Dig UNI

Author: McKenzie

The saddest part of the dig is when it ends. For a whole semester, I learned, developed better friendships, and grew as an individual at the dig site for Hillside Courts. It really started to hit me that this was ending on one of the coldest days at the site. It was windy as heck and both of the trench units, Mariah, Mark, Marley, and I were switching writing and filling out our forms, swapping with our other unit members because the wind was so challenging to write in. We bounced off of each other, discussing texture, mottling, and how to properly measure depts and rocks that were in the soil. The last week at the site, when we were backfilling the units had me reminiscing about the unit over the course of the semester. Us four working together trying to wedge our shovels under our frozen mound of dirt reminded me of how difficult it was to break ground on the units during the first couple of days at the site. Helping other units the last two days made me think about how other people would come over to the trench to help us. Learning and establishing relationships with peers is something that is highly valuable for us as anthropologists. This class has truly demonstrated what it will be like to a certain extent at a dig site. Digs anre a group endeavor, not a solo one.

Author: Mariah

There’s group work, then there’s teamwork. Out in the field you want people on your team, not only in your group. All of us participating in fieldwork spent this semester writing about the new challenges we faced and the unexpected amount of work that goes into an archaeological project. In order to successfully take on a project like this, you need to have a solid and committed team. The crew working on the project this semester was just that- a team. As most semesters do, it started off awkwardly as we all stumbled around each other trying to figure out how to begin and finish our separate but group project. As the semester progressed and group chats were made, we all got to know how to work with each other. We began every class by loading the cart and carrying equipment from our shed to the dig site. During the walk to the site, conversations about other classes and other projects were held and before we knew it, we all were able to get right to work once we entered the site. If one unit was confused, others would come by and share the knowledge they learned. In true Iowa fashion we experienced seemingly every weather condition ever documented- heat, humidity, rain, wind, full sun, sleet, ice, snow. Everyday was a wild guess as to what the weather would be like out on the site, however, every single crew member showed up ready for the dig and continued on with positive attitudes no matter what the weather threw at us. By the final day, as we packed up the shed one last time, we each left campus knowing exactly what it means to be part of a team. 

Author: Hannah

No really - hear me out.

While out in the field I have learned many things. How to use certain equipment, determine the different layers of soil in a unit, collect data for journaling, and even basic things such as how to correctly sharpen a trowel. As someone who wants to pursue a career in this field, I find all of these things fascinating. But something I wasn’t expecting to take an interest in was the Munsell Soil Color Charts.

When it came time to document the colors of soil in our unit, I remember thinking ‘okay, brown, dirt is brown.’ I wasn’t exactly wrong, it was brown, but as I held up a small piece of our unit’s wall with my trowel and opened up the Munsell booklet, I was pleasantly surprised.

There were pages of colors, shades of browns, reds, yellows, and even blues. Each page with its very own diagram and categorized pigments. I learned that there are several different colors that soil could be, depending on factors such as the environment, the minerals it contains, and the amount of oxygen it has. It’s also a good indicator of which level the soil came from, and I often used our unit’s soil color paired with measurements to determine what level we were at.

And so I discovered that not only was the majority of unit #3’s soil brown, it was 10YR 3 / 4, or “Dark Yellowish Brown.”

Needless to say, the Munsell booklet is my new favorite thing, and so is dirt.

Author: Marley

One of my favorite aspects of the Hillside Courts excavation is its location. Our site is located right in the middle of the campus prairie. The remote location allows us to understand the feel of common full-scale archaeological excavations. Sure, there are some negatives to being in the middle of the prairie — mostly relating to the windy behavior UNI is known for being significantly increased — but there are many more positives. What is my favorite? The wildlife! 

I am a biology major with emphasis on natural sciences, so I am basically a certified nature geek. One of the reasons I was so excited to take this course, other than being generally interested in archaeology, was the idea that I would get to work in a hands-on environment while spending time outdoors. 

My time spent on the field is greatly enriched by the amount of wildlife I get to not only see, but interact with directly. Additionally, since our excavation has spanned throughout the entire semester, I found it fascinating to see how the species I saw changed over the course of the dig. In late summer/early fall we saw copious amounts of insects (I have never seen so many grasshoppers). In mid-fall, we saw a handful of white-tailed deer. And in the late-fall, a beautiful juvenile red-tailed hawk perched on a lamppost. 

Just as one would expect, working with wildlife in close proximity is not all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, most times we found ourselves inconvenienced by the wildlife we directly interacted with, whether invasive prairie plants with roots that seemed to be a mile long in the walls of our unit or a cute but annoying vole who took refuge in our unit and chewed through our strings on three separate occasions. 

Despite all of the hardships, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Sometimes I find myself in awe of the beauty of our site when walking from the equipment shed. I feel more connected not only to the natural areas on UNI’s campus, but also to the study of archaeology. 

Author: David

We lucked out, one could say, with regards to how punishing the weather could have been going into the final weeks of our time at the Hillside Courts digsite. Instead of deeply frozen soil that would have hamstrung our progress, we only had to contend with soil somewhat hardened by small amounts of rain, and even less snow. Though, there was a stretch of time in there where the cold had many a finger regretting being exposed to the elements.

Whether a student archaeologist’s unit was fairly straight-forward with little to offer in terms of artifacts or insights into the digsite’s past, or it was quite busy with offerings of concrete, styrofoam, the remains of a 4x4 wood post, a sizable deposit of sand that stretched from one unit to its neighbor, and a number of other, smaller finds, the Hillside Courts digsite has been a delightful learning experience for our class. The picture of the demolition of the apartments has begun to come into focus for us. It’s exciting, however, to think about what the next class in Archaeological Fieldwork will uncover, continuing where we sadly had to leave off.

There are many bags and buckets filled with all manner of artifacts now waiting for those who will be tasked with going through them and cataloguing everything we’ve uncovered. This, one can be sure, will add another few strokes of the brush onto the picture being painted of the digsite. Concrete, asphalt, PVP piping, glass, floor tiling, wood, floor tiling… It is all quickly taking shape.

Author: Adam

The end of an archaeology project always seems to be the most fun in my experience. After having completed my personal Archaeology Trilogy, I can confidently say that this has been true for every dig I’ve been a part of. You’d think that ending a university dig in the middle of an Iowa December would be brutal, with everyone tightly wound due to impending finals and the stresses of the holiday season, and everyone feeling miserable doing all the strenuous cleanup work. But that clearly was not the case for this dig. 

I usually like the wrapping-up part of the dig because of a few reasons. First, it allows me to get up and move around more than I get to do confined to my 1x1 meter unit, so there’s a nice change of pace and scenery. Second, I get the same feelings I get at the end of a school year. People are more laid back, despite the time crunch oddly enough, everyone gets to spend time talking with their fellow coworkers, all in all it just feels like one big hangout. We get to share a few laughs, reminisce about the “good ol’ days”, and say goodbye to our beloved units and site.

Author: Miranda

With one week left of the Fall ‘22 semester, our fieldwork crew has accomplished a lot. We’ve experienced a wide range of weather conditions this semester, from sweltering heat to rainy days to the ground covered in snow. I, for one, prefer these colder days to the beginning of autumn when the horrible minute pirate bugs would assault us throughout the entire class period. Most days, class is filled with laughter and hard work. The personalities of our crew have meshed together well! We focus on our respective duties as well as happily help each other when our tasks are complete for the day. The last few days, we have been focusing on wrapping up and finalizing our paperwork. 

I was able to help profile the North wall of our unit with my partner, and while it was frustrating to put together, the result was satisfying. My unit did not reveal many artifacts but it was fun watching the rest of the crew find interesting things in their own units. Even the most simple seeming artifacts brought excitement and much speculation to my classmates. Overall, our dig has been fruitful and educational, but most of all it has been a very fun experience!

Author: Hannah

If school has taught me anything, it’s to favor routine. You walk into class, sit down, and listen. After years of doing that same thing, you typically know what to expect, and changes are seldom to none. So when I first stepped out into that field formerly known as the “Hillside Courts Apartment Complex,” I knew I was in for something completely different. 

Archaeology has proven to be the ultimate test of adaptability. So far, we’ve had random fluctuations in temperature, from a sweltering mid-90’s one day to a bitter 50 the next, (unchanging is Dr. Gaff, who wears shorts in both conditions). Rain has infiltrated our unit a few times, to which Anna and I have had the pleasure of digging through tough mud and clay. The plan for our unit can change at the drop of a hat as we continue to make progress. I have never seen so many spiders and crickets in my life. Some days we find pieces of history, such as a chunk of metal, brick, or plastic. Other days we get a bunch of cool-looking rocks, most of the time it’s the latter. 

Between the bug bites, blisters, crazy weather and last-minute changes, it’s bound to leave your head reeling. But as someone who once preferred the security of routine, I think the unpredictable suits me way more.

Archaeology can be messy, but most of all rewarding, and I don’t just mean in finding artifacts. So if it has taught me anything, it’s to come to class prepared to be unprepared, expect the unexpected, and to predict the unpredictable.

Author: Mariah

It is common to learn in a classroom, over the computer, or through a textbook. It is not as common to go outside and get your hands dirty- literally. Archaeological fieldwork does just that- we are able to learn by doing. This hands-on experience has solidified my interest to continue digging. I was fortunate to take this interest one step further and attend the Midwest Archaeological Conference held in La Crosse, Wisconsin this Fall. It is here that you are able to understand what happens after the dig. Once the shovels, trowels, and screens are put away; the artifacts are cleaned and analyzed; you are able to examine everything you found and share how you found it. Then the best part? You share what you found with others! Who doesn’t love to talk about the hard work they have put in? The archaeological conference confirmed just how broad the field of Archaeology is. The conference consisted of undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, even hobby archaeologists and Native Americans. This opportunity was wonderful for me as an undergraduate student as I was able to see first- hand what the field of archaeology holds and how I could see myself in the field. Understanding the academic pursuits of the field through the conference and the hands- on experience through archaeological fieldwork here at UNI has guided me more than any classroom has.

Author: McKenzie

Now, by no means did I anticipate this class to be a walk in the park when I enrolled, but when I say this is probably the most interesting, the most fun, and the most exciting class I’ve taken would be an understatement. This class has had many interesting moments, from getting water from a creek to do soil profiles to having to restring units due to unruly voles. 

Aside from preparing us for the physical and mental processes of fieldwork, this class has also begun to show us how certain groups can become interested in archaeology and want to interview us. A couple of weeks ago a film crew came to observe the dig site and interview some of the students, myself included, about what it is like to be an anthropology major at UNI and to really showcase the dig at UNI class. I was also asked to participate in the university's Majors in Minutes, as a representative of the anthropology major. 

Doing the interview for the university and doing Majors in Minutes, required me to be introspective about my motives for doing this major, and participating in this class, and truthfully both led me to the same answers about how I feel about anthropology; that it pushes my mind to make intuitive leaps regarding artifacts and their potential origins and that it teaches me something new almost every day, especially with hands-on classes, but this class has led me to multiple opportunities as well that would not have been possible had I not taken the dig class.

Overall, the dig at UNI program so far has really enhanced my understanding of how archaeology is really done by giving me hands-on experience but also showing me different facets of the major, like networking, and interview skills, but overall how to really love doing this type of work

Author: Terra

We have reached the point where we are finally finding larger human-made artifacts. My unit partner and I have been hindered recently in our digging due to the large amount of rocks in our unit. These rocks were mostly covered by dirt a few weeks ago and we have been slowly uncovering them to remove them and discern what kind of materials they might be. This past week we finally had the chance to do so. In order to revoke them, Dr. Gaff taught us how to catalog the artifacts we collect so that we can keep track of all the materials. Each artifact gets its own bag and catalog number; which is due to the fact that archaeologists technically destroy all their evidence. So, the process of recording every little bit of information is super important. 

We had labeled 13 rocks that were in our unit which we grouped into a couple of observable categories: normal rocks, potential asphalt, concrete brick, and reddish rocks. When we pulled the potential asphalt rocks out, Dr. Gaff helped us to confirm that they were chunks of asphalt! This is encouraging in our dig because it tells us that there was definitely a road somewhere that they had to demolish and pieces ended up where we are digging our unit.

Author: Tyson

The excavation at the Hillside Courts in Unit 2 has been going quite smoothly although not without challenges. As my partner and I have dug down, we have passed the layer of nice black cover soil and now are digging through a Clay Loam type of soil, this being even more difficult to dig through due to the numerous rocks encountered. The rainwater helps to soften the soil, thus making it easier for shoveling, however it does little to make the process go faster due to how the moist clay loam tends to ball up when one tries to sift it. Due to it balling up not only does sifting take longer it also means that whoever is shoveling must either slow down or stop altogether and help sift the soil. Even after all that my partner and I have finally finished digging down to level 1 at 19cm and are about ready to begin level 2 excavation. Thus far a plethora of artifacts have been found ranging from mostly asphalt/concrete to broken glass, soft bag-like plastic, tarp, a rock about the size of a softball, and a penny from around 1990. The most exciting artifact we have found would have to be the penny, the artifact displays multiple “cuts” into it as if heavy equipment had mangled it when the backfill was being put in after the demolishing of Hillside Courts. My partner and I were able to make out the penny from around the year 1990- something; this was all we were able to tell from our on-site quick observation of the artifact. It appeared that the rest of the date on the coin is either marred from equipment or too distorted for the naked eye to make out anymore. That will be something the students in the lab will hopefully figure out for us.

Author: Mark

For the past few weeks, there have been some struggles that have prevented my archeological process. For starters, there has been an invasive rodent, a mouse and a vole living inside my group's unit. Every time I come to class and take off the tarp covering the unit, I dread looking at the string that outlines the unit. For a few weeks the small critter would chew through the string, resulting in an unnecessary process of putting new string around the excavation unit. So far, my unit and the adjacent unit have replacements to the grid string at least 4 times! Members in my unit have caught the small animal and placed it away from our excavation, but he usually came back by the next class period to say hello. Recently, I have become accustomed to seeing our “little friend” and he hasn’t been chewing through the string as he once was.

Water, a fundamental element in life, has ultimately caused the downfall of progression in my excavation. Since the unit I am excavating is on a declining slope from north to south, water likes to pool up and saturate the dirt and, boy, is it hard to sift through mud! What is hilarious is that most of the other excavation units are fairly dry. While I am sifting through mud, my peers look as if they are sifting powdered sugar! These events have dramatically slowed my group's progress. The water has been taking time to evaporate too, since the temperature is decreasing and the sun is not out. I've learned an important life lesson so far, mother nature likes to target people, specifically my group. I have to laugh!

Author: Sydney

People in the Midwest joke about the weather, and it is accurate, but the changes in weather almost seem to mean something else when in an outdoor field work setting. We started the semester with hot weather, this was rough but when there a breeze, the ground is soft and crumbling digging and sifting is pretty easy. Even if everyone desperately needs a shower an hour and a half later. Of course then there was a couple weeks where the wind coincided with 30 degree weather. At this point we had gotten deeper and was running into denser mud and a button of gravel. Next, mother nature did a u turn just to mess with us and heated back up. So thankfully we were able to dig through just clay, not frozen clay. In the mix of all this was rain. Some days we would sink into mud and use a bucket to bail water out of our unit. So in conclusion Midwest weather is a practical joke, that can SUPER fun to face during class. We also see despite my wording earlier the weather might be a pain but it's never as big a deal as you would think. We plan ahead to survive the hour and half outside and just go to work. When you start sifting and digging and trying to find out whether the thing in your hand is mud or asphalt the weather seems not be so important all because we have levels to complete and artifacts to find.

Author: David

Now is the time we’re getting into cooler weather. Just as the late Summer/early Autumn heat did not deter the Archaeological Fieldwork class from getting our hands dirty in the best way, getting a great start with our square meter dig units, neither will the progressively colder weather. Bundled up and gloved up (this is going to prove rather important for the comfort of our sensitive, little phalanges in the coming months), we continue our progress, centimeter by centimeter, absorbing everything the professor is teaching us, and each of us hoping to find something remarkable. 

Let’s be real, though. Everything about this learning experience is remarkable. Whether it’s just a little bit of plastic, the odd nail, tiling of some kind, a sizable chunk of cinderblock, or evidence of tiny, string-chewing field rodents bent on throwing the entire dig site into chaos, it’s all an invaluable and entertaining experience for us. 

On the 11th of October, the class took a break from the dig site and spent time in the archives for some historical context and location information on the Hillside Courts, the apartments that stood for nearly forty years on the location of the dig site. Undoubtedly, learning what we can about the history of where we’re digging will have the effect of imparting appreciation on us, and those who succeed us, for the area and its significance for UNI.

It is exciting to look ahead and try to picture the progress we will have made by the end of the semester, imagining the finds we may make, and the interest and excitement such finds will generate for incoming students whose attention is caught by Archaeology (and the rest of Anthropology).

Author: Mark

I am not an Anthropology major, however, my interest in archaeology is not different from one. Growing up, I had a passion for metal detecting with my dad. This opened the doors for an interest in archaeology. Granted, metal detecting is in a different class than archaeology, it is similar in certain aspects. For example, they both require you to dig in hopes of uncovering material treasure, but by using different techniques. Metal detecting is a speedy process, whereas archeology is a more gradual process. 

When I first started to excavate my unit, I was not expecting the several procedures that had to be done in order to start digging. I was only used to digging a hole in the soil, pulling up a quarter and putting it in my pocket while putting the plug of dirt back in the ground. I didn’t care about the archaeological process, I was twenty-five cents richer. Why would I want to look at the landscape where I found the quarter? Or the different strata in soils surrounding the quarter? I didn’t even care about what the artifact told me. I was missing the point! History was within the quarter I had just found, but it also existed in the surroundings. At the time, I did not realize it. 

Looking at the landscape can explain how the artifact ended up where it was found, or why it was lost. Documenting a dig site before excavation, via marking the coordinates or creating a grid for a unit, helps one recognize the location of the artifact found. By looking at the layers and genealogy of soil, you can identify fill dirt, date an artifact, or layer disturbance. Lastly, analyzing the artifact can help to pinpoint what it was used for, the age of it, or how people lived in past times. In conclusion, archeology is much more than a simple hole in the ground. I didn’t understand this until I actually started the course.

Author: Sydney

I think it’s pretty much assumed by everyone that archeology is not like Indiana Jones. One of the things that Professor Gaff has said is that it is a game of hurry up and wait. This means that it can be quite boring some times, and requires a lot of patience. This is even more necessary when you find something interesting, but it’s embedded in the wall of the unit. 

When doing any study, the whole goal is to find and collect information or artifacts and record it in such a way that the person reading the records can understand and even “recreate the study themselves”. What this means is having records that show the spot you are digging and being careful not to dig outside that line. 

So, anything such as a plastic wrap or concrete that slowly appears as you dig down only to find that it can’t actually dig it out because it is in the wall. In the end pictures are taken of the wall and that picture is very interesting in showing the buildup of materials and soil differences. Then we can go back and open another unit or bring out the plastic, but for now me and my partner just have to continue to work around it and have the insane patience to wait to see. 

Of course, we are still finding things in the screen to study. Now that we have dug through the top soil and gotten the destruction level we are finding so much of the smaller material that was left behind. Small pieces of brick, a variety of plastic, a few small pieces of glass, and even concrete and asphalt. There are many, many rocks to look at and so much gravel that after the first week we stopped collecting it.

Author: Terra

Most of us grew up playing with dirt as kids, making mud pies and coming back inside covered in filth, much to our parents’ dismay. Playing with dirt as a college student? So much more fun, and I don’t have to worry about making anyone mad when I get back to the dorm with my hands covered in dirt!

At our dig site, we are almost finished removing one level or 20 cm of dirt from the ground, and we have finally found another kind of soil besides just plain old dirt. Clay! 

Clay is now the mastermind at work, hindering our progress to finish our level. Granted, clay is a great resource for pottery and fun to play with; but, when you are trying to use a shovel to dig into the dense material… not so easy. The unit I am working on in particular seems to have a much higher concentration of clay in the soil and I end up rubbing my hands raw on our sieve(sifter) just to push the clumps through the grate.

Even so, I have also had the opportunity to help out with a group of freshmen who are taking the beginner Archaeology Lab. They are joining our class these next few weeks, and it is the perfect occasion to get them excited about dirt, as there is a LOT of it while we continue to try to find remnants of the hillside courts.

Author: Anna

For me and some others, this is our first experience doing actual archaeological work. I have taken archaeology courses before but never one that allowed me to practice archaeological techniques and learn the skills. This is an opportunity that provides us with a chance to do the work and evaluate if a setting and career for us.

Because of the nature of archaeology and this class, flexibility is something that we all must accept and be comfortable with. On the first day of class, Dr. Gaff, as he was reading the syllabus that we must all “hurry up and wait.” Before we could begin digging there were other steps that we needed to do first. We had to create sketch maps of the site so that in the future others can figure out where the dig took place. Dr. Gaff had to determine where we would dig. We needed to establish the perimeter of the units, this was done with strings and nails. Then we had to fill out paperwork and safety information for documentation reasons.

When it comes to dealing with excavations in an uncontrolled environment everything is subject to change at the last minute. We have been lucky so far to have not canceled a class for the weather during this semester. We encounter wildlife too, from insects like crickets, slugs, and spiders to turkeys and deer.

Author: Anna

Nobody can predict the future and that is continuously proven true by this class. The original plan for the excavation of our units was to reach -20cm, do the finishing paperwork for that level, and then continue to the next level. As we progressed through the first level Dr. Gaff decided to mix things up. He decided that we should dig down to the depth of two levels to see what the soil contents and horizon boundaries would look like. Doing this would allow him to gain a better understanding of the way that the other units may look. These choices caused us to continue to dig until we reached the subsoil at a depth of around -50cm. This goes to show that things do not always go to plan and that we must change the course of our excavations to best use our time and tools. The weather has begun to cool compared to the beginning of the semester and we must make adaptations so that our work can continue.

This excavation has led to us finding a variety of sized chunks of concrete and landscaping gravel. As we got deeper, we started to find pieces of wood and quartz. And there have been pieces of plastic speckled here and there. The most significant of these findings was a large piece of metal that was visible from the beginning of the dig. It is all so exciting to see the product of our hard work.

Author: Trevor

Since the first day of the fieldwork class, we were warned about the climate shift that would take place towards the end of the semester. Some of us, myself included, did not think it would be that cold. Oh boy! After the first day below thirty degrees, we started bringing gloves under our work gloves, double-layered socks inside our boots, and sweatshirts under our coats. 

In many regards, this may seem like a bad thing, that we would not enjoy the outdoors. But the class has proven to be so engaging that morale has not diminished. We have made several discoveries in a simple 1x1 meter spot. Concrete, timber, asphalt, and even glass continue to emerge from the soil every day. The feeling of discovery is what continues to steer our fieldwork class, even through the November flurries. 

As long as you come prepared, as every good archaeology crew should aspire to be, you find that the process is entertaining even in terrible weather.

Author: Tyson

I’m an Anthropology student here at the University of Northern Iowa studying to obtain my Bachelor’s in Anthropology and a Certification in GIS and looking towards Grad school to obtain a degree in Archaeology. This year I finally get to participate in actual field work and get to experience a piece of my desired future career. Unlike previous semesters of students that taken this class, my class has the pleasure of being able to work in a much more immersive environment for the dig site. Previous years students have gotten to excavate on manicured lawns on main campus, while my class is out in a field surrounded by trees and next to a creek. After a couple of weeks of planning out our sites and getting all our information in order we have finally broken ground. To get to this point required us to make a map of the area, measure out our 1m-by-1m squares, and haul all the equipment from the ITTC to a storage shed near the work site. My unit currently hasn’t found anything but some limestone gravel and some plastic bag fragment and some signs of backfill. I expect to find even more gravel and various signs of human-made items as we progress through the semester. If we’re lucky we might even find a nail or two. You may think that it’s a silly thing to get excited over a nail or perhaps something as basic as fruit stickers, but these things have their own stories and can tell a person some interesting things if you research deep and thorough enough. I hope we find some more artifacts at the next class session; there is only so much time available in the semester and the process is quite slow. Not that I mind, but I do think I should invest in some gloves for when using the shovel considering that I still have blisters healing from where the skin rubbed off.

Author: Trevor

Archaeologists like to ask questions and love to solve problems. There is no shortage of small problems in a fieldwork site in September. Too hot? Bring water; too sunny? Wear a hat; having trouble making a 1mx1m square in the dirt? Ask a friend for help. Studying archaeology leaves you asking a lot of questions, but also gives you the tools to answer them yourself. In the case of fieldwork, these tools are mostly shovels. 

The main question we are trying to answer with our fieldwork is a question of “where.” Where were the Hillside Courts of UNI? If artifacts are recovered, where did they come from? While we cannot answer this (yet) we can certainly have fun finding out. 

A fun question archaeologists are asked is often “why?” Why have a full excavation for a building that was only torn down only a few decades ago? The simplest reason is because we want to learn. Today we are excavating a site that is less than fifty years old, tomorrow we might be finding prehuman huts, ancient temples, or medieval townships. Practice does certainly make perfect. 

How do we know what is under the ground when we walk on? How do we learn history that we have forgotten? We practice archaeology.

Author: Marley

For as long as I can remember, I have found archaeology fascinating. I mean, one of my all-time favorite movie characters is Indiana Jones who is a totally normal archaeologist… right? (Spoiler alert: definitely not!) When I had the opportunity to take an Archaeological Field Work class at UNI, I knew that I had to enroll. I have always been someone who enjoys hands-on learning and especially enjoys getting my hands dirty. So I signed up and prepared to become an archaeologist! 

Let me tell you… it is not as glamorous as you might think. 

Before taking any archaeology classes at UNI, I never truly realized what archaeology was and the processes behind it. After all, in the movies, you see archaeologists exploring massive underground cave systems, finding magical artifacts from past civilizations, and narrowly avoiding booby traps set by bad guys. 

My personal booby trap? Making a 1 M by 1 M square. 

The purpose of the 1 M x 1 M square is to mark off the unit that we will be excavating. Hear me out - I thought our professor was bluffing when he said that making our square was going to be one of the hardest things that we do in this class. After all, it’s a square. How hard could it be? My group and I started way too confidently and very quickly realized that our professor had told us the truth. It seems simple, but there are many different things you have to take into account, such as ground cover (sometimes thick plants make it difficult for the tape measurer to lay flat on the ground), the hypotenuse measurement, and more. All of these things resulted in it taking two full class periods to get our measurements perfect - that’s two and a half hours! 

Even though the process of making this square was grueling, the feeling of relief and excitement my group mates and I felt when we finally got it right was unmatched. Overall, it was a great way to remind ourselves that practice makes perfect and to keep persevering, no matter how long it takes. It makes me excited for future victories! 

Author: Miranda

During the Fall semester of 2022, several Anthropology students here at UNI are being given the opportunity to learn professional archaeological fieldwork methods of excavation.  Digging has commenced as of Thursday, September, 8, 2022, at the former Hillside Courts apartment complex, just southeast of central campus.

In the first few weeks of class, we have prepared our 1m x 1m units for excavation and paired off into two-person groups (with the exception of one “super group” which consists of four students and a 1m x 4m unit). Prior to digging, we have each created a sketch map of the immediate area within our own journals. We also learned to create the perimeters of the units
with nails and string by measuring out 1m squares. We created perfect square (or rectangular) units by using the hypotenuse of our respective measurements. This was proven to be a difficult task for the “super unit”, which was initially meant to be a 2m x 2m square. Due to the ground’s incline and some inconveniently placed rocks, the 1m x 2m unit was decided to be more beneficial. On the first day of excavation, a few members of the class found a nail, some styrofoam, and other plastic material. We’re looking forward to uncovering more of our city’s recent past throughout the semester!

Author: Clara

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - 10:15pm

I am hoping the last blog post of the 2019 Dig UNI team serves well. What a semester it has been! Time sure does fly when you are having fun, especially when you are kneeling 40 centimeters into your unit desperately trying to pick up every last piece of brick fragments. After my last blog post, a couple of changes occurred to our site. A few weeks back, I was suddenly tasked with almost full control of my unit after my digging partner had to step away from the project. This left me with the responsibility of overseeing the unit almost entirely. Thankfully, we are a team, and after two of my classmates closed their unit a few weeks prior, I was given hard working, detail-oriented partners to help finish the rest of the excavation. This was definitely an advantage, since we were digging and sifting twice as fast. The temperatures start dropping in mid to late November, which was truly the worst part of the experience. Troweling without gloves is possibly the closest I have gotten to frostbite, probably. The last few weeks of classes we had been blessed with as nice weather as we were going to get, and I think everyone understood it was crunch time. There was hardly any dilly-dallying on site, as the deeper we dug, the more materials we found. It was a common occurrence to hear cheering periodically throughout class, and it brought a smile to my face knowing a classmate probably found something they thought was worthwhile. 

The last day of class was a mix of emotions. My unit was the last unit to be closed, and I was given the monumental deed of tossing the first bit of dirt in. I am proud of what we have accomplished as a team, and I am satisfied with the amount of artifacts recovered. The ground was frozen, of course, so the last day was absolutely the most effort I have put into digging ever. Tearing down the fences had me a bit somber, as opening and closing the unit every day left me with a sense of accomplishment, knowing there was always more time next class to keep digging further. After our supply closet was cleaned and all class materials were stored away properly, we took one last group photo. The 2019 Archaeology team absolutely made this year a great one. We had so many laughs and trials together, but it made us work harder towards our own personal goals, and the goals of our site. This experience is something I will never forget, and I’m glad the skills I learned in this class, plus the help I brought on this team will stick with me for a long time. 

Author: Ally

Monday, December 9, 2019 - 1:30pm

Over the semester our fieldwork has endured frigid temperatures, flooding units, and critical mapping errors, but the artifacts we have discovered this far have certainly made all those obstacles worth tackling.  Since my last blog post I have closed my original unit and begun working on unit 21 next to Lang Hall. Showing significant promise from the beginning, this unit has been a much more fruitful learning experience for various reasons.  To begin, filling out paperwork offered more experience with getting accurate measurements of the unit levels and soil analysis in contrast to my old unit, which yielded no considerable discoveries or changes in soil composition. The further our new team progressed within unit 21, the soil revealed considerably important artifacts in correlation to the focus on the Central Hall orphanage. Beginning with fragmented shards of red-orange bricks, a color that does not match the current academic halls, our team continued through the layers of soil, removing pieces of wood, rusted nails, and pieces of glass and tile.  Within the past week we finally approached a depth of about forty centimeters. Along the way we have been perfecting our shoveling and troweling techniques to create parallel wall and floor surfaces. Remarkable artifacts have also been unearthed in the past two digging sessions as well. Included among these discoveries are whole red-orange bricks, which we pedestaled in the unit, thick window pane glass, pieces of tile, and finally an old comb. Excited about our progress throughout the semester, I look forward to finishing up the final days of excavation which will entail the closure of all units across the excavation site.

Author: Dakota

Thursday, November 21, 2019 - 9:00am

This year has hosted a very busy yet rewarding archaeological season for me as I have been both out in the field and helping to compile a report with Professor Gaff for the findings of last season. This aspect of seeing both sides has helped to develop my skills as an archaeologist and to know what to look for in the field. Through looking at the items in the lab such as bricks, window glass, bottle glass and landscaping material it has helped to develop a story for the site (not necessarily tied to Central Hall). From what has been recovered there has been a hodgepodge of material that has spanned differing decades, and sometimes located next to each other. This has pointed to a large amount of construction projects that have taken place on the site. While there have not been many diagnostic artifacts, there have been wrappers traced back to the 1990s, cassette tape magnetic strips that could be traced back to the 1980s or the early 1990s (when it was widely used) and a nail that has been traced back to the 1800s when the nails were handmade out of sheets of metal. Now seeing these items in the lab it is giving me background knowledge of what to look out for in the field and also to have the knowledge that just because items are found near each other does not necessarily tie them together especially in sites with major amounts of construction.

Author: Skylar

Monday, November 18, 2019 - 5:00pm

It's crunch time for Dig UNI! The Fall 2019 semester is nearing its end and this means that we only have about six class periods left to complete our dig. We have started to rule out which units to close first and which units we think we should continue digging until the final days of the semester. We have decided to keep units 20 and 21 open the longest because they seem more promising in terms of finding artifacts and how deep we can dig. We have decided that the unit that Ally and I started, unit 9, would be the first to get back filled. The decision to close unit 9 was based on a couple of factors. 

The first being that the unit was placed in between unit 7 and unit 20. It made the most sense to focus on other units that were placed in different locations because they gave us more hope in finding different artifacts. The second related to time and personnel considerations so we had to reassign Ally and myself to unit 21. Unit 21 was chosen for Ally and I to work in because the depth goal for the unit is around 40 cm and it still needs to be dug about 20 cm more to reach this goal. So the extra hands will help when it comes to shoveling and screening all of the dirt from the unit. 

With all that being said, let’s hope we can get some good weather and digging done in our final days of the semester!

Author: Kim

Monday, November 18, 2019 - 5:00pm

Now that we are more than halfway through the semester, we know what we’re supposed to do: grab the supplies from the closet, strap our boots, and dig. However, the weather has thrown us off a bit into this endeavor, leaving us chagrined in the face of exciting work. Now that we’ve reached our 14 centimeter floor, we’ve filled out the appropriate level change forms and started digging in a mixture of sand and soil.

This mixture is where the excitement comes in. Within it, there are artifacts galore (this is not necessarily indicative of remnants of Central Hall, as we are located so close to where Lang Hall was built). Once large mounds of sand have been sifted through, we’ve discovered little things from plastic to nails. It’s always a whirlwind when we find something—we must haul Dr. Gaff over to appraise our find, sift through more dirt, and separate out the pieces that we find. However, there is nothing more exciting than seeing hard work payoff, even if none of these small artifacts come from Central Hall.

Although the temperatures were bitterly cold the past few weeks, things are looking up in the wake of the cold front. The wind is dying, temperatures are rising, and with it comes a renewed focus on finding what we can before the end of the semester.

Author: Madi

Thursday, November 14, 2019 - 4:45pm

Work for the Archaeological Fieldwork class has continued to brave all the elements thrown its way.  However, there is no need to worry – everyone knows Iowa can never decide what season to be in so I believe my 19+ years of experience in this state have prepared me well.  Through it all, the team has managed to keep smiling and working hard to move as much dirt as possible before the ground freezes. 

In my unit, number 20, my dig partner and I have switched techniques to hopefully get through this level of our unit.  Before, we were skimming the top layer of our unit which tended to be a very slow process.  Now, we are using a bit more of an angle with the shovel to really get in the unit and chunk out larger piles of dirt at a time which has proven to be a much faster technique. 

As the semester comes to an end, everyone in the class is anxious to find artifacts of interest.  This past week seemed to unravel the most interesting of all finds now that we are working much faster and getting deeper into the unit.  From old terracotta building piping to possible cigar caps, it is always very exciting to see any sort of different coloring within the dark black/brown dirt we have been examining.  I am hopeful that in the next few weeks more finds will begin to emerge as everyone works hard to beat the clock and this crazy weather!

Author: Kathleen

Thursday, November 14, 2019 - 8:15am

In archeology, keeping up your moral and hopes of finding something is vital. At some point of digging, I’m sure we have all thought: “What if we don’t find anything? What if I’m wasting my time?” And those are valid questions especially when you may be dealing with harsh weather, setbacks, or coming up empty after excavating for a while. These can all affect our attitude or belief in what we are doing and it can be quite disheartening to deal with them. However, I think the better question is “What could we find? What mystery resides underneath the dirt we’re digging through?” Yes, there are probabilities of certain artifacts being found based on historical research about the area you’re digging or typical materials included in back-filled soil like ours that an archeologist can be prepared to find. But there is no guarantee of what you will find until you start digging and that I think adds to the thrill of excavating in archeology because it’s almost like solving a mystery. You’ll never know the answer to the mystery until you start researching (or digging in our case) and see the project through.

Starting out, some of our excavation units for this semester were excavated last year so we did in a way know what we may find in those first few levels, while other units like mine had never been excavated before so we didn’t know what we’d find at all. Due to recent discovery of an error in unit placement, however, all of our units now could be considered new since differences in coordinates from last year has led to one unit being different than its older excavated unit. But even with this slight setback, there have been some amazing finds discovered in all of our units that we never expected to see. We’ve seen artifacts like an old cigar tip, shards of glass, rusted nails and wiring, coal possibly, and much more. It’s times like these where the weather is gorgeous and you're finding artifact after artifact that you need to hold onto when the weather is awful or you're finding nothing but dirt and rocks. For the first few centimeters of our unit, we weren’t finding much of anything besides rocks and gravel. This was frustrating but had we given up and not pushed through the doubt that we may not find anything of value, we never would have discovered many of the cool artifacts listed above. In archeology, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll find something every time or specifically what you’re looking for. However, the potential of stumbling upon an incredible discovery or solving a missing link in history is enough for me to keep digging.

Author: Emily

Friday, November 8, 2019 - 9:30am

This blog post is all about expecting the unexpected and rolling with the punches. Now that we’re really getting into the semester, we’re finally getting the hang of things; we know what to grab from the supply closet before class (most of the time), we know what to do when we get outside, we know the process of digging and screening, we know how to treat our units/what should be done when, and we know what needs to be done at the end of class to keep our site and units lookin’ fresh. However, even though we have a good routine, there are still many surprises in archaeology, and there always will be.

I’ve learned to never depend on the weather; expect the unexpected and be ready for whatever weather may happen while you’re out there, and whatever weather might have happened while you were away. Our unit has been consistently filled with water so far this semester, but we’ve learned to roll with the punches and work with what we have; often we scoop water out with buckets and cups, but we always managed to keep making progress. We’ve also all slowly learned boots are good, gloves are good, and many of us have finally equipped ourselves adequately. We’ve had to abandon finding our old unit walls and make our own, and we’ve had to screen through piles of gravel. We’ve been outside in beautiful sunshine and we’ve been outside in a cold and constant drizzle. We’ve also been digging in a different unit than we thought we were, which was a big surprise, and it explained many problems we’d had throughout the earlier parts of the semester. Archaeology is full of surprises, but it’s also filled with lessons and laughter. You really learn to be a part of a team, to take whatever situation is thrown at you and turn it into an opportunity or learning experience, and you learn to fully celebrate what some may see as little victories, but victories none the less.

Author: Jarod

Thursday, November 7, 2019 - 3:45pm

Archaeological field work requires hours of physical and mental training, but it yields many results. One of the most important things I have noticed about myself is my increase in drive and work ethic. While out in the field, I find myself always prepared to begin the next task without instruction, and now have the required knowledge to follow the correct steps to continue the dig. I have seen this not only in myself, but in the rest of the team.

When the course first began, we would gather at the Dig Site and await instructions on what to do next and how to do it. Now when we meet at the maintenance closet, we know what to grab and how to begin the day. Dr. Gaff may give us a brief piece of advice, but we all know what to do and how to do it.  In fact, even last period we all knew exactly what we needed to begin the day and continue our work. I feel ready to begin the day, and am excited to see what we will discover next.

Author: Clara

Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - 9:15am

Digging in search of remnants from Central Hall has been a whirlwind of new experiences. This is the first college class that I’ve taken to have such a hands-on approach when it comes to the teaching aspect of the class. I am very proud of the pace in which our unit has been developing over the past couple of weeks. Sure, there are some days that you aren’t feeling digging as much as you are expected to, but glancing into the unit and seeing the potential artifacts that are just under the dirt puts my mind in the right, responsible place. There are a couple things I have learned along the way that I’ve thought to mention.

1. Communication is critically important, especially on an archaeology team.
2. If no one is really sure what anyone else is doing, nothing will get done.
3. Following the proper procedures is a task which seems simple, but can be daunting.
4. The cool rock that you found is probably just a cool rock, unfortunately.
5. A pack of baby wipes will be, without a doubt, the best purchase you can make. The amount of times my hands have been covered with dirt but I needed them to write down coordinates was plenty.
6. Someone critiquing your unit will actually get to you, as you’ve worked on it for hours and it’s still not deep enough?
7. People will get on your nerves, but knowing you both are working towards the same goal will humble you.
8. Having fun in archaeology is not hard. I think some kind of chemical in the dirt makes you more humorous.

Author: Dakota

Thursday, October 24, 2019 - 12:00pm

This year marks the second time that the University of Northern Iowa has undergone the search of the remnants of Central Hall. We opened up a couple of new units and are planning on searching closer to Lang Hall. I am on unit 22 one of these new units. The main element that my partner Kim and I have been fighting this year is the rain and mud. These elements are the worst because the moisture will erode the walls and make it difficult to screen because it compacts the dirt to almost a play dough consistency. When screening the mud it is also important to bring gloves because if the conditions get colder it can lead to freezing your hands and the hazards of encountering small artifacts such as small pieces of glass. With all of the downfalls to the rainy mud it can be a fun setting because when missed tosses to the screen hit your partner it can bring about some very funny stories and pictures. Thus proving that even in adverse conditions archaeology is very fun and rewarding with the right crew.

Author: Kim

Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - 10:00pm

This last weekend was UNI’s annual Family Weekend, where family members from across Iowa come to visit their students. As of Thursday, the weather was estimated to be nice—seventies, sunny, and not a speck of rain on the radar. However, when Saturday rolled around, we were betrayed by the meteorological conditions.

There was an abundance of rain, wind, and chilly temperatures, but we were still determined to dig in our units and present a unified front to our family members. What resulted was nothing short of a good time. With coffee, trowels, and endless mud, we made progress in our excavation units and chatted with those stalwart enough to brave the weather. We even learned a tidbit or two about Central Hall from a gregarious alumni, who attended UNI during the fire, and are nearing a level-change in our unit.

Family Weekend taught me a lesson that I won't soon forget—that at the end of the day, good company and the right attitude are what matters. This lesson can be applied throughout the rest of the dig, and throughout life.

Author: Madi

Thursday, October 10, 2019 - 1:00pm

Amid UNI’s homecoming celebrations our crew has continued to bare the elements.  Most class periods begin by bailing out the rainwater that seems to fall endlessly.  However, our tarps are fully functional, and the units stay relatively dry so we dig on!

My particular unit, number twenty, has been especially lucky in staying dry.  My dig partner and I have been able to move a lot of dirt these first few weeks which has now prompted us to begin soil identification.  This day also happened to be the same day I learned about soils in another one of my classes which, if you know me, means I asked about ten thousand questions to help connect the dots.

Once I had all my ducks in a row, we began the process of soil identification.  We spent our time using charts and soil guides to identify the color, texture, structure, consistency, plasticity, and mottling of our unit’s soil.  Luckily, our results aligned with most soils found in Iowa – dark and full of clay.

If you were sad you missed out on seeing these amazing Iowan soils over homecoming weekend, come check them out Family Weekend, Saturday October 19th from 10-1!

Author: Kathleen

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 - 3:45pm

An important aspect of any archeological endeavor is screening, which is when you sift through the soil you are digging and look for anything worth keeping while the dirt is removed by falling through the screen. Basically, it’s similar to how a person would drain the water out of their cooked pasta with a colander. Screens come in all shapes and sizes in order to fit the type you need for your excavation so if you need to sift very finely, you’d want a screen with a smaller screen grid. Since the soil we experience in our digging on campus is mostly clay and dirt, our screens need to be a little larger in order to sift through it efficiently. Or as efficiently as you can when the dirt refuses to unclump and go through the screen. Many many times, my partner and I’s sifting turns into somewhat of an intense activity since we basically have to force the clay to go through.

Though screening can be quite strenuous, it is definitely worth all the work when you discover all the tiny artifacts that were hidden in the dirt you removed. From digging and screening our site on campus, our team has found items such as brick fragments, worms (which our team has fondly nicknamed “Earth noodles”), pieces of glass, and other strange artifacts that we don’t have a consensus on what it is yet. Along with that we have found a LOT of rock and gravel which is to be expected with the type of soil it is. Screening is probably my favorite part of excavation (despite how irritating the thick clay can be at times) because it is where you make most of the discoveries that weren’t visible when you were digging. Unless the artifact is something big enough to be seen or hit when shoveling, you’re probably only going to actually see it using the screen. This is what makes screening so vital to any excavation. It’s very exciting to be sifting through dirt you thought would not have any artifacts in it and discovering a piece of brick hidden amongst the clay. Or picking through the dirt and finding something unusual and attempting to figure out the mystery of what it is. Either way, archeological excavation provides potential explanations or sometimes even more questions to a mystery you want solved. So if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty screening the soil and enjoy the thrill of investigating something, archeology may be a field to look into.

Author: Skylar

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - 1:45pm

Iowa has had some weather changes lately, you know just the typical going back and forth on deciding whether to be summer or fall. This had led us to enjoy our handful of perfect digging days this semester with them being slightly breezy, temperatures in the 70’s, and sunny. But we have also had our fair share of overly hot, humid, and rainy days. These less preferred days have led to some unpleasant digging conditions, yet also some creativity in our digs.

I am currently working in unit nine and it is often prone to flooding when it rains. Our first solution to this problem was to use plastic cups and scoop out the water to make the unit into a more workable condition. But that still left the unit pretty muddy and attempting to screen through mud often leads to a pretty messy situation. Our second solution for this problem was to cut large pieces of plastic tarp, place them over the units, and use a piece of plywood to hold the tarp in position. So far this has worked pretty well to keep the units semi-workable by not allowing the rain to access the unit directly and thus not causing much flooding.

The second unpleasant digging condition goes hand and hand with the changing of the seasons and it is the pesky little bugs that are now active. They surround our units and we are often contemplating why we keep forgetting our bug spray.  A solution that my peer uses is to spray vanilla perfume around her excavation area. Very creative to say the least and it does help some but let’s hope we remember to bring our bug spray so we can help alleviate the pesky problem just a little bit more.

Author: Jarod

Thursday, September 26, 2019 - 8:15am

I have learned many things from archaeological field work, but one thing that stands out in particular is the amount of teamwork that takes place while in the field. The whole team works as one team, even while at separate units. People who are not currently busy walk around the site and look for work or methods to help other team members. It really creates an element of teamwork that makes class fun, despite the weather or mud. 

This class teaches not only the important and real life practices and processes of archaeology, but also teaches students to work together in an efficient manner.  A personal experience of mine is when 3 other students and I were screening soil, while another student continually added soil for us to screen. It is an enjoyable experience to come to class and have a good time while learning. I might even consider taking it again next semester!

Author: Ally

Tuesday, September 24, 2019 - 10:00pm

Since the last blog post, our crew has finally gotten to break the ground and start the digging process!

All of us students were very excited and have learned a great deal about archaeological excavation processes.  We have four units that are brand new and two that are being re-excavated from last year.  Being a member who has been assigned to an old unit, I can give a little more insight as to how the process here differs from the steps one would go through if a unit needed to break new ground.  For the new units, the beginning steps were more specific and detailed.  It was important for our neighbors to document and thoroughly sift the dirt as they removed it.  As for units 7 and 9, we just broke the ground and tossed the dirt into a pile.  This is because the earth we are removing was already excavated last year.  The term for this type of dirt is known as backfill, and let me tell you there has been a lot of it!

Nevertheless, both units 9 and 7 have dug far enough to reach new, unsifted soil and are currently working to locate the walls of the prior units.  As for the progress of all the new projects, the members of each unit have been moving at different speeds.  Unit 20, right next to mine, is moving with great efficiency and has already begun to carve out their own walls.  As for the other two, they are sifting through surface level earth but soon will move on to the same step.

While the teamwork and cooperation has been fantastic so far, we as an excavation crew are learning that when dealing with the elements there are sometimes things that go askew despite all proper planning.  For instance, both of the old units have experienced minor flooding episodes.  Furthermore, I think we all can attest that the ants are certainly not fond of our trowels disrupting their homes.  One final situation that occurred was very recent when an animal, most likely a squirrel, decided to knock over some mapping string for one of the newer units.  Despite these minor hiccups, our work pace is moving incredibly well and I find that to be attributed to the entire group’s positivity and willingness to participate and help one another.  These obstacles, though small, have opened our crew’s eyes to the unpredictable nature of archaeology which certainly seems to be an overarching lesson to learn from this course.

Author: Emily

Monday, September 23, 2019 - 2:30pm

These first few weeks of class we have mostly been surveying, setting up excavation units, and learning how to keep our journals; basically, all of the prep work behind the dig! We learned how to set up our excavation units with string and nails making one-meter by one-meter units, getting them in the correct position with coordinates, and avoiding electrical lines and other buried lines. A lot of technical work and calls to make sure we are good to dig into the ground! We also had to make sure the units weren’t in certain places under trees or too close to buildings.

Journals are very important during a dig. We learned what coordinates to write down to reference different points on site, how important knowing directions are, and that you have to be as specific as possible when journaling, because if someone just picks up your journal they should be able to follow step by step how your dig went. We learned when making maps in our journals you must label everything specifically, always have north marked, the more detail the better, mark all units and have their southwest corner coordinates, include date, location, weather, and your initials. When doing a journal entry after a class of digging, we are supposed to write in as much detail exactly what happened that day during digging. This would include the date, weather, how much digging you did, what you found or didn’t find, maybe a rough sketch of your unit, and really anything you did during that class. As I said, the more details the better!