Students discover archeological site

Bloomington’s own Rogers Street may be home to a prehistoric campsite. \nWading through the fickle weather this weekend, a group of about 20 students from an IU anthropology class searched for archeological artifacts in Bloomington, finding evidence of a prehistoric campsite, said Cheryl Munson, an assistant scientist in the IU Anthropology Department.\nMunson said there was an archeological survey which unearthed archeological artifacts in the area of Rogers Street and the B-Line Trail. She said there is construction going on in the area for a water retention facility for storm water. \nAlthough there was a lot of disturbance from the construction of the railroad, they were still able to complete the survey promptly, she said.\n“We thought the area may well contain archaeological sites, and that was confirmed by our work,” Munson said.\nThe students, who are part of a graduate course in the department, were at the site Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Munson said they dug a hole 57 meters deep at the least-disturbed part of the construction site.\nAfter sifting through soil, the group found several artifacts, linking the construction area to a prehistoric camp site, Munson said. The students will clean and identify the different artifacts they found.\nThe class, ANTH-P 401 Cultural Resource Management, is for students to understand how archeology is practiced in the real world, said Susan Alt, assistant professor of the class.\n“The idea of the class is for students to get hands-on experience,” she said. “Instead of just sitting in class and going out, they got to actually do it.”\nOverall, she believes archeology is not something students can learn out of a book.\n“I think archeology is something you can think about and think you understand, but it’s doing the archeology that teaches it,” she said.\nMunson said the project this weekend was something the city needed to get done and was not mocked for the sake of a school project. The project’s necessity, Alt said, added value for the students.\n“I think this type of service we’re learning is a good example of helping the city of Bloomington ... and benefiting the students as well,” Munson said.