Smith Creek Archaeological Project

All week long, the Penn Museum's Digital Daily Dig series has featured SCAP team members sharing insights on various aspects of the American Section's collection of amazing Native objects. Check out this one by SCAP Director, Megan C. Kassabaum! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING from SCAP!

What does a paleontologist study? What does an archaeologist do? Why are there no mummies in Jurassic Park? Why doesn’t Indiana Jones have dinosaurs? Join us to find out the REAL who, what, where, why and when of your favorite ology, paleont- or archae-! Meet scientists from the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Penn Museum, and dig up why two scientific studies with similar techniques may be totally different. Featuring SCSP Director, Meg Kassabaum and Dr. Ted Daeschler.

SCAP is proud to be featured here! We sure missed Mississippi this summer!!!

I know we haven’t been posting much, but work continues across the pandemic! Through weekly zoom meetings, Megan C. Kassabaum and Anna Graham have been making progress on interpreting our huge ceramic collection!

The Moundbuilders exhibit at the @pennmuseum is down . That means the artifacts from the Smith Creek case have returned to the lab to be processed and analyzed so that they can join their friends!

Though the lab is still closed due to the pandemic, we went in today to return and organize all of the ceramics were processed during the spring and summer. #welabelmakers

SCAP was so honored to join the Woodville/Wilkinson County Main Street Association in receiving the 2020 award for Outstanding Community Education Campaign!! We’re equally proud of our fearless leader Polly Rosenblatt for winning the Charles Beasley Main Street Director of the Year Award. What a reminder of how much we miss Mississippi!!!! @ Woodville/Wilkinson County Main Street Association

SCAP was featured as Reason #2 to visit the Penn Museum by the Power of Penn campaign!

Starting in September, SCAP Director Meg Kassabaum is teaching a four-week online, adult education course about Native American moundbuilding populations. No background knowledge necessary... so join me to learn about archaeology right here in our own backyards! Check out the syllabus, posted here, and register at the website below.

Next month, SCAP Director, Dr. Megan C. Kassabaum will be teaching a four-week intensive course entitled "Moundbuilders: Ancient Architects of North America." We'll be investigating the 7,500-year history of Native American moundbuilding in North America and considering how religion, technology, foodways, and social structure of Native groups changed through time. We will also discuss archaeological field and lab methods, laws pertaining to the protection of Native American sites and artifacts, and the relationship between archaeology and contemporary Native groups. Please join me by registering below and feel free to share widely!!!

SCAP's director Megan C. Kassabaum is co-starring in this week's Penn Museum Living Room Lecture with Dr. Morgan Hoke. We'll be talking about running a field project.. so SCAP will feature prominently! Come hang out with us on Thursday and make sure to ask some questions in advance on the event page so that we have something to talk about!

SCAP features prominently in this Daily Dig from the Penn Museum! Tune in learn about all the tools used by archaeologists in the field (and to see pics from Smith Creek)!

This sure is making us miss Wilkinson County right about now!

We are so proud of our SCAP alumni!

More great content from the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Can't help but share when it has to do with bears!

FIVE of our amazing team members are graduating this year. And though the ceremonies might be virtual, our pride in and love for them is very very real. Congratulations: Oscar Leonardo Aguila Erin Spicola Grace Vargo-Willeford Justin Burkett Arielle Pierson University of Pennsylvania