THE ARCHAEOREADER
WHERE A LOVE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND READING MEET
WHERE A LOVE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND READING MEET
The 4th book off The ArchaeoReader TBR is a fast-paced sci-fi where The Terminator and History Detectives collide. Daniel H. Wilson's The Clockwork Dynasty is SO much fun! In the first three sentences (quoted above), I was immediately hooked. Research scientist (part historian, part robotics engineer) June Stefanov is obsessed with a mysterious object her grandfather left her. As far as she knows, its history comes from a WWII battlefield at Stalingrad, where her grandfather witnessed the impossible--a man, gunned down, crush Nazi soldiers and live to walk away? June has made a career out of her obsession investigating advanced technology from centuries ago in the form of clockwork automatons. While looking over a porcelain doll with just such technology (side note: 1. I will forever be wondering about the true nature of porcelain doll fragments I've seen on survey (lol), & 2. I was instantly reminded of the (David Tennant) Dr. Who episode, "The Girl in the Fireplace" featuring 18th century clockwork robots), June finds herself pulled into something deeper than she ever imagined; a war among mechanical beings, called avtomats, originating around 3000 BC China. Switching between June's narrative (as the present) and the avtomat Peter's (as the past), this action-packed novel not only converges the past with the present but takes the reader from the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Seattle) to London and China. There's quite a few fun nods to pop culture and I enjoyed such historic elements as Peter the Great's court and the East India Company's Battle at Plassey. A blend of historical and science fiction I can get behind! If you're a fan of HBO's Westworld and need something to fill the void while waiting for the 3rd season, this is your ticket. The Allure of ArtifactsAs June can attest, the allure of an artifact is REAL. Some archaeologists catch this feverish compulsion at an early age from a trip to to a museum. A long-time friend of mine told me they remember seeing natural history exhibits at the American Museum in kindergarten and that was it for them; having never stopped learning about past people. For many of us, its the exhilarating high that comes from touching something no one else has for hundreds of years. The late, great, rock star American archaeologist Janet D. Spector wrote: "When I excavate sites and touch things that have lain untouched for centuries, I know why I am an archaeologist" (Spector 1998:359). Of course, objects do not have to be hundreds of years old to hook an archaeologist's heart. Some of us are just as fascinated by recent garbage. Give us those funky cone top beer and soda cans any day (I love coming across cone tops on survey and will fully admit to being excited by a 1950s Black Cherry Shasta can that was probably discarded by some construction worker from the last time the site, I was monitoring, was dug into...)! Or a tantalizing tell-tale green kick-up fragment belonging to a champagne/wine bottle, the solarized, pearlescent amythest of a milk bottle, a cobalt blue medicine bottle with a clever cap that reminds you when to take your next dose, the raised floral decal of a teacup fragment, or how about even Atari video games?! A mentor of mine recalled to me once how she was struck by the simple presence of a nail polish bottle, found in a trash pit, associated with a Depression Era homestead. She found it meaningful because here was a woman who undoubtedly couldn't have afforded to spend (much) money on a frivolous item like nail polish but did anyway to do something for herself. I loved hearing that because it made this faceless woman more tangible. Some of the most memorable artifacts I've encountered are also personal items. Recovered at the Joint Courts Archaeological Project in downtown Tucson, two of my favorite objects have been a mustache mug and a copper lipstick tube manufactured for the larger-than-life Polish opera singer Ganna Walska's makeup line (both dating from the first few decades of the 20th century). Who was this waxed, mustachioed man avoiding coffee in his whiskers? Who was this woman that slicked a classic ruby red onto her pout? Though I never was able to find out because the context of these finds were from a neighborhood with a high turn around (as so often happened in dynamic communities experiencing population growth in the 1910s), a link to the past and people's lives lingered from their purpose. Purpose is a strong theme throughout The Clockwork Dynasty. As a mechanism created specifically for Pravda--or the unity of truth and justice--Peter's function is literally engraved on the part of him that represents his soul and is the driving force for his existence. While I wouldn't say I live for a single principal as a complex, free thinking human, its that function and meaning (and the infinite variables) are intrinsically linked to our material culture that is the real allure of artifacts. When I followed up with Mallory Tripplett, a graduate student at Central Washington's Anthropology program, who had responded to my Instagram stories asking archaeologists to share what material culture they have found influential to them, Mallory said: "With the soda and alcohol artifacts, I like that they can sometimes indicate leisurely activities where people were indulging and hopefully having fun. The medicine bottles are interesting because they can indicate very personal issues (real or perceived) that people were trying to fix and we wouldn't have a chance to know about this intimate aspect of their lives unless we found the artifact." Learn MoreBe it 1000+ old chert debitage, a can dump, or a mysterious part belonging to a 5,000 year old robot, a major driving force for archaeologists is that grasp of intimacy connecting us to people of the past. If you want to dig deeper I can't recommend enough Janet Spector's What This Awl Means and Arthur Asa Berger's What Objects Mean as an intro to interpreting artifacts. Like Professor Lu Ann De Cunzo's short story 'A Future after Freedom' (discussed in another blog post mentioning archaeology and storytelling), Dr. Spector takes up penning a fictional story around the purpose of an awl handle found in a precontact Wahpeton refuse pit. From the experience, Spector explains how she regained her own lost connection to the past caused by decades of objectivity. In What Objects Mean, Berger simplifies different theoretical approaches like Freud, semiotics, sociological analyses, economics and Marxist approaches, culture theory, and archaeological concepts and then applies these to certain objects. For instance, Coca-Cola bottles can be understood as a means of globalization and cosmetics as a way of participating in gendered norms (given the growing representation of men in makeup advertisements--check out the Instagram feeds of cosmetic lines like Tarte and Benefit--I'd love to see a new edition incorporate this). I have hyper-linked to sources where appropriate/available. All links and sources electronically accessed between May 6 and 10, 2019. *Some links are affiliates* References CitedSpector, Janet D.
1998 What This Awl Means: Feminist Archaeology at a Wahpeton Dakota Village. In Kelley Hays-Gilpin and David S. Whitley (eds) Reader in Gender Archaeology, London: Routledge, pp. 359-363.
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Digging Deeper: How Long 'til Black Future Month?, Homegoing, and African Diaspora Archaeology2/14/2019 "We believe the one who has power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.” ― Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing I've been reading N. K. Jemisin's recently published short story collection How Long 'til Black Future Month? lately and one particular story, 'Red Dirt Witch,' blew me away for flipping the script on stories of the past. In this deeply affecting magical tale, where a mother and daughter living in 1950s Alabama dream prophecies and battle (of the wits variety) with a fey 'White Lady' for the fate of all African Americans, Jemisin shows history as future. It conveys all at once, power and hope in the very face of an oppressive history enduring the generational impact of slavery and institutional racism. And it got me thinking about Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing again--a compelling, epic family saga unfurling two different branches of a family tree beginning with half sisters, Effia and Esi, in mid-18th century Gold Coast Africa and ending with Marjorie and Marcus, their sixth generation descendants, in present-day America. Gyasi skillfully tells a story of family, heritage, and destiny through vignettes; propelling the reader through time and unforgettable historical narratives. Uncovering hidden stories of the past are an important part of archaeology if not THE most important part (bones, stones, and fill in the blank with your favorite human made object are cool and all but how it all can tell us more about who we are is cooler!). To speak to Yaa Gyasi's quote above, a lot of historical archaeologists (myself included) like doing archaeology because it’s an opportunity to explore the lives of “those of little note.” As an example, some historical archaeologists study underrepresented populations including the African Diaspora or Hispanic and Asian communities (check out the archaeology of Japanese internment camps in another post on here); tying together the intersection between gender, biological sex, sexual orientation, race, and class. And as its Black History Month, I want to highlight some of the amazing archaeological research that has amplified what would otherwise be missing voices among the African Diaspora in America. African Diaspora ArchaeologyA considerable body of archaeological research into African Diaspora communities, especially in the U.S., is devoted to plantation life. These studies explore a wide-range of evidence for instance: the spatial distribution of artifacts in order to better understand plantation functionality (pre-and post-emancipation) as a whole or singularly as with the case of excavations at slave cabins, yard areas, and even surveillance spaces that comprise plantation sites. The (archaeo)reader might be gratified to learn historic plantations like Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and James Madison's Montpelier have dedicated archaeology programs focused on their roles as sites of slavery. Monticello hosts the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery (DAACS), where anyone interested in learning about excavations and architectural and material remains recovered from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia sites can. Teachers of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders looking to incorporate plantation archaeology into their history classes might check out Project Archaeology and their curriculum guide, Investigating a Tabby Slave Cabin. Its an incredible resource (meeting Common Core Standards) for engaging young students in this important aspect of American history. For those who'd like to consider a critical look at how American heritage has been constructed at Antebellum era plantations including Friendfield (where Michelle Obama's enslaved ancestors have been traced), Antoinette T. Jackson's Speaking for the Enslaved: Heritage Tourism and Community is a must read. For a sample of archaeological scholarship, the Society for Historical Archaeology compiled 20 articles in their Perspectives series, The Archaeology of Plantation Life while archaeologist and professor, Theresa Singleton has put together The Archaeology of Slavery and Plantation Life. A Future after FreedomAs I think about Jemisin's commentary on Black history and a Black future, what her stories say about history as a future, (side note, Jemisin is without a doubt my favorite Science Fiction author and if you haven't read the 3-time Hugo award-winning Broken Earth Trilogy, stop what your're doing and go get The Fifth Season!) and the historical narratives in Homegoing I'm once more struck by archaeology's role in storytelling. Inspired by the findings from a cultural resource management transportation project, Professor Lu Ann De Cunzo published the journal article 'A Future after Freedom' (De Cunzo 2008)-- which can be found in the Society for Historical Archaeology's compiled Perspectives in African Diaspora Archaeology. In it she sheds the typical journal article format for fictional short stories about material representations of spirituality and celebration with two turn-of-the 20th century Delaware African American families, the Stumps and Walmsleys. De Cunzo points out in her abstract, "The Stumps and Walmseys drew on their pasts and looked to the future as they created a distinctive cultural style framed by racism and constrained opportunities." In her story of the Stumps we learn about Rachel's belief in the spiritual protection of iron or how wearing her best summer cotton dress at the Big Quarterly was a way to remember the suffering of her enslaved ancestors who had worked the fields. The story of David Walmsey is a rumination of African beliefs and American consumerism over the shattered fragments of a glass vase. More research into U.S. African Diaspora archaeology is considering places representing Black heritage from post-Civil War, on up through the mid-20th century. In the last few years historical archaeologist William White has examined a multi-racial urban neighborhood on River Street in Boise, Idaho and in my own state (Washington), a survey of historic African American sites is currently underway in the City of Pasco. Extensive investigations at Illinois' New Philadelphia, a community of previously enslaved and free-born African Americans living alongside European Americans, reveal lifeways of a town founded decades before the Civil War (in 1838). History in the Making- African American Burial Ground ProtectionJust yesterday (2/13/2019), it was announced that the Adams-McEachin African American Burial Grounds Network Act was introduced to Congress. This crucial piece of legislation would establish federal support, through the National Park Service, to help document and protect African American grave sites. Head over to this blog post at Succinct Research to learn more about why African American Burial Grounds needs protection and please write to your State Representatives to show your support of the bill. Learn MoreI have hyper-linked to sources where appropriate/available. All links and sources were electronically accessed between February 7 and February 14, 2019. I've barely scratched the surface on this subject. An incredible wealth of information can be found at: African Burial Ground National Monument The African Diaspora Archaeology Network The African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter Society of Black Archaeologists The National Museum of African American History and Culture *If you like any of the information in this post please consider donating to any of the organizations mentioned. * References CitedDe Cunzo, Lu Ann
2008 [1998] A Future after Freedom. In Perspectives from Historical Archaeology: African Diaspora Archaeology. The Society for Historical Archaeology. Do you have a goal this year to read more? Read more diverse genres... or more female authors...or more authors of a different background than you...or of a different community? I know I do! In the last couple of years I've been ramping up my reading and its been incredible to immerse myself in not just any book that strikes my fancy but one that gets me to read diversely in all sorts of ways. Where before I tended to exclusively read historical fiction, I have opened myself up to genres like sci-fi, contemporary romance, Young Adult (YA), nonfiction, classics, and the odd graphic novel or two. On top of which I had been a staunch physical book reader. It wasn't that I opposed ereaders (kindles, nooks, etc.) I just never thought they were for me. With almost 40 audiobooks and a dozen ebooks under my belt last year I can say unequivocally boy, was I wrong and I'm so glad to have embraced diverse formats too (oh audiobooks, I don't know how I lived without you before). And what a difference reading diversely has made in my life. I feel more connected to people that aren't just friends and family (though its always a joy to be able to connect more fully with them). I feel like even if I don't share a similar background or experience with someone reading diversely has allowed me to at least be more understanding and engaged. Attributes I feel essential for archaeologists when making interpretations about past behaviors. Will Schwalbe and George R.R. Martin said it best: “And reading all different kinds of books is not simply reading all different kinds of books; it’s a way of becoming more fully human and more humane.” ― Will Schwalbe, Books for Living “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons One big thing that has worked for me in keeping my reading diet varied is a dedicated TBR (to-be read) stack. From time to time I've gone without dedicated monthly TBRs (great for honing your reading and finally getting to that book you always say one day to!) when reading for mood is the only way I keep reading. With the start of the new year I began pulling a list of some books I'd like to get to throughout 2019 with this reading blog project and thanks to some great recommendations on Instagram, I've put together the ArchaeoReader 2019 TBR! I've got 10 books planned, though I hope to discover more as the year unfolds, featuring stories about archaeologists/anthropologists/archaeological digs or center around culture with themes like culture contact or the lived experience. In keeping this TBR diverse there's sci-fi/fantasy, historical fiction, cozy murder mysteries, nonfiction, suspense/thriller, literary fiction, and a Middle Grade-Children's read. Now, I do realize the majority of these are written by women. I tend to gravitate towards female writers so if you're looking to bring more women into your reading life I've got seven talented ladies to check out. Historical Fiction Labyrinth- Kate Mosse* On an archaeological dig in "present-day" France, a volunteer comes across skeletal remains and cryptic rock art in a cave that leads her on a path intertwined with a 13th c young woman that gets caught up in crusades and the holy grail secret. Sarum- Edward Rutherfurd This one was highly recommended to me by a friend who is a professor of Roman history and archaeology. It's described as a sweeping epic saga about a number of families in England from prehistoric times to modern day (circa 1985-around the time it was published). I haven't decided if I want to read this on Kindle or as an audiobook. Sci-fi/Fantasy The Clockwork Dynasty- Daniel H. Wilson An anthropologist discovers a secret world populated(?) by human-like mechanical beings linked to a past set in early 18th c Russia. The author holds a doctorate in robotics so I'm thinking this could be pretty interesting. I don't know if this has Doctor Who vibes but I hope so! Mystery Artifact- Gigi Pandian Written by an Indian American woman who has cultural anthropologist parents, this book about a college history professor, Jaya Jones, specializing in the relationship between India and Britain has got adventure written all over it but with a whole 'nother Dr. Jones. It being $4.99 on Kindle, this one will be an ebook for me. Some reviews on Goodreads say this book and its series (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery) is in the Elizabeth Peters vein of mystery and archaeology. Lion in the Valley- Elizabeth Peters Speaking of Elizabeth Peters...Its been a decade since I read an Amelia Peabody Mystery so I'm going to jump back in with Book #4 where I believe I left off but may have already read... For an entry into the world of Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, highly recommend starting out with Crocodile on the Sandbank. As a cozy mystery, I'm going to give this one a listen on audio. The Bone People- Keri Hulme** Another recommended read from a friend of mine is this 1985 Man Booker Prize winning novel that explores postcolonial Maori-New Zealand experiences. I've heard the language in this one is superb and is recommended for fans of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible (of which I am a great fan!). Suspense/Thriller The Anomaly- Michael Rutger Okay, with the tag line "If Indiana Jones lived in the X-files era" I don't have high expectations for this story about a rogue archaeologist (what does that even mean?) that has a documentary series and goes off retracing the steps of a turn-of-the-20th c explorer of the Grand Canyon. I'm going to keep an open mind when I pick this one up and hope it has good suspense and thrills since its written by a Hollywood screenwriter. Ghost Wall- Sarah Moss** Now this short story (130 pages!), about a young woman participating in an experimental archaeology class in England (living like Iron Age people) with her history-obsessed father is my most anticipated read of 2019! From the book flap, author and professor of Creative Writing at University of Warwick, Sarah Moss asks: "How far have we come from the primitive minds of our ancestors?" Check out this great book review by The Book Family Rogerson. Children's lit-Middle Grade The Birchbark House- Louise Erdrich I was originally going to put Erdrich's The Round House on this list but when I saw the award-winning tribal member of the Chippewa (Anishinaabe) Nation had a children's book about a 7-year old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe who lives on an island in Lake Superior in 1847, I knew I needed to put it on here. The Birchbark House itself won the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Fiction. Non-fiction Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death- Brenna Hassett Bioarchaeologist Brenna Hassett (University College London) takes on the question of whether agriculture and civilization are all that its cracked up to be through the examination of skeletal remains and artifacts from sites all over the world. *Labyrinth can also be found under fantasy fiction. ** The Bone People and Ghost Wall are also considered literary fiction. What do you think? Are there any books not on the list you think I should read? And have you read any of these?
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