US - Mississippi - Carson Mounds Field School

N/A

Clarksdale, Mississippi

The University of Mississippi

6 hours of undergraduate (Anth 335) or graduate (Anth 635) credit.

undergraduate credit $1,195
graduate credit $1,695

We have been given the use of an upscale hunting camp. There will be no charge to the students for room. They will be expected to cook or eat out using their own resources.

34.297385,-90.683491

This summer we will continue our work at 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. However, we hope to be able to relocate these mounds using the geophysical survey techniques which proved to be successful in addressing a similar problem at the Hollywood Mounds site. The prehistoric occupation at the site may be buried by 20 to 30 cm of sterile flood deposits; relatively few artifacts are evident on the surface. One of the primary goals of this year's research will be developing appropriate techniques for detecting buried cultural deposits of this sort. We will also begin work on the mounds using several different techniques of remote sensing, relying primarily on near surface, geophysical instruments. Ground truth excavations will be directed toward a better understanding of the resulting imagery and the structure of the site itself. The primary emphasis will, of course, be field work; everyone will have and opportunity to become familiar with the tools of archaeology, from trowels to gradiometers. A computer lab equipped with the latest image processing software will be set up at the field house and made available to students. Overviews of the 2002, 2003, and 2004 field schools at the Parchman Place Mounds and the 2001 field school research at the Hollywood Mounds are available at http://www.olemiss.edu/research/anthropology/archaeology/

Equipment

We will be using the following remote sensing instruments

FM 36 Gradiometer – Measures subtle variations in the magnetic field

Bartington Grad601 Gradiometer - Similar to the FM 36 with some very nice additions

KT 9 Kappameter – Good for small scale exploration of the magnetic susceptibility component of the magnetic field

Bartington MS2 Magnetic Susceptibility Meter with MS2H downhole probe

EM 31 Conductivity Meter – Introduces an electromagnetic field and measures the induced current which varies in response to the ability of the soil to conduct energy. This instrument is used more often in geological research since it record data at a depth of two to three meters below the surface.

EM 38B Conductivity Meter – Another conductivity meter, this one also measures an approximation of magnetic susceptibility. This is the standard conductivity instrument used by archaeologists in geophysical research because it measure features within the upper meter or so of the deposit.

GEM 300 – Another conductivity meter which uses several different frequencies simultaneously.

RM 15 Resistance Meter – Uses probes to introduce an electric current into the ground and measure variation in the resistance.

SIR 3000 – A ground penetrating radar system which allows soil properties and buried structures to be detected using the radar portion of the electromagnetic spectrum

Agema 550 Thermal Sensor – A hand held sensor, we use this to record differences in the thermal signature of archaeological features in profile and plan view. We also have a 25 foot long tethered blimp which we use to take low level imagery. The gimbal mountings will accept a 35 mm film camera as well as the thermal sensor. Both instruments are controlled from the ground.

Leica Total Station – Replaces our venerable optical transit in recording surface elevation as well as mapping features in the excavation units.

Students will also have ample opportunity to become familiar with the more traditional tools; shovels, trowels, screens, and field forms.

We will be conducting geophysical survey and ground truth excavation at a large, late prehistoric site.

The Carson Mounds were initially occupied during the Late Woodland period and are unique in the region in that they were occupied for the entire span of the Mississippian period.

The Carson Mounds are located along a county road not far from the Stovall plantation. We will commute to the site each day in University vans. Students with their own vehicles are welcome to drive.

We excavate Monday through Friday with optional field trips on the weekends.

N/A

Jay Johnson
Bryan Haley
Jenna James

Standard excavation and recording.
Introduction to geophysical survey and data processing.

yes

We will offer optional mound and museum tours on the weekends.

Yes

There are no restrictions on free time and weekend travel.

Jay Johnson
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Mississippi
University, MS 38655
662-915-7339