The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection
Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2025
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection," at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.
The Phoenix Project refers to the ongoing reinvestigation of the MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) archaeological legacy collection at Georgia State University (GSU). The collection resulted from archaeological investigations in the late 1970s when the initial MARTA rail lines were constructed; one of the early, urban archaeology projects resulting from the NHPA of 1966. This project holds an important place in the history of CRM and urban, historical archaeology in the US, recovered the material remains of Atlanta’s past, and established the most comprehensive archaeological collection of Atlanta’s history. About a decade ago, Glover facilitated the collection’s return to GSU where it is housed in almost 500 banker boxes. Since that time, project members have re-engaged with the collection for independent, student-led projects, experiential learning, and public engagement. This session highlights the impact of this early urban archaeology investigation and the work of Phoenix Project members.
Other Keywords
Urban Archaeology •
Ceramics •
Analysis •
Bottles •
Curation •
Collection •
Foodways •
Urban •
Pedagogy •
Legacy
Geographic Keywords
North America •
Southeastern United States •
Atlanta •
Atlanta, GA •
Southeastern US •
Southeast US
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-5 of 5)
- Documents (5)
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Creating a Historical Ceramic Type Collection: A Case Study from the MARTA Archaeological Collection (2025)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. One of the most durable and valuable datasets historical archaeologists work with are ceramic materials, which vary by use and time and provide archaeologists with chronological and socioeconomic information. To better understand the variability in this class of material culture, archaeologists have...
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Engagement and Education: The MARTA Archaeological Collection as a Tool for GSU's Experiential Learning Efforts (2025)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Not only a window onto an important period in the South’s post-Civil War history, the MARTA archaeological collection offers a unique opportunity for students at Georgia State, a large public university located in downtown Atlanta, to interact with a substantial corpus of artefacts excavated from sites...
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From Bottling Plant to Buried Trash: Soft Drinks in the MARTA Archaeological Collection (2025)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Atlanta has always been a major hub for soft drink production since the beginning of the industry, producing the world’s most popular soft drink, Coca-Cola, as well as attracting its competitors and knockoffs from surrounding areas. In this presentation, I discuss my work analyzing the soft drink...
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An Introduction and Overview of the Phoenix Project (2025)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The Phoenix Project refers to the ongoing reinvestigation of the MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) archaeological legacy collection at Georgia State University (GSU). The collection resulted from archaeological investigations in the late 1970s when the initial MARTA rail lines were...
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The MARTA Collection: The Early Days of Urban Archaeology and CRM (2025)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Phoenix Project and the Rebirth of the MARTA Archaeological Collection", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) Collection is the result of the 1970s archaeological investigations conducted for the initial lines of this public transit system in Atlanta, GA. This archaeological project included lines in cardinal directions connecting at the epicenter of a city...