One use of Drones in archaeology

Hmong Girls climbing on one of the jars at Site 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a short but interesting video of 100 sites of the Plains of Jars in Laos. The jars are associated with burial sites, and the drone allows one to see the overall countryside in relationship to the sites.
http://ow.ly/VnMI6

Ancient Paquime and the Casas Grande World - Book Review

K. Kris Hirst has done an excellent job reviewing Ancient Paquime and the Casas Grande World, so I will just add that Paquime is in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, and can be visited today. The book covers the 40 years of research that has been done since Charles di Peso's ground-breaking work was published.

Minnis Paul E., and Whalen Michael E., editors. 2015. Ancient Paquime and the Casas Grande World.  Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. ISBN-13 978-0-8165-3131-8 (acid free paper). Amerind Studies in Anthropology, John A. Ware, series editor. 208 pages, foreword, 9 chapters, bibliography, contributor biographies and an index.

Great Dismal Swamp Archaeological Field School, May 13- June 17th

American University and the Department of Anthropology are pleased to invite students to participate in the 6th Great Dismal Swamp Archaeology Field School to start during the early summer of 2015. The Field School will take place in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina (near Norfolk, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach, VA, and Elizabeth City, NC). This summer’s course represents a continuation of the Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study (GDSLS), an initiative started by the Project Director, Dr. Dan Sayers, in 2001. We will be working in close partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the stewards of the Refuge, and maintaining and developing interactive dialogue with the broader public. A main research focus for the GDSLS in 2015 will be on further developing our understanding of the internal dynamics of resistant and generally self-reliant communities in the swamp interior (composed primarily of Indigenous Americans and African-Americans who permanently removed themselves from conditions of enslavement, also known as maroons). We are also interested in the impacts of historical processes of colonialism (1600s), race-based enslavement (1700s), and profitable development of natural resources (1800s) on the swamp and its resistance communities.

In 2015, our fieldwork will emphasize site discovery and archaeological survey rather than the more intensive excavations at known sites that we have done in past AU field schools. Participants will share in the excitement of recording previously unknown archaeological sites while also helping us to vastly increase our understanding of pre-Civil War swamp life and population dynamics within the swamp’s political economy.

For full consideration please apply to the 2015 Dismal Swamp Field School no later than April 15, 2015. Application can be found here .

Please send applications and direct any school-related questions to:

Dr. Daniel O. Sayers
Department of Anthropology
Battelle-Tompkins Bldg
American University
Washington DC 20016
sayers@american.edu
202-885-1833

The International Brigades Archaeology Project - September 1-15, 2015

English: Memorial plate for international brigade from London to the Spanish civil war. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The International Brigades Archaeology Project (IBAP) is studying the sites of the Spanish Civil War in Spain. In 1937, the 15th International Brigade, including the Abraham Lincoln, British, and MacKenzie-Papineau Battalions, was heavily involved in a fierce battle for the small Aragonese town of Belchite. After taking the town, the 15th had to defend it again in 1938, and as a result of both battles the town was almost totally destroyed. Its ruins were left untouched by the Franco regime as a ‘living’ monument to the Civil War. Today it stands as a reminder of the destruction and brutality of all wars, and this unique site and its surrounding area, which has never received archaeological attention will, again, be the focus of our fieldwork in September 2015.

IBAP is now taking applications for the September 2015 field season. 

We would like participants to come for two weeks, but there is a one week option. The fees for taking part are (UK)£945 for two weeks and (UK)£480 for one week. 

This year, we will be staying in Belchite itself, and the fees include all accommodation and meals, and travel to and from our places of work. All equipment is provided in the field. Further information on what is included can be found in the IBAP 2015 Participation and Information document.

All participants will have to arrange their own travel to and from Spain, and travel to Zaragoza if anyone is flying to another city in Spain. Nevertheless, the project will pick up all arrivals at either Zaragoza airport, or Zaragoza train station. Participants will also have to arrange their own travel insurance. 

If you need any further information, please contact IBAP directly at: ibapinfo@gmail.com

Valcamonica Rock Art and Archaeology Fieldwork & Fieldschool

From July 16 to August 6 2015 the annual archaeology field school at Paspardo will be open to archaeologists, scholars, students and enthusiasts. This area gives a great opportunity to learn, survey, photograph, draw and catalogue the rock engravings. The program involves field research, documentation, tracing, guided visits and lectures. Fieldwork is organised by Footsteps of Man, Valcamonica. Infos, poster and photo-galleries here available.