As part of a long-term research project being undertaken by the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research (AFMCAR) at UMass Boston, an archaeological excavation is taking place on the east side of Burial Hill in downtown Plymouth, MA.
The center focuses on Colonial archaeology in New England, and it has a particular expertise in the analysis of environmental archaeology, shallow geophysics and geographic information systems (GIS), all of which is particularly helpful when working on Burial Hill, which is considered an “urban location” where it’s important to avoid disrupting known sites of interest.
Researchers are purposefully steering clear, at least for now, of any known burial locations. The fresh excavations are in areas that previous research indicates do not include burial sites or other previously studied artifacts.
“We are very conscious that we are working in one of the most revered sites in Plymouth, and New England,” project co-leader Dr. David Landon said last week. “So we are doing this in the most cautious and respectful way that we can.”
The Center is making extensive use of ground positioning radar (GPR) to further identify what may lie underground and also test the effectiveness of GPR on the soil found in our area.
Read More: BURIAL HILL DIG: Can archaeologists solve a 300-year-old mystery by 2020?
