The 21st Annual ACRA Conference is being held October 1 – 4 in Denver, CO. Participants will enjoy presentations on this year’s conference theme Reaching New Heights in the 21st Century: The Path Forward for a Thriving CRM Industry.
Head to Kentucky for Living Archaeology Weekend
This weekend marks the beginning of Kentucky’s annual Living Archaeology weekend. Held each September as part of Kentucky’s celebration of Archaeology month, this free two-day event features educational programs, demonstrations on American Indian and pioneer technology, and much more. Festivities kick-off Friday, September 19 at the Gladie Learning Center in Red River Gorge, visit www.livingarchaeologyweekend.com for more information and directions.
Searching for a Lost Ship
Learn more about the search for the Zavala in this interview with HRA Gray & Pape Marine Archaeologist, Michael Tuttle.
Celebrate Archaeology Month
Discover Archaeology!
September is Archaeology Month for Indiana, celebrate by participating in a variety of events throughout the state.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology coordinates events with universities, museums, organizations throughout Indiana to increase public awareness about archaeology throughout the state. Visit the Indiana Archaeology Month Events to find an event close to you.
The Importance of Place
For those outside archaeology, today’s news story about the death of Khaled al-Asaad might not mean much. The place Mr. Asaad had dedicated his life to, Palmyra, is half a world away. And until ISIS started destroying its ancient statues, many may not have known where or what Palmyra is. The Importance of Place by firm Principal, Michael Striker, provides insight into why what is happening on the other side of the globe is so important to the human family.
1914 Canadian Arctic Expedition Artifacts back in Alaska
Northern Land Use Research Alaska recently helped return artifacts from a 1914 archaeology expedition.
http://news.uaf.edu/return-artifacts-fulfills-century-old-promise/
Balancing Energy Development and Cultural Resources
The NatureServe Conference, Biodiversity Without Boundaries 2015, in Traverse City, Michigan, is one of the most important venues for conservation science.
On behalf of the Gas and Preservation Partnership, Marion Werkheiser and W. Kevin Pape, presented on “Integrating Cultural and Environmental Screening Tools for Energy Development.”
Their presentation focused on solutions to the challenge that no national GIS database exists allowing energy companies to access quick and accurate information to help plan projects in ways that limit impacts to historic and cultural resources.
How Do You Crack a Nut?
Before modern appliances and kitchen tools made our lives easier, our ancestors had to make and use tools found in their natural environment.
Pictured here are a nutting and hammer stone found at an ongoing excavation in Adams County, OH. Dating to the Late Archaic Period (ca. 8000-1000 B.C.), these stones were used to crack open nuts. The whole nut was held in place in the small divots and then cracked open with the larger hammer stone. Then the nut could have been removed, or the entire mix could have been tossed into boiling water to separate shell from nut or as a way of collecting the nut oil. Because this nutting stone has a shallow basin in the center of the stone, it is likely one nut type was being ground into meal, after being cracked open.
Once these artifacts are bought back to Gray & Pape’s lab, they will not be washed. Though thousands of years old, it’s still possible that once starch grain or residue analysis is performed, we can determine what type of nuts were being manipulated.
Balancing Development and Regulatory Compliance
The Balancing Act of Cultural Resource Management
How can the needs of developers be met while following state and federal preservation requirements? Senior Principal Investigator Beth McCord discusses this topic on the radio program Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology.
Gorget Found During Excavation
To the untrained eye, this image looks like a rock with a hole in it. But to an archaeologist, this is a fragment of a gorget. From the French gorge, meaning throat, a gorget is an adornment made of stone, shell, or metal, worn around the neck on a thong. This slate gorget fragment was found during an excavation currently taking place in Adams County, OH.