Undergraduates Uncover Local History with Archaeological Field Techniques

Undergraduates Uncover Local History with Archaeological Field Techniques

As they meticulously shave away thin layers of soil, occasionally pausing to consider the metal or ceramic or animal-bone fragments they uncover, undergraduate students at The University of Toledo are learning what life was like for the denizens of a local military fort first used during the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.

Perhaps just as importantly?

They're learning the field skills they'll need to pursue careers in cultural resource management - basics like plotting a test unit, screening excavated soil and documenting artifacts for reference by fellow archaeologists.

"It's important for students to understand the recovery process even if they ultimately want to work in a museum," said Dr. Melissa Baltus, an archaeologist and associate professor of anthropology in UToledo's Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education. "And for students who enjoy this experience and want to continue into field work, a field school like this is the core requirement for getting a job in archaeology."

Baltus teaches Field Methods in Archaeology (ANTH 4510), an experience-based learning course that challenges students to - quite literally - get their hands dirty as they apply the skills they learn back on Main Campus. This year they're investigating a private-property site adjacent to Fort Miamis, a historic stronghold along the Maumee River, where their discoveries have ranged from fish bones that may speak to a long-ago kitchen to a spoon that more likely reflects the fill dirt incorporated into a relatively recent landscaping effort.

During a recent visit to the site in Maumee, UToledo President James Holloway asked the obvious question about a discovery the students identified in variations in the composition of the soil itself: Why would a narrow trench, perhaps studded with posts, have once run outside of Fort Miamis?

But the answer, he learned, will almost certainly be up for debate even with the data still being collected by the students enrolled in Field Methods in Archaeology.

"I think one of my favorite things about anthropology and archaeology is that it isn't a hard science," said Brad Cain, an undergraduate pursuing a minor in anthropology. "There's a lot of interpretation that goes into it. We're finding things out here, but not everyone is going to agree on what it all means."

The field school course aligns with the new UToledo initiative, Applied Skills for Career Experience, Networking and Development (ASCEND), to ensure that every undergraduate student, regardless of major, engages in an experience-based learning opportunity before earning their degree.

ASCEND supports the Advantage Toledo launchpad that Holloway introduced to harness the power of partnership with the region's broad business and cultural ecosystem. And it builds on the experience-based opportunities already integrated into the majority of undergraduates' academic programs such as co-ops, internships, clinical or research opportunities, service-learning or study abroad programs and other University-approved experiences - like Field Methods in Archaeology.

"This is exactly the kind of experience-based learning that we are integrating into UToledo through ASCEND," Holloway said during his visit to Maumee. "Our students are developing the skills needed to be employed in their profession, and they are simultaneously experiencing the excitement of uncovering something new."

Dr. Melissa Gregory, dean of the Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education, spoke similarly of ASCEND.

"Students here are not only learning to understand the world on a much deeper level," she said. "They're also learning hands-on skills that lead to careers in fields like cultural resource management."

More than five weeks into the six-week course, Evan Salas can appreciate the value of hands-on experience.

"I kind of want to go into paleontology, but I'm interested in museum management as well," said Salas, who followed an interest in history and a fascination with fossils to the undergraduate anthropology degree program. "The skills I'm learning in this course are going to be applicable to a lot of different fields that I'm interested in."

Chris Dunbar is also excited about the practical applications of the field school.

Dunbar is on a circuitous course to his bachelor's degree in anthropology. He first enrolled in UToledo in the 1980s, then put his studies on hiatus to raise a family and run a small business alongside his wife. He's back in the classroom now with a specific goal - to land an archaeological field work job in Scotland, where his daughter recently earned a master's degree and where he and his wife are hoping to live for a part of each year.

Dunbar said he was enjoying his field school experience.

"It's very exciting," he said, taking a break from screening the excavated soil for missed artifacts. "Every time you get into the pit, you never know what you're going to find."