CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- This fall, Harvard archaeologists will continue excavations in Harvard Yard in the area of the 17th-century Indian College sited near Matthews Hall. This is the 4th excavation season in this area of the Yard. (Earlier excavations took place in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2011). A foundation trench believed to be part of the old Indian College was found in 2009, and confirmed in 2011. This season, the class will continue to trace the Indian College foundation.

On Thursday, September 11 at 1:30 pm, The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard University Anthropology Department, and Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) invite the public to join the opening ceremony for the fall 2014 archaeological excavation in Harvard Yard.

The Harvard University course, Anthropology 1130: Archaeology of Harvard Yard, is part of the Harvard Yard Archaeology Project, which allows students to gain academic and field experience in historical archaeology. The excavation will be in the Old Yard near the location of earliest Harvard structures, which included the 1638 Old College, the first university building in the United States, and the Harvard Indian College, the first brick building erected in the Yard in 1655. An exhibition about the excavations is on display at the Peabody Museum and online at www.peabody.harvard.edu/DV-online.

2005 marked the 350th anniversary of the Harvard Indian College, which rekindled interest in the stories of Harvard’s early students and the material culture of 17th-century Harvard Yard. The University continues to makes strides in scholarly programs and initiatives that relate to contemporary Native America and cross-cultural stakeholders. The public is invited to the opening ceremony to honor, learn, and share in the living Harvard history and acknowledge the Harvard Yard Archaeology Project’s many supporters and collaborators.