You are standing in front of a reader rail and hands-on interactive titled “Dig for Evidence!” On the opposite side of the reader rail is another reader rail titled “Archaeology at SERC.” Behind you are the restrooms and a graphic panel and artifact case titled “How Can You Tell How Old a Site Is?”

The main text on the reader rail in front of you reads:

DIG FOR EVIDENCE!
Discover what it’s like to be an archaeologist by uncovering replicas of artifacts found on SERC’s campus.

Lift the panels below to reveal the artifacts.

This text is accompanied by four images: a photo of archaeologists digging at SERC, an archaeological site plan with a pencil, an aerial view of SERC’s campus, and a map titled “Dig Sites.” The map shows three dig sites labeled “Summer Kitchen,” “Woodlawn,” and “Trash Pile.”

The interactive includes three flip panels concealing tactile replicas of artifacts. Text on each flip panel reads:

What is it?
Where was it found?
How old is it?
What can it tell us?

Small acrylic windows on each flip panel allow visitors to glimpse parts of the replica artifacts underneath. The flip panels are surrounded by a background image of grass and images of archaeological tools, including a brush and a trowel.

Lift the first flip panel and touch the replica artifact inside. What does it feel like? What do you think it is?

The text on the inside of the flip panel reads:

What is it?
Toothbrush handle made of bone

Where was it found?
Woodlawn

How old is it?
ca. 1868 to 1891

What can it tell us?
Few Americans brushed their teeth regularly in the 1800s. Those who did used toothbrushes made of bone and boar bristles. The nylon bristles we use today weren’t introduced until 1938.

Think About It . . .
What will the personal items you leave behind tell future archaeologists about your life?

Please close the flip panel when you are done.

Lift the second flip panel and touch the replica artifact inside. What does it feel like? What do you think it is?

What is it?
Pig jaw bone

Where was it found?
Woodlawn’s summer kitchen

How old is it?
ca. 1700s to 1800s

What can it tell us?
Animal bones and shells recovered by archaeologists can tell us what kinds of food people ate. This bone indicates that the Sellman family raised, butchered, and ate pigs.

Think About It . . .
What’s your favorite kind of food? How do you think future archaeologists might discover what you ate?
 
Please close the flip panel when you are done.

Lift the third flip panel and touch the replica artifact inside. What does it feel like? What do you think it is?

What is it?
Milk bottle from Java Dairy

Where was it found?
Trash pile

How old is it?
ca. 1928 to 1946

What can it tell us?
The nearby Java Dairy Farm provided milk to the surrounding area from the 1910s until World War II. Sanitary commercial dairy operations like this grew in response to scares about adulterated milk and diseases, such as bovine tuberculosis.

Think About It . . .
Think about the things you throw away. Do you think they will still be around 100 years from now? What will they tell future archaeologists about you?

Please close the flip panel when you are done.