Archaeology and Artifacts of the African Diaspora at Evergreen Plantation

Archaeology, Labwork, Photography

Research Mentor: Dr. Jayur Mehta,
Department, College, Affiliation: FSU Anthropology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: jmehta@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 3
Relevant Majors: Anthropology or any other field science, history, art history, geography, English. Open to all but some preferred majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6-8, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday Sep 5 at 11.30 am.

Project Description

Students will learn to process, analyze, describe, photograph, and interpret archaeological artifacts recovered from Evergreen Plantation, St John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. Students will learn the history of Evergreen Plantation and use this history to interpret findings excavated in Summer 2023. One student research assistant is needed with a specialty in video editing and composition to compose a short (3 min) documentary of the excavations. Other students need to be willing to wash and process artifacts.

This project describes the daily, lived experiences of free and enslaved people of color who lived at Evergreen Plantation. Excavations were conducted near a church that was used after the Civil War.


Research Tasks: Washing, drawing, and photographing artifacts. Using manuals, guides, and internet searches to classify and interpret archaeological artifacts. Interpreting finds based on the history of Evergreen Plantation. Processing visual media for the excavation documentary. Creating displays of objects from the site.




Skills that research assistant(s) may need: willingness to work independently.