The University of Alaska Fairbanks is offering an archaeological field
school at the Gerstle River Site in central Alaska this summer (2001).
The course information is provided below. Please contact Ben Potter
(ftbap [at] uaf.edu) for more information.
COURSE LISTING
ANTH-495/695
Archaeological Field School: Gerstle River Site, Alaska
Dates: May 30-July 7, 2001
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course consists of archaeological excavations in the Tanana basin
at Gerstle River Quarry (49XMH-246), an important multi-component site.
Through practical fieldwork, students will gain experience in the basics
of excavation, artifact analysis, instrument-generated mapping,
archaeological photography, data recording, and artifact processing.
Basic archaeological concepts and methods will be presented, as well as
special topics including the peopling of the Americas, Siberian
Paleolithic technology, Alaskan archaeology, taphonomic processes common
to the Subarctic, and human ecology. Specialists in Alaskan archaeology,
geology, geomorphology, and paleoecology, including Drs. S. Craig
Gerlach, Owen K. Mason, and Charles E. Holmes, will be present for
special lectures at camp and in the field. The first few days will
include orientation, examination of Nenana and Denali artifacts (11,800
to 7,000 yrs BP), and a visit to the University of Alaska Museum.
Special field trips will be made to several important early American
sites, including Broken Mammoth, Donnelly Ridge, Campus Site, and (time
permitting) Teklanika West and Dry Creek.
LOGISTICS
The site is accessible by road via the Alaska Highway, though the site
lies 30 miles from the nearest town. Students must provide their own
transportation to Fairbanks, and all subsequent transportation will be
provided by the Field School or the Instructor. A base camp will be
established on site and we will get groceries from Delta Junction 2-3
times a week, where telephones, showers, and various restaurants,
grocery stories, etc., can be visited. All excavation equipment,
supplies, food, housing, and transportation to and from the site and
Fairbanks will be provided by the University of Alaska Fairbanks or the
Instructor. Students will be expected to provide their own sleeping
bags, outdoor clothing, good work boots, rain gear, and tents. In
addition to excavation duties, students will also participate in camp
chores (mainly cooking). Food will be purchased by the instructor prior
to and during the field school. While we will be working between 5 - 6
days a week, days off can be spent hiking, fishing, sightseeing,
canoeing, or lounging.
FIELD LOCATION
The Tanana River Basin is located in the central Interior portion of
Alaska and the local vegetation consists of interior upland
spruce-hardwood forest floral communities (white and black spruce,
poplar, willow, and mosses), with south facing slopes maintaining xeric
floral commnities typified by sagebrush. The Alaska Range is visible
from 10 to 15 miles south of the site. Summer weather is generally
moderate to warm (70-80 degrees Fahrenheit), though some cold nights (40
degrees Fahrenheit) may occur. A variety of wildlife is present in the
site area, including brown and black bears, moose, caribou, foxes, and
other furbearers. The field camp will be based in Delta Junction, a
small town 30 miles to the northwest with several restaurants. Nearby
recreational activities include hiking, camping, canoeing, prospecting,
fishing, biking, and sightseeing (two historic roadhouses are located in
town).
The earliest cultural complexes in the Americas are found in the Tanana
Basin, including the Nenana/Chindadn (11,660 BP) found at Broken
Mammoth, and Denali/Beringian (11,770BP) found at Swan Point. There is a
potential for discovering lower components at the Gerstle River Quarry
Site. Northern Archaic populations utilized the basin from 5000 to 1000
yrs BP, and Athabaskan Tradition populations used the area until
historic times. The paleoenvironmental record is especially significant
at the Gerstle River Quarry Site because of its preservation of
stratified sediments dating from before 12,000 to 3,000 yr BP. Such a
large middle Holocene record is unusual in Interior Alaska and the
presence of faunal remains in this time period is important for
paleoecological research.
SITE DESCRIPTION
The site consists of 6 components in stratified contexts dating from
10,000 to 5,000 years BP. The largest component (CIII) consists of 3
hearth areas, artifacts diagnostic of the Denali Complex (microblades,
burins, burin spalls, boulder spall scrapers, and endscrapers), as well
as multiple individuals of locally extinct bison and wapiti, including
many articulated specimens. A worked rod of mammoth tusk was also
recovered, making this component one of the latest using mammoth ivory.
CII consists of a firepit and artifacts (microblades, microblade core
parts, burin spalls). CI consists of debitage and a large cobble
feature. Earlier paleosols (buried soils) and cultural horizons are
possible; and there have been older faunal specimens recovered from
eroded contexts, including a Pleistocene horse radius dated to 15,000 BP
and a Saiga antelope humerus. If archaeological remains are found in
association with these materials this summer, then this site could be
the oldest in North America. This year's work will focus on expanding
activity areas and excavating the lower sediments.
HOW TO APPLY
For additional information and registration form contact:
Ben A. Potter, Lecturer
Department of Anthropology
University of Alaska Fairbanks
PO Box 757720
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
Phone: 907/474-6756
Fax: 907/474-7543
Email: ftbap [at] uaf.edu
http://www.uaf.edu/anthro/field.html - for pictures of the 1999
excavation.
ENROLLMENT IN SUMMER SESSIONS
To receive a registration form and a catalog that fully describes Summer
Sessions 2001 courses, contact:
Summer Sessions
University of Alaska Fairbanks
PO Box 757540
Fairbanks Alaska 99775-7540
Telephone: 907-474-7021
Fax: 907-474-5297
Email: fysummer [at] uaf.edu
On the web: www.uaf.edu/summer
TUITION AND FEES
Activity Fee = $3
Technology Fee = $15
Tuition (for ANTH-495) = $261/Tuition (for ANTH-695) = $516
Room/Board, Site Transportation, Materials Fee = $780
TOTAL CHARGE (for ANTH-495): $1,059 (for ANTH-695): $1,314