Home Page
Basic information on FOSA, its history, and mission.
About Us
Information on the responsibilities of the Office of State Archaeology and how the Friends
organization helps.
Digs: Site Activities
Lead-in to separate pages describing the fundamentals of archaeological field
work along with pictures of FOSA and OSA personnel participating in these activities.
-- Dig Site Activities: Field Walks
Description and pictures of Field Walks, which -- while not a formal part of field work -- are
engaged in by people on their own. Things to do, not to do, and what to look for.
-- Dig Site Activities: Site Review
Description of what goes into choosing a site to excavate.
-- Dig Site Activities: Site Location and Geo-Physical Survey
Description and pictures of steps involved in evaluating the most promising areas in a site
prior to beginning the excavation.
-- Dig Site Activities: Test Excavations
Description and pictures of initial excavations, done to obtain a better understanding of the
site and determine the most likely place(s) where artifacts might be found during formal excavations, by looking at
selected areas of it beforehand.
-- Dig Site Activities: Grid Layout
Description and pictures of laying out the grid pattern, which define the areas within which
excavations will done and and how recovered artifacts will be documented spatially; and doing initial work within them.
-- Dig Site Activities: Excavate, Level by Level
Description and pictures of the process of excavation of a site within the areas of the grid
patterns previously laid out.
-- Dig Site Activities: Screening
Description and pictures of screening, which is used to examine soil excavated which did not
appear to contain artifacts when initially examined.
-- Dig Site Activities: What Do We Find?
Description and pictures of the more close examination and documentation of artifacts
during excavation, recording them in site for later analysis.
-- Dig Site Activities: Laboratory Process and Report Writing
Description and pictures of the results of examination of recovered artifacts, as well as
links to sites associated with the processing of artifacts, and results' presentations at events such as the FOSA Annual
Meeting.
-- Dig Site Activities: Site Preservation
Description of the final stage of field activity, in which the site itself is returned to its
pre-excavation state.
Digs: Frequently Asked Questions
A list of the most frequently-asked questions concerning digs, including how to participate,
what to bring, what not to do, and so forth.
Volunteer Opportunities
Provides comprehensive descriptions of each of the "Interest Inventory" items listed on the
Join Us page, as well as the email address of the FOSA Volunteer Coordinator.
Upcoming Events
Provides a listing of upcoming events, of interest to FOSA members and the general public.
Note that most field activities are not shown here: such events would be made known to FOSA individuals who have
expressed an interest in doing Field Work, this for site=security purposes. Events for the previous month are also
shown.
Newsletters
Provides access to previous FOSA newsletters, which are published in the spring and fall of
each year. The earliest such newsletter in this web site is Fall, 2007.
Newspaper Articles
Provides access to newspaper articles involving both the OSA (Nick Bellantoni) and FOSA.
Annual Meetings
Provides access to photos and descriptions of FOSA Annual Meetings, beginning with the 2008
meeting. Highlights of the meeting, as well as descriptions of the featured speaker are presented.
Related Sites
Provides a listing of archaeological web sites, both in Connecticut and elsewhere, which have
a connection to FOSA. These connections would include web sites where FOSA has been involved, where FOSA is mentioned, and
sites related to featured speakers at FOSA Annual Meetings.
Contact Us
Provides the e-mail addresses by which to contact the FOSA president and this web site's
webmaster. (This is the bottom of the Home Page.)
Join Us
The FOSA Membership Application. This would be printed, filled out, and mailed to FOSA.
Research/Resources
Provides GoogleTM text searches of either this web site or the full web; links to
iCONN library research and archaeological glossary sites; links to ArchNet sites on various Connecticut-relevant subjects;
links to general interest sites; and titles to a number of recommended books on primitive technologies, American Indian
tribes and projectile points.
Site Map
A listing of all accessible FOSA web site pages and a brief description of what's on them.