Field Reports for 2016

2016 Field Report 4

Tuesday, July 12, 2016 image1

The latrine is a valuable asset in our dig because there is so much we can learn from it and there are exciting artifacts to find. An important part while excavating the latrine is reconstructing the depositional history. The latrine is in an area where there has been little to no disturbance since the Civil […]

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2016 Field Report 3

Friday, July 8, 2016 FS10078

Over the past 3 weeks we have found many Field Specimens (FSs) which we defined in a previous article. We discover FSs while we are excavating or while screening through the soil. On Johnson’s Island we find artifacts from not only the Civil War, but from past Native Americans use. Getting to see each item […]

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2016 Field Report 2

Thursday, June 23, 2016 As the cemetery looks presently

The Johnson’s Island Confederate Cemetery contains approximately 230 Confederate Officers and enlisted that died while imprisoned at the island. During the Civil War, the prisoners who were either executed, died from illness or some other cause, were buried in the cemetery. When a prisoner died, his companions or fellow prisoners would carry them down to […]

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2016 Field Report 1

Tuesday, June 21, 2016 A 2-meter square unit excavated to subsoil

Monday, June 6, was the first day of this year’s field school! It consisted of orientation at both the Heidelberg University Archaeology lab and the prison site on Johnson’s Island. In the lab, we learned how to identify and wash artifacts, while keeping them all properly sorted by provenience (their precise location). After becoming familiar with […]

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