University of Indianapolis Archaeology

05/04/2022

This semester in Anth-325 Research Experience, I am conducting research on a site in Delphi, Indiana, called Sunset Point (also known as 12C294 and Vanscoy 4). Sunset Point is around 3 acres in size and was occupied during the Late Precontact period (ca. A.D. 1000 to 1600) by Native Americans and later, in the 1830s, by Irish immigrants employed in the construction of the Wabash & Erie Canal. For my research project I am making a map to study the distribution patterns of charcoal found at the site (see attached photo). Through this research I hope to discern patterns in the distribution of charcoal and determine whether the charcoal recovered from shovel probes can be used to understand the distribution of activity areas associated with the different occupations. Doing so will enrich our understanding of the site. For example, if the charcoal co-occurs with Native American artifacts, then I might conclude that these artifacts are likely to derive from intact deposits that predate the construction workers’ camp, but if the charcoal co-occurs primarily with early 19th century artifacts, then it more likely originated from activities associated with the Irish occupation. My end goal is to have three distribution maps: one of the distribution of charcoal and Native American artifacts, one of the distribution of charcoal and Irish Canal Workers’ Camp artifacts, and one of the distribution of charcoal and any artifacts post-dating the 1830s.

04/27/2022

Hi, I’m Collin Harris, I’m in my third semester of Anth-382 Research Experience at UIndy, and I am continuing my research project from last semester over the topic of lost media. Just to summarize, lost media is any physical or nonphysical piece of media that has been stripped of its availability to the public. A good common example is a deleted scene in a movie that didn’t make its way onto the bonus features of the DVD. This semester I focused most of my effort on contributing to ongoing searches in some way, even if it’s just documenting the steps made along the way. The two where I’m contributing most of my effort are on Slamfest ’99 and on Mouse Factory. Slamfest ’99 was a live stream event in Las Vegas on April 24th 1999 to promote Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 (Image 1). Mouse Factory was a Disney produced show that aired from 1972-1973 (Image 2). It is largely lost, aside from the Serbian dub of the show. Fortunately, the dubbing wasn’t great, and you can hear the original English underneath, so part of my effort is trying to isolate that English dialogue. This work is ongoing, but separating the English from the Serbian has proven difficult with the tools I have on hand. If one were to find a way to successfully do this, then, effectively, the English version of Mouse Factory would no longer be lost!

04/20/2022

Hello, my name is Theo Saxe! I am an archeology major at the University of Indianapolis and what I’m bringing to you today is a look into my ongoing research project for Anth-382 Research Experience. The focus of this project is a comparison of depictions of Dionysus, an ancient Greek deity, from the Mycenaean (1400 - 1100 BCE, Map 1) and Hellenistic (323 - 31 BCE, Map 2) periods. This includes a look into Dionysus’ own mythology and the politics, economy, and society of each period. There is a noticeable difference in Dionysus’ depictions in the two time periods and even a shift in his temperament within his mythology, so the question lies in what caused that change (the attached picture of Sophilos Dinos is the earliest known depiction of Dionysus)? My work has consisted of a little bit of everything; however, most of the work has been split between researching mythology and the politics, economics, and societal factors of both the Mycenaean and Hellenistic periods.

Within the mythology of Dionysus it is noted that at one point he fled into the sea/the Underworld and spent time in the house of Persephone, the queen of the Underworld. When he returned from the Underworld, Dionysus was said to have a newfound tipsy look and a dazed smile. This time spent in the Underworld could be a storyteller's way of explaining a passage of time where Dionysus underwent this shift in behavior within society and seems to be an important factor in how the shift was explained during both periods. The kings of the Hellenistic period were known to be notable patrons of the arts and showed their wealth often by commissioning art for public areas. These gifts were met with an increase of feasts and festivals, in which Dionysus, as the god of wine among other things, was important and took on more and more the role of the ‘fun party guy’. So, what I’m curious about is if anyone knows any pieces of art or literature I should look into to get a better understanding of what Dionysus was depicted like or a better understanding of the Mycenaean and Hellenistic periods?

03/08/2022

INDOT Summer Archaeology Internship:

Governor's Summer Intern- Archaeology

03/08/2022

Job opportunity in Indiana

Environmental Manager Archaeologist Indianapolis

02/09/2022

Hello, this is Breean Rutledge coming to you from the University of Indianapolis! Once again, I am in the Research Experience Class. Some of you may remember me from last semester. I was conducting research, along with my colleagues, on materials found at an archaeological site along the Wabash River in Carroll County, Indiana. While on brake we found another box of materials from the sight! So, I will be working on sorting and cataloging all the new lithic materials. This includes stone tools and debitage. We still hope to prove that this sight was indeed a French American Trading post, in operation from 1819 to 1824. Hopefully these new artifacts will help us! Below are images of some of the artifacts I will be working with this semester. Can you guess what these tools were used for? Send a reply and let us know what you think! Thank you for your support and interest, hope to be letting you know more information soon!

01/25/2022

Last week we shared a mysterious metal object that we found in an old collection that was donated to the university. We were so excited to see all of your guesses about what the object might be and we definitely considered whether some of you might be right! However, the time has come for us to share what we think it is.

We think that it may be part of a door k**b! The rounded portion was likely the handle and may have had a porcelain or glass element, which is now gone. The narrow end likely fit into the door and connected the k**b to the rest of the locking mechanism.

Thanks again to everyone who played along!

01/20/2022

Guest post by Breean Rutledge:

I am an Archaeology major at the University of Indianapolis! I was in the Research Experience class last semester. As a class we are working towards a common goal of determining whether the artifacts that we have acquired are from a French American trading post that was in operation from around 1819 to 1824. It was one of the last French American trading posts to be in operation in the area. The site is along the Wabash River in Carroll County, right here in Indiana! My individual project is to identify and catalog the individual metal objects and the lithic materials (debitage and stone tools) found at the site. Here are some images of an artifact that I spent a lot of time trying to identify. Any idea what it might be?? Comment with your best guesses and we’ll let you know if you’re right!

04/15/2021

By Mariah Rae Pearson

This semester I wanted to devote my attention completely to a project directly within bioarcheology. I was given already excavated remains from the 19th century Tucker Cemetery site in Shelby County, Indiana. The remains found are of at least 4 different individuals, each dating back to the 19th century. I am studying each individual bone found from these 4 burials to determine a complete skeletal inventory. I am hoping to s*x and age each specific individual using the skeletal data I have conducted. As of right now, my hours are spent in the lab recording my findings, as well as doing specific osteological research on the types of bones within my burial site, while also looking into the types of individuals who lived around the area during the time that the remains were buried. Studies of the burial site as well as the conditions of the bones are currently being conducted.

This project is an outstanding learning experience for me in that it gives me firsthand insights into the human skeletal system while also being my first taste of bioarcheological research. Getting to see how similar the study of osteology and bioarcheology are to forensics, which is my main concentration within my Criminal Justice major, is fascinating and allows me to peak further into my interests. Although different in time and manner, I am starting to realize from this project alone how much bioarcheology is involved in forensic work. The study of human remains and the scientific methods used to s*x and age skeletons are both trying to achieve the exact same result. Identifying remains and returning them to where they belong are a goal within both bioarcheology and forensics. I look forward to investigating the Tucker Cemetery further and hope to identify and return the remains from the Tucker Cemetery to their proper resting place.

The attached pictures show all that remains above ground at the Tucker Cemetery.

04/08/2021

By Collin Harris,

For my first semester of Anth-382 I am researching the topic of lost media. Lost media consists of pieces of media such as film, music, or books that for one reason or another become lost or inaccessible over the years. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic I cannot actively go out to physical archives in search of pieces of lost media, so instead I am engaging in online research. This online research allows me to put together a good general overview of lost media and all its facets, such as how media becomes lost, notable examples of lost media, and lost media role within our culture.

I have encountered several notable examples of lost media over the course of my research. London after Midnight was a silent mystery film starring Lon Chaney (AKA “The Man of a Thousand Faces”) which was unfortunately destroyed in a 1965 MGM vault fire. Another well-known example is the 18-and-a-half-minute gap from former president Richard Nixon’s White House tapes, which played an undeniable role in the Watergate scandal as people speculated on what those 18 minutes once contained. A more local piece of lost media that has recently been discovered is Jon, a comic strip created by Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield. The strip was published in the Pendleton Times from January 8th, 1976 to March 2nd, 1978 and was renamed Garfield in 1977. Jon is considered a prototype of the Garfield that began national syndication on Jun 19th, 1978.

Hopefully in future semesters I can actively venture out to archives and see what has gotten lost in them. Until then I will have to settle for researching digitally!

04/03/2021

This caltrop is one of two military artifacts from Tecumseh Park in Chatham, Ontario, that were confirmed as War of 1812 era. It was recovered by Timmins Martelle Heritage Consultants Inc. during their 2011-2013 archaeological investigation of the site, and was likely deposited on October 4th 1813 during a notable skirmish prior to the Battle of the Thames.

A caltrop or “crow’s foot” is a non-explosive iron weapon intended to injure and slow down enemy troops. When thrown to the ground, they always land with one spike pointed upwards which causes considerable harm to horses or soldiers who step on them.

Caltrops are rarely recovered from archaeological sites. In addition to being the only known Ontario caltrop from the War of 1812, this one is unique because it has five points where caltrops typically have four. As of 2014, the only other caltrops found archaeologically in North America were recovered from Jamestown, Virginia.

Learn more about this caltrop and other artifacts on our Google Arts and Culture page. Find us by searching Museum of Ontario Archaeology.

12/09/2020

It’s a beautiful day for metal detector survey!