On March 10–14, 2025, eight IUP students, including advanced undergraduate and graduate students, joined Anthropology faculty member Andrea Palmiotto in the field with their archaeological colleagues from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust Program. There, the team conducted investigations of sites within Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve in Charleston County, visited the iconic Fig Island Shell Ring complex, and met with representatives of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Shell rings are significant Indigenous sites in the southeast US, largely comprised of oyster and clam shells in addition to other fauna, botanical materials, and sediments. They are largely circular or semicircular and around 60 meters in diameter, sometimes up to several meters high, with shell-dense accumulations. The interiors of the shell rings are largely shell-free, which has intrigued archaeologists for decades. Many of the shell rings in South Carolina and Georgia date between 3,000 and 6,000 years old, and researchers debate whether they served as villages or ceremonial sites to South Carolina’s ancient populations. Students expressed awe at the scale of these sites, noting that discussing these sites in class paled in comparison to physically observing their grandeur.
SCDNR’s work, in collaboration with the MCN and other Tribal Nations, is helping the public better understand the rich history associated with these sites and their persistent connections to descendant groups. Their public outreach, collaborative communication, and research approaches are excellent examples of how to approach archaeology and ensure descendant groups have a say in how their ancestral sites are interpreted.
The IUP students were able to experience this first-hand during their time in SC, gaining valuable insight into best practices while assisting with excavations and learning about future research and work opportunities.
