Collaborative Archaeological Field Project

Students will choose a local cemetery near where they live to collect field data.  In this class, students will be guided through a research project to collect archaeological data.  Students will learn what kinds of information they can collect from cemeteries and will learn how to collect, process, and interpret the data.  Live sessions will include data sharing.

Week 1.  Introduction to Cemeteries and Interpreting Symbolism
In this class students will learn about the different types of cemeteries and what that means regarding specific historic populations.  Students will also learn about the symbolism in cemeteries both on the headstones and in the built environment.  
Assignment:  Students will collect and interpret symbolic data from the cemetery.  Take photos of the symbols and share them during the next class meeting to discuss.

Week 2.  Seriation of Headstone Imagery
In this class students will learn how archaeologists use seriation for dating and looking at the introduction, popularity, and waning of artifact styles.  Using a case study on headstone imagery from New England, students will learn how to analyze different trends in headstone symbolism and how to create a seriation chart.
Assignment:  Students will choose 5 different symbols observed in the cemetery and create a seriation chart.
Week 3.  Collecting Demographic Data
Students will learn about vital statistics and how to collect/calculate them from cemetery data.  Topics will include:  mortality rates, life expectancy, morbidity rates, infant mortality, socio-economic status, etc.
Assignment:  Students will collect and interpret vital statistics from their cemetery using a provided worksheet.  This data will be shared at the next class meeting.

Week 4.  Understanding Transformational Processes
When archaeologists excavate sites, they must always be mindful of the transformational processes that affect the integrity of the data from those sites.  Understanding what happened to archaeological sites since it was left is just as important as understanding the behaviors that resulted in the creation of a site.  Knowing how to interpret the transformational processes is an integral part of archaeological interpretation.  In this class students will learn about the transformational processes that are unique to cemetery contexts and learn how to collect data to better understand site integrity.
Assignment:  Students will collect data on the transformational processes that are affecting the integrity of the site.  A camera should be used to capture the evidence and share during the next class meeting.

Week 5.  Data Sharing/Final Project Presentation
During this class students will present their final projects and including the data they collected on transformational processes.  Students will have an opportunity to ask other students questions about other students’ work and discuss ways to continue or improve the research.