Archaeology of College Hill 2012

Required Readings:

Texts: These are available on reserve in the Joukowsky Institute Library 2nd floor shelf at top of stairs).

Renfrew, C. and P. Bahn. 2004. Archaeology: The Key Concepts. New York: Routledge.

Roskams, Steve. 2001 Excavation. Cambridge Manuals in Archaeology, CUP: Cambridge.

Deetz, James. 1996 [1977] In Small Things Forgotten: and archaeology of early American life. Anchor: New York.

Articles: posted as PDFs on the wiki (here - password required:Readings )

Schedule

Read relevant entries from Renfrew and Bahn, or Roskams, before the regular meeting of the course, as these may have direct relevance to fieldwork. All other readings should be completed for that week’s section (Week 1 readings for Week 1 section)

Class meeting locations will vary from week to week and are indicated below, when possible. All section meetings will be in Rhode Island Hall, unless otherwise announced – this will be held in a discussion format, covering weekly topics and assigned readings; this part of the course will be guided by the TA, though the vast majority of the talking should be done by the students, all of whom are expected to contribute.

*Please note that in the first and last few weeks, especially, more than usual research efforts will be expected from students – this will require extra work, but is essential for students to participate in all aspects of the archaeological process, from site identification and selection to publication.

Week 1 – September 10 – Introduction to Archaeological Fieldwork and Research

Meet in Rhode Island Hall

Topics: what is archaeology and how do we design and conduct fieldwork? where and how should we conduct fieldwork on Brown’s campus? places of historical interest

Readings:

Deetz, J. 1996 [1977]. In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life. New York: Anchor.
Phillips, J.M. 2000. Brown University: A Short History. Providence: Brown University. (available on course wiki).
Read introductions and browse through Archaeology of College Hill site reports (available on course wiki – see reports from the John Brown House Excavations, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 seasons)
Browse and read relevant entries in Encyclopedia Brunoniana and other books on the history of the University

Week 2 – September 17 – Site Selection and Research Design

Meet in Rhode Island Hall

Topics: identifying areas of archaeological interest; when and how to use particular field methods; how archaeologists organize information; what is archaeology’s contribution? what are we looking for and what can it tell us that we don’t already know?

Section: discussion of areas of interest identified by students; where and how to conduct surface investigations

*Site Report due in section – this is a report on an area of archaeological interest on campus, including what is known about its chronology and history, as well as a description of why it is interesting archaeologically and how it should be investigated.

Readings:

Beaudry, Mary C. 1995 Scratching the Surface: Seven Seasons at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Newbury, Massachusetts. Northeast Historical Archaeology, 24:19-49.
Gibson, Susan G. 1979 Archaeological Resource Study, Roger Williams National Memorial. Cultural Resources Management Division, North Atlantic Regional Office, National Parks Service, Washington, D.C. (on reserve in Joukowsky Library)
Read introductions and browse through Archaeology of College Hill site reports (available on course wiki – see reports from the John Brown House Excavations, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 seasons)
Browse and read relevant entries in Encyclopedia Brunoniana and other books on the history of the University

Week 3 – September 24 – Field Archaeology: Surface Investigations

Meeting place TBD

Topics: field archaeology as a process; archaeological survey, mapping, collection, and other non-invasive techniques; historical archaeology as a sub discipline; data identification, recording and interpretation; documentary archaeology; oral histories

Readings:

Renfrew and Bahn, entries on “Historical Archaeology and Text” and “Survey”
Wilkie, Laurie. 2006 “Documentary archaeology”. In D. Hicks and M. Beaudry, eds., The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeoloy. Cambridge: CUP, pgs. 13-33.
Mrozowski, Stephen A. 1988 “For gentlemen of capacity and leisure: the archaeology of colonial newspapers”. In M. Beaudry, ed. Documentary archaeology in the New World, CUP: Cambridge, 184-191.
Seasholes, Nancy S. 1988 “On the use of historical maps”. In M. Beaudry, ed. Documentary archaeology in the New World, CUP: Cambridge, 92-118.

Week 4 – October 1 – Field Archaeology: Surface Investigations

Meeting place TBD

Topics: sampling; evaluating surface data; deciding where, when and why to excavate; themes and theories in historical archaeology; material culture; household archaeology; object biography; landscape archaeology

Readings:

Renfrew and Bahn, entries on “Thinking about Landscape” and “Material Engagement and Materialisation”
King, Julia A. 2006 “Household archaeology, identities, and biographies”. In D. Hicks and M. Beaudry, eds., The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology. Cambridge: CUP, pgs. 293-313.
Mrozowski, Stephen A. 2006 “Shifting the focus: archaeology of the urban household”, in The Archaeology of Class in Urban America. Cambridge: CUP, pgs. 36-62.

Week 5 – October 8 – Fall Weekend, no class

Week 6 – October 15 – Field Archaeology: Excavation

Meeting place TBD

Topics: organizing information; reflecting on archaeological practice; critical approaches to fieldwork; re-evaluating / assessing our practices to date

Readings:

Renfrew and Bahn, entries on “Key Ideas in Excavation”, “Archaeological Formation Processes”, “Principles of Stratigraphic Succession”
Roskams, Chapters 1-7
Lucas, Gavin. 2001 Introduction, pgs. 1-17, In Critical Approaches to Fieldwork. Routledge: London.

Saturday October 20 - Family Weekend Event: Excavations in Progress Your participation is kindly requested (but not required)

Week 7 – October 22 – Field Archaeology: Excavation

Meeting place TBD

Topics: whose past? whose present? whose future? archaeological heritage management; stewardship, politics and archaeology; representation

Readings:

Renfrew and Bahn, entry on “Public Archaeology/Museology/Conservation/Heritage”
Roskams, Chapters 8-13
Shepherd, Nick. 2007 “What does it mean 'To Give the Past Back to the People'? Archaeology and Ethics in the Postcolony”. In Y. Hamalakis and P. Duke, eds. Archaeology and Capitalism, From Ethics to Politics. Left Coast Press; Walnut Creek, 99-114.
Slavery and Justice. 2006 Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, Brown University. Read closely pgs. 7-31, skim remainder.

Week 8 – October 29 – Field Archaeology: Excavation

Meeting place TBD

Topics: interpretation and presentation; recovering meaning from materials; creating presentations for the public; ownership, nationalism, and ethical concerns

Readings:

Renfrew and Bahn, entries on “Processual Archaeology”, “Postprocessual/Interpretative Archaeology”, “Holistic/Contextual Archaeology”, “Symbolic and Structuralist Archaeology”
Hodder, Ian. 2003 “Sustainable Time Travel: Toward a Global Politics of the Past”. In S. Kane, ed., The Politics of Archaeology and Identity in a Global Contest, 139-147.
McManamon, Francis P. 2003 “Archaeology, Nationalism, and Ancient America”. In S. Kane, ed., The Politics of Archaeology and Identity in a Global Contest, 115-138.

Week 9 – November 5 – Field Archaeology: Excavation

Meeting place TBD

Topics: preserving and curating the archaeological record; digital heritage – e.g., the wiki; preservation of materials; the archive

Readings:

Addison, Alonzo C. 2008 “The Vanishing Virtual: Safeguarding heritage's endangered digital record”. In Y. Kalay, T. Kvan, and J. Affleck, New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage, 27-39.
Lucas, Gavin. 2001 Chapter 3, "Splitting Objects", In Critical Approaches to Fieldwork. Routledge: London, pgs. 64-106.
Lewi, Hannah. 2003 “Designing a Virtual Museum of Architectural Heritage”. In S. Kane, ed., The Politics of Archaeology and Identity in a Global Contest, 261-274.
Roussou, Maria. 2003 “The Components of Engagement in Virtual Heritage Environments”. In S. Kane, ed., The Politics of Archaeology and Identity in a Global Contest, 225-241.
The Precott Street website and ARK

Weeks 10 and 11 – November 12 and 19 – Laboratory Analysis and Synthesis

Meet at Carriage House, 137 Waterman St.

Topics: artifact analysis; archaeological synthesis; identifying artifact types; dating strata; re-establishing site history from excavated remains and documentary record

Readings:

Mrozowski, S., G. Ziesing, and M. Beaudry. 1996 Living on the Boott: historical archaeology at the Boott Mills Boardinghouse, Lowell, MA. University of Massachusetts Press: Amherst.
Independent research on artifacts

Week 12 – November 26 – Laboratory Analysis and Final Reports

Meet at Carriage House, 137 Waterman St.

Topics: artifact analysis, dating artifacts and interpreting assemblages; work on object biographies and final report topics

Readings:

Turnbaugh, W & S. “Alternative Approaches to Mean Ceramic Dating”, Historical Archaeology, 1977 11(1) 90-114. -
Groover, Mark. “Linking Artifact Assemblages to Household Cycles: An Example from the Gibbs Site”, Historical Archaeology, 2001, 35(4): 38-57.
Adams, William Hampton. “Dating Historical Sites: The Importance of Understanding Time Lag in the Acquisition, Curation, Use, and Disposal of Artifacts”. Historical Archaeology, 2003, 37(2):38-61.

Week 13 – December 3 – Final Project Presentations

Meet at Rhode Island Hall

Presentation of Final Projects to class and invited guests (JIAAW faculty and members of the Rhode Island Historical Society)

Final Projects Due in Written Form on Monday, December 12, by 5pm (this is the last day of Reading Period)

Home / Syllabus / Schedule of classes and readings / Readings (password protected) / Sample Field Forms / References & Resources / Student Wikis / Weekly Research and Fieldwork Summaries / Response Papers