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Major digs into the past

April 20, 2016
Artifacts
An anthropology student records information about artifacts found at the King Farm site.

Anthropology is known as a discovery major in that students typically discover it for themselves through general education classes or through some other means. However, it seems that students who do discover this major and choose it as their own, stay with it at Clarion and beyond.

But what is it about this major makes people commit to it?

In short, anthropology is the study of humans and their culture – which can encompass a broad number of specialty areas.

"I wanted to look at people's lives and how they lived," said senior anthropology major Liana Thies.

Like so many students before her, Thies couldn't quite put a name to what she wanted in a major but when she found anthropology she knew that was it.

Others were pointed in the right direction by a high school counselor or advisor.

Artifacts
Clarion University Professor Susan Prezzano, Ph.D., leads the field school which teaches archaeology techniques.

Senior Gabriella Oglietti participated in a job study with archeologist and University of Pittsburgh professor Sandra Olsen.

"She got to travel a lot. She got to see the world," Oglietti said of Olsen.

Junior Dawn Kromer said she discovered anthropology during a high school career day when all she knew was that she was interested in archaeology. When she came to Clarion she was undecided until she took an anthropology class, which confirmed her earlier inclinations toward the major.

"It's definitely something you want to take a class in," said Clarion University Professor Susan Prezzano, Ph.D.

Anthropology can lead to a variety of careers with its many fields. Anthropologists work for corporations, all levels of government, educational institutions and non-profit associations.

For instance, some anthropologists work in forensics on behalf of law enforcement. Others are hired by construction companies to determine if they can build on certain lands. Others deal with the sociocultural aspects of the field by working with businesses to tailor markets according to what a culture wants, likes or uses.

Thies said she has an interest in horses and there's a whole area of anthropology that deals with how people relate to animals.

People tend to most commonly associate anthropology with archaeology or forensic anthropology thanks to the likes of Indiana Jones or the TV show Bones, but the major is so much more than that.

Prezzano said her discovery and study of anthropology completely changed her world view.

"My life's whole perspective had changed from all of the classes I took in anthropology," Prezzano said. "You begin to see culture from the inside out."

Prezzano doesn't discount shows and movies that have piqued the interest of potential students saying that they have served their purpose.

"You'll never see the people the same way again," Prezzano said of the anthropology.

Another reason students are drawn to the major is the thrill of it.

Thies said it's exciting "being able to touch things that humans have not touched in a very long time."

But getting to touch those pieces of the past can be physically demanding. Prezzano explained that when you're at a dig site you deal with outdoor elements as well as the labor involved to extract any artifacts.

That doesn't take any of the thrill away from the students, however.

"Do you remember when you found your first arrowhead?" Thies said.

"Yes I do," Oglietti answered back excitedly.

Participating in digs also has made the students closer. Some of the students have tattoos of a trowel on their bodies after spending time together on a dig. A trowel is a digging tool used in archaeology.

Artifacts
Two anthropology students revealed their tattoos of a trowel, an archaeological tool. Some of the students in this major have bonded over their love of anthropology and body art.

Time spent at the digs also has been helpful in uncovering pieces of the past.

Clarion University has a relationship with the Allegheny National Forest in which the Allegheny National Forest funds the university's field school – the class that teaches archaeological techniques. The most recent dig took place at the King Farm near West Hickory in 2014.

The King Farm site contained historic and pre-contact (Native American) resources. Historic and archaeological resources on the National Forest are protected by law and are managed by Allegheny National Forest.
It was there that the students made a significant find of a blade made of the exotic Flint Ridge chert that is between 1,500 and 2,500 years old.

Since that dig, the anthropology students and Prezzano have spent countless hours cataloging their findings.

"It takes a long time," Prezzano said on cataloging findings and writing reports on those findings.

Prezzano and the students take the work seriously because the artifacts are part of humanity's history and culture. Once the cataloging is complete, the artifacts will go the state at the state museum in Harrisburg, Prezzano said.
"For me, I think it's the best place for them because they're protected," Prezzano explained.

Museums offer climate control and ideal conditions so future generations can enjoy and learn from the artifacts.
Prezzano adheres to a strict code of ethics when it comes to artifacts. She doesn't own any artifacts for personal enjoyment or approve of selling them.

For her and her students, it's enough to recover artifacts and share them with the world.
"In learning about other cultures you're learning about your culture," Oglietti said.

Even though a dig isn't planned for this summer, some of the students spent their spring break recovering artifacts during a work project from a site near Hazen.

These experiences really help the students to solidify the students' choice to come to Clarion University in the first place.

For some, Clarion wasn't their first choice in schools until they realized that not every school offers the field school.

This was the case with Thies who said her decision to come to Clarion was made because of this offering.

"We learn gridding, Steps A to Z, and then more," Thies said of the field school.

Another student, Vickash Sasenarine, said he investigated bigger schools which had the archeological element to their degree programs, but they lacked the small town charm and people of Clarion. Plus the Orlando native wanted something else to be part of his college experience.

"I love the snow," he said.

Most anthropology majors will continue with higher education once they graduate from Clarion by earning master's or doctoral degrees in some area of the field.

"There is always something to be learned in anthropology," Thies said.

And anthropology majors expect a certain level of job security as artifacts are always being discovered -- even in places you might not expect.

Prezzano said after the Sept. 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, an entire ship was uncovered at the site of the World Trade Center. It had stayed buried through years of development and construction.

"Nothing is ever truly gone," Prezzano said.

The students featured in this story will present their abstract titled " Spatial Analysis of the King Farm Site" at the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research Conference April 21. The conference runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Gemmell Multipurpose Room.

 

 

Last Updated 1/11/21