Department of Anthropology
UMass Amherst

Pocumtuck Valley, Deerifield MA (Photo by Michael Volmar)

UMass Field School 2002, Hatfield MA (Chris Sousa and Will Herrick)

2008 Archaeological Field School

The Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts has been the homeland of Native American communities for thousands of years, since well before Euro-American colonization in the 17th century. Archaeologists have identified traces of Native American occupation in the region dating back to at least 12,000 years ago, but much of this pre- and early Contact period history is poorly understood.

The 2008 UMass Archaeological Field School will be located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. The field school will focus on at least one archaeological site in the Deerfield area, in order to learn more about pre- and post-Contact Native American lifeways and history. At present, we plan to survey and excavate portions of a 17th century Native American site as part of an on-going community-based archaeology and stewardship project. The five-week field school will include intensive training in New England Native history, archaeological survey techniques, excavation, laboratory methods, artifact analysis, and archaeological interpretation. Students will also learn about other kinds of evidence that are integral to archaeological interpretations of the past, such as geology, oral history, and written records. The opportunity to participate in our public education program will be a critical component of this field school.

For details, please visit the Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities website listing.

Click here for an application.

This is the course Web site for Elizabeth S. Chilton, Department of Anthropology. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Produced and maintained by Elizabeth S. Chilton, echilton@anthro.umass.edu.