UA Little Rock Students Gain First-Hand Experience During Campus Archaeological Excavation

A group of University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are learning how to be archeologists through a fascinating convergence of education and exploration.

As part of the innovative Archaeological Investigation class, these aspiring archeologists are turning the campus into a learning laboratory by delving into the past right beneath their own feet.

“The purpose of the class is for students to learn how to do archeology,” said Dr. Maureece Levin, assistant professor of anthropology. “They are learning what is involved in an archeological project from start to finish. We planned an excavation as a class. The students were an integral part of the decision process. I really enjoyed designing this project with students. I like to incorporate student ideas and thoughts into my classes. It makes it a more interesting and relevant experience for the students.”

The students are conducting an archeological site dig in a lot along Fair Park Avenue next to the Campus Garden. The lot is the site of the former Safeway ice cream plant, which closed in the 1960s, and is also located near the site of the Trail of Tears.

“I find this project rather interesting as I have no other archeological experiences outside of class,” said Jesse Lewis, a sophomore anthropology major. “It’s been a blast.”

As part of the class, the students also took three field trips to Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park where they worked with park archeological staff members Dr. Paige Ford and Katy Gregory to collect surface artifacts and analyze what they found.

“It’s nice to get this experience in the field,” said Skyler Brooks Davis, a senior triple majoring in anthropology, sociology, and history. “It helps greatly with our educational experience.”

Finally, the students are gaining experience in the lab by analyzing samples that Levin collected doing research in the Micronesian island of Pingelap.

In the future, Levin hopes to expand the excavation into a larger community project.

“People might be surprised to learn that we are finding so much in this empty field,” Levin said. “I hope to eventually expand this excavation into a public archaeology project where more students and people from the community can come out and help investigate.”