Archaeology

Minor

How We Work

1. We leverage our strengths to provide unique experiences in archaeology. Knox students don’t just learn the basics of the field: they get to pick from three specializations in archeology—Mediterranean, Native American, and geoarcheology. In each of these, students are supported by faculty across the College in historical, anthropological, geological, and artistic disciplines.
2. We build practical skills. We learn scientific tools like GIS and total station (used by archeologists and construction managers everywhere) as well as the basics of surveying, statistics, and even museum curation. Whether our students choose to go into an archeological field, or any other one, they’re prepared to be quick, analytical, contextual thinkers.
3. Those pictures from your textbooks? Yeah, we go there. Archeology is about real physical experience, so you’ll do more than just read. A required practicum means that students will do research in the field--be that at an ancient Byzantine archeological site, or at Cahokia Mounds right here in the Midwest (a city larger than London in the 12th century!). Our students benefit from opportunities to study abroad in Jordan, Italy, and Greece; explore Mesa Verde and the rivers of the American Southwest; and visit historical sites right here in Illinois!
4. We use emerging technology to push the limits of our field. Can you use a portable X-ray fluorescence gun to analyze ancient artifacts just as well as traditional methods? What can a scanning-electron microscope tell us about these same materials? These are new questions in the field, and you can only answer them if you have those two pieces of equipment. Well, it’s a good thing we have both.
5. We work hands-on (er, gloves-on) with rare archeological materials. Most countries won’t let you take unique historical objects back to the U.S., but Jordan will—which means our professors have one-of-a-kind samples that students conduct cutting-edge research on. Joyce Hall '11 is one such student—she worked directly on excavated finewear and pottery from the Nabataean kingdom!