Adult Field School

July 14-August 10, 2024

Our Adult Field School is your opportunity to be an archaeologist. Undergraduates, graduate students, and adults of all ages are welcome! Join our field crew and participate in real archaeological research alongside professional archaeologists. With our staff, you will learn how to do fieldwork, laboratory work, identify artifacts, and more as we investigate the German site.

The German Site is a Late Woodland / Jersey Bluff Phase habitation site located on a colluvial slope in the Crawford Creek valley. The site was occupied approximately 800-1200 CE. Remote sensing results indicate several possible structures and associated features. Since 2019, we have identified three house basins and several associated storage and refuse pits. A fourth possible house basin was identified in 2023. Field school students and CAA archaeologists have recovered domestic artifacts, including chert tools, pottery, animal bone, and botanical remains during the 2019-2023 field seasons. In 2024 we will continue to excavate house basins and associated features in order to better understand Late Woodland people of the Lower Illinois Valley.

Program

Enrollment is open to anyone 18 years or older. You may enroll in one, two, three, or four weeks. Enrolled weeks need not be consecutive. We are accepting enrollments in all program weeks. Full weeks will be indicated here as they fill.

  • Week 1: July 14-20
  • Week 2: July 21-27
  • Week 3: July 28-August 3
  • Week 4: August 4-10

While in Kampsville, participants engage in field and laboratory work with CAA archaeologists. Students learn excavation techniques, including shoveling, troweling, mapping, measuring, soil description, and flotation sampling. Lab work includes artifact washing, identification, and flotation. These activities are supplemented by occasional evening lectures on by CAA archaeologists and guest archaeologists on various archaeological topics. The day usually begins at 7 am with breakfast and ends by 9 pm. 

Please see the 2024 Adult Field School  Schedule and Gear List for program details.

Students should arrive on the Sunday and depart the Saturday after their program ends. 

The CAA can provide shuttle service to and from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport or the Alton, Illinois Amtrak station for an additional cost.

Tuition

Tuition includes room; all meals Monday through Friday; supplies, and instruction. Students may enroll for one to four weeks.

  • 1 Week: $800
  • 2 Weeks: $1600
  • 3 Weeks: $2400
  • 4 Weeks: $3200

Scholarship support for women is available through our Women in Archeology Scholarship program. 

Scholarships are also available to all through our Kampsville Legacy Scholarship program.

Residents of Calhoun, Pike, Greene, and Jersey counties receive a 10% discount on tuition.

Accommodations

Students stay in one of the CAA’s dormitories while in residence. Dormitories are basic, bunkhouse-style living facilities without TV or internet. Rooms are at minimum double occupancy. The total number of roommates is based on program enrollment, with a maximum occupancy of four. Shower and restroom facilities are provided. Our facilities are approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health, and meet the Illinois Youth Camp Act’s criteria.

How to Enroll

Download, complete, and return the 2024 Summer Adult Field School Application.

Upon receipt, we will send you a confirmation by email, a packet of additional information, and instructions for payment. Either full payment or a 30% deposit will secure your spot in the program. 

If you have not received confirmation, we have not received your application!

Registration for the program closes one week prior to the start of each session. 

Enrollment is limited to 24 students per week. Those applying after enrollment capacity is reached will be added to the waiting list in the order of receipt of a complete application.

Program Credit

This program does not carry academic credit; however, we will work with you if you petition your university/college for credit. We can supply supporting documentation and evaluation of your participation. Many of our previous students have earned credit for their participation.

Questions: If you have any questions, please contact the CAA at education@caa-archeology.org or 618-653-4316 for more information.