Archaeology Camp Report
By: Tim
At archeology camp I have been to two different forts, Fort Henry and Fort Frederick. At Fort Henry I was digging at the guard house. There I found quite a few artifacts including, nails, wood, bullets and bone. Next year I went to Fort Frederick and there I worked at the barracks where I found bone and ceramics. The year after that I worked at the Fort Frederick guard house and found metal, ceramics and bone. This year I worked on a mysterious building and a bit of pavé. I found ceramic and bone. Throughout these 4 years I have learned how to dig, how to detect historical sites, how to clean artifacts and I have enjoyed myself.
This artifact is an iron nail which is heavily corroded and slightly curved near the end. The nail is flaky and rough and is roughly 15 centimetres long. It has a square head that is about 1cm thick and 1.5 cm across. The nail starts off with the head and comes down to a point. The shaft has about 1 cm sides. Found at Fort Henry this artifact is from the 19th century. It was found in the year of 2002. To remove the rust electrolysis could be used.
Stages of Excavation
The first step of excavation is finding the site, to do this you can check the local records and take aerial photographs. Aerial photography will reveal dead grass and various elevations. Once you have determined the site's location you must gain permission to start digging. After that you have to determine how many workers do you need and how good equipment to use. The more workers you have the better, the same applies to equipment but you must keep your budget in mind. Now you're ready to start digging. After the digging is done there is the final stage, report writing. You must write reports on the artifacts and where you found them. If these guide lines are followed then you should be able to direct a excavation.