Monthly Archives: September 2017

The Archaeology of Hurricane Katrina

Posted on by
1

In the past two weeks, the southern United States and much of the Caribbean were devastated by two hurricanes. These storms serve as a reminder of nature’s destructive powers and bring back memories of Hurricane Katrina’s impact on New Orleans in 2005. As an archaeologist we are prompted to ask, how do hurricanes provide us with research that can strengthen our understanding of human nature? What do the artifacts, what was left behind, tell us about the social, political, and cultural values of the communities destroyed? Using archaeology, we can learn about cultures through natural disasters.

Because archaeology is the study of what is left behind, human migration plays an important role in understanding cultures. When Hurricane Katrina reached New Orleans, the mayor had only recently issued an evacuation order for the residents. Because he waited to do so, many people, predominantly poor people of color and the elderly, were left without means to leave. Their possessions have since become archaeological artifacts which can provide insight to their lives. As an archaeologist studies an artifact, they must consider questions of context and taphonomy. For example, if a researcher was examining a body of an individual who died in the hurricane, they might ask questions about why the person was not able to escape. Asking deeper questions allows for an archaeologist to consider the broader social and political context. The majority of those who died were poorer people of color and the elderly. Knowing this, anthropologists can begin to learn more about the economical situations and racial relations in New Orleans at the time.

Residents seeking shelter in the Superdome from Hurricane Katrina.

Additionally, archaeologists played a very specific role in the reconstruction of New Orleans. They were able to use methods of “GPS and GIS technologies to locate and identify historic properties” (McComb). By doing this, they helped the city decide what to rebuild. Understanding that sites change over time and are not time capsules is an important element of archaeology. New Orleans now is not what it was ten years ago. The decisions surrounding what buildings to rebuild provides commentary on a society’s cultural values. In New Orleans, the economically rich tourist centers, such as the French Quarter, were the first to be salvaged. In contrast, the poorer neighborhoods of the lower ward were never rebuilt. By realizing that sites are palimpsests and by questioning why certain buildings remain whilst others do not, archaeologists consider context.

After and before Hurricane Katrina.

In summary, archaeology can be used in times of natural disasters to learn more about a culture’s values. By asking questions about who and what was left behind, and what was rebuilt, anthropologists can learn more about issues of racial and economic segregation. Natural disasters play a huge role in history and have heavily impacted archaeological research.

Further Readings:

The Archaeology of Vulnerability: Hurricane Katrina and archaeology in the midst of disaster

Archaeological Sites After Disasters

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11759-009-9102-3

Sources:

McComb, Angela. “The Archaeology of Vulnerability: Hurricane Katrina and Archaeology in the Midst of Disaster.” MAPA. February 17, 2017. http://mapabing.org/2017/02/17/the-archaeology-of-vulnerability-hurricane-katrina-and-archaeology-in-the-midst-of-disaster/

https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/912548365447290/ 

Renfrew, Colin, and Paul G. Bahn. Archaeology Essentials: theories, methods, practice. 3rd ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2015.

Picture Sources:

Fig. 1.: David J. Phillip. From: Associated Press. 2005. http://rare.us/rare-news/across-the-u-s-a/these-before-and-after-photos-of-hurricane-katrinas-mammoth-trail-of-damage-will-leave-you-breathless/

Fig 2.: Gerald Herbert. From: Associated Press. 2015. http://rare.us/rare-news/across-the-u-s-a/these-before-and-after-photos-of-hurricane-katrinas-mammoth-trail-of-damage-will-leave-you-breathless/

Fig. 3: Marty Bahamonde. New Orleans residents lining up to shelter inside the Superdome. From: FEMA. 2005. http://mapabing.org/2017/02/17/the-archaeology-of-vulnerability-hurricane-katrina-and-archaeology-in-the-midst-of-disaster/

 

Terracotta Army Archaeology: Understanding of Ancient Military and Production Strategies

Posted on by
1

In 1974, near the Chinese city of Xi’an in the Shaanxi Province, several local villagers made a tremendous archaeological discovery while digging a well: the Terracotta Army. These clay-based figures, standing in battle formations of thousands in three pits, are the lasting reminders of an ancient civilization more than two millennia old. Every warrior, life-size and sporting unique and distinct facial characteristics, was built to serve the notorious first emperor of China, Qin Xi Huang, in the afterlife. The Terracotta soldiers are organized into various militarized units—foot soldiers, archers, chariot battalions, and armored units.

The Terracotta Army is extremely important to modern archaeology for its insights into the ancient Chinese society of the Qin Dynasty. Much can be learned about the level of technological advancement and the infamous military of Qin Dynasty by studying the distinctive and notable formations of the warriors as well as the weapons and tools found alongside them.

The pits containing the Army provide myriad information regarding the military tactics and formations of units employed by Emperor Qin Xi Huang during his reign.

A chariot battalion from the Terracotta Army pits.

The presence of an agile and maneuverable vanguard containing chariots, infantry, and the cavalry preceding the main echelon of troops pointed to the idea that military strategists of the past were very much aware of the capricious conditions of the battlefield and relied on mobile units to quickly adapt. Furthermore, the diverse weaponry found with the figures allowed archaeologists to infer that each unit, armed with multiple weapons, evolved to play diverse support roles when necessary, filling in the weak and vulnerable spots of the army during ambushes or sieges.

The bronze weapons found with the Terracotta Army also resolved the quandary of whether or not the bronzesmiths of the time mass-produced or individually crafted weapons used by the army. Due to the nature of the size of the massive army and the uniformity of the weapons, it was assumed by many archaeologists that ancient China employed some form of an assembly line.

Arrowheads recovered from Terracotta Army pits.

However, with the help of an X-ray fluoresce spectrometer, archaeologists measured the chemical compositions of some tens of thousands of arrowheads collected from the pits, coming to the conclusion that weapons of the Qin Dynasty were created in multiple workshops individually and debunking the idea that Qin bronzesmiths employed mass-producing assembly lines.

By studying artifacts gathered from the Terracotta Army, modern archaeologists learned much regarding the military and the level of technological advancements of an ancient Chinese society. Through the careful study and the understanding of the Terracotta Army formations and the use of modern-day X-ray fluoresce spectrum imagery, archaeologists gained insights into the military tactics and production methods employed by ancient China under Emperor Qin Xi Huang..

Further Readings:

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/xian/terracotta/strategy.htm

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/chinese-terra-cotta-warriors-had-real-and-very-carefully-made-weapons/2012/11/26/999b9cb4-2840-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html?utm_term=.506b8088ffa0

Sources:

Jarus, Owen. “Terracotta Warriors: An Army for the Afterlife,” Live Science, November 28, 2016.

“Military Formation of Terracotta Army.” Travel China Guide. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/terra_cotta_army/strategy_1.htm.

Pinkowski, Jennifer. “Chinese terra cotta warriors had real, and very carefully made, weapons,” The Washington Post, November 26, 2012.

Viking Hoard Archaeology: Complicating the Plundering Stereotype

Posted on by
1

While Vikings are historically viewed as violent, plundering people, the archaeology of Viking hoards has added some intricacies to their story that may seem surprising and contradictory to the typical trope. At the Viking hoard at the site of Fröjel on the Swedish island of Gotland, archaeologists uncovered evidence of violence and coercion to obtain and maintain their wealth, but also signs of trade, business, diplomacy, and international relations. In addition to evidence of external affairs, metal workshops and techniques to determine pure silver versus impure silver show a high level of intelligence and technology.

An excavation unit at Fröjel of a silver-smelting workshop (Photo by Daniel Weiss)

The location of Fröjel on the island of Gotland, Sweden (image created by author using Google Maps)

The vast count and variety of coins found shows just how far the Vikings traveled or at least the origins of the people they traded with; several of the artifacts signify further travel than the Vikings were originally thought to have undertaken. Archaeologists and historians can use the coins and foreign products to trace the distances and connections of the world for a point in time when a lot of the globe was not very accessible.

In regards to the structure of the island and its governance, the locations and changes of concentrations of the hoards indicated shifts in power, allowing archaeologists to sketch a potential timeline for the island and the Vikings who lived there. The earlier hoards were dispersed throughout the island, demonstrating a distribution of wealth. However, as time passed, the later hoards became larger and more concentrated, illustrating how the population’s wealth and power was held by the fewer Vikings who were burying it.

In addition to the physical artifacts that the hoard revealed, it also changes the interpretation of land use and alludes to other potentially significant sites nearby. Before the discovery of vast Viking activity across the island, Gotland was believed to be mostly used for farming. The significance of the hoards led to the successful search for a nearby Viking cemetery and a hypothesis that the arm jewelry found was made on the island turned up a workshop.

Hoards are fabulous stashes of artifacts of a particular moment in time, but it is not easy “to distinguish between hoards originally intended to be recovered and valuables buried with no reclamation intended” (Renfrew, Bahn, 47) Regardless, both interpretations indicate the hoards contained items that were specially valued. However, due to the assumption that these hoards are specially valued, archaeologists have a hard time investigating the more day to day parts of Viking culture from sites like these. The Principal Investigator of Fröjel, Dan Carlsson, can speak to great lengths about the significance of silver coins in the Viking culture, but can he point to any evidence from the hoard that shows what they ate on a daily basis? For further research and study, additional Viking hoards, like ones found in Scotland and England allow a variety of other historical discoveries that complicate and enhance history as we know it.

Additional Reading:

Sources:

Photo Sources: