Field School in Historical Archaeology at Hassanamesitt Woods
This summer the department of Anthropology in conjunction with the Andrew Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston will sponsor a field school in historical archaeology at Hassanamesitt Woods in Grafton, Massachusetts.
About the Program
This field program is designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in anthropology, archaeology, history, Native American and American Studies. Students accepted into the program will receive training in archaeological excavation and material culture analysis as well as field conservation. Students will also be able to gain additional laboratory experience by registering for a separate class that will follow the field school. This class will focus on the processing of archaeological materials unearthed during the field school as well as their analysis and conservation.
About The Hassanamessitt Woods Project
The Hassanamessitt Woods Project is a collaborative effort between the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, the Town of Grafton, Massachusetts and the Nipmuc Tribal Nation. The overall goals of the project are to investigate a 200 acre parcel that was once part of the Native Community of Hassanamessitt, one of earliest and largest of the Christian Indian Communities established by John Eliot during the Seventeenth Century. Initial archaeological investigations of the property identified several Native American sites spanning an occupation of some 4,000 years. Information gleaned from current and future archaeological investigations will be used by the Town and the Nipmuc Nation to develop educational and interpretive materials for use in the local schools concerning Native American history and culture.
During the summer of 2010 excavations will focus on the Sarah Boston property, a Native farmstead occupied during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Remnants of an earlier occupation may also be uncovered. Students will gain training in large-scale block excavation, stratigraphic interpretation, field recording, material culture identification and mapping. Students will also have the opportunity to work with specialists from the Fiske Center who specialize in geophysical testing and remote sensing, paleoethnobotany, zooarchaeology, and soils analysis.
About The Andrew Fiske Center for Archaeological Research
The Andrew Fiske Center for Archaeological Research was established in 1999 by Alice H. Fiske as a living memorial to her late husband Andrew to celebrate his love of archaeology and the history of Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island, New York. The Center supports interdisciplinary, archaeological research that examines the historical roots of many of the world's contemporary cultural and environmental issues. Working as an integrative force within the University, the Center seeks to expand research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of historical archaeology, environmental archaeology, cultural and urban studies, and environmental history.
Courses and Credit
This summer, fieldwork will concentrate on what is believed to be the primary domestic area of the Muckamaug Farmstead. Excavations will also focus on areas thought to be possible working areas of the farm. In addition to training in excavation techniques and mapping, students will also have the opportunity to work with staff from the Fiske Center who specialize in environmental archaeology. This summer specialists working on soils analysis, remote sensing and botanical analysis will be in residence.
Students also have the opportunity to sign up for an optional two-week extension of the field school that will focus on the processing of material culture from the Boston Farmstead in the laboratory. This phase of the project will involve material culture identification, analysis and conservation.
Successful participants will be awarded six undergraduate or graduate credits for:
- ANTH 485/685, Field Research in Archaeology
- A supervised sequence of field research in archaeology. This research involves continuous study in a field situation directed by a professional anthropologist. The course may include attendance at field schools directed by qualified faculty outside the University, with permission of the department. No more than six credits from field research courses (483, 484, 485, 486) can be applied toward the major.