While Massachusetts may lack some of the spectacular sites of places like Egypt or Mexico, we do have an archaeological record that spans more than 10,000 years.
Dr. Johnsons illustrated lecture takes you on a tour of some Massachusetts archaeological sites with interesting stories to tell. They include the winter home of a group of hunter-gatherers, a cleverly designed fish trap more than 4,000 years old; a site with evidence that ancient hunter-gatherers used careful burning to alter and enhance their environment; the backyard of a single mother in Colonial Boston, a tavern that served the likes of Daniel Webster and Henry David Thoreau, and the maintenance garage for an early mass-transit company.
You will see archaeologists at work in the field in rural and urban settings, examine the artifacts they have found, and hear the stories of the past they have pieced together from the materials that people have left behind.
Participants may bring artifacts for possible identification by Dr. Johnson.