2023 Tyler Bastian Field Session

Chapel Branch West
19-29 May, 2023

The 2023 Tyler Bastian Field Session in Maryland Archeology will be held at the Chapel Branch West Site, near Denton, Maryland, from 19 - 29 May, 2023.

This Pre-Colonial American Indian site is immediately adjacent to the colonial Barwick’s Ordinary site, which was the location of the 2022 Field Session. During the 2022 Field Session, a shovel test pit survey documented a presumed living surface yielding 3,000 to 1,000 year old artifacts intact below the plow zone. The 2023 Field Session will investigate this buried living surface to document the American Indian occupations and hopefully reveal intact cultural features including house patterns, hearths, and storage pits.

Dr. Julie Markin of Washington College will serve as principal investigator for this project and will be pursuing many research topics during the upcoming Field Session, including the dating of the occupations, the domestic architecture and internal layout of the site, and subsistence practices.

The Field Session is held in cooperation with the Maryland Historic Trust's Office of Archeology. The purpose of the Field Session is to introduce lay persons to archeological methods and to teach Maryland's past through hands-on involvement while making meaningful contributions to the study of Maryland archeology. The Principal Investigators will work with MHT, Office of Archeology staff who will provide professional oversight of volunteers at the site.

Field Session Lecture Schedule

ASM has traditionally presented a number of lectures during the annual field session.

  • 22 May 2023 - Lunchtime: Interpreting Ceramics, Lynne Bulhack
  • 23 May 2023 - 6 p.m. - 8 p.m: Spencer O. Geasey Memorial Lecture
  • 26 May 2023 - Lunchtime: Wha't the Point? Projectile Point Workshop, Zac Singer

The Spencer O. Geasey Memorial Lecture

The 2023 Spencer O. Geasey Memorial Lecture will be held on 23 Apr 2023 at the Wharves of Choptank Visitor & Heritage Center. Francis Gray Tribal, Chairman of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, will be speaking about historic and contemporary Piscataway perspectives on archaeology.

Field Session Registration

On-Line registration for the 2023 Tyler Bastian Field Session in Maryland Archeology has ended. You can still participate by registering on-site. Information on how to get to the site and what items you should bring with you can be found at the link below. Fees can be paid at the registration table when you arrive.

2023 Tyler Bastian Field Session Information Sheet

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