Under the Sea

No, I'm not here to talk about mermaids or talking fish.... unless of course they have been splendidly preserved in an archaeological context.
What first got me interested in underwater archaeology came from a course about the BC west coast and past people. Due to the changes sea levels many of the sites where these people lived and hunted are now under water. We breifly looked into the various techniques that are used in order to safely and successfully conduct an excavation in a fully submerged setting but I decided to look a little further.
A fantastic website, the Underwater Archaeological Society of BC (http://www.uasbc.com/) explains about some of the finds that have been explored in various rivers, lakes, and along the pacific coast of BC.
Shipwrecks galore! As well as many of the old campsites and hunting grounds of the first native people known to have occupied North America.
This website also provides information about different upcoming events relating to the topic of underwater archaeology, speakers, and expeditions.
It's like entering another world once below the surface; I find it fascinating and while reading through some of the research accounts I am ever so hugely pushed towards the desire to obtain a diving ticket so that I can take advantage of the profound learning opportunity that "mermaid" archaeology would bring.

To do so, would I have to give up the name Indiana Jones and instead op for the more fitting, Atlantis Jones??

http://www.cmm.pl/siedziba.php?main=wysts&mid=9&lang=en_&aid=20

This image shows a diver who has set a grid for the site and is in the process of sketching the context of materials found.

Bodies

Body Worlds

The Sagital Man



Last spring I had the fascinating opportunity to sail on over to Vancouver to visit the Body Worlds exhibit at the Science World museum. I was practically vibrating with both excitment and nerves before entering. In gereral I have a pretty good capability to detach myself from any kind of emotional reaction to the dead or graphic scenerios. That being said, I am still only human and being face to face with a skinless man is not something one can easily prepare for.

I took my time, was respectful, and carefully read every plaque I came across. The perfection and detail of every layer of skin and muscle was mind blowing. Another favourite feature of the whole production was the comparisons of healthy organs to those with varying types of diseases or environments. It really put a visual to the stories you hear of smokers lungs or cancer growth.

As far as the actual bodies that were present at the exhibit, the one I found most fascinating was the Sagital Man (as shown above). Showing every single layer inside the body as you move from left to right. It is so intruiging to me how greatly human beings vary from each other when, after all, we're just a bunch of bodies...

Look At Me

This week I thought I would briefly touch upon the idea of displaying the dead, by using the Parisian Catacombs as an example.

In 2009, while living in France, I made the predictable journey to Paris for a quick, tourist visit. While there were a number of fabulous things on my 'to do' list, #1 was definitely a visit to the underground.

 (myself, at the entrance to the Catacombs.... I believe I was one of the few this excited to go in)

Before entering the "Empire of the Dead", there are a number of informative plaques to tell the viewer about the history of the Catacombs and how it came to be. The hundereds of thousands of bones had been removed from cemeteries to make room for the numerous new bodies, and this space became a dedicated shrine to those who had been displaced.

 (A number of artistic designs were made using skulls, such as this cross... as well as hearts and stars.)

(The continuous 5km wall of bones, bones, and more bones...)

This sort of thing blows my mind. The fact that these individuals had no say in whether the world could stare into their faces for the rest of time instead of peacefully laying in a cushion of dirt. Who were they??

As well, with the number of people that stroll along these underground roads, I can't help but wonder, how many of them acknowledge that these were once people with families, lives, jobs, and walked aound as we do now... Or how many of these tourists are completely detached from their current situation and look at the wall of bones as one more thing out of the guidbook? Check!

All the Beautiful Children

I am currently working on a research project looking into the capacocha rituals of the Inca involving the sacrifice of the some of the Empire's most beautiful children in order to appease the Gods. Along with the help of Mytch, the guinea pig farmer, and Devin, who's as tall as a mountain, we have found some fascinating information (website to come!)

In doing some of the necessary research for this project, I stumbled upon a website that was made for exactly this purpose, Incan Child Sacrifice. It has a glorious combination of literature on the Inca history as well as a more detailed over-view of the archaeological finds associated with child sacrifice.

To keep viewers engaged and for those who are perhaps unfamiliar with the South American (The Andes in particular) layout, there are a number of maps and photos for some visual stimulation. Fun facts are added in the end. I must say I was impressed.

My only critique would be the general layout of the website and its lack of appeal. At first glance it does not necessarily draw the viewer in. That being said, the positives outweigh the negatives and this website will serve as a great template for our project.

So without further adieu: http://mathwiz2001.tripod.com/theicemaiden/index.html

A memo to the world...

I wish not to be buried. Cremation is the path for me. Scatter me in the sea so I may roam to the far reaching corners of the Earth for the rest of time. To be everywhere at once, how cool is that?

Questioning the Past

As a group assignment for Archaeology of the Dead, two classmates and I visited the Ross Bay cemetery to examine the graves of soldiers in the specific War Plot sections of the cemetery. There are two areas assigned with this title, one in the lower East corner and the other directly across in the lower West corner. There are two monuments erected in association with the graves in the Eastern corner of the cermetery commemorating the soldiers who fought and died in both World Wars. Our group noticed many interesting similarites and differences between the numerous soldier graves in both plot areas, and from there developed two research questions:

1. Why are the graves of these soldiers found in two seperate sections of the cemetery?

  - This was puzzling to us, because the dates on the gravestones were similar as well as the overall design of the stones associated with the war graves. Some possible ideas we touched upon were the possibility that Space reserved for war soldiers in the Eastern corner was too little and the Western section was therefore over-flow or perhaps the land in the Western corner had already been purchased by the individual themself or by their family and the graves in the Eastern corner were therefore the individuals who had no final resting place.

2. The commonality of multiple individuals at a single grave in the Western corner versus only single individual graves in the Eastern plot of the cemetery, and why?

   -To further back-up the point made about plots in the Western corner being bought by families is seen here. Many of the graves to the West have more than two individuals and in some cases, entire families. Graves to the East were all single individual graves, indicating that the land there was reserved for those who had fought in WWI or WWII.

These were only two of the many observations made, and I recomend looking at the map (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=204947318620268261385.0004b84028b3297997c63) and checking out the cemetery for yourself. What other mysteries are there to be solved??

Monument Analysis at Ross Bay Cemetery

-a map of our work done at Ross Bay Cemetery, looking at War graves and their similarities and differences.

A walk on the beach

While in Panama last summer, in the Northern islands of Bocas Del Torro, I decided to take a walk on the beach one afternoon. Heading away from the main street where over 50% of the population consisted of tourist, and walked West into more rural areas of the island. After walking for about 15 minutes I turned away from the shore and began walking up towards where I suspected the road to be. On the other side of a low rising wall I saw a vast cemetary. While slowly walking through I noted that the majority of the grave stones were very old and for the most part single interments. Along the far reaching wall closest to the sea there were a number of family monuments, most of which held four family members. Looking closer at these group monuments I realized that every single one of them had been broken into. The tallest of the group I was almost able to walk right into. Snuggling up against the cool stone I snuck a peak inside where to the left I could see the remains of a long ago individual who was missing many of their long bones. I can only assume that after this tomb was raided, animals were then able to scurry in and steal some treats of their own.
This left me wondering, while the larger family monuments are much more elaborate and beautiful, they therefore also atract the unwanted attention from raiders. So, is it better to be simple and safe when it comes to monuments or elaborate while it lasts??

How I Got Here

   Everybody has a past. Whether we choose to accept it or simply close our eyes and hide from it is another story. Some are haunted by the ghosts of skeletons hidden away in the dusty corners of their closets. They make us who we are by forcing us to react to their presence. Life, however, has a tricky way of making sure things don’t stay so clearly black and white. A murky mix of ash and charcoal are chaotically laid out on the path we walk to keep us on our toes. This fact fascinates me. I have a constant want to learn of past people and how they saw the world, hence my interest in the archaeology of the dead

As I’m sure it is for most people who are seduced by the nomadic lifestyle of the ever adventurous archaeologist; the root of their curiosity, passion, and want to find out as much about a past people or civilization can be summed into two words. On the tip of your tongue? Smooth, intelligent, courageous, and let’s face it, easy on the eyes... That’s right, the one and only Indiana Jones! I am not ashamed to say that the first moment when I realized I could do something amazing in this lifetime came to me during a jungle filled scene in an Indiana Jones film. Before you giggle to yourself that I’m a silly school girl with naive dreams, stay tuned to let me explain further....