rachel Stewart, and Sydney Davis 'excavate' the cupcakes.  Figure 3. Elsie Touchstone and Cat Vankammen carefully 'pedestal' pottery. Pedestalling involves removing most extraneous dirt from the artifacts but leaving them in situ for photographing and mapping. They will later be collected.  Figure 4. Ian Auger enjoys Fort Atkinson's Hoard Museum.  Figu...
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UWM Field School Week 4

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In the fourth week of field school, the excavation starts looking very different! Students work on knocking down baulks (earthen borders between test units in archaeological excavation), resulting in the area becoming a singular trench. This allows for connections between features to be revealed.  Figure 1. Anna-Sophia Tsiolis and Jackson King record a unit find. Anna-Sophia is placing pottery into a small box to keep it safe.  Figure 2. Taking down baulks! In the foreground, Anna-Sophia Tsiolis removes a western wall with Ava Wolcott and Madison Baynes carefully troweling where a baulk once stood to clean the area and search for artifacts. In the background, Nicholas Peterson, Elsie Touchstone, and Bryce Hansen work together to take down a unit.  Figure 3. As the wider excavation area opens, Bryce Hansen, Rachel Stewart, Hannah Bauer, Maria Innis, Tim Piatek, Anissa Zaske, and Matthew Sharley clean the floor with trowels.  Figure 4. Trying to get a photograph of the...
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UWM Field School Week 3

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 Week 3 of the archaeological field school - excavation continues! Students have learned the basics of shovel skimming, troweling, and screening and are now in the swing of things. All of the units were opened this week, revealing ceramics, lithics, and large features (areas of past human activity).  Figure 1. On rainy days, students transition to other learning activities. Heavy downpours can challenge the structural integrity of a site, and we always watch the radar for safety in case a thunderstorm pops up. On Tuesday, Dr. Rick Edwards gave a lecture about the archaeological history of the area. Students learned more about Oneota artifacts and lifeways. Side note : Oneota is an archaeological, or material culture rather than an ethnographic one. People living in the past would have used another name for group identification.  Figure 2. Ian Auger examines a piece of fire-cracked rock (often abbreviated FCR). FCR is created when rocks are heated and then deposited in a c...
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