University Presentation Showcase: Undergraduate Division
Ground-Truthing, Bringing Geophysics Data and Site Reality Together: Preliminary Results from Pedestrian Survey and Excavations from the 2025 Eastern Kentucky University Archaeological Field School
Presenter Hometown
Lexington
Major
Anthropology
Department
Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work
Degree
Undergraduate
Mentor
Kimberly Swisher
Mentor Department
Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work
Recommended Citation
Hillard, Maddox; Anderson, Leslie; Comstock, Aaron; Endonino, Jon; Sea, Claiborne D.; Shepherd, Sarah; and Swisher, Kimberly L., "Ground-Truthing, Bringing Geophysics Data and Site Reality Together: Preliminary Results from Pedestrian Survey and Excavations from the 2025 Eastern Kentucky University Archaeological Field School" (2026). University Presentation Showcase Event. 10.
https://encompass.eku.edu/swps/2026/undergraduate/10
Abstract
In the Summer of 2025, the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Archaeology Field School conducted archaeological investigations of a site being developed by the City of Richmond, Kentucky. Students collaborated with professionals from other universities to conduct geophysical surveys utilizing GPR and Magnetic gradiometry. These surveys identified multiple potential anomalies for further investigation. Utilizing pedestrian survey and subsurface methods such as shovel test pits (STPs) and test units (TUs), students verified some of these anomalies as cultural and positively identified historic and pre-colonial cultural materials. The preliminary results and interpretations of the site’s occupational history are presented and discussed.
Presentation format
Poster
Ground-Truthing, Bringing Geophysics Data and Site Reality Together: Preliminary Results from Pedestrian Survey and Excavations from the 2025 Eastern Kentucky University Archaeological Field School
In the Summer of 2025, the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Archaeology Field School conducted archaeological investigations of a site being developed by the City of Richmond, Kentucky. Students collaborated with professionals from other universities to conduct geophysical surveys utilizing GPR and Magnetic gradiometry. These surveys identified multiple potential anomalies for further investigation. Utilizing pedestrian survey and subsurface methods such as shovel test pits (STPs) and test units (TUs), students verified some of these anomalies as cultural and positively identified historic and pre-colonial cultural materials. The preliminary results and interpretations of the site’s occupational history are presented and discussed.
