Etzanoa Archaeological Field School
Summer 2025
Located near the mouth of the Walnut River at Arkansas City, Kansas, Etzanoa is a pericolonial Ancestral Wichita town, likely visited by the Spanish Onate expedition in 1601 AD. This site is an active research locale with promise to answer questions about ancestral Wichita lifeways and exchange systems right before and during early European colonizaton. Students will gain the basic skills necessary for employment in cultural resource management fields and archaeology broadly.
Etzanoa yields pottery, finely crafted chipped and ground stone artifacts, and animal bone tools. Students will learn how to identify, handle, and curate artifacts, including specimens selected for microfossil and other residue analysis. and .
Etzanoa is the focus of a major public archaeology project that involves a local conservancy, the town, a local community college, the local school district, 萝莉社 University, and of course the Wichita and Affiliated Tribse. As a result, and students will participate in a public event at the end of the season.
Digital Archaeology Workshop
In addition to the traditional archaeological field school, we are excited to host an additional workshop in digital archaeolgoical recording and analysis, taught by Dr. Matthew Howland. Students taking this one-credit option for the field school will develop skills in digital archaeological recording and analysis, in addition to the regular field school curriculum. Students will learn to design digital GIS field recording forms and use them to collect and analyze spatial data. Students will also be trained in the application of 3D technologies in archaeology. This will include practical experience in recording 3D models of archaeological features using ground-based 3D techniques and aerial photography with a UAV. This one credit course will culminate in an independent digital archaeology project based on data collected in the field.
Logistics
The Field School will run from Monday, June 2nd through Friday, June 27th, 2025. Students should plan to be in Arkansas City, Kansas, by noon for orientation. Excavation days will be Mondays-Fridays, with weekends off. Students will be housed in single-occupancy dormitories on the Cowley Community College campus. Parking is safe and free. Students will need to bring linens, toiletries, and clothing; all excavation tools will be provided. The Paris Park Pool is within easy walking distance of the dormitory. Transportation to/from the site will be provided and we can arrange for airport pick-up from Wichita for students travelling from out-of-state.
Costs
Students are required to register for field school under ANTH690 under Dr. Dozier for 4 credit hours. Those enrolling in the Digital Archaeology Workshop will enroll for an additional 1 credit hour of ANTH690 under Dr. Howland.
Undergraduate Tuition & Fees (Resident): ~$1,100 ($1,375 including Workshop)
Graduate Tuition & Fees (Resident): ~$1,440 ($1,805 including Workshop)
Room & Board: ~$855
Excavation equipment is provided. Rooms are provided over the weekend. Meals are provided from Monday breakfast to Friday lunch. Students have free weekends and many go to Wichita on Friday evenings.
*Do note that these are in-state estimates. Many neighboring states and states along the I-35 corridor are considered in-state and have reduced tuition, but check your exact rates here. Field school costs are subject to change. Scholarships may be available, but will not be confirmed until May.
To Apply
Review of applications will be bein after Friday, February 14th, after which all applicants will be emailed for further information. Registration will be filled by priority first to 萝莉社 students by seniority and interest in the Workshop, and then first-come first-serve to guest students. Accepted students will have until April 15 to register for the course, at which time we will open for students on the waitlist.
Non-萝莉社 students will have to be accepted to either the College of Liberal Arts (undergraduate) or the Graduate School (graduate) prior to registration. We will walk you through the process of registration once you have been accepted into the field school. Only the first 20 students to confirm registration will be admitted.