Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Understanding Ecosystems for a Sustainable Future

As a public health precaution, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is extending the cancelation or postponement of all public events, programs and gatherings until at least the end of the summer. The SERC campus remains temporarily closed to the public, including buildings, trails and other parts of the campus. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation, we are not announcing a reopening date at this time and will provide updates on our website.

Archaeology

Principal Investigator

Jim Gibb

GibbJ@si.edu

Curriculum vitae

Archaeology Projects

Non-human bones reveal past dietary patterns through the species they represent and the manner in which those species were butchered.

Household Provisioning
Spanning from Australia to New York City, this project looks at the dispersal of oyster shells as they traveled across the world to be made into buttons throughout the 20th century.

Making Buttons on Delmarva from Imported Shells
There are two plantation mansions on the SERC campus: Sellman House and Java. Their differences represent the attitudes, education—even the philosophies—of their respective owners.

Plantation Layout
SERC archaeologists are working in an historic houselot, where the SERC Environmental Archaeology Laboratory now resides.

Sellman House Archaeology
Archaeologists are studying the historic land behind the Sellman House (called Shaw's Folly) to determine how the land was used before the Sellman's occupation.

Shaw's Folly

Archaeology Projects

Household Provisioning

Making Buttons on Delmarva from Imported Shells

Plantation Layout

Sellman House Archaeology

Shaw's Folly