There are many reasons to become archaeologist. As an archaeologist, discovery and adventure are always on the horizon. The idea of exploring new sites and unearthing history is intoxicating, leading many to a career in this diverse and influential field. On this page, New South archaeologists talk about why they chose to become archaeologists and share their most exciting discoveries.
Chris went to college in North Carolina and Florida. He has worked all over the US and in the Caribbean. His areas of expertise include Pre-contact, Historic Indian, Slave, and Folk Pottery analyses, Proto-Historic and Historic Period Indian Sites, Caribbean, Southeastern, and Middle Atlantic archaeology, Shell midden studies, African-American archaeology, Military sites archaeology, and Living archaeology.
CHRIS’S MOST EXCITING FIND WAS A GALLERY OF ROCK CARVINGS ALONG A BATEY IN PUERTO RICO THAT DATED FROM AD 1300-1500.
A BATEY IS A BALL COURT OR DANCE GROUND. SOME OF THE CARVINGS SHOWED MYTHICAL CREATURES IMPORTANT TO THE TAINO.
Marie went to college in Florida. She has worked throughout the Southeast and Midwest. She’s even worked in the high desert of Oregon. Her love of social studies as a kid opened her eyes to the science of archaeology.
MARIE’S MOST EXCITING FIND IS A STONE TOOL THAT DATES FROM THE LATE ARCHAIC PERIOD IN FLORIDA (3000-500 BC).
Patty went to college in Pennsylvania and then studied colonial archaeology in Florida. Patty has worked extensively in Spanish colonial archaeology and has worked on various multi-component sites, including in urban settings. Her academic research has focused on ethnic identity as well as the impact of physical and social environments on material culture.
PATTY’S MOST EXCITING FIND IS A CROSS BOW BOLT FROM THE 1559 DON TRISTAN DE LUNA SITE IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
Scot went to college in Georgia and Mississippi. His research interests are centered on the prehistoric peoples of the Southeast and recently he has focused on investigations of the Leake site, a large Middle Woodland ceremonial center in northwest Georgia.
SCOT’S MOST EXCITING FIND IS A NECKLACE OF STONE BEADS! DURING AN EXCAVATION AT THE HORTON CREEK SITE IN GEORGIA, SCOT AND HIS WIFE GRACE FOUND A CLUSTER OF BEADS MADE OF POLISHED RED STONES. FINDING THE BEADS “ALL VERY CLOSE TOGETHER” WAS A CLUE THAT THEY HAD PROBABLY BEEN A NECKLACE.
Anne went to college in Alabama and has worked throughout the Southeast. She specializes in archaeology education and her research interests include the origins of agriculture, experimental archaeology, and lithic studies.
ANNE’S MOST EXCITING FIND IS A CERAMIC BIRD EFFIGY! SHE FOUND IT DURING AN EXCAVATION ON A NATIVE AMERICAN SITE IN DAPHNE, ALABAMA. THIS ARTIFACT DATES FROM THE MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD (AD 1000 – 1500).
Joe is a co-founder of New South Associates. He went to college in South Carolina and Pennsylvania. Joe has worked in the US and has even done archaeology in Egypt. He specializes in African-American studies.
JOE’S MOST EXCITING FIND IS A 19TH-CENTURY TOBACCO PIPE, INSPIRED BY ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN STATUES! WHILE EXCAVATING THE REMAINS OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY’S HOUSE IN THE SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY IN AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, JOE FOUND A TOBACCO PIPE THAT DATES FROM THE 1850S. DURING THIS TIME, AUGUSTA LAW PROHIBITED AFRICAN AMERICANS FROM PIPE SMOKING IN PUBLIC, A “PRIVILEGE” RESERVED FOR EUROPEAN-AMERICANS.
It’s an artifact inspired by an artifact!
PIPES WERE USED AS SYMBOLS OF SOCIAL STATUS IN AFRICA AND THEY WERE ALSO USED TO DISPLAY STATUS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. THUS, THIS PIPE COULD HAVE BELONGED TO AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY, ONE WHO COULD NOT HAVE USED THE PIPE IN PUBLIC SETTINGS.