Too few days of summer...Where has the year gone?! I can't believe that we are already halfway through 2022. The last month has whizzed by ridiculously quickly, which is both thrilling and scary as I near the end of my PhD journey... The most exciting news from this month is the release of my brand new podcast series (see below for details), but of course there are also PhD and EXARC Show updates, upcoming events, new olds, and cool projects, and of course the monthly microwear challenge. If anyone has any requests or suggestions for other sections that I can add to this newsletter, do let me know! |
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Those of you who know me solely through my work on The Archaeologist's Teacup might not be aware that I'm also involved with a few other accounts. For example, alongside my PhD work at the University of Groningen I also run the Instagram account for the university Arctic Centre, and I have some exciting work coming up with the university Open Science Community. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, or just want some feedback or advice on how to promote your idea, feel free to get in touch via the contact form on my website! |
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PhD projectThe first (very very rough) draft of the final article for my PhD is being written! Of course, this is not at all the final step, and it still needs to be checked by my co-authors, polished up into a final draft, checked again, submitted to a journal, reviewed by the editor, reviewed by reviewers, edited in response to comments, maybe reviewed again, edited again, polished for style, and then just maybe it will be published and done! |
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Tea-break Time TravelI am extremely excited to announce that I am hosting a brand new podcast series on the Archaeology Podcast Network called "Tea-break Time Travel"! In each hour-long episode, I journey back into our past to focus on a particular object, object type, or past technology, joined by an expert guest speaker. Episodes will be released on the fourth Tuesday on the month, with the first two episodes already released this week. Please do subscribe on whichever podcasting platform you listen to and let me know what you think! | | |
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The EXARC ShowThe next episode of #FinallyFriday will be released tomorrow on Friday 1st July. To celebrate the European Archaeology Days and the twentieth episode of this podcast series, this episode was recorded live on our social media platforms, and had a really great discussion about the topics covered so far and the general subject of archeaology. Make sure to visit the podcast homepage to listen in: |
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InstagramThe Instagram account reached 2000 followers this month, which I am so excited about! I am so honoured that so many people are interested in my content, and I think that the reels are still the most popular posts that I make. This month we looked at objects inspired by my recent visit to the British Museum exhibition "the World of Stonehenge", such as the Knowth Macehead and the Shropshire Sun Pendant. Next month we're going to be venturing further afield and looking at objects such as Cuneiform tablets and the Venus of Brassempouy. | | |
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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. If you would like to help me make sure that I can continue to communicate as effectively as possible in this way, you can help to sponsor The Archaeologist's Teacup by contributing to the costs of replicas through Patreon! From as little as 1€ a month, you can already make a huge difference. Replicas will be bought from small businesses wherever possible, and patrons can also suggest which replicas should be featured in upcoming videos, as well as getting a special shout-out in every production, and exciting Archaeologist's Teacup swag! If you're interested in becoming a sponsor and ensuring the endurance of productions from The Archaeologist's Teacup, you can visit the site and donate through the button below: |
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YouTube ChannelIf you don't have Instagram but still want to watch the reels, you can now watch them all on my YouTube channel! In the next week or so I will be working on episode two of "Pasts and Crafts", where I take a bit more time to look at the manufacturing process, theories, and fun facts around prehistoric bone needles and sewing technology. Make sure to subscribe to the channel to stay up to date with new episodes and other uploads! | | |
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Lessons LearnedThis month I learned to be selfish. Doesn't sound positive but trust me it is! One of my biggest issues is that I take a lot of responsibility for helping others. I take pride in this, and most of the time I'm very happy to do it, and am glad that my skills or tasks are enabling someone else to achieve their own goals. However, sometimes the drain on my own energy or positivity starts to outweigh the joy that I gain from the experience. Before, I would feel guilty for stepping down or backing out. But now I have accepted that in most cases, it should not just be my sole responsibility, and sometimes I need to value my own wellbeing over that of other people. |
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Top TipsAre you keen to start your own podcast? Firstly, if you have a great idea for an archaeology-related show, I would definitely recommend getting in contact with the lovely team at the Archaeology Podcast Network. But if you fancy trying it out on your own, it's pretty simple. All you need is a good quality microphone and a good recording platform. I would recommend Zencastr, which creates a localised recording from the speaker's computer, which prevents any audio issues based on network connections etc. You can subscribe to a more flexible profile, but they also have a great free profile that still gives you lots of opportunities and possibilities. |
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Below are some upcoming events, recently published archaeological studies, and exciting new projects that I think deserve to be highlighted this month. You can see the full details and access the complete articles through the links in blue. As always, if you have any events, studies, or projects that you think should be featured in next month's newsletter, do let me know! |
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The World of Stonehenge (British Museum) This internationally renowned exhibition looking at the context of Stonehenge will end on July 17th. The exhibition catalogue is also available to purchase through the museum website. Digital Humanities conference (ADHO) This year the conference (fully online) will focus on Asian diversity in the digital humanities, showcasing the breadth of research throughout this region. July 24th-29th. Festival of Archaeology (Council for British Archaeology) Running from July 16th -31st, this nationwide festival incorporates hundreds of in-person and virtual events on the theme of 'journeys'. If you have an upcoming event and would like to feature it here, contact me and I'd be happy to share the news! |
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New Olds In a nutshell (Journal of Archaeological Science) A mixture of experimental archaeology, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate hazelnut shells found at Mesolithic sites in Scotland. Gender Stereotypes in Archaeology (Sidestone) Not a new publication, but a really great free resource on a fascinating subject. Several authors contribute short essays on the typical gender stereotypes made in archaeology, and why they are inaccurate. Archaeology sits in places (Journal of Anthropological Archaeology) A review of how archaeologists view place, and how this view has developed from Binford's articles focusing on place in indigenous archaeology. If you've read any interesting studies that you think deserve to be mentioned, feel free to get in touch! |
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Cool Projects Lost Heritage Atlas (Lost Heritage Atlas) This constantly updated initiative is dedicated to collecting the history and memory of sites that have been completely destroyed. Polar expedition (SEES) A scientific expedition to the Arctic (run by the Arctic Centre where I work!). If you're interested in what kinds of projects are taking place, check out the website through the link or subscribe to the newsletter. Potted History (YouTube) A really informative and interesting YouTube channel sharing the history and techniques of pottery making. If you have a fascinating project and want to be featured, let me know and I'd be happy to share it here! |
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Monthly MicrowearLast month's microwear challenge was a tricky one! It's a high level of magnification again, as you can see from the scale bar, which means that what we're looking at here is usewear (rather than only traces of manufacture). The object being analysed is an experimental harpoon head, used to harpoon a seal carcass for approximately 100 thrusts (for full details of these experiments, you can read the final study here). The results of the experiments showed that very little usewear is created on a harpoon head in this situation, but here you can see the very greasy polish created on the surface from contact with the seal carcass. |
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Ready for another challenge? Have a look at the picture here, and tell me what you see. Again, what material do you think it is? Can you see any traces which might show how it was made or used? What object type could it be? Any ideas, contact me through the link below! | | |
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