Monday July 26, 2010
Most of the archaeological sites owned by national governments have undergone some level of restoration. We don't call 'em ruins for nothin', as one colleague put it. Governments prefer to keep their ruins safe for people to visit, and, sometimes they attempt to reconstruct the fallen buildings so that people can get a taste of what the buildings looked like when they were in use.
Reconstructed Palace of Knossos. Photo by Kim Steele / Getty Images
Site restoration is difficult at best. Some of the earliest attempts, for example at Teotihuacan's Sun Pyramid and the "Palace of King Minos" at Knossos, were based on faulty understanding of the archaeological record, and don't represent any past reality. In addition, an ill-judged restoration effort can actually destroy archaeological evidence. Modern restorations balance the issues of public safety, site integrity, preservation, and honesty, so that the visitor is aware that the ruins have been rebuilt.
In the article Archaeological Conservation and Historic Architecture, Marc LeFrançois, Architectural Conservator for the Salinas National Monument, discusses his recent reconstruction of a small kiva on the grounds of Gran Quivira. An accompanying photo essay shows how progress was made.
Restoration in Progress at Kiva F, Gran Quivira. Photo by Marc LeFrancois, photographer
Gran Quivira is one of three ancient adobe brick villages called pueblos, located in the Salinas Pueblo National Monument of New Mexico. First built about 1300 AD, Gran Quivira was the home of the people called Las Humanas by the Spanish who arrived in the 16th century and built a mission there.
Site Restorations at Gran Quivira
Friday July 23, 2010
There's a terrific video on TED this week from science journalist Matt Ridley, whose recent book
The Rational Optimist is making some waves among the community. Ridley's video "When Ideas Have Sex" argues that the one human trait that really separates us from our fellow beings on the planet, is trade and exchange--the ability to combine ideas and specialize. It's an interesting idea, and the video worth watching, as Ridley compares Paleolithic technology with 21st century technology, and discusses
Ortvale Klde while he's at it.
Wednesday July 21, 2010
Stephanie Garcia, writing in the Garcias2Chile blog, took a trip this month to Chile's Painted Hills and came back with some great photos of the ancient geoglyphs in the Atacama Desert.
The Atacama Giant: Geoglyph of Cerro Unita, Pozo Almonte, Chile. Photo by Luis Briones (c) 2006
Geoglyphs are what archaeologists call art carved or painted or otherwise drawn into the landscape. The geoglyphs in the Atacama desert of Chile are not the most famous in the world--that would probably be the Nazca lines--but they are among the most numerous, as more than 5,000 of them have been recorded over the past 30 years. Stephanie's images set the glyphs into the landscape, as my one image of the Giant does not. Thanks Stephanie!
Monday July 19, 2010
Public archaeology, also called community archaeology in some places, is the passing along of information discovered in academic archaeology to people outside of the profession, whether that information is passed along via the Internet, or books, television programs, lectures, pamphlets, museum displays, archaeology fairs, or by opening up excavations to the public.
Public Archaeology Table, Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. Photo by David R. Cohen
Many scholars are reluctant to participate in public archaeology, perhaps because it takes away time from their research, or because they are uncomfortable in public venues, or because they can't resolve the many ethical dilemmas that accompany making culturally sensitive data public.
The new article Public Archaeology describes many of these ethical issues, particularly those concerning preservation of archaeological sites, and the privacy of descendants of the people studied. Practicing public archaeology is complicated, and I for one greatly appreciate those scholars who do dedicate some of their research time to explaining what it is they do and what they have learned to the rest of us. Without their input into these pages, this public archaeology venue would be much poorer.
