Data Collection and Analysis

We reviewed our field work on Friday, July 16th. Ted brought up how broad based archaeology is because of the many disciplines required to analyze a site. Archaeologists are looking at the soil, bones - both human and animals, tools, and pottery to name just a few. We all had a better appreciation of the hard work required to find the artifacts and preserve them. Professor Theler mentioned that sites are missed because archaeologists don't go deep enough. He explained the two basic forms of dating: Relative, which looks at an object and is determined by if it is earlier or older than other known objects, and by looking at layers of bones; or Absolute which is based on a calendar date. With Absolute dating, scientists use Climatology - wet and dry cycles. Dendrochronology is the study of the rings in a tree that reflect these cycles with their distinct patterns. They have a tool that bores into a tree and extracts a long sample which looks like a rod. Absolute dating can also be determined by Radio Carbon which was first discovered in 1950 by Willard Libbey, who is known for his work on the Manhattan Project. We watched a documentary, Decoding Danebury, on techniques used by archaeologists to analyze material 2,500 years old to reconstruct a picture of life in Celtic times which included the political, ideology (including religion), cultural, and economical forces in this community.

La Crosse Tribune article on Archaeology

In Sunday's Hometown section of the La Crosse Tribune, on the front page was an article on archaeology because the University has a major department on archaeology and are educating the public because the area is so rich in artifacts. The article discussed MVAC - Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center - and programs that are available to the public. The article discussed the Oneota Indians who were a late prehistoric farming community. The area is rich in shards of North American pottery and shavings from shaping arrowheads and spears. La Crosse has an ordinace that requires MVAC to test areas if a contruction site is 20 square feet by 2 feet deep or larger. Road contruction requires an environmental impact statement. When they built the Valley Mall, they paid for salvage excavation before the developers moved in and a wealth of artifacts were found by volunteers.

Finding artifacts on the Cade Farm

Today we went to the Cade Farm, in Vernon County, which has been in the family for about 150 years. The farm was an hour south of La Crosse. Loren Cade began his accidental find of artifacts when he helped his father plant tobacco because the plugs had to be put in by hand. The family notified the state and they recorded it as an archaeology site. Loren had plowed a small area a few days before in anticipation of our dig. Two students were there and had measured off five 2 meter square units. This site was 47VE643 - 47 for Wisconsin, VE for Vernon County, and 643 for that particular area on the farm. We were given plastic bags, marked out bag and clip boards to record our findings, including that it was a level one plow zone. It was necessary to mark the level to show it had never been disturbed so they could continue to farm this area. Five of us worked each unit after being shown how to carefully dig and shift the soil. If we heard a clink we used a trowel. Someone asked Loren what was his most prized find and he said, "I want to say it's the whole collection. It includes artifacts from paleo to archic, to late woodland." We found pottery shards, two arrow tips, and numerous other specimens which we will wash and analze next week. When we finished for the day, all the dirt was put back and the unit markings were removed. It was important to not work a bigger area than we could complete in one day because this area will not be analyzed again until there is time to dig to the second level, which Loren showed us how to do on one unit.

Archaeology

How do you know it's an artifact and where do you find them? Today we spent the day learning just that for our dig tomorrow. Since prehistory has no written records, archaeologists have to look at the location, the patterns of objects in the landscape, and the context or time and space). Many of us think of the romance of archaeology such as Indian Jones, discovering King Tut's tomb, or the ice man. But much of it is mundane. Stewart Picket started a whole new approach referred to as garbology - looking at garbage. Grant Clark had a systematic study of antiquity to reconstruct the past: who, when, and where which is the easier part. It's the why that is the hardest part to explain, such as why have some civilizations simply disappeared.
90 to 95% of what was left behind is perishable so lost. We therefore can only look at the remaining 1 to 10% for cultural activity and physical traces. Archaeologists look at: 1)habitation sites, 2)burial sites, 3)quarry sites, 4)kill sites, 5)underwater sites, and 6) special processing sites.
There are 2 basic types of artifacts - portable and non-portable. Examples of portable are pottery and tools. Non-portable examples are house basins and storage pits. Archaeologists look at ecofacts such as plant and animal remains. When they looked at the ice man they even looked at the remains in his stomach to understand his diet.
Jim Theler used the example of a house in class in analyzing the content. Do you look at the contents and sort them according to tin, china, tools, etc. or do you go room by room, and sort them by content and location. Many of the objects we know facts about, but there are many we must make inferences about. He gave us a stone with a groove and we had to guess what it was used for. Then he brought in a modern day tool that was similar, and then we knew exactly what it was - the first axe. We learned the importance of analogy, to start with the modern contents, and work back - look at current tools and how are the artifacts similar, but we can sometimes be wrong.
Sites are found simply by walking over them, digging, asking other collectors where objects were found, flying over an area, erosion, or accidental (think of the ice man.) What would you do if you found a valuable artifact or site?

Amish in Cashton, WI

Today we visited a diversified Amish farm, where they raise young heifers and rock cornish game hens, train horses, sell exquisite quilts, baskets, flowers, and grow oats, hay, and vegetables. The Amish call us the English. From my readings, I learned that the Amish began when Jacob Ammann, who was Swiss, broke away from the Mennonites. The average family has from 8 to 12 children. They have no electricity, telephones, plumbing, bicycles, and of course, no cars. Across the U.S. there are church districts with 25 families and are led by a bishop. Even today they speak a language that is comprised of German, Swiss, Dutch, and English. Students only speak this combination of German, Swiss, and Dutch until they go to school where they learn English. The Amish find land that is cheap because it is usually in isolated hillsides which are conducive to farming with horses. The farmer introduced us to their draft horses that can weigh over a ton and are around 18 hands (4" to a hand) tall. We were asked not to take their pictures because in the Bible it says "thou shalt not make a graven image." They have a wind mill to pump water into a huge cistern. They cook over a wooden stove, but sometimes use coal. They cut frozen ice in January to store in a small room in their home. They order their seeds in August, and plant them in February in their greenhouse. They have a huge kitchen and living room area because every two weeks a family hosts the other 24 families for a three hour church service and dinner. Visitors travel from all over Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois to buy their products. They were excited to have us sign their guest book, especially those from as far away as California, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Colorado. If, in 500 years, archaeologists study two farms side by side, one English and one Amish, what mistake would they make if they didn't know about the Amish culture?

Chicago

Today, some of us began the day by walking through Myrick Park which includes a marsh. We saw a bald eagle, blue herons, and many ducks. In class we introduced ourselves and used the U.S. map to discuss where we lived in terms of land formation, environment, and culture. I touched on such facts as Chicago means 'wild onion,' it's built on a swamp, and became known as the Windy City not because of the wind but because at one time some politicians went to Washington, D.C. and didn't stop talking. Many other cities are windier, such as St. Louis. I explained about our cultural diversity, our natural resources, and how lucky we are to live in a city with so many parks, forest preserves, bike paths, and what I think is the most beautiful and accessible lake front. I discussed how we are striving to add more trees and plants to our city, including roof top gardens. What did I forget and should tell them tomorrow?

La Crosse, WI

The drive through Wisconsin was beautiful, espcially as I headed west after Tomah on I-90. The Coulee region (valley) was a lush emerald green because of all the recent rain. The seminar started today, July 12th. There are 25 teachers from 14 states. Some came from as far away as California, Texas, North Carolina, Lousianna, and Oklahoma in addition to the Midwest. La Crosse was home to numerous villages of the Oneota cultures until AD 1625. The first written accounts began 350 years ago when French explorers and the missionaries came. The Oneotas were subsistence farmers during the growing season and then went west to hunt bison during the winter. La Crosse continues to be an ideal building spot because of the Mississippi River, the protection between the bluffs, and the flat flood plain's rich soil. This week we will study archaeology,anthropology, the Driftless Area and the Upper Mississippi Valley, the Amish, and go on an excavation at the Cade Archaeology District in the Bad Axe Valley. We will be visiting an Amish community. Did you know Amish children don't learn English before they start school? Please let me know any questions you have.