UB Anthropology Field School

During the summer session, UB Anthropology offers an enriching, hands-on 6-week field school experience at sites in western New York.

APY 338: Field Research Archaeology

Credit: 6.0 Hours

Led by Dr. Douglas Perrelli, the field school provides an intensive and rewarding archaeological field and lab experience for students interested in archaeology as an academic concentration and as a career option in the field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM). Field school is geared towards students with interests in North American archaeology or related fields including history, geology, geography, soil science and the natural sciences.

The goal is to introduce students to the techniques of archaeological site location, artifact identification, excavation, mapping, and material analysis in a fun but rigorous academic and applied setting. Students will learn

To locate archaeological sites in a variety of settings,
Methods of excavating sites in a stepwise fashion using New York State standards,
Best practices for documenting the archaeological materials recovered in the field,
Lab processing and classification of artifacts and materials,
How to identify and analyze a sample of artifacts,
How to present information about sites in written and cartographic formats,
How artifacts and information are stored and managed in a museum setting.

Field sites are located in Western New York and within a one-hour drive from the University at Buffalo North Campus.

The field school runs Monday to Friday for the 6-week session with a majority of days spent in the field.

A typical day will begin at 9:00AM with a short team meeting either in the lab or parking lot to address the day’s goals, assign tasks, and answer any questions about the field work methodology or results from previous work. Some time may be spent updating the field paperwork. Students will then carpool to the site we are investigating that day and begin excavations or site tours.

We take a 1-hour lunch break each day and people typically bring their lunch and plenty of fluids to drink.

Students will end the day by 3:30-4:00PM including the drive-time back to campus.

A typical day will begin at 9:00AM with a short team meeting with the Laboratory Director to address the day’s goals, assign tasks, and answer any questions about the laboratory methodology or paperwork and readings. Students will notice an emphasis on fieldwork, but must understand that we need to record, process and report on what we find.

Students may be broken up into smaller groups to divide the lab work and provide a variety of student experiences including artifact processing and analysis, flint-knapping, record keeping and clerical work relating to site documentation, historic research, textbook and article reading, and the development of project proposals and budgets common to CRM archaeology.

Indoor classes will typically include a formal lecture or presentation of some kind.

Students will end the day by 4:00PM.

Textbook: Burke, H., C. Smith, and L. Zimmerman (2009) The Archaeologist’s Field Handbook. North American Edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.: New York.
Daily journal (“Rite in the Rain” or composition notebook recommended)
Pencils with erasers
5" Marshalltown pointed trowel
Tape Measure with metric units (3 meter metric hand tape with feet and meters is ideal)
Compass with mirror (“Silva Guide 2” type compass recommended)
Water bottle(s) and sunscreen
Work gloves, optional
Sensible shoes, preferably good digging boots with hard sole and arch
Sensible clothing
Portable lunch on field days

Week 1: Topics

Course introduction; NYS regulations and Cultural Resource Management; landscape navigation, orienteering, mapping, site survey; location and field documentation; basic excavation skills; GPS mapping.

Week 2: Topics

Artifact classification, identification and analysis; stone tools and flint-knapping.

Week 3: Topics

Culture resource, cultural heritage and museum management; artifact and information storage; Indigenous Nations in New York and beyond.

Week 4: Topics

Presenting the Evidence; mapping and reporting for clients and academia.

Week 5: Topics

Flotation: maps and reporting, continued.

Week 6: Topics

Site close-up; final project completion and presentations/discussion.