Why Study Anthropology
Gain a broad understanding of the origins and development of humans and human society over time throughout the world.
A Hands-On Approach to Archaeology
Robert Wall has cultivated generations of young anthropologists and archeologists at TU and throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
Researching the Prehistory of the Potomac River Valley
Within TU’s new College of Liberal Arts building, the artifacts unearthed on innumerable student field school excavations are curated and displayed in the archaeology and forensic anthropology lab by Robert Wall. The artifacts, including 300-year-old glass trade beads; pottery fragments made 1,000 to 2,000 years ago; and 3,000- to 4,000-year-old spear points, hold clues to daily life in the region as early as 10,000 years ago.
Wall, an anthropology lecturer and internship coordinator in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, has worked on archeological survey and excavation projects throughout the upper Potomac River valley of Maryland and West Virginia since 1980. He leads students in archeological field school excavations at the Barton site, an annual joint undertaking with the western Maryland chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland. Located on the upper Potomac south of Cumberland, “The Barton site is the perfect field lab for understanding the prehistory of the region going back some 13,000 years, including the diverse sequence of cultures who lived there,” he describes.
“ You can look at pictures and study the textbooks all you want, but until you actually handle excavated material in the field and in the lab, you don’t get it. ”
A Hands-On Examination of the Past
Wall relies on hands-on teaching methods to enhance the student experience. “In the field, students become familiar with the tools of excavation,” he explains. “In the lab, they are shown how the materials they find can contribute to the body of knowledge about the region’s archaeology.” Their field work includes creating a step-by-step excavation plan, encompassing a site research strategy, site boundaries and areas to be investigated. Wall was recently honored for his work with a lifetime achievement award from the Middle Atlantic Archeology Conference and currently serves on the Maryland Advisory Committee on Archeology.
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