ArchaeoCafé

In this episode, I talk with Maddy McAllister about her research in maritime archaeology, underwater archaeology in general, and her work as a senior curator at the Museum of Tropical Queensland.

About Maddy McAllister

Dr. McAllister's research as a maritime archaeologist focuses on shipwrecks and underwater archaeology in Australasia, in particular wooden ship construction and site formation processes. Her research involves the visualisation of underwater shipwrecks through the use of underwater 3D photogrammetry and looks at the way that new technology can enhance the information can be learned from sites. Based at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, she is the Senior Curator of Maritime Archaeology at the Queensland Museum Network and at James Cook University, where she manages the maritime archaeological collection. Dr. McAllister is also Vice President of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology.

Web:
https://shipwreckmermaid.wixsite.com/home
https://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Research/People/People/Profile/M/Dr+Maddy+McAllister#.Xoc1p4hKjMU
https://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/madeline.mcallister/
https://queenslandmuseum.academia.edu/MadelineMcAllister
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Madeline_Mcallister2
https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=GpLfl8sAAAAJ
https://twitter.com/shipwrekmermaid
https://www.instagram.com/shipwreckmermaid/

Some useful terminology and links

Maritime archaeology
a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_archaeology

Underwater archaeology
archaeology practiced underwater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_archaeology

Shipwreck Mermaid [blog]
https://shipwreckmermaid.wixsite.com/home

Museum of Tropical Queensland
https://mtq.qm.qld.gov.au/

Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology
http://www.aima-underwater.org.au/

Underwater Cultural Heritage
UNESCO website
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/underwater-cultural-heritage/

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In this episode, I talk with Lewis Borck about his research on the Gallina culture and the Ancestral Puebloans in general, as well as Puebloan Rebels of the Southwest field project.

About Lewis Borck

Dr. Borck is a researcher at the Missouri University Research Reactor in the archaeometry group. His research focuses on examining how social movements shaped religion and politics through time. He is interested in combining theories on decentralized social organization with standard archaeological, historical, and anthropological theories of historical change, and has applied these theoretical and methodological interests to the Gallina region of the prehispanic North American Southwest to understand issues of violence as well as resistance to the increasingly hierarchical religious and political situation in the late Chaco landscape and throughout the Mesa Verde region. He runs the Puebloan Rebels of the Southwest field project and field school. In August, Dr. Borck will start work as a professor at the New Mexico Highlands University.

Web:

https://missouri.academia.edu/LewisBorck

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lewis_Borck/research

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lqfHoeMAAAAJ

https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/team/lewis-borck/

https://lewisborck.wordpress.com/

Some useful terminology and links

Puebloan Rebels of the Southwest project

This project explores the Gallina culture. It project seeks to examine differential expressions of political and social organization in the North American Southwest by exploring divergent architectural patterns at a regional scale.

https://ifrglobal.org/program/us-nm-gallina/

Gallina

a group of Ancestral Pueblo rebels during the pre-Hispanic period in the American Southwest who resisted elites and inequality from A.D. 1100-1300.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallina

Chaco Canyon

Between AD 900 and 1150, Chaco Canyon was a major center of culture for the Ancestral Puebloans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaco_Culture_National_Historical_Park

Ancestral Puebloans

An ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States. They lived in a range of structures that included small family pit houses, larger structures to house clans, grand pueblos, and cliff-sited dwellings for defense. They possessed a complex network that stretched across the Colorado Plateau linking hundreds of communities and population centers. They held a distinct knowledge of celestial sciences that found form in their architecture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestral_Puebloans

[Article] A brave new world for archaeological survey: Automated machine learning-based potsherd detection using high-resolution drone imagery

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2019.105013

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Anchor: https://anchor.fm/archaeocafe

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In this episode, I talk with Todd Kristensen about his work on the Alberta Lithic Reference Project, his research in northern Canada, and about popularising history and heritage through art in the Heritage Art Series.

About Todd Kristensen

Dr. Kristensen works for the Archaeological Survey of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. His research looks at the relations between people and landscapes in Western Canada. He also started the Alberta Lithic Reference Project and the Heritage Art Series.

Web:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Todd_Kristensen 

https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=UWX83rEAAAAJ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-kristensen-8b03a9109/ 

Some useful terminology and links

lithics
A term used in archaeology to refer to stone artefacts and the raw materials used to produce them.

Alberta Lithic Reference Project
The goal of the Alberta Lithic Reference Project (ALRP) is to guide the creation of articles and photographic libraries that will form the basis for a stand-alone Alberta toolstone guide.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420924451253798/
https://albertashistoricplaces.com/2017/05/31/connecting-the-continent-stone-tools-in-alberta/

Heritage Art Series
The Heritage Art Series is a collaboration of the Historic Resources Management Branch, the University of Alberta, and the Royal Alberta Museum. Each artwork shares an important story about the people of Alberta.
https://albertashistoricplaces.com/heritage-art-series/

Archaeological Survey of Alberta
An government institution which evaluates proposed development projects, administers archaeological permits, and manages site information for the province of Alberta (Canada). It also conducts research and works with communities and other stakeholders to increase awareness of archaeology in Alberta and to protect significant sites.
https://www.alberta.ca/archaeology.aspx 

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Blog: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeoblog/

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Anchor: https://anchor.fm/archaeocafe

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In this episode, I talk with Emma Pomeroy about her work as a palaeoanthropologist and the current excavation project at Shanidar Cave. We also discuss some of Dr. Pomeroy's research interests and some of her other projects. 

Episode notes

http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeocafe-podcast-episode-4-return-to-shanidar-an-interview-with-emma-pomeroy/

About Emma Pomeroy

Dr. Pomeroy is a lecturer in the evolution of health, diet and disease at the Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University where she combines human bioarchaeology with human biology and palaeoanthropology. Since 2016 she has been the paleoanthropologist at the current excavations at Shanidar Cave.

Web:

https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-emma-pomeroy

https://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/person/dr-emma-pomeroy/

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yOBghKoAAAAJ

https://cambridge.academia.edu/EmmaPomeroy

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emma_Pomeroy

 

Some useful terminology and links

Shanidar Cave
an archaeological site located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The site was first excavated by Ralph Solecki in the 1950s. It is most well known for the Neanderthal burials found here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanidar_Cave

Neanderthal
an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal

 

In the news

Newly discovered Neanderthal remains from Shanidar Cave, Iraqi Kurdistan, and their attribution to Shanidar 5
(Journal of Human Evolution)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.07.001

New Neanderthal remains associated with the ‘flower burial’ at Shanidar Cave
(Antiquity)
https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2019.207

The Skeletons of Shanidar Cave
(Smithsonian Magazine)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-skeletons-of-shanidar-cave-7028477/

Earliest interbreeding event between ancient human populations discovered
(Science News)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200220141232.htm

History of our evolution in a new light
https://www.mpg.de/11180454/project_humanhistory

  

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Blog: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/archaeoblog/

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Anchor: https://anchor.fm/archaeocafe

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In this episode, I talk with Amiel Abir, an experimental and experiential archaeologist in Jerusalem, Israel whose particular interest is the Neolithic period of the Levant.

Some useful terminology and links

Living history
an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_history

Experimental archaeology 
a field of study which attempts to generate and test archaeological hypotheses, usually by replicating or approximating the feasibility of ancient cultures performing various tasks or feats
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_archaeology
For more about experimental archaeology, visit the EXARC website.
https://exarc.net/

adze / adz
a cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adze

halfting
a process by which an artefact, often bone, metal, or stone is attached to a haft (handle or strap)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafting

To learn more about Amiel's work, have a look at his instructional videos.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLZVcn0MNXBwn4PPX2VA2uA/videos

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In this episode, I talk with Mariuca Vornicu about her work in revealing ancient lifestyles through the analysis of stone tools. We also discuss how archaeology and prehistory are portrayed in movies and in the news. 

About Mariuca Vornicu 

Dr. Vornicu is a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy in Iasi, Romania. She is an archaeologist specialising in the lithic industries of post-Palaeolithic societies of south-eastern Europe. Her current research focuses on assessing the transformations of knapped stone technology throughout the Chalcolithic, in relation with the social and economic context of the time. 

Web: 

http://www.arheo.ro/cercetator-stiintific-dr-diana-mariuca-vornicu/ 

https://arheo.academia.edu/DianaMariucaVornicu 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diana-Vornicu 

Some useful terminology and links 

use-wear analysis 

a method in archaeology to identify the functions of artefact tools by closely examining their working surfaces and edges 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use-wear_analysis 

scraper 

a single sided tool thought to have been used for hide-working and woodworking (by scraping the surface) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scraper_(archaeology) 

awl 

a small pointed tool used for piercing holes, especially in leather. 

adornments 

things which decorate; ornaments 

kit 

a set of articles or equipment needed for a specific purpose. 

prestige goods 

exchange goods to which a society ascribes high status or value 

Chalcolithic 

the "Copper Age". A cultural period at the end of the Stone Age when people had the technology to produce copper. Some researchers consider it a part of the Neolithic, while others consider it an intermediary age between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcolithic 

Ötzi (Oetzi) 

A Chalcolithic man who was frozen in the Alps between Austria and Italy. In 1991, his body was discovered. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi 

AO The Last Neanderthal / AO, le dernier néandertal 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4I2xnIiq94 

Alpha 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIxnTi4GmCo 

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Anchor: https://anchor.fm/archaeocafe

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In this episode, I discuss public archaeology with guests Mariuca Vornicu, Robyn Humphreys, and Angelica Ruggeri. In our discussion we consider some of the following questions.

• What does the term 'public archaeology' refer to?
• Why should the public be informed about what we do as archaeologists?
• Should there be limits on what is accessible to the public? (Should some information be kept from the public?)
• How we can keep the public informed and involved?
• What are some current problems to overcome?
• How is public archaeology changing? 

We also look a bit at how public involvement and access to archaeological research varies in different countries, and how it has changed over time.

Guest speakers: 

Mariuca Vornicu
Mariuca Vornicu is a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy in Iasi, Romania. She is an archaeologist specialising in the lithic industries of post-Palaeolithic societies of south-eastern Europe. Her current research focuses on assessing the transformations of knapped stone technology throughout the Chalcolithic, in relation with the social and economic context of the time. Her interest in public archaeology comes from believing that the history of mankind is not a matter restricted to the knowledge of the specialists, and considers that a public well informed about the past of the human communities will be more aware of the problems regarding heritage conservation and may actively contribute to its safeguarding.

Web:
http://www.arheo.ro/cercetator-stiintific-dr-diana-mariuca-vornicu/
https://arheo.academia.edu/DianaMariucaVornicu
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diana-Vornicu 

Robyn Humphreys 

Robyn is a PhD candidate in the Archaeology Department at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her PhD is titled ‘An engaged critical archaeology in contemporary South Africa, archaeological practice and research with human remains’. Her research focuses on how archaeologists and biological anthropologists can better engage with important stakeholders regarding the management of and research on human remains from archaeological sites. She holds a BSc (Med) Hons in Human Genetics and an MSc in Archaeology, also from the University of Cape Town.

Web:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robyn_Humphreys

Angelica Ruggeri 

Angelica is researching palaeopathology and non-metric characteristics of bones at the University of Bologna in Italy. She is interested in the use of new media to share archaeological research results with the general public.

Episode host: 

Otis Crandell 

Otis is a researcher at the Centre for Archaeological Study and Research at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil. He is currently investigating prehistoric settlement patterns. His previous work has looked at prehistoric trade and raw material procurement in south-eastern Eruope. He works to promote free open access publishing in academia, and organises public talks and training events related to archaeology and prehistory.

Web:
https://ufpr.academia.edu/crandell

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The ArchaeoCafé podcast presents news, interviews, and discussions about archaeology today. 

Links:

Homepage: http://archaeocafe.kvasirpublishing.com/

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