Course Description
Most people, when they think of archaeology, generally think archaeology is only excavation; that is if they weren’t already thinking about dinosaurs.  Excavation isn't all there is to archaeology but it is certainly an important part and possibly the most notable part that sets it apart from other sciences.  However, not all archaeologists work on excavations and even those that do, excavation only includes one part of their job.  There are many jobs with which an archaeologist may be tasked and there are many methods in archaeologists’ toolboxes to help them better understand the past.  Join archaeologist Jeremy Freeman as we explore the science and practice of archaeology.  In this class students will be introduced to the methods used in archaeological research.  We will cover various topics that will be introduced each week.  Each class includes optional hands-on labs that will help students better understand and appreciate the science of archaeology.

Course Outline
The course is organized into lectures and labs.  The lectures will take place in a live streaming classroom with the instructor and will consist of Powerpoint presentations and open discussion.  Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the lecture discussion.  Each class will also contain optional lab activities that relate to each week’s topic.  Lab activities will be conducted on your own.  Directions for each lab and list of necessary supplies are provided.   A URL for a video related to the topic will, likewise, be provided.  The videos range in length from 8-20 minutes and can be streamed online.  It is recommended that students watch the video prior to class.  The videos are intended to provide a broader depth to the lectures.  Students will not be graded and all assignments during the course are optional but encouraged to help students better understand the topics.  

Week 1.  Lecture:  What Archaeologist Do
In this class students will be introduced to the work conducted by archaeologists.  They will learn about the types of evidence archaeologists uncover.  Students will learn about the various specializations in the discipline.  They will also be introduced to a brief history of the discipline and the current and future trends in archaeology.  

Week 1.  Lab:  Refitting Station
How many pots are there?  When left with countless fragments of the past, archaeologists must attempt to "make sense" of the data.  A method used by archaeologists is working to determine how many types of artifacts are present.  This often involves the refitting of artifacts which is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together to make a whole artifact.  From this they are better able to collect empirical data (e.g how many pots are present, vessel morphology, etc.).  Students will learn how to organize artifacts into types, calculate a minimum vessel count, and will work at piecing together their own artifacts. 

Week 2.  Lecture:  Survey and Excavation
How do archaeologists know where to dig?  You may have heard stories how sites were accidentally discovered such as the Lascaux rock art site and the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Finding sites, however, by accident is relatively rare.  Most sites are identified using traditional on-the-ground methods combined with advanced techniques such as aerial imagery and remote sensing.  In this class, students will learn the methods employed by archaeologists in the identification of sites.

Week 2.  Lab:  Completing the Artifact Inventory Form
Students will begin completing an artifact inventory form based on their survey of the playground as they learn how to conduct an archaeological survey.  

Week 3.  Lecture:  Crazy Coordinates
Not only do archaeologists use maps to locate sites.  We also prepare maps of the sites.  This ranges from hand-drawn maps to using survey equipment such as a total station, GPS, and GIS.  Students will learn how a site is prepared for mapping and data recovery including the establishment of a grid and how trigonometry/geometry is used.

Week 3.  Lab:  Plotting artifacts and using the Pythagorean Theorem and Trigonometry
Students will learn how two plot the locations of artifacts using cartesian coordinates, how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem, how to calculate distances using cartesian coordinates, how to calculate angles using trigonometry, and how to calculate coordinates for artifact locations.

Week 4.  Lecture:  Soil and strata
Soil is the matrix that encompasses the archaeological record.  Understanding the properties of soil is paramount to understanding the archaeology.  In this class students will learn about soil and how archaeologists use soil strata to interpret archaeological data. 

Week 4.  Lab:  Archaeology Sand Art
Students will learn how archaeologists use stratigraphy for site interpretations.  Students will use colored sand to create a stratigraphic profile.  Students will create features and deposit artifacts in the profile and then complete a worksheet related to their profile.

Week 5.  Lecture:  The Dating Game
I often get asked the question, "How old is that?"  It's not a question that is just the pique of someone's interest but a question that archaeologists, ourselves, are very interested in knowing.  In fact, the two primary questions archaeologists ask are where and when?  Much of our interpretation derives from these two questions.  Students learned how archaeologists study the where in the third class.  In this class students will learn about the when.  In this class students will learn about the dating methods that archaeologists use to date sites. 

Week 5.  Lab:  Seriation Dating
Students will learn how seriation dating is done by looking at an assemblage of historic artifacts from the mid-Atlantic region.  Students will then place the assemblages in their proper sequence using seriation dating.

Week 6.  Lecture/Lab:  Mysterious Objects
Like all sciences archaeology is based on observation.  Archaeologists, in particular, analyze and observe the attributes of artifacts.  Attributes refer to the characteristics of an artifact that allow artifacts to be classified and studied.  In this class students will learn what kinds of observations archaeologists make and how they use the attributes of artifacts to scientifically analyze artifacts.  Students will work on their own observation skills as they are presented with artifacts for which they will describe the attributes and share their interpretations.