St. Johns Archaeological
Field School
Summer B Session: June 30 - August 8,
2008
Mouth of Silver Glen Run on Lake George
St. Johns Archaeological
Summer B Session: June 30 - August 8,
2008
Mouth of Silver Glen Run on Lake George
| A nine-credit field practicum in all aspects of archaeological field work, including reconnaissance survey, site mapping and testing, and stratigraphic excavation. Evening laboratory sessions and lectures provide additional training in analysis, research design, and regional archaeology. Students also gain experience in the use of electronic survey equipment and other hi-tech applications in mapping and surveying. |
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The St.
Johns River valley was home to prehistoric hunter-gatherers for over
11,000 years. Some 6500 years ago, certain groups began to harvest the
rich shellfish resources of the river and mound the inedible remains in
locations of repeated occupation. Most of these shell mounds were
mined for road fill years ago, but many still preserve information of
scientific
value. Notably, the earliest occupations occurred when water
levels were well below present-day elevations and evidence for these
occupations has since been inundated by rising water. The mining
operations that destroyed so many shell mounds in Florida did not
generally affect the inundated deposits, which contain some of the best
preserved archaeological materials in the region. The 2008 field school will return to the western shore of Lake George for a second year after a five-year stint on Hontoon Island. In the 19th century Jeffries Wyman described the shell deposits at the mouth of Silver Glen Run, which drains into Lake George, as the largest in all of northest Florida. The crescent-shaped outline on the topographic map to the left shows the extent of the deposits Wyman observed. Now privately owned, the site was the target for mapping and testing in 2007. In 2008 we will expand on this work and begin additional testing in areas to the west that contain preserved remains of mounds and villages dating as old as 6000 years. Other known sites on the property will also be investigated, and we will conduct reconnaissance survey to locate additional sites on the 3000-acre tract. |
| Accommodations
for field school are provided courtesy of our host organization for the
five-week field session (July 7 - August 8). Beyond the fee for nine
undergraduate credit hours (ANT 4123/4124), students will pay their
share of communal subsistence and equipment costs (estimated at about
$400). One additional week of lab work in
Gainesville (June 30 - July 3) is mandatory. Click
here for an application form and instructions for applying. |
CLICK
HERE FOR RESULTS FROM 2000 FIELD SCHOOL
CLICK HERE FOR INTERIM REPORT ON 2007
FIELD SCHOOL