Archaeology is the study of the past using the objects people have left behind that tell us something about how they lived and who they were. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has an Archaeology Department founded in 2002, and LPC staff has included an archaeologist since the 1980s. This department reviews proposed subsurface work subject to environmental review regulations and, for some sites, the Landmarks Law.
LPC’s Archaeology Department has a project called the New York City Archaeological Repository: The Nan A. Rothschild Center. Opened in 2014, the purpose of the Repository is to curate the city’s archaeological collections and to make them accessible to archaeologists, researchers, teachers, students, and the public.
The Repository’s web site http://archaeology.cityofnewyork.us/ includes a number of educational and children’s activities, and today we are launching a new one, “Excavate a Cookie Like an Archaeologist!”. This activity is recommended for children age 8 and up, but younger children can try it too with the help of an adult. This fun (and delicious activity) teaches basic concepts of excavation and documentation. In this case the chocolate chips are the artifacts and the cookie the “dirt”.
Check out the activity here: https://on.nyc.gov/2UulEjk
Please tweet and share photos of final products and works in progress. Use the hashtag #LoveNYClandmarks
