ASC Winter 2025 Lecture Series Zoom links and Recordings
UPCOMING
March 11th
Foodways in the Connecticut River Valley During the 17th Century: A Zooarchaeological Analysis of Feature 34 at the Lt. John Hollister Site.
Emma Wink
Abstract
The Lt. John Hollister Site, a 17th-century farmstead on the Connecticut River, provides a unique opportunity to learn about life in Connecticut during the time around King Philip’s War (1675-76). This paper analyzes faunal remains from Feature 34, a large pit feature at the site, as a vessel for examining larger trends influencing foodways during this tense period of New England history. The recovered artifacts and a radiocarbon date suggest Feature 34 was filled around 1675, which ties its deposition closely to the events of the war. The feature contains a rich assemblage of well-preserved faunal materials, including both wild game and some domestic species, and carnivore damage is common. Examination of the animal bones and other materials from Feature 34 along with the broader contexts of the overall Hollister Site and the documentary record of King Philip’s War provides insights into diet and foodways during this period of conflict.
Emma Wink is a doctoral student in the Anthropology Department at the University of Connecticut (UConn). Emma earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with minors in anthropology and psychology from Eastern Connecticut State University. She currently works in Cultural Resource Management as a Project Archaeologist for Archaeological and Historical Services inc. Her research interests include the study of Indigenous ceramic technology in New England and potential sourcing
methods of paste and mineral temper through X-ray Florescence Spectrometry. This research was an opportunity provided by Dr. Sarah Sportman as a way for Emma to expand her knowledge of zooarchaeological research and build more comparative data on foodways at the Hollister site.
Zoom Information
Archaeological Society of Connecticut is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: ASC Winter Lecture Series Emma Wink
Time: Mar 11, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83023952454
Meeting ID: 830 2395 2454
PAST RECORDINGS
February 25th
PaleoDigger and Geoarchaeological Investigations of the Deeply Buried Clovis Occupation at the Barton Site (18AG3), Allegany County, MD
Zachary Singer, Ph. D.
Abstract
In the summer of 2024, grants from ArchaeologyX and the Archaeological Society of Maryland’s New Project Fund facilitated a one-week field session where ground penetrating radar, terrestrial vibracoring, and the PaleoDigger, an innovative mechanized system designed to excavate test pits up to seven meters in depth, were used to investigate the stratified deposits at The Herman Barton Village Site (18AG3) in Allegany County, Maryland. The site spans over thirty acres and is managed by The Archaeological Conservancy.
The 2024 project resulted in the collection of six GPR transects, seven vibracores, and the excavation of ten test pits that reached depths over ten feet below ground surface. The geoarchaeological investigations documented intact stratified archaeological deposits. The limited PaleoDigger test pitting resulted in the discovery of a deeply buried 13,000 year old Clovis activity area around six feet below the current ground surface.
This presentation provides an overview of recent investigations of the deeply buried Clovis occupation at Barton.
WATCH RECORDING HERE
Passcode: Bz3&.r98
February 18th
“…Doe forthwith repayre into good and sufficient garrisons” Conflict, threat, and gearing-up at the 17th-century Hollister Farm, South Glastonbury, Connecticut
Sarah Sportman, Ph. D.
Abstract
The Hollister Site is a 17th-century colonial farm complex located at the edge of early English settlement on the Connecticut River in present-day South Glastonbury, Connecticut. It is one of the most significant and best-preserved early colonial sites in Connecticut and it has been the setting for a dynamic public archaeology and research program for more than a decade. The archaeological work, including excavations, ground-penetrating radar, and metal-detector survey, has recovered a rich material assemblage and evidence of numerous cultural features reflecting domestic, agricultural, and economic aspects of the site. The Hollister Site also contains extensive archaeological evidence of the relationship between the English families at the site and the indigenous Wangunk who also lived in the Connecticut River valley in the 17th century.
This presentation examines the archaeological and documentary record of the Hollister site during King Philip’s War (1675-76). Although the conflict was far more devasting in other parts of New England, English and allied Native settlements in the lower Connecticut River valley were under near constant threat of attack. Colonial documents tell us that the Hollister Farm was fortified in 1675 and the recovered artifact assemblage includes a range and quantity of weapons-related artifacts unusual for a domestic site. The Hollister Site provides a unique opportunity to better understand the relationship between the Hollisters and their Wangunk neighbors and to explore the experiences of people on the Connecticut frontier during this devastating conflict.
WATCH RECORDING HERE
Passcode: 15d*H3C4