Something to write home about

What do you get when you fit nine archaeology field-school students in a 3-square-meter dirt unit? Apparently, the outcome is bonding, singing and an abundance of inside jokes.

For six weeks this summer, I have been participating in the IU Field School at the Angel Mounds State Historic Site in Evansville. The site contains several large mounds that were produced by the Mississippian American Indians about 1,000 years ago. This site is where eight other students and I will learn to be professional archaeologists.

So far the experience has been quite enlightening. Other than learning about Midwestern archaeology and excavation, I have experienced even more in the field than I could have hoped for.

Unlike Indiana Jones, my fellow peers and I do not run around ancient booby-trapped temples looking for mysterious and rare artifacts. Instead, we dig five days a week through tough clay and soil; different from the incredibly lucky Dr. Jones, it’s difficult and time consuming to locate important relics.

For those who know nothing about archaeology, you have to be rather meticulous and patient with any potential artifacts found. The lack of adrenaline-pumping chase scenes through underground tombs inspires us to create different methods of entertainment such as stories, jokes and singing. Have you ever heard archaeologists sing? Well, let’s just say we didn’t major in music for a reason.

Since being on the dig, there have been numerous inside jokes; who doesn’t love making others outside your group feel isolated and confused?

An example of this is when we were all eating lunch one day. The discussion somehow landed upon food allergies, and one of the supervisors joined in by saying “Black walnuts make my mouth tingle.” Take it how you will, but let’s just say that quote is best left out of context and without explanation. Moments like these help to make the long, tiresome hours of excavation fly by.

Although a majority of everyone’s time is spent on the dig, the group also hangs out outside of the field school. The second week of our dig, the students, as well as our supervisors, went to dinner at the Gerst Bavarian Haus in downtown Evansville. It’s a German restaurant equipped with delicious German food, a wide selection of beers and decorative stuffed deer heads on the walls. Classy.

During dinner, the discussion of romance novels was brought up. One of the students on the dig confessed her dire love for romance novels and has decided to create her own novel based on our archaeology field school — with dramatic flair added, of course. Every student created their own alternate romance-novel pseudonyms that would put Fabio to shame.

How can it not be interesting with characters like Fernando Archibald, Hans Von Strudel and Trowel Fights? The best archaeology-themed romance novel is in production as we speak. In stores
June 2008.

As the laughs, inside jokes and terrible singing comes to an end at 5 p.m., I am dusty, dirty and tired from the day’s work. But through the sweat and mud, I leave the site filled with new humorous anecdotes and memories. Just like the American Indians 1,000 years ago, I feel a connection with the site as well as the people in it.