The 2010 Baylor University Archaeological Field School
What makes the Baylor University Archaeological Field School unique?
The six-week Baylor University Archaeological Field School experience is unique among those offered at other Texas universities for two reasons.
First, Baylor students spend four weeks at the Upper Sprague site in Hamilton County excavating a Late Prehistoric (AD 800-1500) hunter-gatherer campsite which will include processing and analyzing the archaeological remains they recover. Then, as a bonus, they will pack up their tents and head for the Texas Archeological Society's (TAS) annual field school in the Texas Hill Country, near the town of Hondo. Not only will Baylor students be exposed to the diversity of Texas archaeology, but they will also make new friends and establish contacts for the future. In fact, 2007 and 2008 Baylor Field School students returned as TAS members in 2009.
Second, Baylor students will have the opportunity to present their research findings from their excavations at the Upper Sprague site at the TAS Annual Meeting in October, either as a formal paper or in a poster session. After all, they do the work, so they should present it. This provides them with the opportunity to become known as active participants in archaeological research of Texas, gain experience before a professional audience, meet professional archaeologists and last but not least™ presenting a paper or submitting a poster at a professional meeting looks good on a resume.
As the director of the Baylor University Archaeological Field School, Carol Macaulay feels that with the completion of this field school, her students are ready to become active members in the archaeological community. Furthermore, affiliation with TAS provides these students with many opportunities to become involved in Texas archaeology, something quite beneficial for undergraduate students.
What are the pedagogical goals of the field school?
One, provide Baylor University students with a theoretical and practical knowledge of archaeological research methods, focusing primarily on excavation techniques and laboratory procedures. Students learn how to lay out an excavation grid and establish a site datum, operate an automatic level and a transit, complete paperwork in a professional manner, including scaled drawings and soil descriptions, and maintain a field journal. Laboratory procedures include washing, sorting, cataloguing all classes of artifacts, entering unit/level data and point-plotted data into a Geographic Information System (GIS) database for analysis.
Two, provide Baylor students with a specific understanding of the Late Prehistoric Period (AD 800-1500). This period in central Texas is fascinating in that it is so well preserved and represents the last prehistoric culture in the region. Late Prehistoric people lived in much the same way as their forbearers, as hunters and gatherers, ranging from their camps in search of preferred prey, deer and bison. But most of their meat came from smaller animals, fish and freshwater mussels as well as from plants, nuts and tubers. But this time period was also a time of change for the people of central Texas. The bow and arrow supplemented, and eventually replaced the dart and atlatl, an older weapon system which had been used for thousands of years. Many sites in central Texas during this period have yielded earthenware pottery, some locally made or brought in from east Texas. Also, many sites in central Texas have produced tools made from obsidian, a volcanic glass, sourced to New Mexico. Excavations at the Upper Sprague site will continue to enrich our understanding of this time period.
What are the field school accommodations?
The Sprague Ranch is located eight miles north of the town of Hamilton, the county seat of Hamilton County, about an hour and 15 minute drive from Waco. The landowners, Frank and Evelyn Sprague, are keenly interested in the prehistoric and historic legacy of their ranch. In fact, their ranch has been deemed a Texas Archeological Landmark because the Spragues have decided to protect the extensive Archaic Period campsite located on their property to the east of our site. Both Frank, an Archeological Steward with the Texas Historical Commission and Evelyn have graciously welcomed the Baylor University Archaeological Field School these last four years.
On their property is a log cabin, complete with kitchen and living space. It sits on a limestone bluff overlooking a stream-fed pond to the west and the Leon River and pecan-covered terrace to the south. Baylor students set up their tents on this terrace, which stays shaded most of the day. Two camp showers are set up and port-o-potties are brought in. Not only does the cabin and large outdoor porch provide ample room to cook and eat our meals, it also serves as our laboratory. Here we wash, sort and catalogue our finds of the day. At night, we sit on the porch and discuss our reading assignment and the day's activities and prepare for the next day. Then we all turn on our flashlights and head for our tents.
What is a typical day during field school like?
Food first: We work as rotating teams. We have had three teams each season. Each team is responsible for the meals for its designated day. That means setting out breakfast and lunch and then planning, cooking, and serving dinner... and doing the dishes afterwards.
As for the archaeology, we are on-site at 7:30 and take up where we left off the day before. Each day, two students are responsible for setting up the automatic level and checking elevations across the site and establishing unit datums for new units. We take a number of breaks during the morning in which we write in our journals. We work until noon, take an hour's lunch break and return to the site and work until 4:00. Each afternoon, if we have completed a level, we wash and sort the artifacts and let them dry. We also fine-screen 3 gallons of matrix from each completed level using a water hose located behind the cabin. We catalogue processed artifacts from the previous day, enter data into the GIS database, and update our field journals. We take turns at the showers and relax a while before dinner. After dinner, we spend an hour reading an article about Late Prehistoric archaeology in central Texas and discuss its relevance to our site. We always review our excavation progress and discuss plans for the next day. By 10 o'clock, we are off to our tents for a good night's sleep.
On Friday afternoons, around 4:00, after we have finished our work and have straightened up the cabin, we pack up our dirty cloths and head for Waco. We meet again on Sunday, at 6:00 pm at Baylor and travel to the Sprague Ranch, arriving around 7:30 pm, and prepare for the up-coming week's work.
What are the dates of the 2010 field school?
May 17 – June 9: Archaeological excavations at 41HM54 at the Frank and Evelyn Sprague Ranch in Hamilton County
June 11 – June 19: Archaeological excavations at the Calvert Site in Medina County, near the town of Hondo. (participating with the Texas Archeological Society's Annual Field School)
June 22 – June 25: Conduct analysis and research over work conducted at 41HM54 at Baylor archaeological laboratory.
For more information about the 2010 Baylor University Archaeological Field School, contact Carol Macaulay:
Email: carol_macaulay@baylor.edu
Baylor telephone: 254-710-6054
Home telephone: 254-742-7712
Or stop by her office in Marrs McLean Science Building, Room 324.2 during office hours MWF 10:00 – 12:00 and WF 1:30 – 3:00 this semester.
For additional information pertaining to the research goals and summary of excavation findings at the Upper Sprague site along with a listing of the student papers and posters presented at the 2007,2008 and 2009 TAS Annual Meetings, clink on the following document link.