SIUE Archaeology Field School Continues to Uncover Exciting Discoveries

SIUE Archaeology Field School Continues to Uncover Exciting Discoveries

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Archeology Field School continues its exploration and uncovering of interesting discoveries at the Gehring site. The site is an important archaeological location situated on the campus between Cahokia Creek and the bluffs, approximately 10 miles north of Cahokia Mounds.

The site is significant for its use from the Late Archaic (3000-1000 BC) through historic times, with the most intensive occupation during the Middle Woodland period, about 2,000 years ago and the Mississippian period, circa 900-800 years ago.

Led by Susan Kooiman, PhD, associate professor of anthropology, this year's field school brings together a cohort of 14 undergraduate students for hands-on training in archaeological excavation and a graduate student for training in field supervision. The biennial course introduces students to field methods while also welcoming the campus and local community to explore the site and learn about artifacts that are more than 1,000 years old.

"This is a very important site for understanding the local history of indigenous life in this area. We've had the remains that date to about 800 years ago and a lot of those features from that time period. This year, and also including the previous years, we've been finding little bits of the 2000-year-old occupation, which is really great because that gives us a little bit more information about that time," shared Kooiman.

The site is on a rise, surrounded by fertile floodplains of agricultural fields still farmed today.

"The creek sits just beyond the tree line, meaning the Mississippians who lived and farmed here had access to water, elevated dry ground for their homes and rich farmland. The Middle Woodland people who lived here 2,000 years ago were gardening and hunting, while the Mississippians who followed were large-scale agriculturalists," Kooiman added.

Excavation is done in one-by-two or two-by-two-meter units, to which the students refer to as horizontal digging. The excavation is done slowly and in levels, removing soil layer by layer. Each find is then mapped, photographed and recorded by depth before removal, while all excavated dirt is sifted through mesh screens to catch artifacts that may blend in with the soil.

Kooiman chose this year's excavation area after noticing a gap in a lineup of Middle Wodland materials. The project opened up new excavation units in these gaps and met with success.

The team has so far uncovered a distinct range of artifacts hinting at a human presence during that period, including pottery fragments and stone projectile points. The artifacts are mostly distinguished based on decorations and construction styles. Some of the most exciting discoveries this season are several rim sherds-the upper edges of a ceramic vessel that can help determine type and time period, as well as the entire base of a pottery vessel.

"We actually found the entire bottom section of a pottery vessel, too. That's exciting because we usually just find little pieces of pottery, and this will help us understand the shape and size of this pot a lot better. It may also contain evidence of what kind of food was cooked in the vessel," shared Kooiman.

Dakota Muller, a junior majoring in anthropology and history, shared her experience as nothing short of life-affirming.

"When the large rim sherd came out of the ground, the team erupted in cheers. It's been amazing. I have always known that I wanted to be an archaeologist ever since I was a little girl, and it's been amazing to do the actual fieldwork for it. This has just reinforced that this is exactly what I want to do with my life," shared Muller.

The six-week field school concluded on June 18. Excavations concluded on Friday, June 12, followed by the team backfilling the site and spending the final week in the lab washing and analyzing their finds.

PHOTOS: Susan Kooiman, PhD, assistant professor of anthropology; Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD; Konnor Bouman and Thea Durbin, anthropology majors, sieving the soil; Students celebrating the discovery of an artifact.