Artifacts are not known to whisper their secrets to you.
I was really intrigued by the challenge of trying to make sense of
artifacts. To try to pull the narrative out of dirt.
Monticello-UVA Archaeological Field School aims to teach students basics
about archaeological field methods, that is the mechanics of trying to take the
ground apart in a controlled fashion and also basic analytical methods so that we
can put field observations together on one hand with observations on artifacts
on the other to try to tell a more complete story about human history.
The hands-on experience is so much more than a classroom can provide for most of
the time. Here you get to feel the differences in the texture of the dirt
You get to get blisters on your hands and realize that this is difficult work.
You really have to be invested. You can learn as much as you want about
archaeology but until you go and do it, you just don't have the experience.
Our work this summer focuses on Site Six. It's about a half mile east
of Monticello Mansion. Specifically our work is aimed at domestic economies and
social relationships among enslaved field laborers. Students have an opportunity to
help us figure out how stratigraphic observations and the artifacts that
we're recovering can help advance our understanding of the dynamics that
comprised Jefferson's Monticello in the 18th and early 19th centuries
Unlike a lot of disciplines, it's inherently a team enterprise.
Even just digging shovel test pits, it's a very tedious process. You need at least one person
to go and help you screen, double-check your paperwork, it's all a collaborative
effort. It's really hard to do archaeology alone. You can't dig a site
by yourself. I consider it an honor to be able to work at a site like Monticello.
It's a little humbling when you think about how much history is poured into an
area like this because you're rebuilding history and re-establishing an unwritten
way that history might have unfolded.
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