Archaeology Field School
August 1-6, 2010
The Abbe Museum, well known for conducting outstanding archaeology programs, is offering an archaeological field school in summer 2010. Students will work with Maine State Archeologist Dr. Arthur Spiess on a coastal shell midden site in Gouldsboro, Maine.
During the week of August 1-6, 2010, field school participants will conduct excavations, practice mapping the site, and learn about the analysis of artifacts. Participation in the field school is open to the public and no previous archaeological experience is necessary.
This field school offers first-hand experience in an archeological dig. The 2010 Field School will be excavating the Tranquility farm site, first explored by the Abbe Museum in the1930s, and again during a series of field school excavations in the 1990s.
This year’s excavations will build on the previous discoveries at the site. Some exciting discoveries from the Tranquility Farm site include a house floor and hearth feature with a radiocarbon date of 1240 + 70 BP; the identification of burned plant remains from the hearth including raspberry, chenopodium, smartweed, wild rye and dewberry; and an assemblage of dentate-stamped pottery assigned to the Middle Ceramic Period, 2,100 - 800 years ago.Fieldwork will be complimented by lab sessions and lectures to give participants a broad understanding of archaeology and Maine's Native American heritage.
The cost of attending the field school is $350 for Abbe Museum members and $400 for non-members. Participants will be responsible for their own lodging and food. There are scholarships available and enrollment in the field school is limited. To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be a Maine Native American, or a high school or college student from eastern Maine. The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition and a stipend towards lodging and meals. Applications must be received by June 15, 2010
For more information about the field school, contact the Abbe Museum at 288-3519 or e-mail the museum at info@abbemuseum.org. You must be 17 or older to participate.