Archaeology on YouTube: 2022.07.07

AIA Academic Trustee Dr. Alexandra Jones shares more about her work as a community archaeologist with the AIA's Governing Board at their spring 2022 meeting in Providence, RI.

Full title: Traveling Prehistoric Seas: Boats, the Oceans, and Archaeological Evidence for Precolumbian Voyages The idea that Columbus discovered an unknown New World in 1492 was popularized in the nineteenth century as part of U.S. “Manifest Destiny” propaganda for taking over the American continent. Indians were labeled “Savages” isolated from the rest of the world and incapable of great works. Similarities between Old World and American crafts are still conventionally said to be independent inventions, and long ocean voyages impossible. The Guinness Book of World Records shows that even a paddleboard has been sailed between American and Europe, twice. This lecture shows varieties of boats capable of crossing oceans; obvious evidence that people crossed ocean straits more than 100,000 years ago in the South Pacific; archaeological evidence of movements around the Pacific in the Terminal Glacial Period; and archaeological evidence of transpacific contacts between Southeast Asia and Mesoamerica during the medieval spice trade about 1200 C.E. Woodland ceramics in eastern North America are best explained by introduction across the North Atlantic from coastal Scandinavia, as hypothesized by Stuart Piggott. DNA analyses now confirm interpretations formerly dismissed as “impossible”. This lecture was originally given to the Milwaukee Society on Sunday, February 6, 2022.

The application of airborne LiDAR for the detection and documentation of archaeological sites has initiated a ‘paradigm shift’ for Mesoamerican archaeology. Dr. Fisher will discuss results from two archaeological projects in disparate areas of Mesoamerica that have utilized LiDAR to examine intra-site and extra-site patterning. The first, centered at the site of Angamuco in the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin, Michoacán, used LiDAR as a tool to examine the spatial patterning of individual units of architecture. The second used LiDAR to document the complete settlement pattern of an unexplored valley within the Mosquitia tropical wilderness of Honduras. This work was described by author Douglas Preston in the 2017, New York Time’s bestselling book Lost City of the Monkey Gods: A True Story. This lecture was originally given to the Milwaukee Society on Sunday, March 6, 2022.

The Archaeological Exploration of Sardis expedition has carried out large-scale, scientific excavations at the site in western Turkey since 1958. Over these 5+ decades, archaeologists have documented the emergence and development of Sardis, capitol of the Lydian Empire of the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, and of one of the great cities of the ancient world. Utilizing spectacular aerial imagery, Dr. Nicholas Cahill, Director of the Sardis Expedition since 2008, will discuss the geography, history and challenges of excavating such a large and complex site and will provide a backdrop for understanding recent discoveries and research. The speaker will address current archaeological questions including: Who were the Lydians that built Sardis as the capitol of their ancient kingdom? What does the early development of the city look like? What cultural transformations are evident when the native capitol becomes a Greek polis? What can the collapse of Sardis tell us about the “End of Antiquity” in the 7th c AD? On-going site conservation efforts will also be featured. This lecture was given to the Milwaukee Society on Sunday, November 14, 2021.

Webinar Date: May 19, 2022 Waterlogged wooden building posts and artifacts, including the K’ak’ Naab’ canoe paddle, presented a conservation nightmare when removed from the water for study. If allowed to dry, the wood shrunk, cracked, and decayed, not good for study or preserving long-term for exhibit in the case of the canoe paddle. The solution was to create 3D digital replicas of waterlogged wood, with some objects professionally conserved and others curated in deep silt in the lagoon. In this talk McKillop will describe setting up the DIVA Lab (Digital Imaging and Visualization in Archaeology), 3D digital imaging research-quality replicas of the underwater material. She will also discuss 3D printed replicas for exhibits in Belize funded by an AIA Site Preservation Grant.

Full title: Earthquakes and the Structuring of Greco-Roman Society: the longue durée of human-geological environment relationships in Helike, Greece Earthquakes have been linked with societal collapse in various places throughout the past, most notably in the eastern Mediterranean with the end of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1200 BCE) and the division and decline of the Roman Empire from the fourth to sixth centuries CE. Archaeological evidence of widespread destruction, complemented by an inflation of historical earthquake records for late Roman contexts, points to periods of higher seismicity coinciding with political and economic weakening and socio-cultural downturn. However, since ancient times, humans living with persistent earthquake hazards have demonstrated forms of resilience. I show how earthquakes traditionally perceived as ‘natural’ disasters are not ‘natural’ but social and a critical factor in political ecological relationships through the case of Helike, Greece from the third millennium BCE to fifth century CE. New methods from geoarchaeology and soil micromorphology combined with evidence ranging from Greco-Roman perceptions on earthquakes in textual records combined with destruction, innovation, and invention in settlement architecture and soft sediment deformation structures (SSDS) in soil thin sections prove such ‘catastrophe’ theories to be either false or simplistic. The results expose the persistent factor of earthquakes and other geological hazards in the resilience and political ecology of human-environment relationships in the Greco-Roman society and culture. The case of Helike demonstrates how factors of earthquakes and other geological hazards persistently shaped and were shaped bysocio-cultural, economic, and political developments. The use of innovative methodological approaches and techniques to new types of data confronts catastrophe narratives and reveals a resilience and political ecology of human-earthquake relationships. This lecture was given by Amanda Gaggioli, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Classics, Stanford Archaeology Center, Stanford University. It was given as a joint lecture for the SAIG/GSC, co-sponsored by the AIA and SCS.

In ancient Athens, as today, people got sick. Suffering from anything from epidemic disease and accidents to chronic illness and passing indisposition, they required treatment. Much of what we know about that treatment comes from texts, particularly the body of medical lore known as the Hippocratic Corpus, which began to be written down in the 5th century BC. But the practice of medicine also left an archaeological trail, from the well-known healing sanctuaries to simple artifacts associated with medical treatment. This lecture examines some of this evidence, focusing particularly on objects preserved in the trash-heaps of Athens (and other cities) — including the equipment of a family of healers who lived just to the south of the city’s agora (public square) — to shed a more intimate light on the practice and practitioners of the healing arts. This lecture was delivered to the Western Illinois (Monmouth) Society on April 26, 2022.

In a visually stunning presentation, Professor Paradise discusses thirty years of research in the magical ruined city of Petra, Jordan. Coming from a diverse background in geology, materials conservation, climatology, and architecture, Paradise addresses his work in the Valley of Petra since 1990 including the melding of the geosciences, cultural heritage management, history, architecture, and politics that have driven his research. From understanding deterioration of 2,000-year-old sandstone structures, effects of tourism at this UNESCO site, to new findings on architectural alignments to the Sun, many answers to haunting questions regarding Petra are examined. Professor Paradise has been involved with the writing and filming of eight international TV specials (NatGeo, Smithsonian, Discovery, PBS Nova) on Petra as well and will discuss his research in these television specials. This lecture was delivered to the Southwest Texas (San Antonio) Society on April 21, 2022.

If you’ve traveled to Pakistan and/or appreciate its cultural heritage, your experience and passion can help the U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee with their upcoming deliberations. Watch this short video to find out how you can join the AIA to speak up for threatened archaeological sites.

"Discovery! Ancient Maya Wooden Buildings Underwater in Belize" Lecture Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 1:00 pm ET Classic Maya salt workers constructed salt kitchens and residences along the shores of a coastal lagoon that were subsequently submerged below sea level. In this talk, McKillop will describe the discovery, mapping, and excavation of wooden buildings and artifacts that were spectacularly preserved below the sea floor in red mangrove peat. Wood normally decays in the tropical landscape of Central America where Maya sites are dominated by stone buildings, so the findings of pole and thatch buildings at the Paynes Creek Salt Works are significant to understanding more modest buildings that likely were common. Field techniques were modified to survey and excavation of shallow underwater sites, including floating on Research Flotation Devices (RFDs) and diving using the airline system of hoses from a gas-powered compressor.

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. Check out all our content on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of January 13th, 2021 new films include Passmore Williamson Hoopes: Seeds of Hope, Vangeva, Life in Circles, and Mesopatamia: A Wounded Heritage. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of November 29th, 2021 new films include Maasai Remix, 'Six Centuries, Six Years', and Orkiteng Loorbaak: Rite of Elders. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of November 15th, 2021 new films include Layers of Pompeii, Pasajuego, and NOQTE. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of November 11th, 2021 new films include Grab and Run, Moccassins and Modern Native Storytelling Through Performance Poetry Microphones, and Pray. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of October 18th, 2021 new films include Ice Patch Archaeology, Kaddish, The Gallic Pact, and We, the Voyagers: Our Moana. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of October 4th, 2021 new films include Eporedia, Kingdom of Salt: 7000 Years of Hallstatt, and The X-ray Time Machine. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of September 20th, 2021 new films include Old-Fashioned Maroma, The Ghost of the Neolithic, and To Become a Man in the Amazon Jungle. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of September 6th, 202 new films include Comprehending the History: Mysteries of Ancient Kultobe, Sfumato, and The Silk Earrings. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

Heritage Broadcasting Service, or just plain Heritage, launched on January 1, 2021. Developed by the nonprofit Archaeological Legacy Institute (that’s us, the people who created The Archaeology Channel at archaeologychannel.org), Heritage features more than 200 outstanding film titles from many countries on familiar subjects. As of August 16th, 2021 new films include The Last Dance, Forgotten Refuge, and Dune People. Check out these and more, only on Heritage! https://www.heritagetac.org/

The fireworks finale (following a lengthy, wonderful fireworks display) from the 2022 Fourth of July weekend in Iowa City, Iowa following Saturday evening performances at the Iowa City Jazz Festival, July 2, 2022. Filmed from the University of Iowa Pentacrest by Robert R. Cargill.

Dr. Cargill explains that throughout history, women have always had singular control over whether a pregnancy is carried to term...until now.

Dr. Cargill shares his views on speaking out on controversial issues. #shorts

Quincy's first front flip from the high dive. (SPOILER: Epic Fail!) #shorts #bellyflop

Quincy's first front flip from the high dive. (SPOILER: Epic Fail!) #shorts #bellyflop

AGM at the 2022 Scottish Museums Federation conference.

Devon McHugh, Senior Partnerships Manager and Helen Raggett, Senior Resources Manager, Museums Galleries Scotland

Panel Chair: Sheila Asante, Project Manager: Empire, Slavery & Scotland's Museums, Museums Galleries Scotland Panel Members: Corinne Fowler, Mélina Valdelièvre and Lisa Williams

Lily Barnes Curator (Engagement) Flooring the World linoleum project (MA/EFF funded)

Philip Brooks, Trade Union Organiser, Prospect

Presented by Mike Benson, Managing Director, Scottish Crannog Centre

Presented by Dr Laura Noakes, Research Assistant, The Devil's Porridge Museum

This year our Focus is on the Workforce: Health & Wellness in Heritage. The aim of the conference is to bring awareness and support to the sector and to you as individuals. We have some great presenters to discuss topics of health and wellness in the sector; and there are talks, tours and visits planned for attractions in Dunfermline.

We are a charity, registered in Scotland (SC047486), that aims to help advance people’s knowledge, skills and wellbeing, with a focus on history, heritage, and archaeology. Our typical users experience barriers to in-person education, including those with disabilities, limited funds, or from rural communities, and are often people who struggle to access the resources that many take for granted. Find out more at: https://open-past.org/