Done in the field

The units were all back filled, the kitchen and tents were packed up. Cars were loaded with people and their gear.
The end of the field work component of the summers field school. The last bit of yesterday and this morning was spent backfilling all the units (putting the loose dirt back into them, partially so there's no giant holes and also so that the walls and such are still preserved).
After an awesome cookout last night, provided by some the members of the K'omoks Nation (which included fresh gathered oysters and fire cooked salmon) everyone was happy and satisfied to be heading back home today.

What's really awesome is that our finds have already been gathering a lot of attention. The inscribed tablets have been getting a lot of interest, because their has only been six sites (including ours) that any of those tablets have been found.
We not only got an article in the local Comox paper, but also a short article in Archaeology Magazine (links to both below). This makes all of us really proud of the work we did, and how that can contribute to the knowledge of the northwest coast.

The article in the newspaper...
http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/387667641.html?mobile=true

The Archaeology Magazine article...
http://www.archaeology.org/news/4665-160721-british-columbia-tablets

Hard at work backfilling 

Cooling salmon, on cedar, in a style that has been used for millenia

We made the news!!!

A local newspaper has printed a story on our field school. Take a look in the link below!!


http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/387667641.html?mobile=true

Change of pace

Had a good day today, and did something besides digging. On Monday, we finished up the unit we were working on (including stratigraphy and taking a column sample) so today was spent water sifting different samples and then sorting them.
So, a column sample is take from one of the walls of the unit, and consists of a 10 x 10 x 20cm column taken through all the different layers of stratigraphy (seen in the first two pictures).
Water sifting was done down by the river (easy access to a lot of water), where we would pour some of the collected sediments through a special three screen size system. The first screen has the largest screen (3.14mm), the second is a little smaller (2mm) and tne last one is the finest screen (1mm). The three screen systems ensures that different sizes of finds in the sample get trapped at the different levels. That enables a more precise sampling and sorting of he bone, artifacts and other associated finds in the samples.
So once the water screening was done, the samples are left out to dry before starting to sort out the bones, which there is a lot of. Probably going to do the sams thing tomorrow, and the we all go home on Friday.

The column sample taken from the north wall

Close up on the column sample

The three part sifting tool, and sediment being sifted 

Sifted samples laying out in the sun 

Sorting out the samples 

The bones found in one single sample (roughly 2L).

Only a week left now

End of the penultimate week of excavation for the field school, and it was a good week. The unit I was working on has been finished (except for recording the stratigraphy), with a final depth of 115cm. It's deep enough that my partner and I need a bucket to step on before we can get out.
We ended up with 5 different sediment layers; the first was the modern ground surface, then a black organic stained level, next was the shell midden, then the ancient ground surface and finally a sandy sediment from the ancient marine beach.
The sandy beach sediment is interesting  because it means that in the past (it's down 100cm so it was a long time ago) the ocean came up to our site, whereas now it is kilometers away.
Finds in our unit included a lot of incised pebbles and cobbles, mostly made of sandstone. The patterns inscribed into the rock are most often very faint and hard to see. To see some pictures of them and other  finds, check out the SFU field school Instagram and Facebook pages that you can access though the link for the SFU field school 2016 in the permanent links on the main page.
The other most common kind of artifact that we found were small bone bi-points (worked to make points on both ends) that were probably used for fishing.
Then of course we found lots of fish and mammal bones, fire cracked rock and shell.
One more week of field work, and then it's a couple of weeks of lab work back at SFU.

Only two weeks left

Another week has passed and only two weeks remain for us here in Courtnay. Some very interesting has been found; these include inscribed stone pebbles and cobbles (generally just lines and slightly geometric patterns - a common theme looks like a Christmas tree), bone points that very in length, stone tools and a lot of bone (mainly fish and larger mammal such as deer and elk) that wasnt modified by human activity.
I've started working in a new unit, which is close to some of the previous units. We are thinking the older units may be part of a house feature, and my unit may eventually reveal some post holes (detectable by my rounded changes in sediment colouring) and possibly something to indicate the differences between the inside and outside of the house.
Digging yesterday, I did make an interesting find; the partially crushed skull of a small carnivore, most likely a seal (nick named Floppy). Whatever it may be, we know that the animal was fairly young as not all of its teeth were fully erupted yet. And while the find isnt all the important, it is very interesting for me.

'Flippy the seal' skull

A note on BC archaeology law

Just a quick note on archaeology law in NC. So, I'd you come across any archeological site or area, it is against the law to alter the site in anyways. To alter refers to obvious things, such as digging, construction or damage

 But it also means that you can't remove anything from the site. Even if am artifact is obvious, and on the surface, it is against the law to remove that artifact.

In Canada, there is no federal laws that deal with archaeology and each provide sets it's own laws regarding archeological sites. In BC, any site older than 1867 are automatically protected under the law. 

So, if you think you've come across an archaeological site, look up the laws regarding archaeology in your province. Also, if you find anything archaeological (even so much as a stone point like an arrowhead - it is unlikely that a single point exists in isolation), it is probably a good idea to get in contact with your province archaeology branch and report it. They may already know about it, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Know the law, and then you can't break it (and be fined) through your actions.

Almost done the unit

Second day of the third week, and my 1 X 1 unit is almost complete!! It's been dug done to the ancient ground surface (which shouldn't have any human activity or materials in it) and just need to do a profile of all the walls. Plan is to do an auger test inside the unit to determine if that sediment layer is the last of the activity or if there is something more beneath it. Excited to see what happens!!!

My unit looking all spiffy! If you look closely you can see the different stratigraphic layers in the wall. The brown soil at the bottom is the ancient ground surface.

Part of a 3D model of the Comox Valley, located in the Courtenay Museum. Zoom in and you can see where Courtenay and Comox are!!

End of week 2

It's the end of a rainy second week of the field school. More excavation units were opened and things are starting to progress a little faster now. I spent the day off walking around Courtenay ans visiting the local museum (see page under Field School heading). 
My excavation unit is now down to 30cm depth below the surface (we dig in arbitrary 5cm levels that are all carefully recored) amd will probably be reaching the base of the midden soon. Some of the things that have been found including herring, salmon and halibut bone, lots and lots of shell, large mammal (elk and deer) bone including a knee cap and a canine tooth of a small carnivor (most likely a dog).
The next week will likely see the end of the unit I am currently working in, and hopefully more finds that can tell us more about the people who used to live here!

Week 2

Start of week two of the field school. Had KP duty Monday amf out into the field for total station survey today (check out the page under the Comox project heading).

First week done!

Week one of six is done! It's been a pretty great week, despite the rain and cold (did have a few days of warmer weather). We hot shovel testing done, a few excavation units opened and some of the forest areas for further excavation.
Week one has been really good, with a lot of progress done in a relatively short time. All of us are having a good time, and get along really well (which is a definite must of a successful field school).
Here's to a great week two!!!

The Excavation Begins

Third day in the field, and so begins that excavations! Some of the group did shovel testing (digging small pits with a shovel or auger and sieving the dirt to see what's there - this helps to determine the extent of a site as well as what might be found in it) while the rest of us started excavating a disturbed midden.  To read more about that, check out the Day 3 page under the field school heading.

Excavating!!!

Start of the field school

Well, we have arrived at the field school. After a rainy day of setup, we are ready and roaring to get started. And we have luxury archaeology living, tent city!! 

Comox Field School

Hello all! On June 13, I will be leaving to participate in an archaeological field school in Courtney BC run by Simon Fraser University. Me and the other students will be in the field working for six weeks, and some of our sites may include shell middens (see previous post). I'm going to do my best to update on the progress of the field school, as well as giving you an idea of what life is like during an archaeological excavation.
So stay tuned for exciting updates about the life and work of archaeologists!

Cultural Appropriation

A topic that has been in the media recently is that of cultural appropriation. A lot of people don't understand what it is, or how it is being done. Or if they understand it a little bit, they don't understand why its a big deal.  Here is a link to a pfd guide that will go through all your questions about cultural appropriation. It has been created by the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage (IPinCH) project based in Simon Fraser University (link to IPinCH in Check These Out Section).

http://www.sfu.ca/ipinch/resources/teaching-resources/think-before-you-appropriate

The guide is designed for creators and designers, but can be a useful source of information for anyone.

 Archaeological Terminology

Like with most of the sciences, there is a specific language that accompanies archaeology. I am going to define the meaning of some of the most common kinds of language that can be found in archaeological publications, as well as what I will be using in this blog.

Basic categories of the kinds of archaeological evidence include...

• Artifacts - objects that were used, modified or made by humans.
• Ecofacts - organic and environmental remains that are associated with human activity (such as a ditch system).
• Features - non-portable artifacts, such as the remains of a fire.
• Sites - areas of human activity. These are arbitrarily assigned by archaeologists and don't necessarily correspond to the areas the ancient peoples would have defined.

Stratigraphy - this is big one. A lot of writing about archaeology will include information about the stratigraphy, or stratigraphic layers. This refers to the order in which the layers (strata) of a site are found, and how that relates to the time scale of the site. These different layers could be natural, or man made. The idea of stratigraphy was taken from geology, and like geographic layers, they follow the law of superposition, which states that in an undisturbed context, the oldest layers are at the bottom. This helps archaeologists create a relative timeline, knowing which artifacts or features are older than the others.




Example of stratigraphic layers - taken from http://www.travelingclassroom.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/stratigraphy.jpg.

 

Lithics - another common term used by archaeologists is lithics. Basically, this just means stone tools and the leftover materials from making the tools. From periods of history that pre-date the invention of metals (or areas like the Americas where metal was rarely made into tools), stone tools are some of the most common kinds of artifacts found. That isn't to say that other materials (like bone and wood) were not used, they just don't survive the test of time nearly as well as rock does.
 Stone tools can be made from knapping (breaking the rock to form specific shapes - look it up on Youtube, its pretty awesome!) or grinding the rock into different shapes. Both have their advantages - ground stone tools are generally heavier and more durable, while knapped stone can be very sharp and used for hunting or cutting tools.

Middens - middens are very important archaeological features (especially here in BC) and can give researchers a ton of information. Often, middens are called garbage dumps, and while that can be technically true, that description does not give the proper justice to these awesome sites. In coastal BC, shell (from hunted shellfish) middens are very common. These are often found along beaches. In fact, many of the beaches of BC that are white are actually shell deposits. The soils neutralize, and so the shell doesn't decompose, but gets broken down into finer and finer powder. Middens are a sign that an area was inhabited, and can represent thousands of years of occupation.
A great example of a midden comes from Namu, BC which has an archaeological record that spans over 10,000 years. A section of a midden profile was taken from the site, and is on display at the Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and Simon Fraser University, and represents about 5,000 years of cultural and natural accumulation.

 
 



This picture is only part of the section, but even in this small part, it is easy to see the different stratigraphic layers that the midden is made of. To find out more about the Namu Profile and other awesome, check out The Museum of Archaeology & Ethnography here https://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum.html or in person.

 

 





Basics of Field Work

So, why do archaeologists do field research? Contrary to public fantasy, it is not to find treasure to put into museums.

 Archaeology is the study of human cultural activities through the analysis of material remains. This means that ultimately, archaeology is about the information we can gain from past objects and not the objects themselves. Every archaeological feature, artifact and site has the potential to provide greater insight into a past culture, whether that be about what they ate, what they built, what they believed or so many more possibilities.

One of the earliest, and now unacceptable methods is just basic treasure hunting. The earliest 'archaeologists' such as Heinrich Schliemann (who discovered Troy) were basically glorified treasure hunters. They excavated for the sole purpose of getting cool and shiny treasure to show off. Most didn't care about the wealth of information that could have been gained from the non-shiny artifacts, and so destroyed so much information in their reckless search for treasure.
When archaeology began to be a more scientific approach in the early 1900s, archaeologists began to be more interested in the information contained in sites rather than just the shiny things. These field excavations were done to determine a historical or chronological series of event.
Over the last century, the reasons and methods for field work have changed quite a bit. Over time, more interest was placed on the meaning behind a site (rather than just its timeline) and how what was found could be used to test theories about ancient cultures. From there, questions began to be asked about what was the meaning behind sites and artifacts (not only for past peoples, but for modern ones as well).
A kind of field work that is often done today is different kinds of evaluative, or community, archaeology. These kinds of field work are undertaken on behalf of (generally) non-archaeological parties, and are being done for specific reasons (such as to answer specific research questions).
Another kind of common archaeology done frequently can be called salvage archaeology - this kind of field work in undertaken in areas that are undergoing development of some kind and the archaeological finds need to recorded and/or preserved before the development can be completed. These kinds of archaeological field work can be easily seen in larger cities that have had occupation for many centuries.

An (Incredibly Brief) History of Archaeology

Throughout history, people have been interested in the past. Ancient civilizations such as the created stories about a wonderful mythical past that helped to explain why their world was the way that it was. Rulers would create connections to past heroic or godly figures to legitimization their right to rule.
During the Renaissance in Europe (1300-1600 AD), scholars within Europe began to be interested in the art, architecture, writing and other achievements of the Classical World (Ancient Greece and Rome). Acquiring and collecting ancient items, artifacts, began to be very popular both for individuals and governments. In the late 18th century, Classical Archaeology (studying the Classical World) had began to become more 'academic' (to their standards, to us today most of the early work would look like nothing more than grave robbing) and their began to be a growing interest in Ancient  Egypt and the Ancient Middle East.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of the Antiquarians - wealthy people who were interested in the past, and would collect antiques and would display them in their 'cabinets of curiosities' (which developed into some of the worlds first museums).
In the beginning of the 20th century, archaeology began to become more scientific and to look more similar to the work we do today. Most archaeology in those days were focused on creating a chronological timeline to explain what they were finding, and didn't expand much energy on trying to explain what it was they were finding. In the 1960s, there began to a movement towards a more scientific approach that would also have a greater emphasis on explaining what the findings might have been to the ancient peoples, rather than just when they were from. This helped lead to what archaeology is today.