Families and students were invited to learn and explore archeology-related stations throughout the Troy University Arboretum for International Archeology Day.
Gabby Purcell, Troy University’s archeology lab coordinator, explained the true role of an archaeologist.
“Archaeology is a social science, but a lot of what we do comes from other disciplines,” Purcell said. “We are very scientific in our methodology and our analysis.
“I think a lot of people envision Indiana Jones or dinosaurs or fossils when they think about archaeology. We don’t do that kind of stuff at all; we study people, we study cultures and societies from the past.”
Ansley Miller photos
The stations ranged from a variety of topics, from how to read stratigraphy to understanding how artifacts reveal facts from the past.
Madison James, a senior anthropology major from Enterprise, Alabama, discussed what her station was about.
“My station focuses on an archaeologist’s toolkit,” James said. “I have all the different tools that an archaeologist uses laid out on my table.
“I want my section to show what archeologists keep in their backpacks and what tools they use during excavations.”
Some of the items on the table included trowels, brushes, hats and personal protective equipment.
The importance of archaeologists and their work was a common topic of conversation at the arboretum.
“Most things you know about the past, before people started writing, comes from archaeology," said Anthropology Department Chair Steven Carmody. “I think a lot of times that's overlooked, and that’s a shame.
“It’s important that the stories we tell are accurate about the people who lived in the past because they have implications in modern society. We always want to make sure we’re collecting data the best way possible and interpreting it in the best way possible. We want to tell the most accurate story about the people that lived in the past.”
Purcell had a message to anyone looking to get into the field of archeology.
“If anyone, student or adult, is interested in getting into archeology, this event is a great place to start," Purcell said. “I want everyone to know that archeology is about so much more than digging in the ground and finding cool stuff.
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