Thinking Like an Archaeologist: Essential Lab Insights

1 Intro to Archaeology Asynchronous Remote Learning Prof. Sansevere Lab 2 : Thinking like an Archaeologist Name: Pooja Tadepalli Date:___________ ____ Directions: Answer the questions on this worksheet. Try to be detailed in your responses. Getting Into the Right Frame of Mind: Learning to Think Like an Archaeologist 1.) A) If you could excavate any site, or any place, in the world, what would it be? Write down a specific place or site in the world that you would like to conduct an archaeological excavation. If I could excavate any place in the world it would be Lascaux in France, because it still remains in France even today. B) Archaeology field supervisors are responsible for the safety and well-being of their crews while conducting fieldwork. Good field supervisors anticipate possible risks and hazards their crew may experience on-site and develop ways to mitigate these. You can read more about site health and safety here . Generate a list of at least 5 potential hazards unique to the site you would like to excavate.  Air quality: because it’s ultimately in a cave the air quilty may not be good.   Biological Hazards: the cave will have bio hazards one of the examples is fungi. Exposure to it will cause headaches.   Chemical Hazards: the paint in the cave can cause a chemical hazard.   Public Access and Security: with people in the cave it can be over crowded

2 C) What steps can you take to prepare for each of these hazards? Air Quality:  Air Quality: when the crew comes in to check out the site we will get a air quality check machine to check the air quality .  Biological Hazards: o Any fungus that’s there should be cleaned o Were mask to prevent breathing it in  Chemical Hazards: o Where a mask to avoid breathing the chemical  Public Access and Security: o Limit the amount of people on the cave. o Security Measures: have security there to prevent vandalism 2.) A ) Once archaeologists identify and excavate artifacts from the ground, they bring their findings inside a lab for cleaning and cataloging. A catalog is an inventory of every single object that was excavated from a site. Read about the National Park Service’s (NPS) take on artifact cataloging here . Pick one object in your room and catalog it as an archaeologist of the future might. At minimu, you should report on characteristics such as object name, size, color, material, shape, decoration, and manufacture method. What kind of interpretation(s) might a future archaeologist come to upon examining the object in connection to where it was identified at? Site Information:  Site Name: Middlesex County  Site Location: United States  Excavation Date: July 2023

3 Artifact Description:  Type: Consumer Electronics  Material: Plastic and metal  With earbuds in it  Color: White Condition:  New and shiner, and slightly used . -an archeologist would learn that this is a device that people used to listen to music during that time, and depending when they discover my airpods they can see that its probably different from how they listen to music. B) Then, think about that same object in other contexts . What does an archaeologist mean when they use the term context ? [Hint: look in your textbook!] How does context change your ability to say things about the object and the cultural system in which it exists? Context refers to the spatial and temporal associations of artifacts in the site. It is the artifact's location, and relationship of other items around it and it’s relative age. Knowing the context helps archaeologists analyze the object's function, culture, social implications relating to the technological significance in the past lifetime .

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4 3.) Doing archaeology involves more than just excavating finds. Once artifacts are brought in from the field, they are cleaned and analyzed. Archaeologists have a responsibility to share theirfindings with the public (sometimes referred to as public archaeology). One of Becky Yamen’s most noted work is her book Digging in the City of Brotherly Love: Stories from Philadelphia Archaeology (2008). What made her book so popular is the unique writing style she used. Yamen interprets artifacts from Philadelphia using a narrative—or story-telling—writing style. Read some of the examples I copied for you in the Week 2 folder. You will also finda short article by Adrian Pretzels that popularized storytelling in archaeology. Then, look at the three artifacts I photographed for you in the Week 2 folder. Use the space below to compose a 2-3 college-level paragraph story about these objects. Discuss benefits and drawbacks of the writing style now that you have read some examples and practiced it for yourself. Story about the artifacts Artifact 1: In a town, there’s a chipped tea saucer from the 1860s. It had been passed down for generations and people who live in the small town today can see it. Even though it’s a chipped piece of saucer, it was saved and it’s a reminder of the town being united. The chipped saucer was a nice conversation starter. They asked the following question, what happened? Was there a fight that broke out? Did the person see a ghost and got scared and dropped it? The people of the town would never know the answer. It is in the county museum, and it shows the charm that this town has to offer with these artifacts. Artifact 2: In an abandoned school there was a jar harp. Made from iron from years ago, It was likely used for music class to make music. For any teacher that retired that year, likely passed it on to the next teacher who was fortunate to teach a music class. I wonder why it was left in an abandoned school. Can another school use it instead. The student who discovers it went to her and they displayed it in the hallway through a glass box for everyone to see. Artifact 3: Back then, there was a special cuff link made of silver. These were likely worn at a private fancy club from back then. It was a 19 th century cuff that was used in the roaring 20’s when alcohol is illegal, and people must go to underground night club. People talked about grand parties, romantic relationships. As the cuff link passed from one person to another, it left a trail of fascination. Now, now this cufflink is preserved in a private room in a New York city museum.

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