Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory

Open House, Saturday April 18, 11-2:00

Free! Artifact identification by Dr. Thomas Foster, games, a mock dig, flint knapping demonstrations by Mr. James Spake, tours, snacks, and more. Bring the whole family…rain or shine!

2009 Archaeological Field School

The Department of Anthropology at the University of West Georgia is accepting applications for the 2009 field season of the archaeological field school.  We will be investigating a seventeenth century Native American village adjacent to the Spanish Fort Apalachicola site (1689-1691).  The site is about 15 miles south of Columbus, Georgia and borders the Chattahoochee River.  For more information about the site and project, see http://aep.westga.edu.  Students will learn multiple phases of archaeological investigation from field reconnaissance, orienteering, survey, and test unit excavation.  Students will learn how to use GPS and surveying equipment.

Please submit an application by March 1, 2009.  The field school will last from July 6 until July 31.  Housing and some meals will be arranged through a supplemental fee of approximately $550.  After the field school participants are chosen, there will be an informational meeting and you will be able to register for the course.  Students from outside the University of West Georgia are welcome but UWG students will be given first priority.

Upcoming Papers and Posters:

Dendrochonological Analysis of a Lamar Period Structure at Etowah (9BR1)

      Etowah is a nationally important Mississippian settlement in Northwest Georgia.  It is well known because of investigations at mounds over the last hundred years.  Less well known are the village excavations conducted by Lewis Larson between 1962 and 1973.  The village excavations revealed a number of residential structures that date to Proto-historic era. In this paper, we describe a dendrochronological analysis of structural posts from a house that was burned.
Authors: Dr. Thomas Foster (UWG) and Dr. Georgina DeWeese (UWG)

How to Create an Education Outreach Program with Minimal Funding and Time

The Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory at the University of West Georgia has increased its exposure to students and educators by over 230%, since its implementation of a formalized Education Outreach Program in 2003. The program components were designed to educate students in the third through eighth grades and at the collegiate level.  The Waring Laboratory has developed a program geared toward assisting the educator with teaching basic archaeology and preservation of cultural heritage using standardized skills including math, reading and science. This poster examines how to set up and maintain a successful education program with minimal funding and time.    

Authors: Meggie J. Dunivent (UWG), Susan E. Fishman-Armstrong (UWG), and Dr. Thomas Foster (UWG).

Etowah Indian Household Economy During the Lamar Period

The Etowah Indian Mounds are located in Bartow County, Georgia.  This archaeological site is a representation of the Mississippian culture.  This research will examine the burned structure of a Native American Indian House during the Lamar Period (AD 1550) and will focus primarily on analyzing excavated artifacts from the floor of the structure, and it will concentrate on a single household economy to gain insight into the lifeways of the Etowah Indians during the Lamar Period. 

Authors: Mary Beth Taylor (UWG)

Museum Exhibit

Museum exhibit, The Chattahoochee Valley: Colonial Frontier, at the Columbus Museum (March to September 2008) on the excavations and research of the Apalachicola people. Drawing on a unique collection of artifacts gathered from Native American sites and the site of the Fort Apalachicola, a 17 th century Spanish fort located in present day Russell County, Alabama, this exhibition will examine the Chattahoochee Valley during its years as a colonial frontier. The exhibition will include a discussion of the importance of the interaction that took place between area native ethnic groups and the Europeans that sought their friendship as a means to control the region. Artifacts, some gathered in recent archaeological investigation, will be used to illustrate the way these groups lived and worked.