Highlights: Disability in History, A 7 Year Walk, & Science Writing

The first few weeks of 2013 have been pretty busy so far, but I have noticed several interesting articles that are worth a read.  Regular readers of this blog will know I have a personal interest in disability and it’s effects upon the individual and society, from both the prehistory and historic periods.  As such I am excited to highlight the work of English Heritage and their information on the European centered ‘History of Disability: From 1050AD to the Present Day‘ webpage.  The site has a wonderful overview of the changing attitudes and roles that disabled people faced throughout this period.  Taking in the broad categories of the Medieval period, the Tudors, and the later centuries block by block, the website helps provide information on the social aspects of physical and mental disability in the various period societies.  In conjunction with the website, I also came across this article ‘Graciosi: Medieval Christian Attitudes to Disability‘ by Cusack (1997: 414-419), published in the Disability and Rehabilitation journal, which is free to view on the Academia website.  It is an interesting read, and helps to  introduce the Medieval and later period views on disability and the social implications for individuals affected.

Meanwhile over at the BBC website there is an article on Paul Salopek and the journey he hopes to make over the next 7 years.  Starting in Ethiopia in East Africa and ending near the southern point of South America in Tierra del Fuego, Salopek hopes to walk the entire journey to retrace the journey of early humans and the evolution and expansion of Homo sapiens.  Specifically the biologist and journalist will be relaying his thoughts and encounters with people each and every day of his journey, helping to detail the explosion of modern man, whilst also taking the time to articulate his views via ‘slow journalism’, as opposed to today’s fast paced news sites and blogs.

Directly related to this is a recent entry on John hawks’ weblog, titled ‘Online Communication Bias Upon the Public Perception of Science‘, where the renowned palaeoanthropologist highlights a recent Science article by Brossard & Schuele (2013: 40-41) on the negative effects of science representation in online and digital media.  The comments by Hawks are quite eye opening, as is the original paper (unfortunately behind a pay wall).  The article highlights and relates to the way we (as a public body) consume science articles in the fast moving digital world of journalism through popular and established media, particularly the main papers.  The authors found that the main body of the article is often misunderstood, with the comments sections in particular affecting the readers comprehension of the articles themselves.

So this is a brief update into my recent readings.  The next few blog entries will concentrate on the next Skeletal Series update, which have admittedly been a long time coming.  Further to this I will also write about an exciting and informative methodological update in relation to the ‘Bioarchaeology of Care‘, as espoused by Tilley & Oxenham (2011).  Generously Tilley has emailed me a copy of her recent paper, and it provides further detailed information on how the disabled individuals found in the archaeological record are assessed for care.

AJA Report: ‘Archaeological Site Looting in “Glocal” Perspective: Nature, Scope, and Frequency’

There is an open access article in the latest American Journal of Archaeology (117.1) by Blythe Bowman Proulx (2013: 111-125)  entitled ‘Archaeological Site Looting in “Glocal” Perspective: Nature, Scope, and Frequency’, that debates the nature of archaeological looting on a global scale.  The abstract is below:

“The looting of archaeological sites undermines the preservation of cultural heritage. The purpose of this study is to broaden and refine our understanding of the nature, geographic scope, and frequency of looting and archaeological site destruction and to place looting in global perspective. Situated within a “glocal” (global and local) context, this study focuses on a large sample of field archaeologists working throughout the world and their opinions about and personal encounters with looting. Some key findings are presented: first, that the overwhelming majority of surveyed field archaeologists have experienced looting firsthand on more than one occasion; second, that archaeological site looting is in fact a globally pervasive problem and is not limited to certain parts of the world to the exclusion of others. The paper ends with a consideration of the implications of such findings for the broader cultural heritage debate.”

This is a strong article helping to document first hand experience of looting at archaeological sites from around the world.  It is well worth a read and presents a problem in context.  Proulx’s (2013: 123) devastating conclusion is that…

“archaeological site looting is a globally pervasive, commonplace, iterative, and not decreasing appreciably is a critical finding.  Looting- and, consequently, the role it may play in the antiquities trade- can no longer be dismissed as simply exaggerated, nor can concerns about looting be cast off as mere products of scaremongering archaeologists with overblown imaginations and thinly veiled preservationist agendas.”

The after effects of looting, in this case the desecration of two mummies, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo during the Egyptian uprising in January last year. Whilst highlighting looting it is also good practice to show the response to it, in this case members of the public and professionals of the city forming ‘a human chain’ around the museum to protect the artefacts and heritage inside the museum (Source: National Geographic/AP).

Context is king, and without this we risk losing cultural heritage and understanding on a massive scale due to the looting of archaeological artefacts and sites worldwide.

2013 & Beyond

As is custom at this time of year a quick review of the previous year’s views is presented in this post.  The statistics can also be useful in spotting trends and popular posts on this blog.  2012 was a particularly popular year for this blog (just nearly over two years old), with a recorded number of views of 530,000 during the previous 12 months, bringing the current total to 680,816 views.  There was a total of 41 new posts bringing the total to 91, with the most popular day being the 3rd of October 2012 with 4,354 hits.  The top 5 blog entries of the year were:

1.  The Biological basis of Bone and Anatomical Directional Terms.

2.  Skeletal Series Part 9: The Human Hip.

3.  Skeletal Series Part 5: The Human Rib Cage.

4.  Skeletal Series Part 10: The Human Leg.

5.  Skeletal Series Part 3: The Human Skull.

So quite clearly the most popular posts were those that dealt specifically with osteology and anatomical related features.  This is, in part, due to the multidisciplinary attraction to the posts themselves.  Crossing, as they do, the boundaries between archaeology, osteology, medicine, anatomy, physical anthropology, forensic science, palaeoanthropology, and bioarchaeological fields.  It is also probably down to the plain old inquisitiveness of the human species to know thy self!  The fact that the most popular posts are those that detail the bony anatomy is gratifying to know, as this is the primary reason I set the blog up; to help educate people who are interested to know how to identify human skeletal features, what archaeologists do with human skeletal remains, and what they (he bones) can tell science about our past populations.

This blog includes a variety of other posts, and I’ve tried to widen this out to include Guest Posts from a number of different sources.  The aim has been to introduce various opportunities or interesting material from other sources and colleagues.  I hope to introduce further posts related to my interest in the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, but also hope to write about the different aspects and projects that being an archaeologist can involve, as it is a wide spectrum of activities, including report writing, historic building recording and surveying, archival work, excavation, post-excavation analysis and data entry to name a few things that have been experienced in the past year.

This year also saw the introduction of a separate page, entitled the Human Skeleton, for the collected and so far published Skeletal Series post entries.  Upon completion of this aspect of the blog it is hoped that the page can be used as an overall source for the blog, and for the main information on the human skeleton to be found there.

The majority of visitors to the site have come from the United States, The United Kingdom or Canada, but has successfully been viewed in 207 countries around the world.  I am particularly proud to have been viewed in every continent as this blog was started to help educate both myself and the readers.  The most popular sources to have viewed this blog by include Bones Don’t Lie, Facebook, Reddit and Past Horizons.  The most popular search terms, perhaps unsurprisingly, include ‘scapula’, ‘tibia’, ‘ribs’, ‘femur’ and ‘shoulder anatomy’.

Views by country, beginning the 25th of February 2012 up to the present day (03/01/2013), but not including the year 2011.

So 2012 was a particularly good year for the blog, yet their remains the need to complete the Skeletal Series entries amongst other things that need writing up.  In 2013 this blog should hopefully update to include entries on how to age and sex skeletal remains, how to identify basic diseases present in archaeological skeletal populations, alongside the usual posts highlighting relevant or interesting archaeological or historical/prehistorical cultures, sites or remains.  If you think there is something I should correct, change or blog about, feel free to comment on this post or contact me through my about the author page.

A Tale of Woe at Teotihuacán

On the 17th of December the New York Times published an investigative article detailing how far Wal-Mart de Mexico were willing to circumvent Mexican planning laws to construct a store near the legendary and ancient Teotihuacán complex in Central Mexico.  The details of the case include a number of substantial bribes to various officials, and last minute illegal changes to planned zoning areas around the Teotihuacán complex, which prohibit commercial construction.  The bribes themselves included illegal payments for traffic permits ($25,900), zoning rights and alterations ($52,000), political pay-offs ($114,000) and ‘donations’ to archaeology (up to $81,000).  It is an eye opening article into the overseas business expansion of so famous a business, and it is well worth a read.  The following two paragraphs introduce the background…

“SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACÁN, Mexico — Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pineda’s alfalfa field. It was an ideal location, just off this town’s bustling main entrance and barely a mile from its ancient pyramids, which draw tourists from around the world. With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pineda’s field.

One major obstacle stood in Wal-Mart’s way.

After years of study, the town’s elected leaders had just approved a new zoning map. The leaders wanted to limit growth near the pyramids, and they considered the town’s main entrance too congested already. As a result, the 2003 zoning map prohibited commercial development on Mrs. Pineda’s field, seemingly dooming Wal-Mart’s hopes.”

The Avenue of the Dead at Teotihuacán, with the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon visible.

I have had the pleasure of studying American prehistory and Pre-Colombian cultures at University, and I found Teotihuacán to be a particularly interesting city and archaeological site, and one I’d love to visit one day.  In particular the following two paragraphs detail the emerging resistance against the store…

“But the tide turned as INAH’s archaeologists began to find evidence that Wal-Mart was building on ancient ruins after all. They found the remains of a wall dating to approximately 1300 and enough clay pottery to fill several sacks. Then they found an altar, a plaza and nine graves. Once again, construction was temporarily halted so their findings could be cataloged, photographed and analyzed. The discoveries instantly transformed the skirmish over Mrs. Pineda’s field into national news.

Student groups, unions and peasant leaders soon joined the protests. Opponents of other Wal-Marts in Mexico offered support. Influential politicians began to express concern. Prominent artists and intellectuals signed an open letter asking Mexico’s president to stop the project. Many were cultural traditionalists, united by a fear that Wal-Mart was inexorably drawing Mexico’s people away from the intimacy of neighborhood life, toward a bland, impersonal “gringo lifestyle” of frozen pizzas, video games and credit cards.”

The response from Wal-Mart can be found on the article site.  As archaeologists we often try to save and defend the ruins of the past, or at least mitigate the impacts of the construction industry by recording and analysing what remains ahead of building work.  This article, though, details not just a clash between the new and the old, but of different cultures and the role of international businesses in countries throughout the world.  The article, and the actions of both Wal-Mart de Mexico and officials in Mexico, depict actions that are happening across the world.  In an ideal world the adherence to local customs and laws must be a part of the planning process.

Further Sources:

• The website Teotihuacán- City of the Gods, led by noted Teotihuacán scholar Saburo Sugiyama of Arizona State University, has an excellent introduction to the city alongside a detailed chronology of its lifespan and information on its major buildings and archaeological finds.  It also demonstrates the city’s history in Mesoamerica and its lasting influence on cultures that followed.
• A few recent articles on the website Past Horizons highlight how new archaeological finds, including burials and artefacts, are often found at the city site complex.  This staggeringly beautiful crafted Jade mask was found during a project focusing on the Pyramid of the Sun from 2008-2011.  A further article at Past Horizon’s describes evidence for the the use of cosmetics on the dead as part of the funerary process, and hints at the large trade networks throughout Mesoamerica at this time.

Mesolithic Musings and the Howick Home

I ventured up to a dreary and drenched Newcastle today and whilst there I visited the delightful Great North Museum, formerly the Hancock Museum, located near the University of Newcastle.  This a free, engaging and entertaining museum- an ideal place to help soak up an introduction to the natural and historical wonders of northern England.  A proposed near 100% cut in the £2.5 million cultural funds by Newcastle-upon-Tyne city council will likely force a number of cultural institutions (including art galleries, museums, and music centres amongst others) in the city to either close, let go of staff, and/or lose precious objects and artefacts, not to mention a potential loss of knowledge.  Thankfully the Great North Museum receives some funding from the nearby University, but it will remain to be seen what damage across the city the cuts will do.  The Great North Museum houses a number of important collections including over half a million objects from the fields of the natural world, geology, library archives and world cultures.  However it was for the section on archaeology that I was particularly interested to see, especially so the sections on the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.  It would be fair to say that these sections are not particularly expansive, but they are interesting.

As I mentioned in an earlier post on the Mesolithic in the Tees valley and North Yorkshire Moors, Northumberland has evidence for one of the earliest houses in Britain at Howick, located just on the coast of the North Sea.  On display at the museum were some of the artefacts found from the site including sea shells, burnt hazelnut shells, and microliths.  The site at Howick was discovered and excavated by a team based at the University of Newcastle during the summers of 2000 to 2002.

The Mesolithic hut at Howick, Northumberland, dated to 7800 BC, overlooking the modern day coastline (Source: University of Newcastle Howick Project).

They uncovered 3 distinct phases of a single circular hut building, with construction starting from 7800 BC and in-habitation potentially lasting a century or more, with evidence of post holes and successive lenses of debris.  It is not yet known whether the site was occupied permanently, semi-permanently or seasonally.  A total of 18,000 pieces of flint were recovered from the site, and whilst only a small fraction of these were on show at the Great North, it was nonetheless stimulating to be looking at the evidence and artefacts from one of the earliest domestic sites in the UK.  A large amount of burnt hazelnuts were found with a small number of hearths, indicating that this food group were specifically targeted for food, alongside probable food sources such as seals from along the coastal area.  The site was carefully investigated during the excavation period and subsequent analysis; this included test pitting, sediment coring, soil analysis and geomorphological characterisation, as well as extensive radiocarbon dating of various deposits found in the main extensive open area excavation.

Careful excavations such as this help to add to the picture of Mesolithic life in Britain.  In a recent article written by the project team at Star Carr, a famous waterlogged Mesolithic site in the Vale of Pickering in North Yorkshire, Conneller et al. (2012) suggest that the site was actually quite extensive with evidence of a least one hut, and a significant amount of work had gone into constructing the site.  They also suggest that the long held view of the European Mesolithic as proliferated with ‘small groups’ of people may have had their rationale in the small excavations of archaeologists’ themselves (Conneller et al. 2012: 1004).

These are interesting projects, especially in highlighting the varied archaeological finds of Northern England.  In my hometown alone I have a petrified Upper Palaeolithic/Mesolithic forest located just off the coast, a complex of Bronze Age, Iron Age and Romano-British centres spanning nearly a thousand years nearly on my doorstep, an important early Anglo-Saxon centre of Christianity near the coast, not to mention the important Medieval and Post-Medieval trading sites.  It should be remembered that museums are integral to displaying and housing a wide range of collections for the benefit of both the public and the researcher, not to mention commercial construction companies.

Further sources:

• The Great North Museum website has further information on the collections it holds, upcoming displays, and where to find the museum itself.
• The Howick Project website , run by the University of Newcastle, can be found here detailing the investigations and approaches used.  It also includes further evidence of a number of Bronze Age cists found at the site.
• Over at the Microburin blog site there are a number of links to Mesolithic sites and finds in the UK, research frameworks, societies and places of information.  It is well worth a look.
• The Star Carr Project website offers detailed and update to project reports and information.  This is a very exciting and in-depth researched site, definitely one to know.
• A recent article on Past Horizon’s demonstrates the evidence for the Mesolithic population (5500 BC) in the area of the Severn estuary, Wales, for shaping their landscape using fire for the benefits of several wild crops.

Ancient Places and Ancient Lives

“What survives from the real Middle Ages is a range of, in practice, quite arbitrary objects based on luck and the durability of their materials.  Ivories of great age, generally showing scenes from the Bible, have endured because they have always been valued but also because they could not decay and could not be reused.  Very little decorative gold survives because centuries of embarrassing royal emergencies or changes in taste have taken advantage of its plasticity to remodel it or put it back into ingots or coins.  Clothing, even precious clothing, has rotted, tapestries have faded, paint has worn away.  Much of the texture and visual meaning of the Middle Ages is therefore lost- quite aside from the irreparable problem of our mental and spiritual equipment being so drastically altered by the intervening centuries that we can hardly engage with what we are looking at.”

From ‘Germania: A personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern’ by Simon Winder (2010: 45).

To slake my thirst for reading I have recently borrowed this delightful book on Germany from my brother.  The book is an often funny but always passionate and informative guide to the central European country, and although my aim was to read it before journeying to Magdeburg last year I never quite got around to it.  The quote instantly reminded me of what I had seen myself in Amiens in the summer, of the cathedral lit as it once was with its vibrant, even gaudy colours transplanted onto the bare and ashen stonework, and of the true sights and sounds that are now largely lost to the ages.  Archaeology is in the business of salvaging and conserving finds and sites from the past, and an integral part of this is the study of human remains as this blog has tried to highlight.  Whilst we can investigate many different aspects of past cultures, not just from the relics and the ruins that remain, but of the actual people who had once lived, it is still important that we realise we can only form an impression of what they had once seen and lived through themselves.  I often catch myself whilst handling a person from the past, imagining who they had loved, what they had seen and what they had done in their lifetimes.  Although the answers to some of our questions as researchers may now be lost, archaeology and its related disciplines can still help to shed a little light.  That light is improving as archaeology widens its scope via science breakthroughs and multidisciplinary projects.

Lascaux Cave Art & Immersive Website

Whilst reading the wonderful archaeological themed advent calendar series over at the ‘Musings of an Unemployed Archaeologist‘ blog site, I came across the Lascaux entry, featured in the most recent blog update (18th December 2012).  The website of the famous Palaeolithic cave site (estimated to be around 17,300 years old), which is located in the Dordogne area in France, features an extraordinary immersive visit to the cave system itself, allowing the internet accessible audience to visit and see each famous painting up close and in detail.  It is a thoroughly entrancing sight, and it is a delight to explore the various cave routes.  I heartily recommend the interested lay person and professional alike to visit this website, to capture a feeling of how this magnificent cave once looked like (the original cave site, discovered in France in 1940, is currently off-limits due to extensive damage from the horde of visitors, although an exact replica site is available to visit nearby).

This blog entry by ‘Musings…’ comes hot on the heels of news of the comparison of animals and their representations in art through the ages.  A study in the journal PLoS by Horvath et al. (2012) found that compared to modern artwork, Upper Palaeolithic artists were more realistic in their representations of animals, in the fact of their depictions of quadrupeds walking and proportion sizes, than many modern artists are.  It is a thoroughly interesting article, and one well worth a read.  The Lascaux cave system depicts nearly 2000 figures which have been categorised into animals (including aurochs, a bird, a rhinoceros, stags, felines, and equines, who predominate), human figures and abstract signs.  Perhaps most noticeably is that there is no depiction of landscape scenes or of vegetation throughout the cave complex.  It has been stated by some (Bahn & Lewis-Williams amongst others) that when viewed with tallow, or fat, candles, as they would have originally have been the images themselves would shimmer in the candle light due to the uneven surface that they were painted on.  The implication being that the images of the animals would flicker almost as if they were alive; it is certainly an interesting theory and experiments have helped to provide evidence that this effect does occur.

An stunningly realised example of aurochs depicted at the Lascaux cave complex, from the Upper Palaeolithic, in France (Source).

Upper Palaeolithic cave art, both portable and stable, is a fascinating and deeply emotive subject, full of differing theories from various sources, anthropologists and authorities.  It continues to be a source of fascination with a wide variety of people throughout the world, including the German director Werner Herzog who released the 3D film ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams‘ about the Lascaux complex which involved interviews with scientists, footage of the cave itself, and voice overs from the great man himself.  Ultimately the cave art itself has become a testament to the placing of man and beast together, and it continues to echo down the ages as a source of inspiration and artistic expression of humanity and early man.

Mesolithic Project on the North Yorkshire Moors

There is a nice little article on the Past Horizons website on the work of my local archaeological group, Tees Archaeology, and their continuing work on the Mesolithic project based in the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire Moors in north eastern England, carried out in conjunction with North York Moors National Park.  The Mesolithic period in this area lasted from to 8000 BC  to roughly 3800 BC, with flint tools used during this period often belonging to the microlithic tradition- specialised mini-tools.  The human population during this time were largely nomadic, often moving from place to place as season/food dictated.  However, it can be hard to make specific claims about this period as the evidence can be so scattered and diffuse.  Projects, such as this one spearheaded by Tees Archaeology, can help to unveil concentrations in Mesolithic flints and tools, and possibly even help to highlight camp sites or hearth sites, whilst also involving the public to become engaged with prehistory and heritage management.

The north east of England is generally unrepresented in the archaeological record compared to later periods (Source: Project Summary), and is certainly lesser known compared to the more well known sites of Star Carr in the Vale of Pickering, or Mesolithic houses of Howick in Northumberland.  Yet the evidence gathered from the many hundreds of flints from the project so far could indicate concentrations of Mesolithic activity on the North York Moors, with nearly 450 flints found near Goldsborough, Whitby, with evidence of burn flints which is often taken as a sign of camp fires or hearths (Source: Past Horizons).  This project helps to highlight the systematic approach to the prehistorical archaeological record, especially taking into consideration the change of environment between now and then.

The Tees Archaeology led project is split into 3 main phases, which include:

Phase 1 (completed 2006):

The collation of existing data, including the work of unpublished and unrecorded material, palaeoenvironmental evidence, and information from private collectors.  The information was entered into a database and graded accordingly to type, and from there 6 types of location were identified for Mesolithic sites.  The sites were then targeted in Phase 2 (Source: project Summary).

Phase 2 (completed 2008-2012):

Targeted fieldwork explored the 6 location types identified from the 1st Phase in order to characterise the different types of activity present, detail the chronology at the site, and provide information for future management.  The 6 location types are termed as Zone 1- low lying areas in the Tees valley, Zone 2- lowland activity in prominent locations, Zone 3- lower lying northern and eastern fringes of present moorland block, Zone 4- upland activity in prominent locations, Zone 5- upper reaches of streams in upland locations, and Zone 6- highland springhead locations (Source: project summary).

Phase 3 (projected 2013)-

The majority of finds from Phase 2 of this project included extensive field walking at a number of sites to find, record and plan flint finds, whilst the 3rd Phase aims to finish trial shoveling, pitting and field walking at specific sites in conjunction with geophysical surveying, whilst testing the methodologies used in Phase 2.  The final section will bring together the lessons learnt from the project, and help produce and inform heritage management planning.  A popular booklet will be produced to help educate and inform the public.

Further Information, Publications and Reports-

A Tees Archaeology produced series of Flint Fact Sheets can be found here.  The detailed fact sheets help to provide information on the importance of flint collections, their value and how knowledge can be attained from them.  It describes the quality and the nature of flint, how to recognise different period production of flint tools (from Mesolithic microliths to Neolithic fabricators), as well as a guide on how to recognise the different functions and type of flint tools and artifacts that can be found in the area, ranging from scrapers, burins, awls to saws, knives and leaf shaped arrow heads.

The Tees Archaeology Phase 1 Final Report, from 2006, can be found here, which describes the objectives and research design in further detail.  On the project homepage further information can be found on the specific sites that have been targeted since 2006, such as Farndale Moor in 2009 or Goldborough in 2012, with yearly reports produced for each site available on the webpage.  This brief report outline both the completed Phase 1 and Phase 2, and the upcoming Phrase 3 in 2013.  A future report is expected within a year times, whilst trial trenching and test pitting on the North York Moors will be carried out in early 2013 (volunteers wanted!).

I sincerely hope I can join in with the project in the coming spring, as this seems like a fantastic opportunity to become involved with a Mesolithic project, a period I am especially interested in.

The End of the MSc at the University of Sheffield…

Just over a year ago I wrote a blog entry on the beginnings of the MSc at the University of Sheffield, which detailed the modules that made up the course and the contents of each module.  I graduate next month, and I feel now is a pertinent time to reflect on both the modules and the department as a whole, one year on.  Perhaps first and foremost I should state that I enjoyed the course thoroughly, that it tested me in ways in which I had not been tested in academia before, and offered opportunities I’d never though I’d get to experience.  However, it is also wise to add that this is my own personal experience, and as such, the reader should be aware that this a subjective review.

As I stated in the original blog post I had chosen the University of Sheffield partly because it offered the opportunity to dissect human cadavers and to learn firsthand what the muscles and associated anatomy looked and felt like.  In fact, this is still the only University in the UK that offers a hands on anatomy and dissection class in an MSc in studying Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology.  A second important factor was the fact that many now practicing the profession in the UK undertook and passed this course or it’s sister course at The University of Bradford, as they were both devised and set up by Professor Charlotte Roberts in the late 1980s/early 1990s.  This course is widely respected as a benchmark in osteological Masters, both in the UK and abroad.

However there has also been important recent changes with regards to staff in the archaeology department at Sheffield since the conclusion of my time of study, and this has affected the MSc in Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology.  Mike Parker Pearson, who taught the funerary archaeology module on the Masters course, has moved to UCL to teach and carry on research, whilst Dr Andrew Chamberlain, who taught Biological Anthropology I & II & Quantitative Methods in Anthropology, has moved to the University of Manchester (although no webpage is currently up displaying his profile).  Further to this a small number of prehistorians  have also left the department.  Perhaps most importantly is the advent of the new MSc in Osteoarchaeology offered at the University of Sheffield, which combines human and animal osteological modules.  This does however place further stress onto the human osteology lab and skeletal materials in the department.

As per the earlier blog entry a break down of the modules will now be presented.

1. Human Osteology-

A single lecture covered a certain part of the skeletal anatomy whilst a follow up lab session involved a detailed look at the typical osteological landmarks for each element, alongside how to side the element.  The practical was marked in a series of bi-monthly osteological tests in the 1st semester, whilst a essay accounts for the remaining 40% of the module mark.  This module, alongside the anatomy module below, accounted for many many hours spent in the laboratory studying variations and fragments of the skeletal elements.  It is heavily recommended you work both by yourself,  and with others testing you and each other.

2. Human Anatomy-

A single lecture covered a certain part of the musculoskeletal anatomy (anterior ante-brachium for instance) followed by a practical dissection class in the medical teaching unit at the university.  Perhaps one of the more intensive modules, which involved a thorough study and revision of the anatomy before and after the practical classes.  Two timed exams, one covering the upper body delivered half way through the 1st semester and the second covering the lower half of the body at the end of the 1st semester, is the way in which the module is marked.  The exams take the format of ten un-annotated diagrams with four parts each, and the questions asking to name the muscles and actions etc.

3. Biological Anthropology I-

A 1st semester lecture and lab based module, which followed on from the human osteology module.  Included varyingly successful methods of aging, sexing, and palaeopathological markers, alongside indicators of health, stature and overall height.  Competing methods for each of the above, on different elements and sections of the skeletons, were presented, which highlighted the vast range of discrepancies between some solid, and some not so solid methods.  The assessment for this module was a skeletal report on two individuals, one adult and one child, from the skeletal collections, and how well different methods were applied.

4. Biological Anthropology II-

A 2nd semester lecture and lab based module on the wider issues in biological anthropology, including human evolution, diet, health, mass disasters, forensics, recording and technology in osteology.  A single written assessment with preset titles was used to mark this module.

5. Funerary Archaeology-

A 1st semester lecture based module discussing a variety of topics throughout the main topic of funerary archaeology.  This included social and cultural reactions to death, and the dead body, how the body is treated to death, historical and prehistoric traditions from around the globe, and the science behind the decomposition of the human body.  A single essay was set on pre-assigned topics, although free range is given to the discussion and examples used.

6. Quantitative Methods in Anthropology-

Each week in the 2nd semester a different statistical method is used in a case study.  This module introduces the basics of statistical analysis using the SPSS19/20 program, and teaches which statistical tests should be used on both parametric and non-parametric data sets, and how to interpret the results.  A statistical report based on original questions applied to a compiled cemetery dataset is the way in which this module is marked.  I only truly learnt to understand the importance and value of statistical analysis whilst conducting research for my dissertation itself, during long hours of repeating a variety of tests against my own database.  By going through each of the weekly tests a few times a week a core bedrock of knowledge can be formed, but it can still be (and is!) mystifying at times.

7. Biomolecular Archaeology (module choice)-

A lecture based study of the breadth of biomolecular archaeology.  Topics included aDNA, infectious diseases, human evolution and stable light isotopes amongst others.  Although disappointing in the fact that there were no practical classes, the revolving door nature of the lecturers kept the talks interesting and vibrant, as the various researchers were clearly invigorated by their topics.

8. Research Design in Anthropology-

This module consisted of reading various themed articles each week and discussing them in front of the study group.  Ultimately, this was a hit and miss affair, with some articles covered in depth and others lightly skimmed over.  The marked component of this module was a critically assessed research design of the dissertation topic under consideration.

9 Dissertation Topic-

The dissertation consisted of original research, and naturally led on from the Research Design in Anthropology.  Ideally have a topic idea, or area, in your mind before the end of the 1st semester.  Although this is not necessary, it will help you work through any potential problems, and let you decide if a topic is feasible or not.  Depending if you are conducting physical examinations on human bones or carrying out practical tests, or if your topic is mainly statistical or literature based, always make sure you factor in enough laboratory and library time to conduct your tests and research.  In my experience, time with supervisors was severally limited during the summer months due to movement (both student/staff), and conflicting timetables.  I conducted statistical testing on Strontium isotope ratios from 422 individuals from the LBK period in Central Europe taken from the existing literature, with regards to mobility and migration.

Ultimately this course is what you yourself make of it.  The first semester is especially intense, focusing on the osteology and the anatomy, with almost weekly exams testing your new found knowledge.  The second semester is more relaxed, with a focus on research for essays and original research for dissertation projects.  Although this course is a taught Masters, it is heavily advised that you take every opportunity to study in the human osteological laboratory, and make full use of the skeletal elements, skeletal collections, and the muscle marked anatomical models.  Compared to courses abroad, the time spent teaching by the staff may seem limited, so it is heavily advised that personal study is conducted in conjunction, especially in familiarizing yourself with the anatomy and osteological landmarks.

With any future prospective student, I’d advise that you research the type of Masters program that you want, and compare and contrast the varying courses on offer in the UK and abroad.  The UK is currently experiencing a boom in the forensic sciences, and this is reflected by the introduction and rise of forensic archaeology, especially in conjunction with forensic osteology and biomolecular archaeology.  Remember to email and ask specific questions on the courses you are interested in, and ask to see the figures for past students regarding employment or research routes taken.

CSCS Card for the Archaeologist

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme was set up in the mid to late 1990′s to help raise the level of health and safety awareness and demonstrate occupational competency in the construction industry.  Primarily aimed at workers in the construction industry at all levels, there has also been a recognised need for archaeologists who work on, or near, construction sites to possess a CSCS card.  It is now often a condition for employment by archaeological companies in the UK to include CSCS card accreditation in the ‘desired’ or ‘essential’ criteria for prospective field archaeological job applicants, although companies will often sponsor a candidate through the process if they already work for the unit.

Individuals who take the test must undergo a Health, Safety and Environmental exam to demonstrate their competency, and depending on the type of card applied for, may also undergo other exams.  The 2009 online BAJR Guide 28 deals with the ‘CSCS Card for Archaeologists’, helping to highlight the relevant information needed to take the test.  A change in the testing of CSCS applicants from April 2012 means that there are added elements to the exam.  This includes a behavioural module, where the candidate will be tested on a lifelike situation in which candidates will be tested on their reaction to an unfolding case study.

Although there are a range of CSCS cards aimed at the general workman to the specialist and managers (such as the Black and Red cards), the field archaeologist will only need the White/Grey Card, which is a general construction relation occupation card.  The CSCS card is valid for 5 years, and after that period a re-test is needed.  In the UK the test and the certification to gain the CSCS card currently costs £30, although archaeological units are often willing to pay this administration fee, and, if you are jobseekers allowance, the job centre can in some circumstances help to fund the cost for the test.

An example of the White CSCS card.

The CSCS test can be organised via your local council, and whilst revision materials can be found online (although they are quite limited) it is best to either loan or to buy a specific manual to revise from.  To strengthen your application for archaeological jobs in this competitive market, it is highly recommended that you gain this certification, as a well as a full clean driving licence.  Although a part of the industry will see the the rise of the CSCS as an encroachment of health and safety legislature, it has helped to raise the standards of health and safety across the board- undoubtedly helping to prevent accidents and save lives.

• The guide for the CSCS Archaeology can be found at BAJR Guide 28 (2009): ‘CSCS Card For The Archaeologist’, detailing all relevant information, and what to expect on the test.
• The UK official website can be found at CITB Construction Skills, with videos to watch on the updated April 2012 behavioural modules.