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: Gwyn Jennings
Hello, my name is Gwyn
Jennings, and 50 years ago, Jefferson City, Missouri: my great ancestors' home
and city, was raided by a chemical spill that caused extreme iridescent ivy
overgrowth. My ancestors' stories about these iridescent ivy leaves and their power
to preserve artifacts inspired me to become an archaeologist. I hope to one day
return and collect data to better understand a part of this city's history. Now
in 2072, my current site administrator has, fortunately, asked me to return to
Jefferson City to study neighborhood ruins, as it has been abandoned since the
spill and is no longer a danger to humans.
From the vague file of
the information I am given, I can gather that families or individuals could
only grab a few things and escape just in time before the outer materials of
their homes were wrapped and suffocated by the iridescent ivy leaves. The
stories my ancestors told, passed through generations of my family, tell tales
about these leaves growing ten times in size and mainly engulfing plastic
vinyl, leaving behind the bones of these homes and preserving the structures
with their leaves. As I stroll down the streets, I note wooden objects and
transparent material, some whole and some in tiny shards, scattered everywhere
as the ivy did not swallow these materials. All of the structures are bare so I
can see straight through them; the magnificent and shiny leaves are wrapped
wildly all the way up to the ceilings.
Upon arriving, I reminded myself of the task:
collect data to understand the importance of familial or high society
gatherings and decipher underneath the plant overgrowth which rooms are more
likely to have held said gatherings. I trudge down East High Street and notice
a tall structure sitting at the top of the hill; two staircases lead up. Coming
closer to the large structure, I take note of a group of large wooden objects
perfectly preserved underneath the iridescent ivy. I jump in glee at what I
have discovered. My ancestors would be so happy to know that these objects were
still here as a part of their history.
With no door to open
and walk through, I pick two wall studs to walk between. I notice the four stud
support walls in this room are 8-feet tall. Roughly measuring the room floor,
it is 9- feet wide and 13.5-feet long.
As I view this room from the west, I stand in a partially cemented
3.5-foot wide, 7-foot tall archway. Looking to the north there is another
archway, which is 3-feet wide and 4-feet deep, the same in height, but like a
tunnel made out of the same cement material. On the south side of the room,
there is a third archway; 2.5-feet wide and 7-feet tall, also roughly shaped
out with the rocky cement material. I make a note that there is an eggshell
like color stained on this rocky cement material. Lastly, on the east wall,
right in the middle, there is the transparent paneling material I noted with
supports around the outside and horizontally in the middle; this allows one to
see outside.
Inside this 9 x
13.5-foot room, I notice to my right, against the studs, is a light tan wooden
box. It is 5-feet long, 7-feet tall, and 15-inches deep. I cannot move this box
as it is substantially large and heavy. On this wooden box, there are
decorative and detailed engravings on the front in a flowery and leafy pattern,
almost matching the ivy. More transparent paneling from the middle of the tall
wooden box to the top allows one to see the contents encased. Inside are three,
eight inch piles of white, circular objects stacked 12 high. These objects seem
to be of the same material as the transparent paneling, only in a different
color. Smaller cylindrical transparent objects are also neatly placed in rows;
they could potentially hold other objects or substances. There are also sliding
boxes with metal knobs and no tops that one would eject from the tall box that
encases rusty scoops, prongs, and blades.
I also note that in the
center of the room, there is a waist-high surface made of wood with marks of
colored stain on it. This surface is held up by four skinny wooden posts that
go all the way to the ground, holding the surface up. Though the leaves have
overgrown, the surface is roughly 3-feet wide, 5feet long, and about an inch
thick. It also has scratches and dents, but overall, is smooth in texture. I
also notice sticky residue in perfect circles on this surface, placed
sporadically over the top. Overall the object is sturdy and could be moved but
is stuck in place by the ivy.
Surrounding this tall
wooden surface on four posts are four plush, black, square cushions. My
measurements of the bottom cushion are 14.5-inches by 17-inches, with pads to
hold objects. On only one side of the cushion, there is a plush backing in a
14.5 x 13-inch square, decorated with six smaller buttons with clean seams
between each one. These black cushions are also held by four posts, skinnier
but longer. There are horizontal supports connecting to each leg in a square
towards the bottom of the four long posts, most likely for durability. I can
infer from my gatherings that it seems to be a familial conference room for
only four members. The cushions with legs pushed neatly around this wooden
surface made me believe that this was for only high-class members of society.
After looking over this
room, I have concluded what these artifacts may be. From my first artifact, it
looks like an expensive cabinet made by someone very talented and skillful in
carving. Perhaps a piece of furniture passed down in other generations used to
hold essential, fragile items that one might not always use and want to
preserve. The second item looks like it could have been a human sacrificing
surface as there are marks of colored stain, but there are different colors, so
I know that this is not human or animal blood. It might be where someone would
make colorful decorations and pottery, or perhaps they could lie down on it,
although it would be uncomfortable. I am still trying to figure out the
circular sticky substance, possibly left from those cylindrical transparent
objects, but none seem to have any sticky substance on them as they are still
untouched. The last artifact looks like somewhere one might sit down and/or use
for a child to sit up tall at the wooden surface. We humans in 2072 still have
objects that replicate this structure, but now everything hovers above the floor.
I notice these are sturdy sitting on the floor and can be moved around the tall
wooden surface and the room for other uses of object holding. After reading
over my notes, I concluded that it was a gathering room where a society's
families or high class members would conference, make art, or intensively mess
with sticky substances.
Archaeologists, like
myself, will always find difficulties surveying a site and collecting data, as
it could be from one decade or another. More than likely, one will find broken
pieces of an artifact, which is a challenge to figure out when or where it came
from and what it is made of. When surveying a site, typically, there is no
given information about the area, and archaeologists have to come to
knowledgeable but unbiased judgments and decisions about the site and what is
found there. Sometimes, those judgments and decisions can be wrong. It can be
challenging to make the right call when analyzing information or piecing
together artifacts when they are broken, but pieces could be missing
indefinitely.
According to Katherine
Hodge (2021), Public Education Coordinator, looting is one of the most common
issues that archaeologists find when surveying or excavating a site. As curious
civilians outnumber them, artifacts like broken pieces of pottery or bones can
be taken and never returned. Looting has been going on for thousands of years,
and it is still one of the most difficult challenges archaeologists face when
trying to piece together parts of history. When studying a historical site that
has been stolen from, it is more likely that archaeologists form an inaccurate
understanding of the site and the culture that is attached to it. Through the
difficulties, it is nonetheless a rewarding profession as we uncover the
secrets of the past.
Works
Cited
Hodge, K. (2021, March
26). Modern issues in archaeology:
Looting. Project Archaeology. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from
https://projectarchaeology.org/2021/03/26/modern-issues-in-archaeology-looting/
