Most people who watch Raiders of the Lost Ark have a sense that real archaeology is a little different from the action and adventure portrayed in the movie. However, for most of the public, the day-to-day activities of archaeologists remain relatively unknown. This presentation will explore the methods and goals of American archaeologists and anthropologists whose work seeks to preserve and interpret evidence of past cultures and communities. While archaeological and anthropological research were once pursued primarily by professors at academic institutions, in modern America, the majority of archaeological work is performed by Cultural Resource Management companies, an industry that has exploded in recent years. Take a tour of archaeological sites around the United States and discover what can be learned from a few faint traces of a prehistoric hunting camp in Florida; a large, fortified prehistoric village in Western Iowa; remnants of a school, hospital, and mine shaft in Deadwood, South Dakota; an abandoned Catholic cemetery in Dubuque; and the remains of the Mississippi State Asylum (1855–1935) in Jackson.
