{"id":40234,"date":"2016-06-29T03:21:14","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T07:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utnews.utoledo.edu\/?p=40234"},"modified":"2016-06-27T16:21:20","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T20:21:20","slug":"students-dig-into-toledos-prehistoric-past-during-archaeology-field-school-at-wildwood-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/06_29_2016\/students-dig-into-toledos-prehistoric-past-during-archaeology-field-school-at-wildwood-video","title":{"rendered":"Students dig into Toledo’s prehistoric past during Archaeology Field School at Wildwood [video]"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you walk the red trail at Wildwood Preserve Metropark, you may catch a glimpse of University of Toledo students armed with shovels, trowels and dust pans on an archaeological dig.<\/p>\n

Dr. Melissa Baltus, archaeologist and assistant professor of anthropology, is running the UT Archaeological Field School on a flat terrace overlooking I-475 as a summer class to combine hands-on learning of archaeology techniques and local history research. <\/p>\n

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Recent UT graduate Michael Campbell and UT junior Brianna Geer took measurements at the excavation site at Wildwood Preserve Metropark.<\/p><\/div>\u201cIt\u2019s an active field research project to explore our understanding of the prehistoric period of northwest Ohio from right here in Toledo,\u201d Baltus said. \u201cWe\u2019re focused on learning more about social interactions between different groups of people and the creation of local community identity during the Late Woodland Period, between A.D. 700 and 1300.\u201d<\/p>\n

With permission from the Metroparks of the Toledo Area and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, the UT class is testing the area for evidence of past human habitation, such as house structures or refuse pits.<\/p>\n

\u201cMetroparks encourages research, especially where findings will continually build on existing knowledge and assist in the dissemination of information through education,\u201d said Karen Menard, research and monitoring supervisor for Metroparks of the Toledo Area.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Melissa Baltus, archaeologist and UT assistant professor of anthropology, sifted through the soil from the excavation site at Wildwood Preserve Metropark.<\/p><\/div>\u201cThe Metroparks aren\u2019t just preserving the natural environment, they\u2019re preserving cultural resources, too,\u201d Baltus said. \u201cThis high, flat area overlooking a stream would\u2019ve been a nice place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students are receiving training in excavation techniques, record keeping, artifact identification, processing, cataloguing and classification.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already uncovered a few artifacts, including pottery, arrowheads, spear points and small pieces of burnt and broken bones,\u201d said Jacalyn Deselms, a UT graduate student pursuing a master\u2019s degree in sociology. \u201cThose show evidence of hunting and cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to be able to do this as an undergraduate,\u201d said Brianna Geer, a UT junior majoring in anthropology, as she scrapes layers of sandy soil with a trowel. \u201cIt\u2019s physically rewarding. We\u2019re putting a lot of work into what we\u2019re learning. I want my career to be working at dig sites around the world. I ultimately dream of working in museums and creating my own exhibits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience is helping me gain the knowledge and skill set I need to to take me further into archaeology,\u201d said recent history graduate Michael Campbell.<\/p>\n