Posted 11:11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011
18 high school students and adults joined MVAC staff in Holmen to excavate a late prehistoric campsite. Arrowheads and pottery found at the site date it to between AD 1300 and 1400.
[caption id="attachment_5015" align="alignnone" width="770" caption="MVAC Assistant Professor Dave Anderson, man standing on right, and Professor Tim McAndrews, man standing on left, both Sociology/Archaeology, talked with high school students and others about archaeology as a career, what to look for in schools and more at an open house Aug. 10 at a dig on Highway 53 north of Holmen. "]
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For more than 30 years, MVAC at UW-L has made it possible for those interested in learning about archaeology to participate in public archaeology field programs. Participants experience archaeology first-hand by helping excavate a site, washing the artifacts and keeping the records required to document what they did and what they found.
The field programs provide students thinking about archaeology as a career an opportunity to participate in digs and find out what is involved, says MVAC Researcher Connie Arzigian. Others join the field experience because they have always wanted to be involved with archaeology.
"The field experience also benefits archaeology," says Arzigian, "because MVAC is able to learn more about sites in the region and help to preserve this important cultural heritage."
For more information about MVAC and to become a member, see www.uwlax.edu/mvac. See more photos of the dig.
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MVAC archaeology field programs provide hands-on experience
This summer 18 high school students and adults joined Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center staff in Holmen to excavate a late prehistoric campsite. The arrowheads and pottery found at the site date it to between AD 1300 and 1400. An open house at the site on Aug. 10 allowed others to see the excavations in progress. [caption id="attachment_5022" align="alignright" width="400" caption="UW-L retiree Bill Gresens, left, has been involved with archaeology for more than 25 years. He's working here with UW-L archaeology student Denise Edmunds, center, and La Crosse area resident Claudia Kiesenhofer."][/caption]
For more than 30 years, MVAC at UW-L has made it possible for those interested in learning about archaeology to participate in public archaeology field programs. Participants experience archaeology first-hand by helping excavate a site, washing the artifacts and keeping the records required to document what they did and what they found.
The field programs provide students thinking about archaeology as a career an opportunity to participate in digs and find out what is involved, says MVAC Researcher Connie Arzigian. Others join the field experience because they have always wanted to be involved with archaeology.
"The field experience also benefits archaeology," says Arzigian, "because MVAC is able to learn more about sites in the region and help to preserve this important cultural heritage."
For more information about MVAC and to become a member, see www.uwlax.edu/mvac. See more photos of the dig.