Harvard University

Harvard Yard Archaeology Project celebrates 20th anniversary

What was life like for Harvard students in the 17th century? For the past 20 years, the Harvard Yard Archaeology Project has led excavations to discover more about the university's past. Undergraduate students like Kelsey Culbertson get on-site experience by digging for artifacts in Harvard Yard as part of their Anthropology class. The class is led by curators Diana Loren and Patricia Capone from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology. This year's dig focused on a site between Harvard Hall and Holden Chapel, which led to the discovery of the remnants of the original Harvard Hall, which burned down in 1764. Objects discovered during excavations become part of the Peabody Museum's collection and are on view in the "Digging Veritas" exhibition. The artifacts discovered over the past two decades give new insight into what student life at Harvard was like in the 17th and 18th centuries. The project is a collaboration between the Peabody Museum, the Department of Anthropology, and the Harvard University Native American Program. More information about the project and exhibition are available on the Peabody Museum's website: https://peabody.harvard.edu/hyap