Below you'll information to help you prepare for field school. Please read the entire document. Program specific supplies are listed below General Gear and Supplies. If you have a question that isn't answered on this page, you can contact us via email. We look forward to working with you this summer!
General Gear & Supplies
All students should bring the following items:
- Bed linens and pillow or a sleeping bag (Beds are provided)
- Towels
- Warm clothes (it may be cool in the mornings and evenings)
- Warm jacket and poncho
- Laundry bag
- Toiletries & other personal items
- Lightweight, warm weather clothes
- Hat & sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Water bottle(s) or canteen(s)
- Small backpack
- Sturdy shoes or boots
- Lightweight summer shoes (Tevas, or something like them, for example)
- Money for weekend meals
- Paper, pencils, pens and notebooks
- Small fan
- Small reading light and/or flashlight
- If you are afflicted with any condition that requires treatment: Don't forget to bring bee sting kit, inhalers, allergy medicine or other medical treatments.
Optional items you should consider bringing:
- Sunglasses
- Camera and film
- Calculator
- Walkman, Discman, or mp3 player with earphones
- Spending money (you may want to travel on weekends)
- Laptop computer
- Note: A computer is not necessary though students have found bringing one extremely useful. You should make sure you bring an adequate surge protector as well. While you may bring and use your computer, you will not be able to connect to the internet with your machine. Neither the laboratories nor the domitory have jacks available for use. Also, you may consider bringing a small printer if you have one as print facilities may not be available otherwise.
- Cell phone, calling card or quarters.
- Note: There are three (3) pay phones available in Kampsvilles for students to use. Both are within walking distance from the dorm. Neither the labs nor the dorm have phones.
For Osteology Students
This information below contains required and suggested materials students in the osteology program should bring to Kampsville. Most of these materials are optional. Please note: Osteology Program students are not required to bring excavation tools, nor will they need them.
- Pens, Pencils, notebook, & lots of paper
- A small magnifying glass or geologist's loop (Optional)
- Calipers, spreading & sliding (Optional)
- Cloth metric tape measure (Optional)
- A good osteology book (Optional, but highly suggested)
- Laptop computer (Optional)
- Buikstra JE, and Ubelaker DH, eds. (1994) Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains. Fayettevile, Arkansas: Arkansas Archeological Survey.
- This volume is required for all osteology students. Copies will be available for purchase in Kampsville when you arrive. It is also available for purchase here for $30 (new). It is not out-of-print as listed on Amazon.
For Field Archaeology & Geophysical Survey Students
Dig Kit Tools (required)
The list below is the list of tools required for all students in the field methods program. These items can be purchased at hardware stores and/or survey supply shops. If you cannot find some of these items, they can be purchased from the field school when you arrive in Kampsville.
Each field methods student (basic & advanced) should bring the following:
- One (1) 4.5" - 5" pointing trowel (Marshalltown #45-5 or similar)
- Your trowel should be of the single construction variety not one with the handle bolted or welded to the blade. Check the masonry supplies at your local hardware stores. Quality does make a difference. You will be using your trowel throughout the summer. Do not opt for a cheap, poorly constructed tool.
- Many like to have a mason's 5" margin trowel (Marshalltown #52 or similar) in their toolkit as well. This trowel should be of the single construction type. This item is optional.
- One (1) pair of root clippers
- One (1) metric tape measure at least 7.5 m long
- One (1) 2 m folding carpenter's ruler (make sure it is metric)
- One (1) 8 oz plumb bob
- One (1) line level (metal line levels tend to be more durable than plastic ones)
- One (1) 8" bastard mill file
- One (1) roll of carpenter's string (braided style is better than twisted)
- One (1) pair of leather work gloves
- A pocket knife is always handy to have
- Uniball Deluxe pens: micro point, black ink, water & fadeproof
- Mechanical pencil, lead and a good eraser
- Something to put all of your tools in
Items you should always bring to the field:
- Dig kit
- Water bottle or canteen (water is provided on site)
- Insect repellant
- Sunscreen
- Note pad
- Hat
- If you are afflicted with any condition that requires treatment: Don't forget to bring bee sting kit, inhalers, allergy medicine or other medical treatments. Though a first aid kit is kept on-site for emergencies, you should always bring any personal medicines for any specific conditions (i.e., allergies, asthma, etc.)
- Field Clothes
Field work in Illinois can be is hot, humid, dirty work. It is recommended that you bring light, cool clothes to work in due to the heat and humidity. You will want to bring clothes to wear in the field that you don't mind getting dirty, sweaty and possibly ruining. By the end of the summer, it is not unusual to have a pile of clothes that you won't plan on wearing again in civilized society. They'll always be good field gear. It probably isn't a good idea to bring your expensive favorite summer outfit unless you don't mind it becoming dirt and sweat stained.
For GIS & Geophysical Survey Students
Nothing at this time.
For Paleoethnobotany Students
Each student should be bring a good 10X magnifier hand lens. A Coddington magnifier 20 mm 10x lens can be purchased through Carolina Biological supplies (product code #602152) for $33. There are cheaper plastic ones, but they're nowhere near as good.
For Zooarchaeology Students
Nothing at this time.
Information on this page is only for those students officially accepted into the field school program. The ability to access this page in no way implies acceptance into the field school and should not be construed as such.
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