115 Amature Archaeologists
Submitted by Jeanne Wood
The 115 amature archaeologists in Jeanne Wood's social studies classes have been very busy at the dig site located on the campus of ITMS. Twenty-four individual teams excavated the two hundred square foot site for three days. They recovered an abundance of artifacts, ecofacts and reproductions from the Timucuan Indian culture that thrived in this area of northern Florida 500 years ago.
Among the items recovered were bones, actual Timucua pottery shards, shells for jewelry, carved wooden toys, reproductions of Spanish doubloons, arrow heads, spear points and many other items. To prepare for this field work students learned excavation techniques in order to carefully remove buried items. They studied the Timucua Indian culture in order to be able to recognize recovered objects and to infer uses of unidentified items. The pupils also learned about the conflicts between the French and Spanish that resulted in the Spanish destruction of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, the slaughter of shipwrecked Frenchmen at Matanzas, and the establishment of the Spanish colony of St. Augustine.
The 115 amature archaeologists in Jeanne Wood's social studies classes have been very busy at the dig site located on the campus of ITMS. Twenty-four individual teams excavated the two hundred square foot site for three days. They recovered an abundance of artifacts, ecofacts and reproductions from the Timucuan Indian culture that thrived in this area of northern Florida 500 years ago. Among the items recovered were bones, actual Timucua pottery shards, shells for jewelry, carved wooden toys, reproductions of Spanish doubloons, arrow heads, spear points and many other items. To prepare for this field work students learned excavation techniques in order to carefully remove buried items. They studied the Timucua Indian culture in order to be able to recognize recovered objects and to infer uses of unidentified items. The pupils also learned about the conflicts between the French and Spanish that resulted in the Spanish destruction of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, the slaughter of shipwrecked Frenchmen at Matanzas, and the establishment of the Spanish colony of St. Augustine. 
Next each student chose two pieces to take to the science lab for qualitative and quantitative evaluations. Under the direction of science teacher, Dana Hausen, they used triple beam balances and other metric measuring devices to determine accurate weights and sizes. They completed paperwork to determine other information and made scale drawings. After completing the work in the science lab the students will replace the sand and reseed the site so that next year's students will be able to enjoy the same unique hands-on experience.