Tea Leaves

Bring on 2022!

And the most exciting update, which is the creation of this newsletter! Thank you so much for subscribing, and I hope that you enjoy these monthly updates. The upcoming year looks to be a very exciting time for The Archaeologist's Teacup.  There are several new projects in the pipeline, and as I enter the last year of my PhD project I'm thinking more and more about what direction to take in the future. it's a bit of a scary prospect, but also a very exciting one, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you!  

 

In other updates this month, I was fortunate enough to be accepted as part of the team of experts at Past Preservers. This agency aims to bring together specialists in archaeology/heritage with media companies, in order to ensure that the archaeological knowledge portrayed on TV shows and other media is based in facts and expertise. Joining their team is an extremely exciting opportunity and I'm very much looking forward to seeing where it takes me. I'll make sure to keep you updated on any projects that I join! 

 

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will already know this, but for the rest of you I am amazed to say that I have now reached over 1000 followers! I am truly astounded that so many people are interested in hearing what I have to say, but I am so glad that I'm not just talking to myself. A lot of people believe that social media platforms such as Instagram are purely frivolous, and certainly not a platform for the sharing of scientific knowledge. However, I am a very strong believer in the benefits of researchers using accessible and approachable platforms to share what they do with the general public. I wax lyrical about this in great detail on my website, so I won't go on about it too much here. All I will say, is that if you agree with me, then there is an upcoming workshop (featured below) that you might be interested in!

Current Projects

PhD project

This month I finally finished the second version of my paper looking at Tuniit culture art pieces. Hopefully the second review process goes smoothly, because I would really love to be able to share the results and details of this study with you all soon! It also means that I can focus on analysis for the next paper, which looks at experiments with bone, antler, and ivory needles.

The EXARC Show

Next week is the next episode of #FinallyFriday and this month we're talking all about horses in the past! The podcast episode will be released on Friday 4th February - make sure to visit the podcast homepage below for all information on how to listen.  

 
Visit the podcast homepage

Lessons Learned

January is always a difficult month. The hype of Christmas has been and gone, and you feel the guilt of all those jobs that you had put off until the new year. I can't say that I necessarily learnt anything new this month, but this section of the newsletter will be dedicated to sharing my joys, successes, mistakes, and ponderings. Hopefully this will provide some motivation for others, or at least the knowledge that you're not alone!

Top Tips

This month I treated myself to a new tool, which I never knew existed but which I'm so glad popped up in my Facebook adverts. It's called Paperlike, and is a screen protector for iPads which (as the name suggests) creates a paper-like surface. Instead of my Apple pencil sliding across the slippery glass, I can now write notes and edit images and feel as if I were doing it in an actual paper notebook! Would highly recommend.

#TeaDays

January's T-Day posts were packed full of  intriguing objects, including the Phaistos Disc and the Venus of Willendorf, as well as a history of the development of everyday items such as cutlery and candles. We also explained theories and terms such as microwear analysis, culture, chronology, and provenance / provenience.

 

Next month we'll be looking at more Venus figurines, as well as Viking rings and Roman lamps, and will consider terms such as Middle Range Theory and features.

 

If you missed the videos, watch them now on The Archaeologist's Teacup Instagram page!

 
Watch on Instagram

It makes me so happy that people are enjoying the #TeaDay posts so much, and my aim is to continue to make them for as long as I can. I believe one of the reasons for their success is that I am able to physically show people the objects that I am talking about, as I am lucky enough to own several replicas that I either made myself or purchased from small businesses. However, as the videos have increased in popularity and my list of future featured objects has grown longer, I have realised that I cannot afford to collect the amount of replicas required.

 

I was talking about this with a friend and lamenting the fact that I might not be able to make future videos as effectively, when she suggested Patreon.  Through this website, you can support your favourite creators in various different tiers of monetary value. I only have one tier at the moment, so for just 1€ a month, you can help me to purchase the materials I need to create fun content that communicates my message as effectively as possible. There is absolutely no pressure to donate! I was very reluctant to ask people for money, but as was pointed out to me, it's not obligatory and some might want to help out with more than sharing and liking. So just in case you want to support The Archaeologist's Teacup from a more financial standing, you can visit the site and donate through the button below:

Visit my Patreon

Upcoming Events

 

Digging Archaeology through Social Media (hosted by me!) A free online workshop coming up in April, looking at the use of social media in the dissemination of archaeological knowledge.

 

I will prepare more upcoming events for the next newsletter, once I've had time to look through all the latest  announcements. If you have an upcoming conference or other event and would like to feature it here, contact me and I'd be happy to share the news! 

 

New Olds

 

The Dig: Archaeology in the Public Eye feature (SAA Archaeological Record)

A collection of articles looking at how archaeology is depicted in popular media, and the implications for the discipline.

 

The mirror, the magus and more: reflections on John Dee's obsidian mirror (Antiquity)

A new geochemical analysis of an iconic object from the Aztec Culture, throwing new light on world views and ideologies at that time. 

 

There will be more examples in future newsletters. Here is just a taster! If you've read any interesting studies that you think deserve to be mentioned, feel free to get in touch!

Cool Projects

 

Putting Life into Neolithic Houses (EXARC and Leiden University) Not just a Neolithic house reconstruction, but a 4-year project looking at every aspect of life in the Neolithic through experimental archaeology. 

 

Great British Dig (Channel 4 UK) The second season of this TV show looking at the archaeology hiding in British back gardens is now underway! 

 

Again, just a short overview this time - more will be featured in future newsletters. If you have a fascinating project and want to be featured, let me know and I'd be happy to share it here!

Monthly Microwear

It's time to introduce a monthly challenge, to see how much you know about microwear. Look at the image on the right - and I mean really look - and tell me what you think you see. (What object is it? What material? What part of the object? What kind of traces do you see? What could these traces tell us?) The answer will be given next month.

 

As this is the first of these challenges, I'm not expecting perfect answers so don't be afraid to let your imagination run wild! Send me your answers using the contact form linked below:

 
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