Digging for Old Harvard: Archaeology in the Yard
A new Harvard Gazette article highlights the Harvard Yard Archaeology Project’s latest field season and its ongoing efforts to uncover the material history of early Harvard College.
The Harvard Gazette has published a new feature on the Harvard Yard Archaeology Project, now in its twentieth year, which documents student-led excavations behind Hollis Hall and near Holden Chapel. This season’s work focused on deposits associated with the original Harvard Hall, built in 1677 and destroyed by fire in 1764.
Through hands-on excavation and subsequent laboratory analysis, students are recovering and interpreting artifacts that illuminate everyday life at Harvard in the 17th and 18th centuries, from foodways and domestic practices to learning, printing, and scientific activity. The project is closely integrated with coursework and culminates in the accessioning of materials into the Peabody Museum collections.
Read the full article in The Harvard Gazette: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/12/digging-for-old-harvard/.