The UL Lafayette 2004 Archaeology Field School: Jessie, Dr. Rees, Taylor, Helen, Jamie Lee, and Joshua.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Plaquemine Mounds Archaeological Project
2004 Archaeology Field School
Winter Intersession December 13, 2004 - January 8, 2005
The 2004 Archaeology Field School (ANTH 490G) at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette was held during the Winter Intersession, from December 13, 2004 to January 8, 2005. As part of the Plaquemine Mounds Archaeological Project (PMAP), this was the third field school to focus specifically on Plaquemine culture in south-central Louisiana.
Under the supervision of Dr. Rees, the students excavated two 1-by-1-meter test units into a residential midden at 16SM5, an Indian mound site in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. A detailed topographic map of the site was produced during the 2003 Field School. Mechanical coring of the midden indicated a secondary, domestic context potentially associated with nearby mound construction.
Excavation of test units during the 2004 Field School focused on the midden at 16SM5 in order to obtain samples of artifacts and soil with which to address questions concerning site chronology and habitation. Upon the completion of the fieldwork, students enrolled in Archaeological Records (ANTH 499G) during the Spring 2005 semester processed the collections, produced an artifact catalogue, and worked on a technical report describing the results of the field school.
Excavations at Site 16SM5
Test excavations of the midden at 16SM5, view to the Southwest.
Helen and Joshua clear the surface of the midden for Test Unit 1.
Joshua excavates a 10-cm level in Test Unit 2.
Jessie and Helen excavate Test Unit 1.
Joshua and Jamie Lee excavate Test Unit 2.
Test excavations at the midden, view to the Northeast.
North wall profile of Test Unit 2, showing the dark soil of the midden.
For more information on the Plaquemine Mounds Archaeological Project or Archaeology Field School, contact Dr. Mark A. Rees by email at markrees@louisiana.edu or address your correspondence to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette P.O. Box 40198, Lafayette, LA 70504-0198.