Touching the Past: Connecticut's Indigenous Peoples Archaeological Field School July 14-18, 2014

What is it like to find a stone tool last touched by someone over 4,000 years ago? Find out for yourself in an Archeological Field School being held in the Litchfield Hills July 14-18, 2014, 10am to 3pm.

The field school site has been excavated for several years by members of the Litchfield Hills Archaeology Club under the leadership of archaeologist Dr. Lucianne Lavin (Director of Research and Collections at the Institute for American Indian Studies Museum in Washington, Ct.).

For adults and students with an interest in Connecticut’s past, prehistoric Native America, and/or archaeology, this non-accredited field school will teach the basics of mapping, archaeological excavation techniques, artifact identification, and the documentation process. Field school attendees will learn by doing and most of the school will be held outside, weather permitting. Equipment will be provided by the Club.

Field school participants will get an opportunity to learn directly from Dr. Lavin, who recently published Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples, the most comprehensive synthesis of archaeological, historical, and ethnohistorical accounts to date about Connecticut’s native inhabitants. She has appeared on such shows as WNPR’s Where We Live and at lectures discussing our state’s native past.

The field school costs $180 per person and helps to fund lab testing of artifacts found at the site. A copy of Dr. Lavin’s book can be purchased by field school students for $45. College students are eligible for a discounted rate ($150). Field school participants get a free annual membership to the Litchfield Hills Archaeology Club.

Call the IAIS Museum at 860-868-0518 or go online to http://bit.ly/lhacfieldschool to reserve your space. Registration is limited to 15 persons.