Student Blog — Holes pt. II

Cameron Grant

As I sit in my unit, I question what exactly it is that I am doing here. What brought me to Trent originally was this field school. Now that I am at this point in my education that I have been waiting for with such anticipation, was it worth it?

In this site, we are looking for evidence of living from previous inhabitants. We are aware of an above ground nearby midden with recent (post 20^th century) garbage including entire glass bottles, metal furniture, and even a nearby vehicle. In order to understand the history of this site, we must conduct a series of 1×1 test units to see how widespread the usage of the land was. If the units hold a positive number of artifacts, then we now have an understanding that there was previous human activity. Typically discovering this area usage happens through a number of methods, such as field walking or examining old maps if they are available. I am currently in one of many test units we have done in order to be graded, each done by a different team but all with the same goal. In our instance, we extended our unit down to 55cm before we hit subsoil. The process of digging a test unit is much more enjoyable than one would assume. Especially working with a friend, the tedium turns into teamwork.

What I enjoyed most during our field school was when we would return to the lab in order to process our finds. There might not be any beauty in the mundane to most, a rusty nail sitting alone on a stained orange tray is hardly symbolic of beauty. This is still what I found most fascinating. Many of our team’s finds were certainly more notable but I don’t think viewing archaeology like Smaug furthers anthropological understandings, it only exacerbates our goblin-esque desires to collect shiny baubles and trinkets. It is through the hundreds of ceramic sherds that we have processed that we understand trade patterns and cultural shifts in consumption habits and how different people played a role in it. Through these rusted nails we can understand what type of building techniques were used and how those changed throughout the years. We can’t go back and ask the people who lived there anything which is unfortunate, but we can still learn from them. Excavation is fun, and it brings a level of camaraderie that makes it enjoyable even in the heat. However, being able to sit down and have an intense analysis of artifacts is a level of intimacy with the past that brings a sense of fulfillment which is difficult for me to fully explain here. I think it just helps me to see that things were never too different to what they are now, and while our culture has changed our nature has not.

My only complaint is that I wish that this field school could last longer. A month is certainly long, but it feels as though we have been rushing through the stages. I never imagined the day that I wanted a course to last longer, but here we are. I understand why it cannot be that way, but if I am to be objective then I need to add a negative.

What I think will sit with me after this will be our excavation of the BcGn-23 site, where we held our initial excavations. We backfilled the dirt and our presence is now a glimpse in the history of this location on the Trent Campus. Students coming to see the campus for the first time will never assume we were once troweling under their feet, and they would certainly never have assumed there to once be such a rich history in this location. I suppose we have joined the history of this site; we are now a part of its story.

To answer my earlier question, yes. I absolutely do believe this was worth going to Trent. This field school has solidified my interest in archaeological and shown me that I am absolutely on the right path. I would recommend anyone interested to absolutely consider this field school if it an option for you. Not only will you exit with a strong foundation in archaeological excavation techniques for your future career, but I think you will find at least one aspect of archaeology that you will love and want to pursue in some form.

P.S. Some advice for the students reading this who are planning to, or currently are taking this course:

• Bring a upf blocking sunshirt, a full brimmed hat, and breathable leather gloves.
• Your attitude determines how the days of the people around you will go, try to be positive.
• Reviewing the Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists throughout the course will ensure that you have a deep understanding of the course materials.
• Review the reference guides as well!
• Do not wear heavy clothing, it gets too hot and humid.