DNA Folding: Paul Rothemund on TED
TAC: Archaeology in High Def
- Bilad Chinqit: The Land of Chinguetti (Mauritania, 59 min) (DVD quality)
- A Forgotten Place: The History of an Abandoned Farming Community (North Carolina, 52 min.) (DVD quality)
- The Greatest Good (United States, 124 min.) (High Definition)
- In Vivid Color: Voices from Shiloh’s Mound (Tennessee, 22 min.) (DVD quality)
- Signs Out of Time: The Story of Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas (Worldwide, 59 min.) (DVD quality)
I chose to take a look at the Marija Gimbutas video, because I've always been fascinated by this controversial and eclectic scholar. To watch the video, you must download and install the VIRCAS software, and to do that you must provide a working email address. The software checks your bandwidth and, based on that, plays a version of whichever video you choose that fits your bandwidth.
The image quality is excellent and the software easy to install and play. And, as an aside, the video was worth the look--it gave a fairly balanced viewpoint of Marija Gimbutas, although as is usually the case in things about Gimbutas, archaeologists wear the black hats. Gimbutas was a grand synthesizer, using 20th century folk traditions to explain deep prehistory. She took a lot of criticism from archaeologists for doing so, for authoritatively stating her understanding of past as The Truth. The goddess notion she developed is a truth, for sure, but is it The Truth? I guess we really have no way of knowing. The video does provide some reasonably favorable comments from archaeologists Colin Renfrew, Ruth Tringham and Margaret Conkey amongst the completely supportive artists, poets and historians whose names I didn't recognize.
All in all, I think this is an interesting experiment, so take a look if you can. I'm not sure how long this experiment will be available--I received the email on September 1, and the program was described as a ten-day trial, so try to get a look in before September 11.
Ometepe Archaeological Project: Field Work in Focus
Volunteers recording a petroglyph site on Lake Nicaragua
Photo Credit: Ometepe Archaeological Project
The 8th season of the Ometepe Archaeological Project is scheduled for January 10 to January 30, 2009. The project involves archaeological field survey on the island of Ometepe, the largest island on Lake Nicaragua, in the central American country of Nicaragua.
Ometepe Island is rich in rock art and the research is focused primarily on the recovery and identification of petroglyphs and associated archaeological sites. To date, the survey has recorded and mapped 95 archaeological sites, and identified and recorded nearly 2,000 boulders with petroglyphs or other cultural modifications.
The project research is supported by the National Museum of Nicaragua, and additional funds are limited. The research is led by archaeologist Suzanne Baker and colleagues, and the crew is made up of volunteers. Volunteers must sign up for at least two weeks; preference will given to those who can stay all three weeks of the project.
Cost: $450/week, which includes food, lodging at the Finca Magdalena, archaeological training and equipment and transportation from Managua, Nicaragua to Ometepe Island and back. Airfare to Managua is not included. See the project website for more information.
Contact: Suzanne Baker at suzannebaker@earthlink.net or Mike Smith at mike@eastbaysanctuary.org
FAQ: I want to study Vikings!
Faithful reader Kyle writes: I've decided, after mulling it over for a bit, to go back to school for a degree, probably a master's, in archaeology. I'm interested in a very specific area of archaeology--the Vikings. But I can't find a program on Vikings in the US. Is this a situation where I would need to study archaeology generally and pursue Vikings independently of my studies? Or are there, in fact, colleges (in the United States) that offer Viking "programs"?
This is a great question, and thanks for asking it.
Learn How the System Works
The first thing is to understand how master's programs work in the United States. Although most of the world does have specialized topic programs at the MA level, in the U.S. and Canada, Master's degrees are 'research', that is to say self-directed. In other words, sure, you can study Vikings, but you are not likely to find a directed "Viking program" to follow.
• Read the article How the Master's Degree Works
Be prepared, though: if you don't have a BA in Anthropology, you are almost certainly going to have to back up a step and get some anthropology training. Archaeology is part of anthropology in the U.S., and I'm afraid most departments are going to insist that you get some background in anthropology before you embark on an archaeology MA.
Find a Viking Specialist
Secondly, you need to speak to someone who actually works in Viking archaeology, to tell you how to go about getting your degree, and how to improve your odds of getting a job when you're done. You should also think about finding someone to work with at the MA level. There are, I should think, Viking specialists in the United States, but they work alone as part of an anthropology department. You might consider finding one and going to work on your degree with him or her.
• Read Find a Specialist
Focus on Your Career
Finally, you need to focus on the end result. Graduate school is a lot of work, and a lot of money, and it's best to focus your energy on making that pay in the future.
• Read What Kind of Career Can I Have?
Hope that helps, and thanks for the question!
Four Stone Hearth #45
Four Stone Hearth: Caves, Graves, and AudioFiles
Clovis Comet Theory at Pecos Conference
The Clovis Comet theory argues that a comet exploding over the Laurentide ice sheet about 12,900 years ago caused--or worsened--the megafaunal extinctions and led to the end of the Clovis big-game hunting lifestyle. This theory was debated at the recent Pecos Conference, a regional archaeology conference held annually in different places in the American southwest.
The videos taken by George Howard during the August 8, 2008 conference , include the slide presentation by Allen West laying out the theory, as well as videos from the extended debate afterward with physicist Mark Boslough, astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker, and geologist John McCone. The videos are in 10-minute pieces but you can also play them as a playlist.
Tantalizingly, some of the discussion has been edited out--the nanodiamonds data, which is currently in press. Fascinating stuff.
- Pecos Conference: Clovis Comet Theory videos on YouTube
- Did an exploding comet end Clovis? background
- Clovis, Black Mats, and Extra-Terrestrials more background
Newgrange Pictures
Camel Domestications
Olmec Bloodletting Spoons and ... Weaving?
. Spoon/perforator with incised Quincunx design, Early-Middle Preclassic periods, 1500-300 BC, Guerrero Olmec culture, incised and drilled greenstone. Photo by Madman2001.
A bloodletting spoon is a type of artifact discovered on many Olmec archaeological sites. Although there is some variety, the spoons generally have a flattened 'tail' or blade, with a thickened end. The thick part has a shallow off-center bowl on one side and a second, smaller bowl on the other side. Spoons usually have a small hole pierced through them, and in Olmec art are often depicted as hanging from people's clothing or ears.
Bloodletting spoons have been recovered from Chalcatzingo, Chacsinkin, and Chichén Itzá; the images are found carved in murals and on stone sculptures at San Lorenzo, Cascajal and Loma del Zapote.
Olmec Spoon Functions
The real function of the Olmec spoon has long been debated. They're called 'bloodletting spoons' because originally scholars believed them to have been for holding blood from auto-sacrifice, the ritual of personal bloodletting. Some scholars still prefer that interpretation, but others have suggested spoons were for holding paints, or for use as snuffing platforms for taking hallucinogens, or even that they were effigies of the Big Dipper constellation. In a recent article in Ancient Mesoamerica, Billie J. A. Follensbee suggests Olmec spoons were part of a hitherto unrecognized tool kit for textile production.
Her argument is in part based on the shape of the tool, which approximates bone weaving battens recognized in several Central American cultures, including some from Olmec sites. Follensbee also identifies several other tools made of elite greenstone or obsidian, such as spindle whorls, picks and plaques, that could have been used in weaving or cord-making techniques.
The answer, if you're looking for one, is that Olmec spoons were probably used for a variety of reasons---but Follensbee's paper makes a compelling argument for weaving to be one of them. It's an interesting paper. Take a look.
Sources and More Information
- Bloodletting, more on the black art
- Where do you wear your paint pot? FAMSI
- Olmec spoons, a bunch of photographs from the Latin American Studies site.
- Textiles
- Cascajal Block
- Olmec Civilization Timeline and Description
- Chichén Itzá
- Follensbee, Billie J. A. 2008 Fiber technology and weaving in formative-period Gulf Coast culture. Ancient Mesoamerica 19:87–110. Added: It turns out that this entire issue from Ancient Mesoamerica is free at the moment, and it contains many articles on weaving and textiles. Yippee!
Vanilla Orchids and the Maya
Vanilla is a spice painstakingly cured from pods of the vanilla orchid, the only edible orchid known (and isn't it a beauty!). Found today only in French Polynesia, its origins have long been recognized in Central America, where the Maya and Aztec civilizations used the vanilla bean for a variety of incense, flavoring and healing purposes.
New Research
The new article, published in the American Journal of Botany, is open source (wahoo!), and the authors used genetics to identify the progenitors of the French Polynesian orchid Vanilla tahitensis as two Central American orchids, V. odorata and V. planiform.
- Origins of Vanilla, more on vanilla origins
- Lubinsky, Pesach, et al. 2008 Neotropical roots of a Polynesian spice: the hybrid origin of Tahitian vanilla, Vanilla tahitensis (Orchidaceae). American Journal of Botany 95:1040-1047. Free download