Laboratory work has begun, with students learning the various characteristics of ceramic, glass, and metal artifacts.  Lectures have concentrated on the manufacture and chronologies of the items of material culture, while sorting and cataloguing in the lab have put our lessons to practical use.  Although our units are still being excavated – and artifacts still being collected – we were able to sort, classify, and catalogue assemblages gathered previously at Site B.  We tested our knowledge of ceramics by identifying cream-, pearl-, and whitewares, and learned various methods for identifying different styles of glass.  Some groups were even able to begin organizing and washing their own unit assemblages – a task that will be continued in our laboratory time throughout the coming weeks. 

The first of several field trips took place this past week, and all of the field school participants visited Monticello .  The trip was both a treat – several of us had never been! – and a learning experience.  A tour of the house lent us an interesting visualization of Thomas Jefferson’s home life, while a viewing of the archaeological laboratory and current excavation site allowed us to see continuities between Jefferson ’s public and private homes.  Artifacts have been recovered at Monticello which echo those found here at Poplar Forest – namely ceramic designs and patterns – and thus enable us to contextualize a Jeffersonian landscape.  Monticello and Poplar Forest are two sites within the larger setting of Jefferson ’s world, and we found it possible to learn from the other.  In the coming weeks, we will hopefully have much more to learn from Site B, Poplar Forest , and the rest of Thomas Jefferson’s landscape.