Good things come in small packagesFebruary always goes by so quickly, and yet I feel like there was a lot of updates in The Archaeologist's Teacup. To celebrate hitting 1000 followers on Instagram in January, I did a giveaway and three lucky winners will soon receive an 'archaeologist's desk' candle from Ashwood Candles (they smell divine!). I also got involved with various other projects, including recording an episode of Weekend Talk by the 'Save Cultural Heritage Group'. It was fun to be a guest for once! I also have a couple of collaboration projects coming up with some non-archaeology related groups, so keep an eye out for updates on that in future newsletters! |
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I'm always happy to collaborate in non-archaeological projects, as long as I believe in the cause. If you have some ideas that you think I could help you with, do feel free to get in touch through the contact form here. |
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I posted this the other day, and wanted to share it here too. In times like these, it's extremely hard to continue with your work as if it still matters. I'm sure that many people have had similar experiences, when you look at what is happening in the world and then try to focus on what you're doing but can't help thinking: "What's the point? What good am I doing?" As an archaeologist, we have to deal with this question regularly even when things are vaguely "normal" in the world, and it can be very hard as times get harder to remember what our answer is. |
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I read a paper recently by Susan Pollock (2016: 'Archaeology and Contemporary Warfare'): "Archaeology... has the potential to be a tool for dialogue and peace... scholars [should]... act as public intellectuals who help to educate themselves and others as self-critical individuals prepared to question established procedures and wisdoms... Archaeologists can and should use their knowledge of people’s ways of life, both past and present, to articulate a political and ethical response to current conditions."
What does this mean in plain language? Well, firstly, it means that archaeology is not just about finding incredible objects and uncovering amazing sites. It's being able to think critically, and understand that there is not just one way of looking at the world. Imagine if everyone engaged with this kind of thinking? It's something that we as archaeologists should be sharing and encouraging, and I try to do that here as much as possible.
Secondly, archaeology is all about the study of human nature. We know what happened when wars broke out in the past. We can see the results of violence and cultural conflicts. It's our job to share this knowledge. Of course, when the person causing the issue is someone who seems unable to listen to reason, there's not much you can do. But if there are enough people willing to argue their case, hopefully a message will at some point break through. I'm not a specialist in this topic, but I know enough to know that we can and should learn from past trauma.
The point I'm making is that we have to remind ourselves there is a reason to what we are doing, and, although the pace is slower, it does help to make the world a better place. |
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PhD projectBring on paper 4! In the 4th paper of my PhD project I will be looking at needles made from bone, antler, and ivory, and trying to determine what kind of materials they were used to sew. I'm currently analysing the traces on my experimental needles, and seeing whether it is indeed possible to see a difference between traces left when sewing different skin types. Watch this space! |
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The EXARC ShowOnly a few more days until the next episode of #FinallyFriday and this month we're talking all about farming. The podcast episode will be released on Friday 4th March - make sure to visit the podcast homepage below for all information on how to listen. | | |
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As well as the monthly #FinallyFriday episodes, we at The EXARC Show have released a new series entitled 'EXARC Extracts' where I provide a short overview of all the articles published in the most recent issue of the EXARC Journal. All issues of the journal are freely available online, but if you don't have time to read through everything and want to know the highlights so you can decide which ones to read in more detail, then EXARC Extracts is the perfect show for you! The first episode was released on February 24th, and you can listen in to it and access the journal through this link here. |
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Lessons LearnedThis month was a tough one for motivation for me, but I started to use more effective goal-setting. Beforehand, I would always set myself a deadline for big goals, and then would inevitably start panicking when I got halfway there and hadn't done nearly as much as I wanted to. This month, I broke down my deadlines into smaller goals. Eg; Instead of "1. finish needles analysis" it was "1. fill in database of experimental needles, 2. find patterns in experimental traces, 3. write list of reference comparison , 4. apply this list to archaeological needles." Easier to complete smaller goals, plus a sense of accomplishment when I know that I can tick off a task. |
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Top TipsHow do you work best? At many educational institutions, there is one suggested way of working, and it is often assumed that this way is the only efficient one available. However, if you find that your productivity or motivation is constantly lagging, perhaps it is because you haven't found your optimum working method yet. For example, I find that I can explain myself much better when speaking rather than writing. Although I do eventually have to produce written content, I therefore first use dictation software to convert my initial thoughts and points from my mouth to the page, where I then edit further. To find your own solution, you might have to think a bit outside the box, but don't be afraid to try it! |
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#TeaDaysAlthough February is the shortest month of the year, it was packed full of TeaDay posts! We looked at the Westray Wifey, Viking twist rings, Roman oil lamps, and tea sieves! It's amazing how little is known about items that are fairly popular or regularly used in the present day, but I hope that you learnt something. We also looked at terms such as deposition, assimilation, material agency, and feature. So much theory! Next month we'll be looking at another Venus figurine and the Antikythera Mechanism, as well the topic of various archaeological dating methods. If you missed the videos, watch them now on The Archaeologist's Teacup Instagram page! | | |
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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! For only 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. If you're interested, you can visit the site and donate through the button below: |
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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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Upcoming Events NASTA 2022 conference (NASTA) The next 'Narrative and Storytelling in Archaeology' conference will be held in May, but the call for papers was announced on Feb 14th. This year's theme is "Breaking the Mould: Smashing the stereotypes of grand archaeological narratives." Zooarchaeology Saves the World (Cardiff Uni) An online conference that is taking place in May, but is now open for submissions. The conference asks, how can the study of long dead animals impact the world around us, and deal with current issues? Virtual film screening: 'One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk' (WAG) This documentary follows the life of respected Inuit elder Noah Piugattuk, who lived traditionally on the land up until his death at the age of 96. He also happens to be the father of Solomon Mikki, who regularly works with us during field seasons in in the Arctic! 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 Tracking breastfeeding and weaning practices in ancient populations (Plos One) A fascinating study using isotope analysis to reconstruct past breastfeeding and weaning practices. The results suggested that babies were weaned anywhere between 3 months and 1.7 years! Shaping Arctic’s Tomorrow through Indigenous Knowledge Engagement and Knowledge Co-Production (Sustainability) A paper on how to approach research with indigenous groups from a decolonising perspective. Next Generation Lab puts past in the hands of its future (Antiquity) A write-up of a study that uses students to look at large and hitherto unstudied urban assemblages of archaeological leather and bone into a learning experience for high school students. If you've read any recent studies that you think deserve to be mentioned, feel free to get in touch! |
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Cool Projects Heritage at Risk storymap exhibit (Society for Historical Archaeology) An incredible online exhibit highlighting case studies on the impact of climate change on archaeological heritage and local communities. Letters to a Young Archaeologist (ArchaeologyUK) A monthly letter posted online by Archaeology UK, where archaeologists give advice, share their experiences, and highlight the joys and pains of a life in archaeology. The World of Stonehenge (British Museum) I can't wait to visit the new exhibition at the British Museum which opened this month, which looks at the context of life in Britain and Europe from 4000-1000BC. 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 MicrowearA few of you correctly guessed the material from last month's microwear challenge: amber! Specifically, this picture shows a side view of a drilled amber beads. This particular piece of amber is partly translucent, which means that you can actually see the outline of the drilled hole though the main body of the bead (the paler cylinder in the centre of the picture). If you look in the top righthand corner of the picture, you can also see the entrance to the hole, and even some striations created by drill bit. What's really great about the translucency of this bead is that you can clearly see the shape of the drilled hole. You might notice that it is not perfectly cylindrical, but it actually what we call biconical - more of an hourglass shape. This shows that the hole was drilled from both sides of the bead. This one shows a nicely aligned hole, but there are also a lot of examples of misalignment too! |
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So now it's time for this month's 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? Do you think that this is a nicely preserved object, or are there some things that you see here which might suggest that we cannot trust exactly what we see? Any ideas, do contact me through the link below! | | |
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