Certification Training Program of the Archaeological Society of Delaware for
Archaeological Volunteers
Craig Lukezic March 8, 2007
This program is inspired and modeled after the Certification Archaeological Technician
(CAT) programs developed by the Archaeological Society of Virginia and the
Archaeological Society of Maryland. It is designed to be a journey rather than a destination. We hope to build complementary skills in the candidates and track them on a management level.
Goals
The main goal of this program is to further the mission of the ASD and DHCA the by educating the citizens of Delaware about their heritage. Archaeology is a unique teaching discipline in that it uses tangible objects (artifacts) to teach abstract concepts (social change).
Another goal will be to fulfill a role of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
(DHCA) as defined by the Booth Law.
According to the authors of the Booth Law (House Bill 229), The DHCA is charged with:
To sponsor, engage in and direct archaeological research in this State and to encourage and coordinate archaeological research undertaken by any archaeological society, institution, agency or association of the State;
A volunteer oriented program will be an inexpensive but effective means of fulfilling this mandate.
Management
The program will be managed by the steering committee, which is composed of three people. Two of the three will be qualified as professional archaeologists under the federal standards. At least one of the members will be from the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, while the other two must be members of the ASD.
The committee shall:
1 Arrange training sessions for the candidates to progress in the certification
2 program.
Review and approve the work experience and documentation that a candidate
3 has submitted for certification.
Adjust the program to be more efficient and effective.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
Each certification candidate must be a current member of the Archeological Society of
Delaware. This program exists outside of formal academic or degree program. No degree will be required to join, and no degree will be granted upon completion.
The coursework is present in 6 units or modules. The student/candidate can select only the units they prefer. The exception is the first unit, which will be an introduction to the discipline and ethics, and it will be mandatory.
Each participant must abide by the attached Statement of Ethics .
There will be a written test for each of the 6 units. The candidate should take the test after one has completed the lecture and practicum elements of the Unit. A passing grade will be 70% or higher. If the candidate completes all 6 of the units and passes the test, he/she will become a Certified Archeological Technician for Delaware.
Each participant will maintain an Archeological Log Book. This book will have a record of the hours that were spent in each activity. Also to be recorded in the log will be the teacher, location and observation the student may have.
The student is encouraged to seek out a mentor. The mentor will be a professionally trained archaeologist who will act as an advisor that can monitor the progress of the candidate.
There will be a one time fee of $40 to cover some of the expenses of the program.

REGISTRATION FORM
NAME:
________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS:
________________________________________________________________________
CITY: __________________________________________STATE: ______ ZIP: ____
TEL:_______________________________(HOME)________________(WORK) e–mail: _________________________
Goal:
_________________________________________
General or area(s) of certification
MENTOR:______________________________________________________________
STATEMENT OF ETHICS
The Certification and Training Program for Archeological Technicians offers a curriculum for members of the Archeological Society of Delaware interested in learning about scientific archeology and cultural resource management. The program will facilitate and encourage participation in the study of Delaware’s past and the protection and management of increasingly threatened cultural resources. The following ethical standards shall serve as a basis for this program:
1. Participants shall strive for the highest methodological standards to ensure the most complete and highest quality results from their work.
2. Participants shall conduct themselves in such a manner as to bring credit to the sponsoring agencies and their activities. Participants found to be buying or selling artifacts, or collecting artifacts in an unscientific manner are subject to dismissal from the program or revocation of certification.
3. In the interest of ensuring high standards of research, archeological work by participants shall be conducted under the supervision of a professional archeologist.
4. Participants shall report any archeological information to an appropriate staff member of the Department of Historical And Cultural Affairs.
I understand that my participation in this program is subject to policies of the
Archeological Society of Delaware.
I agree with and subscribe to the Statement of Ethics printed above.
_________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE Date

INTRODUCTION AND CORE UNIT
This mandatory unit will describe the purpose and goals of the program. Around the world, archaeology has been influenced by the disciplines of Anthropology, History, Art
History, Architectural History, Geography and Folklore. This unit will consist of one lecture that will outline how these methods of inquiry differ and complement each other.
Ethical issues are at the core of training archaeologists. The ethics of the profession will be addressed, along with the legal context in which archaeologists operate.
Required Readings
Introduction/Core
Thomas. David Hurst
1979-2005 Archaeology .
Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth. Obtain the latest edition possible. Copies are available from 1979 through 2005.
Chapter 3 What is Anthropology
ACHP pamphlet of section 106
Delaware Antiquities Act

LABORATORY UNIT
The goal of this course is to train volunteers in the methods of basic lab procedures of artifact washing, sorting, labeling, and packaging, and in basic artifact identification and analysis. This training will enable candidates to do basic laboratory processing, competently, under supervision, within the framework of a professional program. The candidate must complete 5 of the 8 workshops listed below. Comparable workshops and lectures offered by the ASM or ASV will apply to this unit. Additional readings may be assigned depending on the instructor.
Lectures and Workshops
Laboratory :
1. Basic laboratory procedures (including cataloging)
2. Lithic identification
3. Native American ceramics identification
4. Historic ceramics identification
5. Faunal identification (to Class; i.e., fish, reptile, bird, mammal)
6. Glass identification
7. Metal artifact identification
8. Artifact illustration (drawing & photography)
Practical Experience:
At least 70 hours of supervised laboratory experience involving at least 30 hours each in
Historic and Native American artifact processing. Laboratory experience must include at least two different archeological projects
Required Readings:
Thomas. David Hurst
1979-2005 Archaeology. Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth. Obtain the latest edition possible. Copies are available from 1979 through 2005.
Chapter 9 Establishing Chronological Contexts
Chapter 10 Sorting Cultural Things in Time
Chapter 11 How People Get their Groceries.
Custer, Jay F.
1996 A Guide to Prehistoric Arrowheads and Spear Points of Delaware . Center or
Archaeological Research, Dept of Anthropology, University of Delaware. (Available at
DHCA)

Griffith, Daniel R.
1982 Prehistoric Ceramics in Delaware (An Overview). Archaeology of Eastern
North America 10:46-68.
Noel Hume, Ivor
1969 A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Dance, Patricia N.
1999 Laboratory Methods and Analysis. In A Layperson’s Guide to Historical
Archaeology in Maryland , edited
The website at Jefferson Patterson Park has an excellent guide on historic and prehistoric ceramics: http://www.jefpat.org/diagnostic/Prehistoric_Ceramic_Web_Page/Prehistoric_Pre history.htm

FIELD SURVEY UNIT
The goal of this course is to train candidates in basic field survey procedures, including the use of a compass and field maps, and recognition of Native American and historic artifacts and sites in the field. Candidates will gain a working knowledge of survey terms and practical experience in completing standard site survey forms to document an archeological site. This training will enable each candidate to perform competently as a crew member on professionally supervised projects. Comparable workshops and lectures offered by the ASM or ASV will apply to this unit.
Lectures and Workshops
Field Survey Courses:
Required:
1. Archeological survey methods
2. Archeological site form preparation (Includes site form updating, use of topographic maps)
3. Setting up a Grid.
4. Archival research (historical, environmental, archeological, cartographic sources)
Practical Experience:
At least 70 hours of supervised field survey, including transect interval sampling.
Completion of at least two standard site survey forms, including detailed maps, one of which must record an historic site and the other a prehistoric site
Required Readings:
Heite, Edward F.
2004 The Archives Survival Guide.
Archaeological Society of Virginia Special
Publication #37.
Thomas. David Hurst
1979-2005 Archaeology.
Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth.
Obtain the latest edition possible. Copies are available from 1979 through 2005.
Chapter 7
Chapter 12
Working towards less Invasive Archaeology
Why People Live Where they Live – Settlement Patterns.

West, Liz
1999 Seeking Sites: Archaeological Survey. In
A Layperson’s Guide to Historical
Archaeology in Maryland , edited by James G. Gibb, pp. 27-32. Archaeological Society of Maryland,
Myersville, Maryland.
Thomas, Joseph B.
1999 Archival Research and Analysis. In
A Layperson’s Guide to Historical
Archaeology in Maryland , edited by James G. Gibb, pp. 16-26. Archaeological Society of Maryland,
Myersville, Maryland.
Optional Reading
Custer, Jay F.
1992 A Simulation Study of Plow Zone Excavation Sample Design: How Much is
Enough. North American
Archaeologist 13(3): 263-269.

EXCAVATION UNIT
The goal of this course is to train candidates in the use of basic field equipment and excavation techniques, including: laying out excavation units, stratigraphic excavation, identification and collection of artifacts by unit and layer or level, mapping, feature definition, and completion of level and feature forms. Candidates also will learn to recognize Native American and historic artifacts and features in the field to facilitate relative dating of deposits. This training will enable candidates to perform competently as crew members of professionally supervised projects. Comparable workshops and lectures offered by the ASM or ASV will apply to this unit.
Lectures and Workshops:
Required:
1. Feature definition
2. Stratigraphic and feature excavation
3. Planview and profile drawing/feature mapping
4. Record keeping
5. Setting up a grid
6. Maintain a journal and log of all field activities
7. Unit Photography
Optional:
1. Pollen/phytolith sampling
2. Collecting radiocarbon samples
3. Topographic mapping
4. Preparation of unit summaries
5. Soil Chemistry
6. Field conservation of artifacts
Practical Experience:
At least 70 hours of concentrated and controlled experience as a crew member on a professionally run archeological excavation, including at least 30 hours each of excavation on historic and prehistoric sites.
Thomas. David Hurst
1979-2005 Archaeology.
Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth. Obtain the latest edition possible. Copies are available from 1979 through 2005.
Chapter 6 Sampling Sites
Chapter 8 Stratigraphy
Walker, Mark K. H.
1999 Site Excavation. In A Layperson’s Guide to Historical Archaeology in Maryland , edited by James G. Gibb, pp. 44-51. Archaeological Society of Maryland, Myersville,
Maryland.

OVERVIEW OF HISTORIC CULTURES OF UPPER DELMARVA UNIT
This unit will consist of various lectures and readings on the post contact period cultures in this region. The goals are to acquaint the student with the theoretical and cultural background to the research questions that are currently being studied in the professional community. Hopefully, this may enable the candidate to participate and contribute to the body of knowledge in the future.
Periods to be discussed in the lectures:
1600 – 1750 Contact Period (Native American)
1630 – 1730 Exploration and Frontier Settlement
1730 – 1770 Intensification and Durable Occupation
1770 – 1830 Early Industrialization
1830 – 1880 Industrialization and Early Urbanization
1880 - 1940 Urbanization and Early Suburbanization
Required Readings in Historic Archaeology
De Cunzo, Lu Ann.
2004 A Historical Archaeology of Delaware.
University of Tennessee Press
Deetz, James.
1997 In Small Things Forgotten.
Archer, Garden City, New York.
Gibb, James G.
1999 Layperson’s Guide to Historical Archaeology in Maryland . Lost Towns Project,
Archaeological Society of Maryland
Digging Old Delaware
Booklet available from Kevin Cunningham at DelDOT (800-852-5600)

OVERVIEW OF NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURES OF UPPER DELMARVA
UNIT
This unit will consist of various lectures and readings on the pre-contact period cultures in this region. The goals are to acquaint the student with the theoretical and cultural background to the research questions that are currently being studied in the professional community. Hopefully, this may enable the candidate to participate and contribute to the body of knowledge in the future.
Periods to be discussed in the lectures:
Paleo-Indian
Archaic
Woodland I
Woodland II
Required Readings in Prehistoric/Precontact Delaware
Custer, Jay F.
1996 A Guide to Prehistoric Arrowheads and Spear Points of Delaware . Center for
Archaeological Research, Dept of Anthropology, University of Delaware. (Available at
DHCA)
Custer, Jay F.
1989 Prehistoric Cultures of the Delmarva Peninsula. University of Delaware Press,
Newark.
Griffith, Daniel R.
1982 Prehistoric Ceramics in Delaware (An Overview). Archaeology of Eastern North
America 10:46-68.
Optional
Egloff, Keith and Deborah Woodward
1992 First People: The Early Indians of Virginia. The Virginia Department of,
Richmond