Spotlight on Students: Thinking Like an Archaeologist

 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.

 

Figure 1: Site Map (Created by Tyler Roe)

By: Tyler Roe

 

            Recently a new room has been explored in the Roe Home Archaeological Site. This room was first discovered by Tyler Roe, a leading investigator with Lincoln University. While the main purpose of this room is
still unknown, some inferences can be made based on the contents of this room. Further exploration is needed to determine more about the inhabitants of the room within the archaeological site.

            The room is located on the left at the end of a long hallway. The entrance to the room is a white door that swings open to the left when twisting the round silver handle. On the door is a hanging sign in the shape of a dinosaur print. This sign contains writing in the English language that states “Boys Only.” Upon entrance into the room, the layout of the room can be appreciated. The room is rectangular in shape with the door along the north wall in the northeast corner. The dimensions are 12 feet by 10 feet with 8-foot ceilings. The walls are smooth and painted light blue, while the ceiling is a white textured surface. Along the wall containing the door, there is a walled-off section that is 5-foot by 2-foot in size. This appears to be a garment storage area. The long, east wall contains several hanging wooden structures. Four of these structures are in the shape of dinosaur prints and are painted green with metal hooks attached. They are staggered up the wall near the door. Each hook contains an outer garment of varying sizes. There are then three additional structures further down the same wall. Each wooden structure is a silhouette of a dinosaur. A world-renown paleontologist, Eli Roe, confirmed that one silhouette is a green brachiosaurus, one is an orange triceratops, and the third is a blue stegosaurus.  The south and west wall, which are furthest from the door, each contains a single glass window. Hanging in front of each window are two sheets of fabric. These sheets are hung from a silver rod just above the window and stretch down to the floor. The sheets appear to block light from entering the room, keeping a dark space. Multiple other signs are hanging on the walls. Each sign has references to dinosaurs.

            Within the room, there are several larger structures or furniture. The two largest pieces of furniture are very similar to each other with slight differences. The first large piece of furniture is along the east wall. This wooden structure is rectangular in shape and cherry oak in color. It is 54 inches wide, 44 inches high, 34 inches deep, and weighs approximately 63 pounds. The back against the wall is slightly higher than the parallel side and is solid. The other three sides have horizontal slats of wood. Contained within the bottom of this large piece of furniture is a thicker padded structure with a thin blue fabric that is fitted over top. There is no additional fabric or articles within this piece of furniture. The other similar piece of furniture is along the west wall. This piece of furniture is the same dimensions as the previously described piece. It also contains an identical padded structure with a thin blue fabric that is fitted over top. This furniture varies slightly from the previously described in a few ways. First, the front side of the furniture piece is missing. It has been replaced with a shorter wooden piece that only spans half of the side. Additionally, there is a soft cushion at one end of the padded structure as well as a larger felt cloth over the entire padded structure. Several soft stuffed pieces of fabric in the shapes of animals are contained within this second larger piece of furniture. Due to the characteristics of these two large pieces of furniture, it is inferred that these serve as sleeping quarters for two smaller individuals. Because of the full containment and lack of front opening of the first described furniture piece, it is suspected this piece is used for a smaller, potentially younger individual. The opening in the front of the second furniture piece would allow easier in and out movement for a larger, perhaps older individual. Due to clues in this room along with the sign noted on the door, it is believed that the inhabitants of this room are both males.

            A third larger piece of furniture within this room is located in the southwest corner. This appears to be a larger seat. The seat is composed of grey fabric with significant padding underneath. The seat has a higher, larger back. There are padded armrests on either side. Upon further inspection, there are two buttons noted along the left outer side. When pressed, one button will raise the feet of the seat. When pressed, the other button will lower the feet of the seat. This seat appears to be large enough for multiple individuals to sit if they maintain the smaller size indicated in previous artifacts.

            A smaller piece of furniture is noted between the grey seat and the suspected sleeping furniture of the older, larger inhabitant. This piece of furniture is wooden but has been painted a darker blue color. It is 30 inches high and has a three-dimensional trapezoid or trapezoidal prism in shape. The front is open. There is a single shelf within the piece of furniture. This creates a storage level on the bottom, a storage level on the shelf within, and a storage level on top of the piece of furniture. Contained within the piece of furniture on the two lower levels are numerous bound articles of manuscript. These manuscripts have varying subjects. The most popular subjects are trucks, animals, and religious texts. Some manuscripts appear to be in pristine condition, while show signs of wear and tear.

            In the southeast corner, along the south wall, there appears to be an additional wooden structure. This structure is 5 feet tall and contains five open shelves. On the three lower shelves there are numerous folded pieces of fabric. Due to the sizes of these pieces of fabric and their similarity to the large felt cloth on the larger inhabitant’s sleeping quarters, it is suspected they are used for keeping the room inhabitants warm on cooler nights. The next shelf up contains numerous soft stuffed pieces of fabric in the shapes of animals as well as several head garments. The final and tallest shelf contains two ceramic structures. One structure is blue and in the shape of an elephant, while the other structure is white and in the shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Upon further inspection, the structures each contain a narrow opening at the top as well as a circular opening at the bottom that is plugged with a rubber cylinder. When lifting these two structures, one can hear the sound of small pieces of metal hitting each other. When the rubber plug is removed, multiple coins are noted. It is suspected that these structures serve as a monetary storage device for the two small inhabitants of the room.

            Along the west wall, between the suspected sleeping furniture of the older, larger inhabitant, there is a white, cylindrical structure. This structure is 27 inches tall. There is an upper flap that lifts when a lower foot pedal is engaged. Within this structure, there appear to be rolled-up cloths. Due to the smell and excrement contained within cloths, it is suspected to be the waste of one or both the inhabitants of the room. This device appears to eliminate the detection of odor from these wastes. It is suspected that this structure is a storage device for these wastes prior to permanent removal from the room.

            A small, blue rectangular prism structure is noted just within the entrance of the room. It is 28 inches tall. This structure is hallowed and has a flap on top to allow access to the hallowed area. Within the structure, there are several pieces of dirty garments. These garments appear to be of two different sizes. It is suspected that this structure is used as a holding and transportation device for dirty garments prior to cleaning those garments.

            The last appreciated structure within this room is a 4-foot-tall fabric Tyrannosaurus Rex. This Tyrannosaurus Rex is approximately 7 pounds. It currently resides in front of the south window but can easily be lifted and moved around the room. The fabric on the exterior of this dinosaur is a soft velvet in a variety of colors including yellow, blue, and green. Given the suspect nature of this room and the soft characteristics of the dinosaur, it is suspected that the dinosaur is a play toy for the two small inhabitants.

            Overall, this room appears to be the sleeping quarters of two young inhabitants. This appears to be a classic initial archeologic and anthropologic assessment. While many purposes of the structures and furniture contained within this room are more easily determined, some aspects need further analysis. This is a classic anthropological theme that states, “All objects, old and new, from the most special to the most mundane, have multiple dimensions” (Welsch et al., 2017, p. 527). This assessment is made difficult because all objects change over time. This includes their physical change, as well as the change in significance that they hold for those that possess these objects (Welsch et al., 2017). As this assessment evolves, anthropologists can start to gain a better understanding of different societies and cultures.

 

Works Cited

Welsch, R. L., Vivanco, L. A., & Fuentes, A. (2017). Materiality: Constructing social relationships and meanings with things. Anthropology: Asking questions about human origins, diversity, and culture. Oxford University Press. (pp.527). 

 

 

Spotlight on Students: Thinking Like an Archaeologist

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.

By: Travis Barrett

            It has been approximately one thousand years since the small cities have been evacuated and the citizens relocated to those that already had a population of one million or more in an attempt to force socialization and eventual procreation. The attempt to restabilize the population after the war against the alien species known as Hetero erectus led instead to the negative consequences of urbanization and, in turn, the wealthiest of all civilizations was forced to flee to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. My ancestors were a part of this group, and I joined my university to go back to Earth and examine what life was like for those in the smaller cities before the evacuations. We arrived in what was once known as Jefferson City, Missouri at what was possibly a house based on the multiple rooms enclosed by walls, pieces of clear material that allowed in natural light, and evidence of previous human life such as a clear liquid that is contained in transparent cylinders and cans that showed images of what those who were once known as ‘farmers’ grew on Earth.  There were several different types of material making up the outside, with the wood being in the worst shape with large holes riddling it and the pillars that held the overhang of  the roof creaking dangerously. The stone seemed weathered at most, though it was difficult to see through the plants that grew all around them, particularly the moss and grass.

            When we made our way inside, our professor flicked up at a small protrusion on the wall and the room we stood in was flooded with a yellow light, ensuring that the anthropologist who specialized in old technologies, such as electricity, was able to find and properly set up the electricity that ran through this site. The inside of the site was well preserved compared to the outside, one of the few that had not been looted on this street, so after entering and checking to ensure that the two staircases were secure, she had me go to a room that was up and to the left. Upon entering, there was a very large, rectangular, horizontal item with a thick fabric laying precariously on top of it. When I pressed down on it, it molded to my hand, only to push back up once I released pressure. There was a small, miniature version of this that laid on top of and on the very edge of this item that did the same. To the right of it sat a squared table on four thin legs, and on the wall beside that was a box that was the same length but double the width, and about half a foot lower with two glass pieces facing outwards towards the largest rectangular object with thin, long boxes inside that contained circular discs within them. To the left of the original item, I saw there was squared yet tall box where, if I pulled on a piece that poked out, I could pull out three more hollow boxes. On the wall by this held a wooden table with multiple protrusions similar to the one downstairs which had two layers, each containing white and black alternating pieces, and had an even smaller table underneath it. Across from those are two doors that, when opened, shows a tiny room where pieces of cloth are held up by plastic or metal. Below these cloths are two sets of two items, both of which look to be the size of my feet, and at the top above the rest sit empty boxes. Finally, on the wall about a foot by this, there is an opening that leads to a small hallway that leads to a curtained opening and a table with several black boxes on top of it. I shall insert a map that I drew below (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Map of the Site

 

            Upon looking around the room, there were a few items that I have not seen in previously excavated houses that we have seen in Jefferson City. The first of which was what I believe to be a storage unit hanging on the wall to the left of the opening on the most Southeast corner of the map.  It has no doors, so I was able to see the artifacts directly. Most of them appeared the same in terms of shape, which were three and a half inches long and two and a half inches wide. These containers were all made of a thin cardboard, and were in varying stages of wear with some wrapped in plastic and seemingly never opened while others had rips along the sides and stains on them. There were several that were in tin containers rather than cardboard, all about half an inch taller and wider than the others, and others still that were in boxes that were wrapped in objects like fabrics or even some that were translucent. There were 33 containers that were visible from the outside, though some of the larger ones held even more making the total number 38. Each one of them had a different image, ranging from realistic images of people to cartoonish drawings to bottles containing a fizzy brown liquid. My original belief as to why someone may display these containers was that they were once high in value, especially those which are on the top shelves, as they are of the most prominence while those one the bottom have some containers sitting in front of others. I then collect one made from each of the different materials, originally intending to note any weight differences, when I feel something inside of them shift. Upon carefully opening them, I find very thin pieces of plastic, all of their edges rounded. I counted 54 of these in each, and noted that there was a pattern where there were four sets of 13 of these pieces, each set having a different symbol and having a piece of plastic with a number between two through ten or the letter J, Q, K, or A. Each also had artwork on the middle for those with letters, and on all of these that I examined, I found artwork on the back that unified them. Perhaps these were actually a type of currency, but for different shops and the words on the front of the containers were the names of these shops.

            Directly across from this shelving unit and possible currency, I find five objects where at the top they are slender, but at the bottom they easily double in size. Four of them have zippers on them, but the fifth is being held up by a piece of black plastic, a semi-circle around its slender part. When I get closer, I am able to see six strings that run from the top, with each having a nut with ovals coming off the sides of it, that then goes down to a piece of wood past the middle of the large bottom of it. Each of the strings seems to be thicker than the last. I try touching them, letting my finger run up and down them, tapping on them, although nothing happens. I originally assumed that this device is a string holder, or perhaps for making strings, however when I opened the case of a similar device there was a strange metallic twang sound, and I watched as one of the strings vibrated. Upon plucking on the original device, it did the same, and I now believe that it could have some use for making noise, perhaps as a way to call downstairs to anyone who may be living with the occupant as one of my classmates asked why I was making so much noise not long after.

            There were also items that we were fairly certain of the use of based on previous sites. In this room, there were five sources that, if I pressed the correct button, would create a light source. Two of these were in corners and were circular shaped with more orange hues, though one was small and sat on a table while the other was much taller and sat on the floor. The other three were flat rectangles that gave off a more blue-tinted light, but they also had moving images. We are unsure as to what the differences between these two hues mean, but we presume that the flat ones are meant to be similar to picture frames that can turn on and off and can be seen in the dark, as we have yet to find any other use for them.

            One final thing of note is the storage facility on the west most side of the room. In it hung different fabrics, not dissimilar to what the state issues for us, but these are of varying colors and the tops and bottoms are separated. Although I do see one article that is fully connected, so it must be the one that this person wore as a daily outfit. Although I am unsure as to why it has a hood with what I believe to be antlers on the top of its head. The rest is organized by the middle of it, as well as the length of the sides that stick out. If it has a long, broad middle and long sides, then it is at the left. If it has the same middle but short sides, then it is beside it. If its middle is open, then it goes to the very left. And finally, if it has no middle but has long sides, it is folded in half and is hung in the middle. I suppose they could be clothes, as the ones with no middle have a zipper similar to mine, but I am unsure how they would put on the top portion. It’s possible that they took pride in their upper bodies and walked around with only the bottom halves.

            Working as an archaeologist can be very rewarding, as it can show how people in the past live, but it can also be extremely challenging, which I learned on this excavation. When looking at the grand challenges of archeology (Kintigh, 2014), we recognize that we have to come to the conclusions of how past societies were by ourselves. This includes studying the artifacts and trying to identify their meanings or their uses, and for my excavation we got lucky as the site was well preserved. However, my group and I were not able to recognize many artifacts found throughout the site as we do not have objects like these on Titan, nor do we have documentation of them. We had to either use knowledge of what we have back home, or what we had seen and what we had learned from previous sites and any past knowledge we had of Earth and its inhabitants, specifically those that lived in Jefferson City. The study of archeology can be a difficult one, but it is an important one as it helps us learn and preserve our past, as well as prepare for our future.

Citations

Kintigh, K. W., Altschul, J. H., Beaudry, M. C., Drennan, R. D., Kinzig, A. P., Kohler, T. A., Limp, W. F., Maschner, H. D. G., Michener, W. K., Pauketat, T. R., Peregrine, P., Sabloff, J. A., Wilkinson, T. J., Wright, H. T., & Zeder, M. A. (2014, January 21). Grand challenges for archaeology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3903258/

The Linguistic Origins of the Phrase Molotov Cocktail

 

Figure 1: Computer Graphic of a Molotov Cocktail

 

You may have heard the phrase “Molotov cocktail” thrown around quite a lot recently, specifically in relation to Russian aggression against Ukraine.  The phrase references inexpensive, crude, but highly effective bottle bombs (Figure 1).  A glass bottle filled with a combustible liquid, typically gasoline based, and topped with a cloth wick have been popularly used throughout formal and informal (e.g., terrorist acts, protests, etc.) for decades, but the exact origins of this technology have been largely forgotten.  This blog post will discuss the history, specifically the linguistic origins, of this incendiary device.

 

The phrase “Molotov cocktail” was first seen in print in the early 1940s.  British news correspondent Reginald Oliver Gilling Urch is credited as being the first journalist to use the phrase in print, but it originally came from Finnish military slang.  The Finns created a variety of slang during the Winter War (1939-1940), a conflict wherein Russia attempted to annex Finland by force in order to shore up their military advantage during the Second World War.  During the conflict the Minister of Foreign Affairs, V. M. Molotov, claimed that the air raids over Finland were peaceful, humanitarian missions wherein food and other necessities were being dropped down to Finnish citizens.  The reality was that instead of food bombs were being deployed, resulting in Finn’s associating various negative aspects of aggression with Molotov.  Phrases such as “Molotov’s Olympics”, “Molotov’s coffins”, and “Molotov’s weather” were coined to reference the rush to bomb shelters, Soviet tanks, and air raids (respectively). 

 

The phrase “Molotov cocktail” was created to reference the inexpensive bottle bombs that the Finish military used to destroy “Molotov coffins”/Soviet tanks.  The flawed design of these tanks put the fuel tanks near the top of the vehicle, allowing for the combustible bottle bombs to easily penetrate the tank’s exterior and cause a massive explosion.  This efficient and inexpensive bottle bomb allowed the Finish military to destroy hundreds of Soviet tanks and is credited with enabling them to successfully defend their nation.  These incendiary devices, however, were not initially created by the Fins but may have been created by opposition forces during the Spanish Civil War, a few years prior.  Reports claim that the opposition forces used crude bottle bombs to attack and fend off the Fascist forces under Francisco Franco’s control, but as the opposition forces were eventually crushed their efforts were forgotten.  The success of the Finish military and the popular use of the phrase “Molotov cocktail” among British and United Kingdom news outlets, however, may be why the phrase perseveres today.  The continued use of bottle bombs also enabled the phrase to stick.  

 

Works Cited

Landau, David. "David Landau's Homepage." 2014. https://www.modeemi.fi. Electronic. 9 March 2022.

Trotter, William. "History of the Molotov Cocktail." Trotter, William. Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 1991. Print.

Vitaliev, Vitali. "Manchester Conference 'The Biggest of Its Kind'." Engineering & Technology Magazine October 2013: 28. Document.