Key Pages:
Archaeology of College Hill 2006
Archaeology of College Hill 2007
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology
Search JIAAW:
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]
This week it finally felt like fall! Although the thermometer registered 51 degrees, most of us were freezing and bundled up. Even with hats and mittens fingers still got numb and by 5:20 everyone was happy to head out and get warm again.
Because this will be our last week digging – next week we plan on doing sections, top plans, taking soil samples and backfilling, we decided to quarter most of the trenches into 50cm x 50 cm units and dig one or two of those as deep as we could. Some of the trenches, like D2 where Cindy and Veronica were working, seem to have gotten deep enough to have hit the natural levels left when the glacier receded. Basically there were tons of pebbles but no cultural remains. A similar situation is being encountered in D1, dug by Chelsea and Whit, where a lot more pebbly sand is being encountered than before. The difference is that artifacts are still being retrieved from this layer.
In D3 the mystery features were proven by Tyler and Doug to extend to a significant depth below the surface, deeper than would be expected for a stake or a planting, which is what they were postulated to be. C2 also has one of these features which Maddy and Stephanie took out of the baulk today. Maybe we can figure out what they are when we bring them to the lab.
In D4 Dan and Scott cleared away the burnt soil on the North side only to find that it didn’t extend very deep into the trench. Under it was the typical clay and burnt earth fill typical of the rest of the trench. Chunks of asphalt were also coming to light here, reinforcing the idea that the fill here is mainly modern.
Maia and Nicole were in C1 and also dug in 2 quarters of the trench. Although they found glass and brick, these were few and far between.
Overall it seems like in most of the trenches we are coming up on the sterile levels – which is perfect timing, since this was our last week digging!
On another note, I went out to the annual conference of the Council of North East Historical Archaeology in Buffalo this past weekend to give a paper on the project co-authored by the former field director of the 2006 season, Dr. Zachary Nelson. For those who are interested I attach a copy of the paper and the accompanying PowerPoint.