+Pennsylvania Archaeology Site # 36Da231

                                            Forensic Archaeology

Forensic Science Class

Spring 2008

Susquehanna Township High School

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

State Archaeologist Assists in Death Scene Investigation during High School Forensic Science Class

Dr. Kurt Carr, State Archaeologist from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Historical Preservation will be assisting Ms. Evans with a simulated Archaeology excavation. The excavation is part of a lesson on Forensic Anthropology in Ms. Evans's three Forensic Science classes at Susquehanna Township High School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Eighty high school 11th and 12th grade students will be working at the death scene with Dr. Carr.  The 100 square meter excavation site is an open, dirt covered, area outside the high school building. The students will be uncovering and mapping deer skeletal remains at the site. The skeletal remains have been placed in the site with related “artifacts”, that when uncovered and mapped, will  “tell the story” of what happened in the deaths of two deer. Under the direction of Dr. Carr, the Forensics students will use archaeological techniques, measurements and theory in their investigation into the deaths of the two deer. The deer skeletal remains are being “recycled” from the classes’ labs on Forensic Entomology at the high school and were donated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Day 1 of the investigation: "Where do I decide to dig?"

Forensic Science students set up a measurement grid for the excavation. They then walked across the surface of the site mapping the location of bones and related artifacts (potential evidence). The goal of today's activities was to decide the best locations to excavate. Based on this surface collection strategy, student teams picked the square meter of the excavation in which they wanted to search for more evidence. They will return on Monday with trowel in hand to uncover the bones buried in the ground.

About the Archaeology Site # 36Da231: Pennsylvania is the 36th state in the numbering system, "Da" stands for Dauphin County  and  this is the 231st site in the County. As evidence is collected from the excavation, it is bagged, numbered and catalogued with this site ID#.

Day 2 of the Investigation.

 

Return to the Susquehanna Twp. High School Forensic Science homepage.

 

Day 2 of the Investigation at Susquehanna Township High School