A quick scan of the Quiet Green displays all of the usual fixtures: lounging students, sunny steps, stately trees, long shadows and wait - an archaeological excavation?
Shovels, geophysical surveying tripods, sieves and buckets of dirt are a change of pace on the oldest part of the University's campus. Ten students, enrolled in a course called ARCH 1900: "The Archaeology of College Hill," crouch around a series of exposed excavation sites near Hope College.
The class offers students a "hands-on introduction to archaeological excavation," said Alex Knoddel GS, instructor of the course. A five-week dig serves as the focal point of the course, supplemented with readings and discussions that generate a comprehensive understanding of archaeological dig methodologies and techniques.
"This is a cool opportunity to get down and dirty with my childhood aspirations," said Christopher Thompson '15, who is taking the course.
The class consists of students with a wide range of concentrations, including anthropology, Egyptology, history and biology.
This is the first year since the course was launched in 2006 that the excavation has been conducted on the University's campus. Previous dig sites include the First Baptist Church and the John Brown House, said Susan Alcock, director of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology.
The on-campus dig is "more exciting" because it offers a unique opportunity to learn about early student life, Knoddel said.
Prior to breaking ground near Hope College, each member of the class researched Brown's history and wrote a five-page paper proposing a campus dig site.
"A lot of narrowing had to be done," said Caity Mylchreest '15. After contemplating digs on Pembroke, near the Faculty Club and even the Admission Office, "we came to a consensus" to perform the excavation on the Quiet Green, Mylchreest said.
The team selected the Quiet Green because it is "the earliest part of campus," Knoddel said. "The Quiet Green used to be the Main Green of the University," he added, citing Hope College, University Hall and the original President's House as the University's original structures.
Of particular interest to the group is the President's House, a structure that once stood on the Quiet Green but has since been replaced by lawn. The class conducted a geophysical survey of the Quiet Green using ground-penetrating radar to determine the location of the house's foundation. The radar signal is shot into the ground and, depending on how quickly the signal bounces back, subterranean material - such as foundation, brick or soil - can be distinguished.
"We've determined that the structure exists, and that it is about one-and-a-half meters below the ground," Knoddel said.
But the excavation of the President's House has been postponed due to President Christina Paxson's inauguration festivities, Knoddel said.
"We all keep wanting to gravitate over there," Mylchreest said. In the meantime, the group has broken ground at the base of Hope College.
"We have found beer bottles and garbage that people have been throwing out of dorm windows since 1800," Knodell said.
The team has also uncovered three bullet casings dated between 1860 and 1912, broken glass, ceramic, nails and some bones - "probably bird," said Eddie Cleofe '15.
Additionally, three pennies, dated 1975, 1980 and 1982 were found within a small area.
"It's neat to think, 'Whose pocket did those fall out of?,'" Thompson said.
The students got a chance to highlight their work to parents and peers last Saturday at the Joukowsky Institute's National Archaeology Day festival. Visitors assisted with the soil sieving process and observed a taped outline that marked the foundation of the original President's House determined by the class's geophysical survey.
In four weeks the dig will wrap up and the team will take their findings to the lab to analyze the material. They will then publish their conclusions online.
The Archaeology of College Hill course is "an entire archaeological project in one semester," Alcock said.
"This is really modern-day application," Mylchreest said.
Despite the fact that students are digging up sections of the Quiet Green lawn, "the president, provost and facilities have been immensely supportive," according to Alcock.
Combined with the class' previous projects, "we're building up glimpses into the past of Providence," Alcock said.
And with the 250th anniversary of the University approaching, investigating the University's past is a relevant and worthwhile endeavor. "Archaeology surrounds us every day of our lives, we just aren't aware of it," Alcock said.
ADVERTISEMENT
