Dan Sayers, historical archaeologist and chair of AU's anthropology department, takes Smithsonian magazine on a tour of the Great Dismal Swamp where he has been exploring the history of the maroons, escaped African American slaves who took shelter in the swamp and built settlements there, hidden from civilization and slave hunters.

“Archaeology is my activism,” Sayers says. “Rather than go to the Washington Mall and hold up a protest sign, I choose to dig in the Great Dismal Swamp. By bringing a resistance story to light, you hope it gets into people’s heads.”

Read the full article.