UI students move to new site for archaeology

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - University of Iowa anthropologists and students will seek artifacts left by prehistoric American Indians at what is now Iowa City's Hickory Hill Park.

The Iowa City Council gave approval for small-scale excavations in the park. The Office of the State Archaeologist will help with the excavation from May 16 to June 3.

The work is part of the annual field school. For decades it was conducted at Plum Grove Historic Site in Iowa City, but University of Iowa anthropology professor Margaret Beck says they decided to move to another spot this year.

Bill Whittaker, of the Office of the State Archaeologist, says finding artifacts could be hard because the park is so big. He tells the Iowa City Press-Citizen the point of the school is to teach students about archaeology.