Archaeological Field Schools in Ontario and Abroad 2011
Field Schools in Ontario
Lakehead University
Paleo-Indian Excavations
In collaboration with Western Heritage, the Lakehead U. archaeological field school will occur in the Mackenzie Site locality, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, which contains several Lakehead Composite Sites (ca. 8,500 to 9,500 year old). These sites are being excavated in anticipation of highway construction. Since the field school will operate within a construction corridor, and students must conform to the safety regulations for the larger project.
Field archaeological reconnaissance and assessment skills will be supplemented with in-class training and site tours that will introduce early post-glacial landscapes, and also late Paleo-Indian technology, land use and economy. Lakehead Composite sites represent the earliest human occupation of the region shortly after deglaciation. The best known of such sites (including the Mackenzie Site) are located upon ancient beach features of Glacial Lake Minong. However this does not exclusively define the site settlement pattern, and part of course curriculum will focus upon paleo-geographic and hydrological modeling necessary to interpret the broader settlement pattern.
Location: Mackenzie Site, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Dates: May 2 to June 13 2011
More Information: http://anthropology.lakeheadu.ca/?display=page&pageid=20
Contact: Dr. Scott Hamilton 807-343-8742 or shamilto@lakeheadu.ca
Laurentian University
Archaeological Field ProceduresThe final fieldschool location has not been finalized, however it will be held at a contact period Huron/Wendat site in the Midland region. This will provide students the opportunity to become familiar with a range of artefact types and the procedures for excavation of a numerous feature types. The final week of the field course will be held in Sudbury, Ontario where students will process samples and undertake artefact cataloguing in a lab setting.
Location: On site in Simcoe County and Sudbury, Ontario
Dates: May 24 to June 30, 2011
More Information: http://www.laurentian.ca/Laurentian/Home/Departments/Anthropology/FieldSchool.htm
Contact: Alicia Hawkins ahawkins@laurentian.ca
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Boyd Archaeological Field Schoolhttp://www.boydfieldschool.org
Over a three week period, students develop and master interdisciplinary knowledge and skills through the exploration of Aboriginal and Euro-Canadian histories. The course includes lectures and hands-on work at an archaeological site under the instruction of certified teachers and archaeologists. This field school is operated in partnership with the York Region Board of Education and students will earn a Grade 12 Interdisciplinary Studies Credit.
Course dates: July 30 - August 20, 2011
Location: The Graham House Site, Pickering, Ontario
Contacts: Cathy Crinnion at 416-661-6600 ext.5323 or Latisha Pederson at 416-661-6600 ext.6280
More Information: http://www.trca.on.ca/archaeological_field_schools/
Wilfrid Laurier University
Ruthven Park/Indiana Field School This field school is designed to introduce students to the techniques applicable to the excavation of an historic period site. Stratigraphic excavation methods are to be applied in a detailed examination of buried structures relating to the nineteenth century occupation of the town of Indiana. Students will be instructed in all aspects of field excavation including photography, surveying, plan and section drawing, artifact identification and processing. In addition, the curriculum includes instruction in computerised database management using finds recovered during the field season as well as limited documentary research.
The excavation will be centred on the former town site of Indiana, a mill town occupied by as many as 400 people during the middle decades of the 19th century. The focus this year will be on testing several house lots, the site of the former grist mill, and a cooperage and/or machine shop. Testing will involve Stage 2 test-pitting on a controlled grid. The purpose will be to identify and delimit areas of high potential based on artifact density. Careful hand-excavation will follow the Stage 2 survey in which students will be assigned units. Additionally, activities will involve re-establishing the original street system of the town using topographic survey equipment.
Dates: May 16 - June 24, 2011
Location: 3 km north of Cayuga on the Grand River (about 90 km from Wilfrid Laurier University)
More Information: http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=296&p=3089
Field Schools Abroad
Trent University
Belize Field School http://www.trentu.ca/anthropology/belize.php
The Social Archaeology Research Program (SARP) is a long term project focused on the investigation of ancient Maya sociopolitical interaction. In particular, we are interested in examining the following questions: Why were ancient Maya polities so unstable? How did centers of different hierarchal rank interact with each other? How were ancient polities integrated? How were Maya royal courts organized? What caused the famous "Maya Collapse"? Twelve years of research at Minanha has answered many questions, but there is much more to learn.
Location: Minanha, Belize
Dates: May 14 - June 19, 2011
More Information: http://www.trentu.ca/anthropology/belize.php
Contact: Dr. Gyles Iannone (705) 748-1011 x7453
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wadi ath-Thamad project, Canadian archaeological dig in JordanExcavating the Iron Age town and Nabataean buildings at Khirbat al-Mudayana; Regional survey of the Wadi ath-Thamad area; documentation of ancient cemeteries.
Location: Wadi ath-Thamad, Jordan
Dates: June 25 - August 6, 2011
More Information: http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=296&p=3083
Contact: Dr. P.M.M. Daviau wadithamad@wlu.ca
Summer Field School at the Ancient Greek Colony of Orgame (Romania) on the Black Sea coastLocation: Romania
Dates: July 25 to September 3, 2011
More Information: http://www.wlu.ca/docsnpubs_detail.php?grp_id=296&doc_id=45312
Contact: Dr. G. Schaus
University of Toronto
Tell Madaba Archaeological ProjectThe Tell Madaba Archaeological Project (TMAP) is a long-term multidisciplinary research project investigating the early development of urbanism and urban institutions in the ancient Near East. It is part of an ongoing international research effort to create a regional database that will permit comprehensive analysis of the adaptive strategies and social institutions developed by human communities in the semi-arid Highlands of central Jordan, a geographical area distinguished by its climatic variability and environmental diversity. The site is situated within the modern city of Madaba, located 30 km southwest of Amman.
Students will receive extensive training in excavation methods, recording procedures, and the preliminary processing of artifacts. Weekly lectures and weekend field trips exploring the archaeology of the region will supplement the primary focus on field experience. All students are eligible to participate; no prior field experience is necessary.
Location: Madaba, Jordan
Dates: June 10 - July 24, 2011
More Information: http://www.utoronto.ca/nmc/field.htm
The University of Western Ontario
Archaeological Field School in PeruThis course is a detailed, hands-on introduction to the practice of Andean field archaeology. Students will participate in intensive, problem-oriented, research excavations, and field laboratory work on an undisturbed archaeological site in the Virú Valley on the north coast of Peru. This is a course held in a remote location, requiring students to learn to live in a foreign cultural environment and to work together as a group while they learn field methods and contribute to the success of a long-term archaeological research project.
Location: Viru Valley, Peru
Dates: Four weeks in May/June Intersession 2011
More Information: http://anthropology.uwo.ca/perufieldcourse1.html
Contact: Dr. Jean-Francois Millaire jean-francois.millaire@uwo.ca