I am currently teaching a course, “Overlooked Archaeology, at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois (February-March 2021). The title “overlooked” means topics I have not addressed before, not ones that professional archaeologists ignore. It allows me to explore the odder byways of my profession while still incorporating recent advances and new information that I discover in magazines like Archaeology, The Biblical Archaeology Review, or from headlines in the New York Times or New Scientist.
Class Description:
Hollywood archaeology features spectacular discoveries of
jewel-laden tombs and lost temples. In everyday archaeology, many discoveries
are made far from the original site: in the laboratory, in a museum, or on a
computer. Technological advances, especially in the biological sciences, make
it possible to investigate everything from ancient medicine to the evolution of
agriculture. New kinds of imaging and remote sensing help us read obscured
texts and map roadways and underground structures. This class explores some of
the odder byways of archaeology: domesticated dogs, beer-making, dental health,
pleasure gardens, and locating new sites from space.
In lecture one, we talked about how the discipline of archaeology began with excavating large public buildings (tombs, temples, meeting halls) and collecting inorganic materials (metal, stone, and ceramic). Over time, the focus has shifted to domestic architecture and the artifacts of daily life: private homes, garbage pits, the graves of commoners, and even historic privies. I introduced the domestic architecture of three sites widely separated in space and time: Skara Brae (Scotland), Karanis (Egypt), and Ostia, Italy. We also began a section on ancient pets with the domestication of dogs.
Video links:
Book recommendations:
Paul Bahn, The Bluffer’s
Guide to Archaeology
Karanis: A Roman
town in Egypt (Kelsey Museum Publication 1)
Lindsey Davis, Simon Scarrow, Steven Saylor (all use rich historical detail and archaeological records)
Resources for Illinois and Midwestern archaeology:
Our own IllinoisState Archaeological Survey
East Central Illinois
Archaeological Society (ECIAS), part of the Illinois Association for the
Advancement of Archaeology: http://www.museum.state.il.us/iaaa/easthome.htm
Local lectures and
some volunteer opportunities are available (and will return after COVID).
Midwestern cultures
(focus on Wisconsin): https://mvac.uwlax.edu/PreEuropeanPeople/
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