NPS Archeology Program: Archeology for Interpreters

Introduction

This Highlighted Case Study provides you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you have learned to determine how you would interpret some archeological resources at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia.

Although you may never actually interpret the archeological resources at Manassas National Battlefield Park, you can use this Highlighted Case Study to practice using what you have learned about archeology through this guide. The main questions addressed here apply to any archeological site, whether it is historic or prehistoric, in the west or in the east. They are questions that many visitors will ask. Gaining experience with these questions and assessing how they are answered in this case study will help you interpret archeological data you find in any form-from a site report to an ongoing excavation.

There are no answers offered to the questions found in each Use What You Know box. These are offered simply to help you think about how you might address issues that concern archeologists, visitors and yourself. You can ask many of these questions of any archeological site. You are encouraged to think of other issues and questions that you may address as you interpret your park's archeological resources with visitors.

This Highlighted Case Study is an opportunity for you to practice helping visitors to:

— Learn about archeological methods
— Explore how archeological interpretations are made
— Ascribe meaning to archeological resources, and
— Increase their understanding and concern for the preservation and protection of archeological resources.

USE WHAT YOU KNOW

Green boxes like this one are located throughout this case study. They contain tips to help you as you plan your interpretive program. You may need to consult historical documents, ethnographic studies and other park-specific materials to help you build your program.

All detailed information about the archeology comprising this case study is taken from:

Reeves, Matthew (editor)
2000 Phase I and II Cultural Resource Investigation and Site Examination of Proposed Intersection Improvements at Routes 29 and 234, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, Virginia. National Park Service, National Capital Region, Washington, DC.

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