We're gonna need a bigger screen...It's finally happening - the extensions are being built and The Archaeologist's Teacup is expanding! This newsletter includes a lot of exciting announcements of finalised plans that have either been released already or are coming out soon. I've always wanted to try new things with this project, and now that it's become a bit more established on social media and I've built up this wonderful community, I thought it was time to add some new things. Probably not the best timing seeing as I'm now entering the final stages of my PhD... but sometimes you just have to seize the day! |
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I always love contributing to other projects too, and this month I joined as a guest on the 'HistClub' series from Travelusion Tours on Instagram (check out the full video on Instagram to hear me ramble about the ethics of archaeology and the different ways that it can be relevant in the modern day). 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 final paper is now being written, which means that soon I will need to write the intro and conclusion chapters of the PhD thesis. I am doing an articles-based PhD, which means that my final thesis will consist of four peer-reviewed, academically published articles linked by the theme of the overall project, which are then bookmarked by the intro and conclusion chapters. Getting there! |
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The EXARC ShowThe next episode of #FinallyFriday will be released this Friday 3rd June. A very cool subject for the episode this month: ancient tattooing! Make sure to visit the podcast homepage below for all information on how to listen. | | |
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In a few weeks you will be able to listen to the next episode of EXARC Extracts, where I give a summary of the reviewed articles in the latest edition of the EXARC Journal - freely available online. You can access the new episode, as well as the pilot episode and the online journal, by following this link here. |
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Tea-break Time-travelComing soon! I am extremely excited to announce that there will soon be a brand new podcast series featured on the Archaeology Podcast Network called 'Tea-break Time Travel', and hosted by me! In each hour-long episode, I will journey back into our past to focus on a particular object, object type, or past technology, joined by an expert guest speaker. The details and release date are still being finalised, so watch this space for more information in the next few months! |
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Lessons LearnedI'm one of these people who always has about 100 things going on at once (as you've probably noticed). Luckily I have managed to avoid a proper burnout so far, but I've learned this month that it's still healthy to take a nice long break even if you don't "need" one. Allowing yourself a proper holiday is very different from taking the occasional day off, as it is completely guilt free. So apologies to those receiving my automatic "out of office". I'll be back next week! |
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Top TipsAre you interested in reading archaeological research papers but have no idea how to find them? I would highly recommend trying out Google Scholar, which is a search engine page designed specifically for academic research articles. Just type in some keywords of the topic you're interested in and you will get a list of links. Unfortunately not all of them will be accessible but there are a surprisingly large amount with pdf or doc links. Happy reading! |
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#TeaDaysI think the most popular reel this month was probably one of the most famous mystery objects - the Roman Dodecahedra. We also looked at amber beads and a helmet from a ship burial that may or may not have belonged to an Anglo Saxon king. We also considered some of the deeper theoretical concepts in archaeology, such as processualism and post-processualism. I also took a break for a few weeks for a much-needed holiday, but it will be business as usual after this week! If you missed the reels, they are up on Instagram and are also available to watch on my YouTube channel (see below!). | | |
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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 ChannelIt has been brought to my attention several times over the last few months that you can only watch the #TeaDay posts if you have an Instagram or Facebook account, and of course not everybody does these days. For that reason, I have decided to start a YouTube channel, which includes back catalogue of the #TeaDay videos. | | |
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As well as the #TeaDay reels, I have also started uploading some longer projects which will be part of a series I have dubbed "Pasts and Crafts". The first of these videos is up - looking at the manufacturing processes, theories, and fun facts around prehistoric amber beads - and I'm going to try and upload one every month so please do subscribe to get notifications of this exciting new series! |
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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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Belize KULCHA Symposium (Heritage Education Network Belize) This international symposium on 'Keeping up with Language, Heritage, and the Arts' is not until October, but abstracts are due June 6th. Discovering Collections, Discovering Communities (DCDC22) Early bird tickets for this online event close on June 8th. The event looks at how digital innovation is transforming the cultural heritage and academic sectors and their relationship with their audiences, and will take place in mid July. Childhood in the Past Conference (SSCIP) The annual conference for the Society of the Study of Children in the Past will be taking place in November, but the call for abstracts is now open. This year's theme: "Valuing Children: Past and present" 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 How do Archaeologists write about Racism? (Antiquity) Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this study conducts a computational text analysis of 41 years of Society of American Archaeology annual abstracts. Impossible choices at the crossroads of Motherhood and Fieldwork (Sapiens) Two anthropologists who’ve conducted fieldwork while being pregnant or new moms bravely share their personal experiences and call for family-friendly work cultures that align with human evolution. When TikTok discovered the Human Remains Trade (Open Archaeology) Following up on a similar case study featuring Instagram videos, this case study compares the "success" of accounts with the moral dilemmas associated with their content. 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 Tattoos using different Pre-modern tools (EXARC) The guests on next month's #FinallyFriday podcast episode are members of the research team doing experiments on how people might have been tattooing in the past. Very cool! Open Access PhD Thesis (Quarto Pub) PhD student Bjørn Peare Bartholdy has decided to publish his PhD thesis in real time using this fantastic platform. A really great example of Open Science! Palaeo Pixels (DigVentures) An ongoing project run by UK-based ''DigVentures'' which aims to inspire younger generations to explore archaeological data, while also considering the effects of climate change in the past and present. 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 MicrowearThis is an ivory archaeological object - the stem of a so-called 'spatula' - from around 3000 years ago. Considering how old it is, the state of preservation is absolutely amazing! This is because it comes from the Arctic, and so the frozen ground has preserved it nicely. The scale bar shows that this picture is not likely to show usewear traces, but you can see clear traces of manufacture. Firstly, the main 'body' of the spatula has been shaped into clear facets, most likely using a scraping technique, as the striations that you see are more regular, unlike the irregularity that you often get with grinding. |
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What I also really like in this picture are the two different grooves that have been carved into the surface, apparently using different tools. If you imagine looking at a cross section of the cut, the one running parallel to the body is more V-shaped, whereas the one running perpendicular has a flat bottom. This reflects the shape of the tools that were used to cut them. You can also see that the parallel groove was made first, as the perpendicular groove cuts into it and overlays it. |
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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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