Archaeological Investigations in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Highlights of the 2015 CSU FieldSchool

Since 2008, CSU’s Department of Anthropology has been conducting an annual summer archaeological fieldschool in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As our excavations have become more extensive and more complex, there’s been a real need to chronicle and produce a high-quality professional documentary of our summer’s field research. Not only is this video going to be showcased in our annual Ohio Archaeology Symposium in October, but we also will be using portions of this video for both visual instruction in the classroom and for public outreach. We often say that “a picture is worth a thousand words” but a video is worth so much more for it brings to life the essence of what one cannot see by simply reading a book or looking at lone photos. This year’s fieldschool focused on a Middle Woodland (100 BC- AD 400) prehistoric village site (33SU608) located within Boston Township. Our work at the site was guided and enhanced by the use of geophysics, namely a fluxgate gradiometer, which allowed us to look for and identify various prehistoric features or anomalies lying below the ground surface. As a result of our work at 33SU608 we were able to locate and excavate several prehistoric features including a midden (garbage pit), a storage pit, and a fire hearth that contained elite diagnostic pottery. This season’s work was part of a larger series of initiatives that seeks to institutionalize and engage student involvement in faculty research here at CSU.https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/u_poster_2015/1001/thumbnail.jp