My Four Years at Can You Dig It Archaeological Camp
By: Alex
I have been to archaeological camp for four years and have had a lot of fun in that time. Some of the things I like about the camp are that we are permitted to dig at real archaeological sites and that we learn lots of interesting things. Some of the things we have learned are, how to use archaeological tools, how to clean artifacts how to use a transit, and much more. When we are digging we often find interesting things such as grapeshot buttons and pottery. Overall it is thoroughly enjoyable camp, with great instructors.
Stages of Excavation
The first thing that archaeologists have to do is find where the site is. This often invoves heading to local record offices and archives to do research, as well as taking aerial photos and doing surveys of the region. Some of the things archaeologists look for on sites are disturbances in the ground such as discoloured areas, or unusual geographic features.
Once the site has been chosen, the archaeologists decide where to put units, and then remove the topsoil. Once this is done, they use trowels and brushes (not bulldozers) to excavate the unit. Once archaeologists have finished digging they record what was found. During this time they also clean and preserve the artifacts for future reference.
Fort Henry, Drain for Privy
This artifact 131H 7R13 ceramic (plate) is a ceramic plate in eight shards. It is in the blue transfer style that was popular in the 1800–1850 period. Most of the rim is intact, but most of the centre is missing. The surface is pitted in some places, but is mostly in okay condition. It has a floral pattern around the rim, and is about 7 mm thick. The largest piece is about 20 cm by 8 cm, while the smallest is 2 cm by 2 cm and is 1 mm thick (it is a shard of the largest piece). This plate is glazed. It was excavated from the Fort Henry Hospital's privy's drain in 2002, and is one of the more complete plates from this site.