Category Archives: Archaeology

At least in Spain over the past 400 years, according to this study. The investigators are looking at diet and other environmental factors as possible causes. Personally, I think it’s because they were intermarrying.

Archaeoastronomy is the study of the ways past cultures understood and used the sky. It includes things like equinox and solstice alignments, calendars, and inscriptions or art relating to the sky. I have long been aware of some of the ways that California Indian groups related to the sky, such as the construction of solstice markers by the Chumash. However I was not aware that solar alignments were also incorporated into the design of the California missions.

As an interesting aside, I was able to attend a presentation by Dr. Mendoza at the SAA conference, although it was not on this topic.

From a story about a new project using GPR (ground penetrating radar) and core sampling at Serpent Mound in Ohio. The author mentions that the activity will be visible from the viewing tower, but warns that, “it’s unlikely to be as exciting as watching a traditional archaeological dig.” Watching somebody dig a hole is exciting?

The SAA conference wrapped up today, with sessions only in the morning. I did get a chance to talk briefly to Dr. Steven James, one of my professors at CSU Fullerton. Among other things, he’s still investigating over-hunting by prehistoric populations on the Channel Islands.

After that came the long drive home. This conference has been exhausting, but well worth it.

Also, Catherine has posted her take on the space heritage preservation symposium. Go read it.

Not long ago I blogged about some very important Paleo-Indian finds on Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands. This morning I got to hear Todd Braje speak a little about that during a symposium on the archaeology of the Channel Islands. Yesterday Jon Erlandson discussed it during a session as well. They both speculated that there may be a connection between the barbed projectile points they’ve been uncovering and earlier Jomon points from Japan. That’s not as bizarre an idea as it might seem at first, given the very real possibility that the first people to reach the Americas came along the coast instead of through an ice-free corridor inland. Unfortunately, most of the route that coastal travelers would have taken is under water now, which makes it very hard to find any evidence they might have left behind.

On a different note, I may not be a grad student at the moment, but you’d sure think I was from the way I’ve been snapping up freebies in the vendor room.

It was a long day and I’m tired, so this will be short. Very exciting to be able to meet some people whom I’ve only read before. I especially enjoyed talking with W. Michael Gear. Also, I found it interesting throughout the day to see how many archaeologists mispronounce atlatl.

I’m here for my very first SAA conference. It looks like kind of a busy schedule, so I might not be posting very much for the next few days. Thankfully, Sacramento is close enough to Reno that we could drive. I probably wouldn’t have come if it meant having to submit to the TSA grope fest.

BBC News has the story here. Obviously I can’t really form an opinion on the site until I get a chance to read the actual article, but I think Tom Dillehay is right on about the rhetoric: “Clovis First” has been dead for years.

It’s a little disappointing that, despite the team having collected almost 16,000 artifacts, there don’t seem to be any that can be dated directly. Having to infer the date of the artifacts from dated minerals in the soil inevitably makes the result at least a little bit uncertain. Even with those caveats, however, it’s clear that this is an important site.