The Tanana Valley Archaeological Field School (ANTH-F490)
*Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, our field school has been cancelled for 2020. Please stay safe, and we look forward to offering the class next summer
Visit Alaska! Experience Sub-Arctic Science! Put your archaeological skills to work!
Location:
Delta Junction, Alaska
Season:
May 11-June 13, 2020
Application Deadline
April 30, 2020
Program Type:
Accredited Field School, 6 upper division credits
Affiliation:
The University of Alaska Fairbanks
Project Directors:
Dr. Gerad M. Smith, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Dr. Joshua Reuther, Museum of the North
Dr. Charles E. Holmes, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Project Description:
Welcome to the fourth year of the Tanana Valley excavation project! The Tanana Valley in the Alaskan Interior has been the focus of northern archaeological research since the 1930's. The oldest site thus far described is the Swan Point Archaeological Site which has been almost continually excavated since its discovery in early 1990’s. The site is representative of all major archaeological traditions in the Interior. Swan Point represents four major cultural components; the earliest is over 14,200 years old, currently the oldest best-dated cultural zone in Alaska. The oldest component of this stratified site contains microblade technology similar to the ancient Diuktai cultural widespread in Siberia. This deeply buried site also represents occupations associated with the Younger Dryas, the middle Holocene, the late Prehistoric, and Historic periods.
The Pickupsticks Site dates to ~1000 cal BP, representing a residence feature at a critical juncture of cultural change in the Alaskan Interior.
The focus of the current field school will be to explore archaeological components associated with these horizons in the surrounding Shaw Creek flats. This is a great opportunity for field school students to participate in the excavation of an important North American site, and will provide experience with cutting edge archaeological equipment and methodology that will provide valuable training for their professional future. Additional field trips will be taken to other important cultural sites throughout the Interior every Sunday. The Tanana River Valley is a wide river basin with lush stands of spruce, birch, poplar, and willow. The site is located in the foothills of the Yukon-Tanana Uplands, a region of low elevation hills. The Alaska Range, visible to the south, is typified by peaks rising 12-14,000 feet.
Read about the project here:
The Gift of the Middle Tanana: Dene Pre-Colonial History in the Alaskan Interior
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793654779
The course will cover:
Interpreting the prehistory of Alaska
Integrating paleoecology and the archaeological record
The basics of geoarchaeology: reading stratigraphy
3-D photo modeling
The basics of lithic identification
The basics of faunal identification
Learn how native Alaskan geographic knowledge informs the archaeological record
And especially: how to excavate a prehistoric residential structure
Equipment, Room, and Board:
The field school will be held in a remote location in the Alaskan Interior. Students and staff will reside in a camp near the site. Students will need to provide their own tents, camping gear, and outdoor clothing (tents, sleeping bags, warm clothing, day packs, rubber boots, and excavation shoes, rubberized rain gear, etc.). Weather is generally warm throughout the summer, with relatively little rain, and the wind minimizes mosquitoes. Summer weather is generally moderate to warm (60°-80° F), though some cold nights (40°s F) may occur. All excavation equipment, supplies, and transportation to and from the site and Fairbanks will be provided by UAF or the instructor.
Students will be given a weekly cash food stipend, and all food will be prepared communally in camp. Students will participate in excavation duties and camp chores. If you have special diet needs, please inform the instructor so that accommodations can be made. The camp has occasional cellular service. Each weekend, we will return to Fairbanks to purchase food and clean laundry. We will work six days per week, and days off can be spent at your discretion; there are plenty of opportunities for hiking, fishing, and site-seeing. Trips can be taken mid-week to Delta Junction (20 miles east of camp) for showers, supplies, and restaurants.
Periods of Occupation:
~14,200 cal BP to 1930 AD
Project Size:
~10-25 participants
Minimum Age:
18
Experience Necessary:
No field experience needed, but an Introduction to Archaeology class is strongly recommended.
Academic Credit:
Institution offering credit: UAF
Number of credits offered: 6
Total cost of this six-credit course is: $3407.00
Includes:
Tuition and campus fees: $1804.00
The additional field trip fee of $1600.00 will cover food, equipment, and round trip transportation between Fairbanks and the field school location.
How to Apply:
The application deadline is April 1, 2020. All applications will be reviewed and acceptance letters will be sent by May 1st for late applicants. All students will need to make their own travel arrangements to Fairbanks.
Registration for Degree-seeking students opens February 11th.
Open registration begins February 25th.
Please contact Gerad Smith prior to registration gmsmith2@alaska.edu
You will need permission from the instructors Dr. Smith and Dr. Reuther to enroll. Please email both of them (contact info below) the following documents:
1. Unofficial transcript (this can be a faxed printout or electronic document)
2. One academic reference (please request your reference to email us directly a brief letter of support for your participation)
Students will be required to provide proof of health insurance or must purchase insurance through UAF.
The University of Alaska is committed to equal opportunities for students experiencing disabilities. Due to the rigors of the fieldwork, students with disabilities are expected to notify the instructor of any potential difficulties prior to enrollment so that arrangements may be made to ensure a positive educational experience. Students should take into account that the site is located in a moderately difficult-to-access area. The site is located on a high, dry hill about 1 mile from the parking area, along an unmaintained trail which can be fairly muddy, so please plan accordingly.
Contact Information:
Dr. Gerad Smith (gmsmith2@alaska.edu)
www.researchgate.net/profile/Gerad_Smith
Dr. Joshua Reuther (jreuther@alaska.edu)
https://www.uaf.edu/anthro/people/faculty/reuther/
Dr. Charles Holmes (charles.holmes@alaska.edu)
https://uaf.academia.edu/ChuckHolmes
Required Readings:
Potter, Ben A., Charles E. Holmes, and David R. Yesner
2013 Technology and Economy Among the Earliest Prehistoric Foragers in Interior Eastern Beringia. In Paleoamerican Odyssey proceedings, pp 463-485. Texas A&M Press.
Holmes, Charles E.
2001 Tanana River Valley Archaeology Circa 14,000 to 9000 B.P. Arctic Anthropology 38(2):154-170.
2008 The Taiga Period: Holocene Archaeology of the Northern Boreal Forest, Alaska. Alaska Journal of Anthropology 6(1&2):69-81.
2011 The Beringian and Transitional Periods in Alaska: Technology of the East Beringian Tradition as Viewed from Swan Point. In From the Yenisei to the Yukon: Interpreting Lithic Assemblage Variability in Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Beringia, eds T Goebel & I Buvit, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, pp. 179-191.
Reuther, Joshua D., Ben A. Potter, Charles E. Holmes, James K. Feathers, François B. Lanoë, and Jennifer R. Kielhofer
2016 The Rosa-Keystone Dunes Field: The Geoarchaeology and Paleoecology of a Late Quaternary Stabilized Dune Field in Eastern Beringia. The Holocene 26(12):1939-1953.
Smith, Gerad M.
2022 The Gift of the Middle Tanana; Dene Pre-Colonial History in the Alaskan Interior. Lexington Books, New York.
2020b Ethnoarchaeology of the Middle Tanana Valley, Alaska. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17882.98247
Smith, Gerad M., Ted Parsons, Ryan P. Harrod, Charles E. Holmes, Joshua D. Reuther, and Ben A. Potter
2019 A track in the Tanana: Forensic analysis of a Late Holocene footprint from central Alaska. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 24:900-912.
