THE
OTUNDA
ixty-fifth year
Longwood College Farmville, Virginia
fuesday, September 17, 1985
Longwood Archeologists At the Morris Field Archeological Site in Buckingham County this summer the 38 students of the Longwood College Archeology Field School faced a problem. The archeology site, located on the banks of the Appomattox, River on the farm of Mr. R. T. Morris, Jr., was the location of ten weeks of digging for Indian remains. Dr. James Jordan, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Longwood College and Director of the Archeology Field School, observed, "the Morris Field Archeological Site is extremely rich in prehistoric Indian remains. My students unearthed 2,481 artifacts during the summer ranging from clay pottery to stone projectile points, scrapers, blades, drills and pieces of smooth bone probably used as needles." Based on the styles of clay pots the arWhat does this mean to you? cheologists found, Jordan believes the site was an Indian village inhabited as long ago as 2,000 years before the present. The site has been registered with the Virginia Research Center for Archeology and has been assigned the site number 44BK212. Many of the finds came from two trash pits which the Indians had apparently dug as a place to throw away garbage such as bone and other waste from butchering and food preparation activities. Jordan said it appeared the Indians dug a hole in the ground about 3 feet in diameter and about 3 feet deep, and then threw trash in it until it was about full. Based on Longwood archeology students Skip Freeberg, Curtis Vest and Benji what the archeologists found, it seems the Indians then piled red Smith excavate samples of organic remains from Indian trash pit. clay in a mound of 6 inches or so trash pit. States Dr. Jordan, "In information on prehistoric dieton top of the full trash pit and this soil which was like moist cof- more than we could get from the built a fire on this clay to harden fee grounds, were probably hun- 2,481 artifacts—but how to get it it and seal their garbage can shut dreds of small parts of plants and out of the dirt?" against insects, rodents, and other animals which would give us a pests which they did not want good idea of what the Indians Faced with this difficulty, four were eating. The problem was students in the Archeology Field drawn to their living area. When unearthed by the these organic remains, like parts of School, Amy Alvis, Keith Russell, Longwood archeologists, these In- fish scales, fragments of charred Curtis Vest, and Jeanne Willoz set dian "garbage cans" stood out nut hulls, bits of grass seeds and to work searching the site reports clearly from the surrounding soil slivers of bone, were microscopic of others archeologists who had ■. i . . A^ .. also found trash F \r. . , pits in Indian , because the organic items thrown in size and in such a state ofc decay .„ d. , , . , . , c villages. The students devised a could not be separated trom ° ,. , , , „,(0 .■ in the trash pit by the Indians had they '* .... i j i machine which would separate the soil particles by the naked eye and , decayed over the centuries prosmaH plant and anima parts from ducing a rich black compost which fingers. In the dirt of the two trash the dirt The machine is called a showed the outline of the orignial pits uncovered was much valuable flotation device. Using a gasoline
Number Two
Commode Statement by Micheal T. Clements
As of January 1, 1986, Longwood College will be nonexistant. Our new University will be called one of the following names: University of Southern Virginia, University of South Side, Farmville University or Longwood University. This final list of names were decided upon by the Janitorial Staff of Longwood College. The final name will be decided upon by Longwood students. Students suggestions and opinions are welcome and should be submitted to Shorty Giles.
As the sun peeked over the horizon early Sunday morning, a ray of light surely struck the toilet perched upon the sign at the corner of Spruce and Redord. As students passed this social statement many wondered about it's purpose and many conversations erupted about it's true significance. As a scholar of Longwood College, I pose a question to you, the readers of this fine literary work - what does this mean? I ask, "What posessed the rebels of today to place such controversial, yet commonplace item on public display. After hours of pondering this I have brought many feelings from deep within myself. I have sit gazing at the toilet wondering if it is simply a product of (an intoxiating party). Is is simply an act of those falsely stimulated by unexplainable drugs. Or is it an intentional act by a Longwood College Student in order to voice his veiws about the institution surrounding him. And if so what are those views. It is easy for one to interpret a toilet in various ways. A toilet can be associated with the flush or dismissing of accepted ideas or it can be associated with the accepted ways that are often used. Or is it even possible that this was an act of some unknown being in it's effort to express its feelings of Longwood, Farmville, or the modern day college student. I suppose we will never know the real truth behind this stand on society. I just ask that you, the leaders of tomorrow, never alienate yourselves from new ideas.
pump and fire hose, water was pumped from the Appomattox River over the ridge to the archeological site. The water was forced under pressure into the bottom of a large metal drum. In the middle of the drum were suspended several wire mesh screens onto which dirt from the trash pits were spread. The water washed, lifted and separated the food parts from the dirt. These were then skimmed off through a cheese cloth filter and the dirt sank to the bottom of the flotation device. About 3 quarts of dirt could be processed in one hour. Dr. Jordan is now
preparing to send 21 samples of these organic remains to specialists at the Virginia Research Center for Archeology who may be able to identify the specific plants and animals which ended up in the trash pits. Jordan says, "It is one thing to know the kinds of stone tools or clay pots these Indians were using, but it will really give us an insight into more intimate aspects of their lives if we can find out the very foods they were savoring around their cooking fires on the banks of the Appomattox River each evening, 2,000 years ago."
Longwood University?