Carson Mounds Bioarchaeological Fieldschool

The University of Mississippi will be conducting an intensive bioarchaeological fieldschool the Carson Mounds site, one of the largest prehistoric ceremonial centers in the Mississippi alluvial valley. In his 1894 landmark publication on the mounds of the eastern United States, Cyrus Thomas included a map of
the site showing more than 80 mounds. Most of the smaller mounds have been obliterated by the more
than 100 years of cultivation that followed. This course offers students the opportunity to learn
archaeological methodology in an exciting, hands-on setting.

Fieldschool instruction includes basic methods in mapping and excavation, and lab processing of artifacts. Much of the work this season will focus on salvage excavations of bioarchaeological features.
Students already possessing a basic knowledge of archaeological methodology will have the opportunity
to learn more advanced techniques, including specialized laboratory analyses, GIS, and remote sensing
using magnetometry and ground penetrating radar (GPR).

Credit:
Students may apply for Undergraduate (Anth 390) or Graduate (Anth 622) level credit, which can be transferred to other institutions in the case of non-Ole Miss students. These courses are listed as
“Bioarchaeology” and carry 3 hours of credit.

Costs:
Tuition for all students is $640. In addition, the course includes a $300 fee, which covers housing, transportation from Oxford, and Optional Weekend fieldtrips to Local Archaeological Sites. The University of Mississippi also charges a $50 application fee. The total cost of the project is $990.

Accommodations:
Students and staff will stay in a large house on the site, and near the city of Clarksdale, Mississippi. The house has cooking facilities and Clarksdale offers a variety of restaurants
and blues clubs.

Experience:
No prior archaeological experience is necessary. All fieldwork will be supervised by Dr. Jay Johnson and Dr. Gabriel Wrobel, with the aid of experienced graduate students.

Dates:
Monday, January 5 through Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

Application Deadline:
November 7th

For questions, contact or (gwrobel@olemiss.edu). Get the application form.