City of Boston Archaeology

@archaeology.boston.gov

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Official Bluesky account of the City of Boston's Archaeology Program. We celebrate Boston’s diverse history through preservation, excavation, & community engagement. www.boston.gov/archaeology

A metal-edged artifact box with a sign reading “official fan mail”
Grid of images showing archaeological excavations, artifacts, and handwritten historic documents over a cell reading “Dig into History with the City of Boston Archaeology Program”
Overhead view of two archaeologists side by side in a deep trench using trowels to collect soil samples from the trench walls
View of an archaeological trench containing the remains of the redoubt visible in the wall
Two musketballs, one smaller and one larger, in a person’s palm
A collage of images showing the handwritten document and an inset of the words “Bunker Hill” highlighted, and a map showing the location of the redoubt on the recreated 1775 property map.
A fragment of redware pottery with a greenish glaze and yellow slip decoration
A smiling crew of archaeologists and volunteers standing in front of the Bunker Hill monument
Archaeologists from AVAR excavating an archaeological trench
Overhead view of three archaeologists drawing a wall profile on graph paper and determining soil colors with a Munsell chart
Archaeologists digging in a rocky trench wearing yellow vests with the AVAR logo on the back
The first in a series of 4 happy dog photos
Two archaeologists kneeling in an excavation trench with one person sitting on the side of the trench.
Compression banding on a lead musket ball held in a person’s palm
View of a grey colored gunflint in a person’s palm
A large brass skeleton key missing one tooth held in a person’s palm
Archaeologists at work in an excavation trench on the lawn in front of the Bunker Hill Monument
Archaeologists excavate in front of the Bunker Hill Monument obelisk
Two images showing souls in differing shades of brown ranging from darkest to lightest and labeled “A, B1, B2, and C”
A deep archaeological trench with volunteers digging
Close up of linear tubular holes on the edge of a granite block
A small altar for Malcolm X on his birthday with a signed card, a votive candle, and two pennies.
Four people doing archaeology on a sunny day in a backyard
A bluestone slab in front of wooden stairs moved to reveal a cement slab
Broken amber bottle with embossed text: Jacob L. Alther & Co. Establ. 1881 Cor. Chadwick & Yeoman Sts 1905 Boston, Mass
A fragment of a decorative candy dish held up by a gloved hand. In the background an archaeological dig is taking place.
A person holding a piece of stoneware crockery decorated with blue floral design
Grid of atlas images of 190 Bowdoin showing the construction and demolition of various structures on the property.
Print ad from May 6, 1806 Boston Gazette
A 1794 survey map of Dorchester by Matthew Withington.
aerial overview of 190 Bowdoin St. showing a historic house & yard surrounded by large trees in a residential area.
A gloved hand holding an assortment of archaeological artifacts
A blue-grey lithic flake and a white clay pipe stem in a woman’s palm
A group of archaeologists and volunteers in raincoats screen soil on either side of a test pit in a field
Small blue-grey and pale pink flakes of stone tool debitage in a blue-gloved hand
An overview of an archaeological excavation in front of a 19th century house
A collection of blue colored stone tool debitage flakes in the palm of a woman’s hand.
Overview of an 1853 White House with the former Boston Consumptives Hospital in the background. In the foreground several archaeologists and volunteers are laying in a grid of test pits.
Black and white aerial photograph showing the sprawling buildings and campus of the Boston Consumptives Hospital in Mattapan in 1937.
A circa 1906 photograph of the 1856 Italianate mansion lived in by John and Mary Conness.
Photo of girl with brown hair smiling on a blue background and text that says 'This is who you're asking to read and transcribe 17th-century deeds in Middlesex County Lauryn, Project Archaeologist'
Albertype photograph of the Liversidge mansion in the early 1880s. The Thompson-Conness/Superintendent’s House would be out of frame to the right, past the greenhouse. (Liversidge Institution, 1884)
1890 aerial view of the future Consumptives Hospital grounds showing: (1) Liversedge Institute, (2) Thompson-Conness/Superintendent’s house, (3) outbuilding or fruit house, (4) barn and stables, (5) Conness cottage, and (6) former Aaron D. Capen house and outbuilding on the southern side of River St. Project area is in front of the Superintendent's house. No other depictions of the early structures are currently known. (O. H. Bailey and Co. 1890)
1661 hand-drawn map of some of the original land lots around the Neponset including Dorchester and Milton.
A dark-blue city skyline at night is outlined. From one building, a spotlight shines upward into the sky, illuminating a circular beam that contains simple icons of an archaeological trowel and shovel.
An image of three people sitting at a table covered with red earthenware archaeological artifacts. One person is pointing out a detail on a chamberpot while the others look on excited. Text reads: Expert Spotlight - Rick Hamelin.
An image of dozens of redware pottery fragments on a silver tray. Text overlays the image reading Project Spotlight, The Jack and Acton Project: Enslaved Potter of Charlestown. The City of Boston logo is in the top right corner and the City of Boston Archaeology Program logo is in the bottom left corner.
A wreath made of dirt-covered oyster shells arranged on a mesh surface (an archaeological screen/sifter), tied at the bottom with orange flagging tape in the shape of a bow.
Graphic with a purple background and a stylized illustration of archaeology tools (a trowel and shovel) surrounded by decorative shapes. Text reads: “Our 2025 Wrapped is here!”