Field Methods in Rock Art (May 11-29, 2009)

SHUMLA (Studying Human Use of Materials, Land & Art) and Texas State University are once again offering "Field methods in Rock Art." This three-week course gives students the opportunity to earn 3-6 hours of undergraduate -- or three hours of graduate-level credit while studying with one of the leading rock art researchers in the world.

Taught at the SHUMLA campus, located 50 miles west of Del Rio, Texas, the Lower Pecos River region is the home of hundreds of rock shelters, many of which contain some of the finest examples of prehistoric rock art in the world, dating to over 4,000 years old.

Field methods are the foundation of the science of archaeology. Rock art has posed a unique challenge to the field archaeologists because, unlike other artifacts, it cannot be excavated, labeled, bagged, and transported back to the lab for analysis. This course examines rock art as an integral component of the archaeological record. Students are trained in field methods gaining first-hand experience recording rock art sites using photography, field sketches, mapping, and written inventories. These techniques are designed to generate a visual and written description of the art, which can be used to infer and explain past human behavior.

Daily lectures introduce students to methods of interpretation and analysis and to the theoretical principles underlying cognitive archaeology. These discussions are provided by the course instructors and by archaeologists and anthropologists specializing in the archaeology of the Lower Pecos, hunting and gathering lifeways, expressive culture, and forging adaptations.

Course objectives:
Learn how to establish a field research design and field data collection protocols. Students learn field methods for recording rock art, including slide and digital photography, mapping, sketching, and written inventories.

Learn laboratory procedures, record-keeping, cataloging, and records curation for rock art data.

Learn how to analyze rock art data in order to formulate and test hypotheses.

Compare and contrast current theories regarding the meaning and function of the Lower Pecos rock art.

Become familiar with the foraging adaptation, hunter-gatherer belief systems, and the archaeology of the Lower Pecos River region.

Prepare a detailed field journal for future reference and research ideas.

Scholarships are available.
For more information, check the SHUMLA Web site
or read about past field schools at the Field School Blog

Egyptology News

One of my favorite blog directories, Alltop.com, now covers Egyptology news, and blogs. You can find current news about new discoveries, papyrology, and Egyptian monuments and pyramids.


Alltop - Top Egyptology News

Univ. of North Dakota 2009 Archaeological Field School

The Department of Anthropology, University of North Dakota, invites students to attend its Archaeological Field School in May and June, 2009. The 6-week course is being offered in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the USDI Bureau of Reclamation. The first 2-3 weeks of the field school will involve survey work at the Elkhorn/Ebert Ranch in the western North Dakota Badlands, where Theodore Roosevelt had a cattle operation in the 1880s. One week will be spent mapping the remains of the Elkhorn Ranch headquarters. The final 2-3 weeks will be spent conducting test excavations at multiple prehistoric sites at Shadehill Reservoir, SD.

Field school students will learn standard archeological field techniques, such as proper excavation methods, record keeping, site mapping via digital means (GPS, total station) and by paper, profiling and soil descriptions, photography, and so on. Students will receive up to six semester hours of undergraduate credit in Anthropology 380, Field Techniques in Archeology (one credit hour per week of participation). The application deadline is April 17, 2009. Enrollment is limited so please apply early.

If funds are available, field school students will be paid minimum hourly wages as student interns while working on the field school. This allows students to earn some income while getting first-hand experience in field archeology and earning valuable university credits. Basic living expenses (room and board) will be provided from field school project funds, and not from student fees.

UND Anthropology Research anticipates a busy schedule of archeological fieldwork this summer after the field school is over. There is a distinct possibility that we will be able to hire students to work as professionals on various field research projects during the rest of the summer.

Please see our website for additional information:

http://www.und.edu/dept/undar/fieldschool/fieldschool.html

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,
Mike Jackson
------------------------------

--------
Michael A. Jackson, M.A.
Associate Research Archeologist

Anthropology Research
University of North Dakota
Babcock Hall Room 301
236 Centennial Drive Stop 7094
Grand Forks ND 58202-7094

701-777-4081 (phone)
701-777-2435 (fax)
701-740-1621 (cell)
michael_jackson@und.nodak.edu
www.und.edu/dept/undar