Spartan Daily

SJSU anthropology students dig deep in archaeological field studies

For some SJSU anthropology students, field studies held during the summer allow them to dig up the past.

Charlotte Sunseri, a professor specializing in historical archaeology, is holding a field study this July at Mono Lake, California, which is located in the eastern Sierra Mountains.

“I’m excited to get to know the students since it is my first field study,” Sunseri said.

According to Sunseri, she chose the Mono Lake location due to its proximity for students who couldn’t afford to go out-of-state due to airfare prices.

Mono Lake was also selected since it is the location of her research, as well as its historic background during the California Gold Rush, she said.

In particular, Sunseri said she is interested in finding artifacts from the Chinese and Paiute Indian workers during that time period.

The Caribbean island of Nevis had a field study hosted by Marco Meniketti, a professor specializing in the Caribbean area who does archaeological digs on both land and underwater.

According to Meniketti, his interest in the Caribbean started out as an accident.

“I was originally interested in the Near East, but I ended up going to Jamaica looking for the last two ships of Columbus,” Meniketti said. “With more projects in the area, I ended up going with the flow.”

Both Sunseri and Meniketti said about 12 to 13 students accompany a professor with one or two staff members included.

Students stay at a certain location for a month, with living conditions ranging from dorm-like settings to a research facility, according to Sunseri.

When it comes to finding a location to excavate, there are specifics that are considered at a site, according to Meniketti.

“Locations are selected based on research goals and permission to work on particular areas,” Meniketti said.

One of the students who got to attend the Nevis field study was Chris Keith, a senior archaeology major who was on the island doing excavations.

Keith described the living conditions on Nevis as being “not too bad humid but overly hot” and mentioned that the people on the field study were trapped in a severe tropical storm for a few days.

“My favorite part of field work is the hands-on experience working on an actual excavation and finding artifacts that haven’t been seen in hundreds of years,” Keith stated in an email.

Among the artifacts found on the island was a skeleton dating from 1,000 years ago, according to Meniketti.

“I think the best thing to happen to the field school was the accidental discovery of some ancient human remains on a beach,” Keith stated. “We are planning on returning to Nevis and excavating at a later date.”

Even if students aren’t interested in going on archaeological digs, Keith said he believes that there are benefits from attending a field study.

“I would recommend going on field schools even if you’re not an archaeology major because it provides a wonderful chance to travel and experience new places,” he said.

To find out more about the Nevis field studies and see past excavations, visit the Caribbean Archaeology homepage at www.caribbeanarchaeology.com.