Archaeologist Really Digs His Job

Aug 30, 01:37 PM

Current Headlines: By Phyllis A.S. Boros, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport

Aug. 30--Just about every workday is an adventure for Nicholas F. Bellantoni. On any given day, Bellantoni might be found sifting through shards of pottery from an ancient Native American dwelling, searching for clues to uncover a crash site of a World War II-era training aircraft or examining the recently unearthed skeletal remains of a murder victim from a century ago.

Certainly not a ho-hum job, which is exactly why Bellantoni loves being Connecticut's state archaeologist. As such, Bellantoni heads the Office of State Archaeology at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The facility serves as the repository for all artifacts more than 50 years old found on state lands and for the university's anthropological collections.

Bellantoni comes to Bridgeport's Barnum Museum Wednesday at 6 p.m. for "History Underground: Recent Case Studies of the State Archaeologist." The event is part of the Barnum's occasional series of lectures on history and the arts. An associate professor of anthropology at UConn, Bellantoni has served as state archaeologist since the OSA was established by state legislators in 1987 to "identify, manage and preserve Connecticut's archaeological resources."

"Preserving the state's archaeological sites is a primary responsibility," he says, but adds, laughing, that his responsibilities are wide-ranging.

In addition to providing curatorial oversight for more than 600,000 artifacts, he maintains about 5,000 site files and map records. But, he says, that's just the beginning. He also:

Works with developers and local municipal officials to review economic development projects (such as subdivisions, golf courses and shopping centers to determine their potential impact on cultural resources); Assists Native American communities to identify and preserve artifacts and sacred sites; Provides research assistance and information to colleagues and the public;

Helps nonprofit organizations, such as land trusts and historical organizations, to identify and preserve their holdings;

Reviews items found on private property to determine their significance -- as a service to state residents.

All that is in addition to working with federal and state organizations -- such as the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers -- when they need assistance with archaeological issues. His office also provides technical assistance to the State Medical Examiners Office and law enforcement agencies when they need to assess skeletal remains that are more than 50 years old. On an annual basis, Bellantoni takes on about 20 field excavations, reviews about 300 municipal projects and proposals, and does about 150 field reviews.

In Bridgeport, Bellantoni will discuss some of his most interesting cases of the past few years.

"I think people in general are fascinated by archaeology because it gives us a sense of discovery," he says.

"We lose history so fast . . . archaeological research is a vehicle to understand where we come from and who we are.

"When you mention archaeology, a lot of people think of Mexico, Peru or Egypt. But archaeology can be right here in our own back yards, right under our feet. My job is to help people understand why it's important and why we should preserve" our archaeological sites.

"It's difficult for the public to support what we do unless they understand what we are attempting to accomplish." One ongoing project involves locating the area where fighter pilot Lt. Eugene M. Bradley crashed and died in an August 1941 training mission at what is now Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Apparently no one thought to take aerial photos of the crash or to record its location, he says. A "bizarre" case, he says, involved a construction project in Hartford where excavation work was going on near an old building. "I got a call from a construction company that it had just found a fossilized dragon," he recalls, laughing.

Bellantoni didn't waste much time getting to Hartford to check out the find.

Turns out, he says, the "dragon" was a stone gargoyle -- part of the exterior ornamentation, which had been discarded and buried, from a late- 19th century Victorian building. "This is a different type of job than most," he says, laughing.

Born in Portchester, N.Y., Bellantoni was reared in Hartford's south end. He served in the Navy from 1968-72 before beginning his college studies; he received his doctorate in anthropology from UConn in 1987, and soon after was appointed state archaeologist.

The Barnum Museum is at 820 Main St. in downtown Bridgeport. Admission to "History Underground," Wednesday at 6 p.m., is $5, $4 for college students, $3 for children 4 to 17 years of age. Visitors arriving at 4:30 p.m. or later may tour the museum prior to the presentation. For additional information, visit

www.barnum-museum.org or

call 331-1104. For additional information on the Office of State Archaeology, visit www.cas.uconn.edu.

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