Thinking like an archaeologist is one of the most challenging exercises a novice or inexperienced person can do, including beginner archaeologists. For one of the SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology assignments students were tasked with doing just that. By viewing the familiar as the unfamiliar they gained important insights into the challenges archaeologists face, and several of them did exceptionally well in the exercise. Here is a student's piece that was eligible for and agreed to be published.
Site Map (created by E. Nunamaker)
By: Emma Nunamaker
It has been 50 years since the meteor took out the western side of the world. Early excavations have revealed entire civilizations trapped beneath the miles of ash, and it has taken decades to unearth these structures in their entirety. I am part of the first archaeological team to explore one of the smaller, intact sites found in the hilly, humid regions of the western world. I have documented my findings below.
This site measures approximately 12 ft by 10 ft, with four walls and a door attachment in the northwestern corner. The floor is made of tan-colored carpet, and the walls are slightly textured and painted white. An opening in the eastern wall is covered with glass, allowing a view outside into a wooded area. A rectangular wooden frame with a large cushion fitted inside sits against the southern and western corner. This cushion is draped over with a blue-striped fabric and another smaller cushion lays near one side, also covered with a darker blue fabric. All fabric is soft and plush. The large cushion seems to have a depression in the center, indicating consistent weight placed there. There are several flat, elevated wooden and plastic surfaces placed around the room, as indicated on the map. These seem to replicate tables. A few rectangular wooden objects contain smaller flat surfaces, indicating shelving. On these surfaces are where I discovered my artifacts.
Artifact one, found on a small wooden table near the large cushion, is a cylindrical plastic object about 7 inches tall and 4 inches across. A loose plastic cap on top can be twisted open to reveal space inside. The object is covered in a thin, green, paper-like substance with strange writing and bright depictions of strawberries and blueberries. Inside the container are several squishy, fruit-smelling pellets. These are being sent for testing to determine if they are edible. The pellets come in an assortment of dark purple and red colors. They are smooth all the way around except for a section at the top, which is slightly textured and pebbled. They are sticky and seem to congeal together. The other side of the paper-like substance depicts a smiling young woman placing one of the pellets in her mouth. She is White with blonde hair tied into a ponytail and she appears to glow with health. She is wearing an orange garment with an open neck and short sleeves. This object weighs about four ounces, though it would weigh one or two ounces when the pellets are removed.
Artifact two was found on a larger wooden surface on the eastern side of the large cushion. This object appears to replicate a tree with no leaves. It is sheathed in a papery, gold material. There are many spindly branches with small round, glass bulbs at the end. These attach to a thicker stem that winds down to a circular plastic base. The tree stands about two feet tall and two feet wide, taking into account the span of the branches. Further inspection reveals that the branches can be bent and positioned, indicating some sort of thick wire beneath the gold surface. The stem does not bend. On the underside of the circular base is a compartment about three inches tall, two inches wide. There are indentations that indicate two long, cylindrical objects rested there, and there is a small switch beside the compartment. The object weighs about five ounces.
Artifact three hangs on the wall over a large plastic flat surface. It is a large, rectangular hanging made of a glossy paper texture and is stretched between two cylindrical rollers, which rest atop nails driven into the wall. The hanging is four feet wide and three feet tall. On the paper is a depiction of a stylized scene in bright colors and textures. There are four figures that resemble humans. The leftmost figure is masculine and has dark hair, dark eyes, and a white garment with blue trim. Next to him is a feminine figure with bright red hair that reaches her shoulders, and she wears a frilly white garment. The next figure is masculine and has pink hair, a white fabric around his neck, and a loose black garment opened to reveal his chest. The final, rightmost figure is feminine and has long yellow hair pulled back into a blue bow. She wears a white and blue sleeveless garment. All four figures are smiling, and they have their arms around each other, crowding close and visibly content at being together. They all have pale skin. Although these figures closely resemble humans, some features are highly exaggerated, especially the large size of the eyes, the lack of a clear nose, and thick black lines. The background is made up of soft yellows and oranges. The image itself contains very warm colors. The back of the paper hanging is blank except for a series of black and white lines on the very bottom corner as well as a series of numbers beneath it.
To interpret these artifacts, I must first consider the room they were found in. The various flat surfaces suggest that many items were once placed here. The large cushion against the southern wall may have been a special holding area for a very fragile object, as indicated by the large depression in the center. Perhaps this was a storage area, which leads to the question of what was stored here. The answers may lie in the artifacts.
Artifact one—if tests prove the pellets edible—may have been a food source judging by the fruit depictions on the green paper. This may have been a special kind of fruit grown by this culture and stored in the container. The woman on the back who is eating the pellets is shown to be young, thin, and happy, and this could have been placed on the container to encourage people to eat them. This room may have been not only a storage area for objects but also for sustenance. The thick texture and strong smell of the pellets indicate that these may last a long time, further reinforcing this idea of storage.
With my assumptions of artifact one, it is safe to consider that artifact two may be a depiction of the tree these fruit pellets came from. It is curious, then, why this tree has no leaves, other than the glass bulbs at the end. The tree is wrapped in gold, which is a color that could suggest royalty, wealth, or mysticality, so perhaps the tree was a religious idol this culture worshipped. If the tree existed and did produce fruit, the people of this dwelling may have stored it in a container like artifact one, and the smiling woman on the back further ingratiated people into the religion. As for the glass bulbs, I believe they also show wealth and craftsmanship in glasswork, showing that this tree symbol was incredibly important to this culture.
With all these interpretations in mind, I believe the third artifact and its depiction could be part of this dwelling’s history. These four figures may be the first founders of this dwelling, coming together to celebrate or enjoy each other’s company. Their joviality with one another suggests they might have lived here together. Another interpretation is that the figures have something in common with artifact two. The image contains many golds, yellows, and oranges as well. They could be the founders or believers of this religion revolving around the tree, and the placement of the hanging over one of the flat surfaces could signify importance. The surface might have been used for the storage of special religious artifacts. The exaggerated features of the figures suggest that this was an artistic rendition, or perhaps a representation of what this culture desired to achieve cosmetically: large eyes, pale skin, and bright, unnatural hair colors. This reinforces the idea that the figures were the ideal of society and worshippers of the golden tree.
Archaeologists face many challenges in interpreting artifacts, only one of which is the sheer volume of potential assumptions that can be made about just one item. Unlike the site I chose in this assignment, most sites are also severely eroded from what they once were, whether by time, natural disaster, or weather. I discovered an enlightening account of an excavation that took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, detailed in an article by Camryn Cousil. Students at Gettysburg College conducted an excavation of the John Hopkins house, a Black historical landmark. Cousil states: “The mud poses many challenges. The first is that artifacts are harder to spot and identify. The mud coats the items and unless a bucket of water is present nearby, our fingers cannot brush away the mud without smearing it even farther. Ceramic sherds may just look like more rocks and glass pieces blend right in. Even if there are finds, we cannot record them on the spot because our paper stratigraphy forms would get wet[CB1] .” While challenges are plentiful and subject to the whims of nature, Cousil goes on to state that archaeologists find their passion not in the ease of the process, but in the rewards. Uncovering the history of humans across time and preserving it for our generations to witness is a noble and important pursuit, and I am grateful to all the archaeologists, past and present, whose passion has carried them past the difficulties.
Works Cited
Cousil, Camryn. “Digging in the Mud: How the Weather Affects an Archaeological Excavation – Gettysburg Archaeology.” Gettysburg.edu, 19 Oct. 2024, gettysburg-archaeology.sites.gettysburg.edu/uncategorized/digging-in-the-mud-how-the-weather-affects-an-archaeological-excavation/
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