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This story is reproduced from its original posting the School of Science and Mathematics blog
Dr. Harris’ core research will allow for quantitive and qualitative analysis of coastal change in response to varied sea-level rise scenarios across a complex landscape in the North Euboean Gulf of Central Greece. Data gathered, analyzed, and interpreted through this project will also inform several major Bronze Age archaeological sites about their submerged paleolandscapes along the Southwestern edge of the gulf. The research site covers the marine portions of the ancient sites of Kynos, Mitrou, and Halai and from modern Arkitsa to the Theologos Peninsula about two hours north of Athens. The derived scientific products and interpretations will not only inform the maritime aspects of the terrestrial sites, but will also assist in the identification of submerged sites before, during and after the significant periods of seafaring in the Bronze Age along this major seaway. While many studies of the submerged portions of Greece focus strictly on submerged cities, specific shipwrecks, or the deep sea, this collaborative project will form a coherent regional investigation focused on paleolandscapes and coastal changes throughout antiquity. The broader context of the study will influence disciplinary thoughts on the preservation of ancient landscapes, of coastal deposits, and of submerged archaeological sites along an important ancient maritime seaway.
Submerged paleolandsc
apes hold a record of antiquity that informs us about past coastal conditions and human adaptations. Understanding the influence of how variable local sea-level changes have influenced the preservation potential of submerged coastal systems is crucial to understanding these interactions. Working with host faculty and two other Greek universities, we will map the seafloor between Theologos and Arkitsa Greece to answer questions of preservation potential in a natural experiment of differential sea-level change in this actively tectonic and rich Bronze Age maritime region. The scholar will bring expertise in coastal dynamics and advanced seafloor mapping techniques while the host institution provides expertise in understanding ancient sea-level histories in this region.
The Archaeology Club will be having their first social event tonight at 5:30pm at King Street Cookies (379 King Street).
Come and join us for some good company and conversation with your fellow archaeology enthusiasts, as well as hear about some exciting events we have planned for this semester!
COURSE: ANTH 493 Archaeological Field School, 8 s.h. of credit
DATES: Monday, May 18, 2015 through Thursday, June 2, 2015 (7 weeks)
TIME: 7:30 a.m. – 2:30/3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
PLACES: Dill Property (James Island), Manigault House (downtown), and one of the state parks (yet to be determined)
INSTRUCTORS: Dr. Barbara Borg (CofC), Ms. Martha Zierden (Charleston Museum) and Mr. Ron Anthony (Charleston Museum). Other archaeologists from the SC state parks system will also be working with us when we are working on one of their sites.
TRANSPORTATION: Students usually drive their own cars or arrange to ride with other students. If the state park we work in is farther away than CharlesTowne Landing (West Ashley) or Colonial Dorchester (Summerville) the park service will hopefully provide a van and driver. (This happened one year when we traveled to Hampton Plantation State Historic Site near McClellanville, SC). Students are expected to be on site ready to work by 7:30 a.m. (this is to avoid the heat later in the day, and you will be grateful for it).
This is an intensive, team taught field school (a 400-level course), the goal of which is to teach you all the basic skills of doing field archaeology. All special equipment will be provided, though there will be one required reference text to purchase. There is a hefty academic component to the course with articles to read and summarize (made availabale on the OAKS system), a mid-term ceramics identification exam, a synthetic hypothetical project exercise, and a final written exam. You must be able to do the homework on your own time, after the field day is over, so this means evenings and weekends. It is important to not over-schedule your life during field school. 60% of your final grade is field skills, and 40% is written work.
We dress sensibly for the temperature and the conditions, and no special clothing or shoes are required. Athletic shoes, shorts, T-shirts, and hats are usual, long pants if we are working in the woods, and a rain poncho or jacket. No sandals or flip flops are allowed for safety reasons. Students bring their own sack lunches daily. Water in coolers will be provided. No alcohol is allowed. Many students find the small rigid plastic coolers that hold food and drink (and that you can also sit on) to be very convenient, as we do not always have picnic tables. Rest rooms are “usually” within walking distance.
A field school looks wonderful on your resume, and if you hope to work in, or go to graduate school in, archaeology you will be expected to have attended at least one substantial field school. Field school teaches you how to work in a real research environment, and as a close-knit team despite occasional challenging weather extremes. Field school is a wonderful experience for most, but you have to be serious about your participation. You are graded on the skills you learn in field school, and there is little time to make up missed field days or written work. Committing to doing all the work and staying on schedule is essential for success. Those students who do this will find the field school to be a wonderful experience, we hope, and we have found this to be so over the past 20 years!
I hope this description finds some of you thinking seriously about field school. This particular field school will not be held again until Summer 2017, though there are other possibilities both on and off campus to complete a field school. Again, shoot me an e-mail if you think you might be seriously interested: Dr. Borg (borgb@cofc.edu)
In October 2014, an initial meeting of professional archaeologists interested in coordinating archaeological research in the Lowcountry was held. It was determined that such meetings would occur on a quarterly basis. The first such meeting for this year will be held at the Lowcountry Graduate Center (in North Charleston), room 234 this Friday, February 6th from 3:30-5pm.
For questions, comments please contact Jim Newhard, Director of Archaeology at the College of Charleston. (newhardj@cofc.edu)
http://today.cofc.edu/2015/01/29/graduate-student-digs-old-charleston-city-wall-thesis-research/
College of Charleston historic preservation student Justin Schwebler is literally in the trenches proving his thesis.
Schwebler, who will earn his Master in Science later this year, is tracking and analyzing the use of Bermuda stone in Charleston, South Carolina. His research showed the stone was used as the foundation of the city’s original sea wall, built in 1769, and he wanted to prove it.
With the help of his professors in the joint master’s program between the College of Charleston and Clemson University, a dig was organized to uncover portions of the wall.
On the first day of the dig, Bermuda stone was uncovered, though not in the area believed to be the original sea wall.
Schwebler explains, “The stone is soft – it can actually be cut with a saw – so it is very possible the stone crumbled away after its lengthy exposure to water and waves.”
READ: Learn more about the dig in the Post and Courier.
Bermuda and Charleston had a strong trade relationship in the 1700s, with thousands of blocks of Bermuda stone coming into the Port of Charleston. That said, it’s now rare to find in the city, and even more rare in other U.S. locations.
“Bermuda stone is in at least two other notable places downtown,” Schwebler notes. “The ‘pink house’ at 17 Chalmers St. and ‘Pirate’s Courtyard’ at 145 Church St.”
https://draytonhall.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/2015-drayton-hall-distinguished-speakers-series/
The Friends of Drayton Hall are pleased to present the second season of the Drayton Hall Distinguished Speakers Series. Beginning with the opening event of the 2015 season, you’ll experience a range of thought-provoking presentations related to America’s history and culture by some of today’s most respected historians, archaeologists, and curators. Speakers will also highlight the connections of Charleston and Drayton Hall to their research interests and answer questions from the audience.
The series is held in downtown Charleston at South Carolina Society Hall, 72 Meeting Street, Charleston SC 29401.
Ample on-street parking and public lot parking is available within a block of the South Carolina Society Hall.
Doors open at 5:30 pm with a wine and cheese reception sponsored by the Francis Marion Hotel. Presentations start promptly at 6:30 pm. No advance reservations; please arrive early as seating is limited.
For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Tara White, Development Events Coordinator, at 843-769-2627 or by e-mail.
“Sacred Houses in Early Iron Age Greece?”
Event Details: Thursday, January 22. 7:00pm, Simons 309
Speaker: Alexander Ainian, University of Thessaly
Sponsored by: Archaeological Institute of America, Charleston Society
About Alexander Mazarakis Ainian
Alexander Mazarakis Ainian is Professor of Classical Archaeology with the University of Thessaly in Greece. He studied History of Art and Archaology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles”, Belgium (1980-1983, degree conferred with “Grande Distinction”) and continued his postgraduate studies at University College London with a grant from the Alexander Onassis Benefit Foundation, obtaining his Ph.D. in 1987, under the supervision of Professor J.N. Coldstream. Since 2009 he has been the President of the Scientific Committee of the University of Thessaly Publications and a Member of the Board for the Management of the Assets of the University. He has been the Scientific Director of several major European Union Research Programs as well as personal research programs and several other scientific projects. He has directed the excavations at Skala Oropou in northern Attica (and Early Iron Age metalworking site), at the ancient capital of Kythnos (Archaic-Hellenistic sanctuary), at Soros in Thessaly (Late Archaic-Classical sanctuary of Apollo at ancient Amphanai or Pagasai). Professor Ainian’s areas of specialization are the archaeology and architecture of Early Iron Age and Archaic Greece, and Homeric Archaeology, as well as ancient Greek religion and sanctuaries of the Geometric through the Classical periods. In recent years he has also specialized in underwater archaeology. Professor Ainian is a 2014/2015 Kress Lecturer for the AIA.
“Charleston’s First Battery Sea Wall, 1768 – 1769”
Event Details: Tuesday, January 27. 6:00pm, Charleston Public Library Auditorium
Speaker: Nic Butler
Sponsored by: Charleston County Public Library
About the Lecture
A few years before the outbreak of the American Revolution, the S.C. legislature funded a large-scale project to erect a half-mile long brick wall around the fortifications at White Point. Designed to keep out the waters of the Ashley and Cooper rivers, this massive work set the stage for the current stone “battery” seawall that was built in the early 1800s. Although it was superseded, the first wall may not be gone. Join CCPL’s historian, Dr. Nic Butler, for an illustrated review of the wall’s history and the clues to its present location.
Just out – an edited volume by Bill Caraher on 3D applications in archaeology, Visions of Substance. The contributions began as a series of blogposts entitled “3D Thursday“. Expanded and edited, the volume is available now for free download, with availability on Amazon by the end of the month.