Gwen decided she'd like to try her hand at a real dig this year. She sent in a letter to Dickson Mounds with her qualifications and interests and was accepted as a volunteer. Each day starts early and ends late with a little sunburn and a lot of fatigue. But Gwen is having the time of her life! The dig is hosted by Dickson Mounds Museum and Michigan State University.
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| Screening dirt to isolate small artifacts such as chert flakes, pottery sherds, pebbles, and charcoal. |
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| Gwen's first post mold excavation! |
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| The screening station |
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| The excavation 'block' with a tarp over half of it to prevent the dirt from drying out. Each block is 4 meters by 4 meters. This block contains a post mold and another pit feature... so far! |
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| Cleaning the equipment is important! Rusty tools don't work well. |
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| We use wire brushes to clean off the dirt, and files to sharpen the shovels and trowels. |
