Archaeology Conferences

This is a special episode of Conferences Podcast with special guest Matilda Siebrecht, a PhD researcher at the University of Gronigen, Netherlands.  She recently attending the online virtual EAA2020 conference and we discuss the benefits and challenges that such a format presents. Including the in session chat feature and moderation, moving between different sessions and what new conference etiquette we may need to learn.  EAA used https://hopin.to/ in order to run the conference.  Links: Matlida's Twitter - https://twitter.com/ArchaeoTilly Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/stone_age_monkey/

These are selections of conversations recorded at the EAA2019 conference in Bern, Switzerland.  Tristan of the APN spoke to Mark Spanjer about the state of archaeology today. Mark Spanjer talks about the relations that archaeologists have with one another and how we can make the profession better. https://twitter.com/Aranadan

Tristan of the APN spoke to Francesco Ripanti about his public archaeology work. Francesco Ripanti has a PhD in public archaeology from the University of Pisa, with a project focusing on participation in Italian community archaeology. Graduated with a Master’s thesis in archaeological methods at the University of Siena, his research covers several themes related to public archaeology, heritage and museum studies. Greatly interested in archaeological storytelling and communication, he has tried out his skills authoring short videos set at the Roman site of Vignale (Italy), short stories about 25 objects exhibited at Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche (Ancona, Italy) and for a digital storytelling prototype at the Ancient Agora of Athens (Greece). http://archeovideo.wordpress.com. https://pisa.academia.edu/FrancescoRipanti/CurriculumVitae

Tristan of the APN talks to Kate Geary at EAA2019 about development of training and pathways into the proffession. Kate Geary is the Head of Professional Development and Practice at Chartered Institute for Archaeologists https://www.archaeologists.net/

At the EAA2019 conference in Bern, Tristan of the APN had a chance to sit down and talk to Dr. Chester Liwosz of the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project based in New Mexico. The Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project (MPPP), a tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1999, seeks to preserve petroglyphs on Mesa Prieta through education of the local community and others, and recording what may be well over 100,000 rock images on the mesa. https://www.mesaprietapetroglyphs.org

These are selections of conversations recorded at the EAA2019 conference in Bern, Switzerland. Dr. Alexander Gramsch works at the Römisch-Germanische Kommission in Frankfuhrt. Tristan spoke to him at the RGK table in the upstarirs section of the University of Bern, the Kuppelraum. Dr. Gramsch explains the work of the RGK and talks about the benefits and challenges of using digital microscopes. To find out more info please check out :https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/germania/index

Mark Spanjer is an archaeologist, lecturer and speaker and one of the session organisers of Reconnecting Archaeology. In this interview he talks about finding the fun in archaeology, how to deal with alternative archaeology and what conferences represent.  Links Twitter - @Aranadan

Another interview with great insight into the archaeology sector in the UK. Towergate Insurance has been providing its services to archaeologists for over 20 years and they have gained a great understanding of archaeologists and the industry as a whole.     Links Towergate Insurance

Rob Lennox is the policy advisor to the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and in this interview we discuss the challenges for archaeology as a profession and the ways in which conferences such as CIFA held in Brighton this year can bring people inside and outside the industry together to work together. 

This is a short interview conducted at the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists conference in Brighton. Dr. Andy Holland is a Post-Doctoral researcher at the University of Bradford, specialising in Forensic Archaeology. We discuss how forensics archaeologists work with law enforcement, and how conferences bring both commercial and academic archaeologists together. Links https://www.bradford.ac.uk/life-sciences/arch-sci/our-staff/andy-holland-.php 

At the CIFA2018 conference in Brighton, Tristan sits down with Alistair Galt to discuss the ins and outs of archaeology in the UK. Alistair is secretary of the New Generation Group of CIFA, dedicated to helping students and Early Career Professionals, mentoring and giving advice. We talk about the apparent shortage of archaeologists, the need to help yourself find the right job and what the reasons are to be optimistic in today's world of archaeology.     Contact details:groups@archaeologists.net. Facebook: CIFA New generation special interest group.    

Dr. Chrys Harris talks to me about her company Magnitude Surveys, outlining the different techniques they provide to business. She explains Electromagnetic surveys as well as telling me about the archaeology in and around Bradford where Magnitude Surveys is based.   This was recorded at CIFA Brighton 2018 conference http://www.magnitudesurveys.co.uk/twitter.com/MagSurveys

Paper: Discussant for all five presentations, Shankar

Paper: The Past, Present & Future of AnthroPod, Sacco

Paper: "Everyone Tells me how they hate the sound of their own voice": The ethics of editing in podcasts, Sadeghsamimi

Paper: Crowdsourcing the Conversation: On the Future of Podcasting, Public Engagement, and Exercising the Anthropological Tool Kit, Collins and Gamwell

Paper: The Archaeology Podcast Network: Podcasts as Digital Preservation and Public Outreach, Webster

Paper: Who's afraid of journalism? On anthropology's (unhappy) relationship with mainstream media and what anthropological podcasts might take from journalists

Guest host Lauren Alston Bridges interviews her friend and former college roommate about their careers and lives after graduate school. Enjoy this candid look at the profession.

Underwater ROVs on Lake Tahoe

All the lasers! Underwater!

On this episode Chris Webster interviews Sean Cox of East Carolina University regarding their exhibit in the Tech Room at the 50th Annual Society for Historical and Underwater Archaeology meeting in Fort Worth, TX. Cox and his team explored an underwater wreck, took a bunch of photos and data points, and created an interactive 3D rendering of the wreck that you can walk around and on. It was pretty cool and a great way to experience something that only a few have the ability to.

Recordings from the 2017 SHA Meetings

The Rimrock Draw site in southeastern Oregon is changing what archaeologists know about the first people to live in Oregon. It presents some unique challenges and opportunities, and ongoing research has been made possible through public support from OAS.

Randy Ottenhoff talks with Christopher Sims about his research on incised stones in the great basin. What are the for? What do they mean?

For decades archaeologists have tried to figure out how to educate, license, and legitimize all levels of field archaeologist. The Register of Professional Archaeologists is a start, but in a world where you need a license to cut someone's hair but not to record the cultural history of an entire nation, something has to change. Professional Certifications for Scientists is a non-profit organization that aims to provide training and certification for all levels of archaeologist and other scientific fields. Through short educational videos and

The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (NVSHPO) is announcing a new mapping service as part of the Nevada Cultural Resource Information System (NVCRIS). As such, there will be two online mapping tools available under NVCRIS – a Restricted and an Unrestricted service. In this session, the new Unrestricted service will be demonstrated. This new service has all the same features and capabilities as the Restricted site. However, the Unrestricted site does not contain data that is protected by National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA § 307103 [formally section 304]) or the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA §470hh). This Unrestricted site is available to those entities who have preservation responsibilities under NHPA but may not have a Secretary of Interior qualified archaeologist on staff. This presentation will not cover the Restricted NVCRIS site. If you have questions about the Restricted site, NVSHPO will have a booth in the Vendor’s Area throughout the conference.

Throughout human history, we have invented remarkable new technologies that, in their time, were met with skepticism and even rejection, only to be embraced by later generations who realized the value of these innovations. We are feeling this struggle now as archaeology moves from an analog/paper/film recording to a paperless/digital ecology. It has been a 20+ year process, but it is about time to fully consider the impacts of thinking beyond the page. In this ‘paper’ we will explore the implications of a post-paper archaeology for our current practices of field recordation, analysis, and production of the archaeological record through emerging technologies that have the potential to transform the way we engage with, share, and preserve the past.

Four years ago I set out to bring together interested parties to update or replace the Intermountain Antiquities Computer System (IMACS) for recording archaeological sites in Utah. After 30+ years of using the same form, I believed (and still do) that updating the system would make management of our cultural resources more efficient and effective. But I also believed it would be a relatively straightforward process. I was wrong. In this presentation I discuss the four-year effort, lessons learned, explain why we have the system we do, and what site recording in Utah will look like in the years to come.

This presentation presents a non-destructive, empirical and replicable method for aging bison teeth. Tooth eruption, growth, and attrition can document age-at-death, which informs on hunting strategies, occupation seasonality, environmental conditions, and herd health. Previous dentition studies utilize numerous tooth metrics that commonly require specimen-destructive research methods. Also, occlusal wear age estimates rely on subjective wear patterning classifications and figures. We suggest a new approach that provides age profiles by “mapping” occlusal wear with ESRi’s AcrGIS software. Planview mandibular tooth photos from the University of Wyoming’s known-age mandible sample, and well-documented prehistoric samples including the Agate Basin, Hawken, Horner, Glenrock, and Vore sites were captured and georeferenced. Next, GIS polygons were digitized for various occlusal surface features. Digitized GIS shape files were then used to generate various occlusal surface feature areas, and multiple statistical methods were employed that explore relationships between quantified occlusal surfaces and specimen ages.

Models were developed to predict spatial distribution of prehistoric archaeological site potential in the Sawtooth National Forest. Archaeological data and environmental parameters were collected and processed in a GIS. Predictor variables were evaluated to discover correlates with human locational behavior & compared against a control dataset. Three modeling methods were used: Logistic Regression, Regression Tree, and Random Forest. These models were assessed for efficacy using k-fold cross-validation and gain statistics. Although observed relationships could result from biases in archaeological data and predictors, results suggest a strong correlation between environment and prehistoric site location.

Podcasts have been around for over 10 years now and only in the last couple years, since the release of the popular This American Life spin-off, Serial, has the American public been interested. Until Serial, it seemed that you were either a podcast listener or you weren’t. Now, people are incorporating them into their lives as trusted sources of information and entertainment. The Archaeology Podcast Network was founded as the first season of Serial came to a close and our downloads quickly hit 20,000 a month. Podcasts on the APN range from niche shows about specific topics related to professional archaeologists to popular shows that can reach a wider audience. Every show, however, is free and accessible to anyone on the planet. It is clear that podcasting is a great way to engage the public and that more archaeological endeavors, from projects to field schools to contract projects, can use podcasting to present data, inform and educate the public, and start conversations.

The buildup of fuels, such as tree branches, on archaeological sites is a major concern in the Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest due to the potential for wildfire in the area. Since 2013, the SW Jemez Mountain Landscape Restoration Project-Archaeological Site Thinning has endeavored to remove fuels from sites, creating a unique treatment plan to prevent damage to archaeological sites.

Cedar Mesa, Utah, is an amazing landscape with a rich archaeological record. Excavations took place throughout the area, including in the dry caves in the Greater Cedar Mesa region. The Cedar Mesa Perishables Project set out to study 4,000 unpublished textiles, baskets, wooden implements, and hide and feather artifacts excavated during the 1890s. These artifacts are housed in six different museums! The overall goal of the project is to carefully document each artifact and make the collection more widely known to archaeologists, native communities, and the general public.

“Landforms as Architecture and the Appropriation of Place on Orayvi Wash, A.D. 550-800” by Kellam Throgmorton Binghamton University During a 2015 survey of Orayvi Wash, Arizona, two adjacent sequentially inhabited community centers were documented. The communities date between A.D. 550 and 800, the Basketmaker III and Pueblo I periods. The particularly unique aspect of these communities are the large buttes near the habitation area, which may have been seen as formalized ceremonial structures. On top of these landforms, post-and-adobe architecture was constructed, consequently manipulating the landscape into a power symbol. Consequently, we can see the creation of new power dynamics in early aggregated villages in this area.

“The Archaeology of Aztec North” by Michelle Turner, Maxwell Forton, Josh Jones, Randall McGuire, Lubna Omar, Kellam Throgmorton, Samuel Stansel, and Ruth Van Dyke Binghamton University The poster highlights testing conducted at the Aztec North great house (Aztec Ruins National Monument, NM) by a crew of archaeologists from Binghamton University. The project’s research questions, research design, and preliminary results of the excavation were discussed, including unexpected finds such as the presence of fish bones in a burnt floor feature. The authors offer some insight into how Aztec North—and cultural landscape—relates to Chaco Canyon. Turner is studying the ceramics recovered from the excavation for her dissertation! *Please note: The poster session was absolutely packed, so the background noise on the recording is quite loud.

“An Investigation into Possible Lunar Alignments of Prehistoric Shrine-Sites at Chaco Canyon” by Anna Sofaer, William Stone, and Robert Weiner The Solstice Project and Brown University There are more than enormous pueblos and beautiful artifacts at the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. There are also a number of C-shaped, circular, and cairn masonry structures situated on elevated positions near and throughout Chaco Canyon. These structures appear to have been intentionally interrelated on alignments to the major standstill moon. Since there are deposits of turquoise and other artifacts at these structures, it’s thought that they may be shrines. Consequently, the shrines suggest a level of lunar astronomical expression in Chaco culture through architectural alignments. *Please note: The poster session was absolutely packed, so the background noise on the recording is quite loud

“College Vs. The Work Force” By Alyssa Colan and Vincent Gentile The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Are college graduates ready to work in the field of archaeology? Were they adequately prepared to survey, write reports, and dig shovel tests? Colan and Gentile explore these questions, focusing on whether or not the skills taught while obtaining a bachelor’s degree are applicable to the working world. The majority of the material taught prepares students for academia, not necessarily for working in cultural resource management. The poster highlights the skills not typically taught in the majority of undergraduate programs, including personal anecdotes, as well as suggestions for improving said programs to better prepare students.

The Pecos Conference, created in 1927, is an outdoor extravaganza of presentations and posters highlighting current research in southwestern archaeology. Archaeologists descend on the chosen location for the year, camping together, sharing research and stories, and carousing for a couple of days. This year the Pecos Conference took place in Alpine, AZ, hosted by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.

An interview with conference emcee and THPO Dennis Lewarch

Tracy Schwartz is an archaeologist with Naval Station Whidbey Island in Washington State. She sits down with Ashley Morton to talk about their experiences at the Cultural Resources Protection Summit in Suquamish, Washington.

Wireless Lithics: An Open Hardware Approach to Stroke Quantification and Replicability in Lithic Use-wear Experiments

Bridging the Gap between Cultural Resources Management and Academia: A Consultant In Residence’s Perspective

Engaging with Archaeological Collections from Banks Island, NWT: Examining the value of digital representations and physical replicas

A field and buildings archaeologist for the past 30 years he has worked in a variety of positions and locations from Scotland to Iraq and Germany to Turkmenistan. He works closely with metal detecting groups, the Portable Antiquities Scheme and other interested groups to ensure wider cooperation within the field of public and accessible archaeology. He is an advocated for training in practical skills for both professional archaeologists and volunteers in order to chart progress and open the professiona to a wide range of people. His recent success of the BAJR Archaeology skills passport is to be followed by the careers passport. Mr Connolly is co-editor of the volunteer journal Past Horizons, founder and director of the British Archaeological Jobs and Resources website which advertises and advises on archaeological placement and salary structures. He also runs Connolly Heritage Consultancy carrying out fieldwork along with co-directing the Rampart Scotland field Training School in East Lothian and Aberdeenshire. He is an advocate of open discussion and runs the large facebook group for British Archaeology which supports all that are interested in UK archaeology –commercial, academic, research and public. I started what was to become my archaeological career in 1983, when I was taken on as a ‘digger’ on a Manpower Services Commision scheme in Cumbria. This was followed by another MSC scheme in Trafford, and work on the circuit. It was clear that if I wished to continue in archaeology I would need a degree. I did not want to go back to school and I was fortunate that Prof. Arnold Aspinall let me into Bradford on the strength of a five minute chat in a corridor. The Department of Archaeological Sciences was and still is an excellent place to study archaeology. I was then awarded a NERC studentship at the University of Edinburgh for my PhD where Ian Ralston and Geraint Coles were my supervisors.

A Mature student at the Natural and Cultural Heritage Management programme at University College of Northern Denmark finishing her degree in 2016. with a  interest in the connection between human beings and landscape, with a focus on sense of place and heritage linked to geography. Misha is a project assistant in Geopark Vestjylland in Western Jutland, Denmark, where she works with strategy, fundraising and community involvement. Past experience includes volunteer management, consulting on user experience within the hospitality sector as well as many years of volunteering at heritage centres and local history archives.”

In 2015, DIGTECH surveyed 45,000 acres in desert and "Great Basin" like environments. We used Apple iPad Minis to record over 250 prehistoric and historic sites and over 1500 isolated finds. We had field technicians using California DPR forms that we created for $9 software from the Apple Appstore. Now, we're helping to re-invent the first phase of digital archaeology and will bring ALL phases of archaeology and beyond into the forefront of field data collection and management.

 “The hidden heritage of Veteran Trees and ancient woods in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire”. At Edinburgh I applied for funds from the University to start my own archaeological project (separate to my PhD. Research), which developed into a 10 year study of the Later Prehistory of Cumbria. After my PhD. I had a post doc at the Crichton campus of the University of Glasgow in Dumfries. Being based in Dumfries with a young family once my post doc ended I decided to work part time in continuing/distance learning and archaeological consultancy, rather than commute long distances to work. Since moving to Worcester in 2008 and with my children having grown up I have expanded my ‘portfolio’ career in teaching and am currently piloting a HLF program into the environmental history of woodland in the Forest of Dean.

Alison James has been a maritime archaeologist at Historic England for seven years with responsibility for the protected wreck sites. Previously she worked at Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology and the NAS. Angela Middleton holds a degree in archaeological conservation from the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and an MSc in Maritime Conservation Science from the University of Portsmouth. She has worked for the Newport Medieval Ship Project and the Michael Faraday Museum of the Royal Institution before joining Historic England as an Archaeological Conservator in 2007. Here she is responsible to advise on and undertake research and investigative conservation on material retrieved from land and marine sites. She has a special interest in the conservation of waterlogged organic materials

Dave  is an experienced archaeologist and diver / diving supervisor who has directed maritime archaeological projects that range in date from the Bronze Age to the Second World War and in scope from strategic studies to extensive field investigations. He has worked extensively throughout the British Isles as well as the Baltic, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. His research interests focus on the archaeology of seafaring and ship construction of all periods but can extend into underwater cultural heritage management on occasions.

Archaeological Heritage in Naples: Hidden or Used? Valeria is an Archaeologist and Physical Anthropologist with a great passion for Cultural Anthropology. She achieved her degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage in Pisa University. She is specialized in Forensic Anthropology, in Paleopathology, in Christian Archeology and Museum Sciences. She was Research Fellow in L’Aquila University, were she had her PhD in medieval Archeology. She is an archeologist and anthropologist both in the fieldwork and in laboratory, and thanks to this ability she is now a collaborator at the Superintendence of many Italian Regions (Liguria, Toscana, Trentino, Abruzzo). She took part in 52 archeological campaigns, 32 lab works on materials and 30 publications. The will to make known the work and the discoveries related to the archeology and the heritage led her to attend a second PhD in Architecture, Design and Cultural Heritage in Naples, with the specific intent to study how to communicate archeology. She fell in love with this city, its connected heritage and its unique cultural anthropology. Currently she is working on a PhD Thesis on “Musealization of Human Remains”, and she is attracted to the perspectives of the application of new technologies to cultural heritage for the enhancement of archeological sites and objects.