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ARCHAEOLOGY AT EXETER https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology News, goings on and stories from the University of Exeter Archaeology Department Wed, 27 Sep 2017 09:43:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.9 Archaeology Research Seminars 2017-18 https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2017/09/27/seminars2017/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2017/09/27/seminars2017/#respond Wed, 27 Sep 2017 09:43:31 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=322 The new academic year is upon us, and we’ve got a brilliant programme of research seminars to deliver for the next two terms! Almost all research seminars will take place on Thursdays, from 2:30-3:30pm, in Laver LT3. All are welcome to attend. Click the link below for the Research Seminar programme! Archaeology_Research seminars_2017-18

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DSC_0395The new academic year is upon us, and we’ve got a brilliant programme of research seminars to deliver for the next two terms! Almost all research seminars will take place on Thursdays, from 2:30-3:30pm, in Laver LT3. All are welcome to attend.

Click the link below for the Research Seminar programme!

Archaeology_Research seminars_2017-18

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Research Seminar 13/10/16 | Dr Silvia Bello: Prehistoric Cannibalism in Europe https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/10/20/prehistoric-cannibalism-in-europe/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/10/20/prehistoric-cannibalism-in-europe/#respond Thu, 20 Oct 2016 08:13:20 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=317 It was a full house last week for Dr. Silvia Bello’s presentation on prehistoric cannibalism. She began by defining cannibalism, highlighting the difference between funerary de-fleshing of individuals and evidence of eating flesh, which could possibly look the same in the archaeological record. She particularly showed evidence of human gnawing on bones can be instrumental […]

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14699628_10100792080952454_1691235549_oIt was a full house last week for Dr. Silvia Bello’s presentation on prehistoric cannibalism. She began by defining cannibalism, highlighting the difference between funerary de-fleshing of individuals and evidence of eating flesh, which could possibly look the same in the archaeological record. She particularly showed evidence of human gnawing on bones can be instrumental in implying that humans were being eaten. Through analysing the micromorphology of human cutmarks Bello also showed it was potentially possible to differentiate between butchered (cannibalised) bones and bones that were cleaned when not wholly fleshed. She suggested that we separate cannibalism into certain classes, particularly into “necessity” cannibalism and “choice” cannibalism, and gave archaeological and historical examples of each. Finally Bello encouraged us to think not of cannibalism as such a taboo as it is an integral part of cultures around the world. We thank Dr Bello for a fascinating research topic, which this blog does not do justice! You can find out more about her research here.

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BioarchRG Session 1: developmental stress, life course and osteoarchaeology https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/10/07/bioarchrg-session-1-developmental-stress-life-course-and-osteoarchaeology/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/10/07/bioarchrg-session-1-developmental-stress-life-course-and-osteoarchaeology/#respond Fri, 07 Oct 2016 15:46:27 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=314 A new addition to the department, the first meeting of the Bioarchaeology Reading Group on the 7th October, was a great success. A mix of postgraduate (masters and PhD) students and staff members, fuelled by biscuits, discussed the implications of Gowland’s (2015) paper on bioarchaeology and the life course. It was perhaps interesting to note […]

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A new addition to the department, the first meeting of the Bioarchaeology Reading Group on the 7th October, was a great success. A mix of postgraduate (masters and PhD) students and staff members, fuelled by biscuits, discussed the implications of Gowland’s (2015) paper on bioarchaeology and the life course. It was perhaps interesting to note that this week the reading group’s participants were 90% female, which could have implications for the direction of the discussion as there was focus on maternal health.

You can follow reading group related posts on twitter using the #BioarchRG hashtag.

The topic of the paper was agreed to be extremely interesting. Gowland’s central argument was that stresses affecting a pregnant mother, such as famine, disease or social stress, can cause different phenotypic expression in the foetus due to epigenetic plasticity. Later in the foetus’s life these developmental stresses could cause greater susceptibility to diseases and may affect future generations as the foetus itself was affected. If socioeconomic circumstances can have intergenerational effects, including disease susceptibility and growth stunting, archaeological skeletal osteobiographies can no longer be considered individually. The paper had particular impact for all participants in the discussion as we thought back to our own family histories of stress, wondering if we had been affected, and perhaps worried (probably needlessly) about how we were already making our future generations susceptible to disease!

Discussions on the paper centred on some key themes. Beginning with the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, participants quickly picked up on some striking ethical issues that would be encountered in taking this work further. These particularly related to placing blame on an individual, particularly on the mother, for the health of an infant. Also, in testing historically stressed populations to find the long-reaching consequences of pan-generational stresses, would we somehow imply that population was biologically inferior? This discussion was lengthy and slightly off topic, so PhD student Belinda Tibbetts, who was running this week’s session, brought us back on track.

We questioned what the study means for the field of human osteoarchaeology. It was generally agreed that it would be particularly hard to apply the theory of pan-generation phenotype plasticity (and expressions thereof) in a ‘standard’ bioarchaeological situation, where the identity of the individual and their relationship with other individuals in the sample is unknown. We also worried about markers of palaeopathology, particularly stress indicators like enamel hypoplasia and lesions, which considering Gowland’s article could now no longer relate directly to an individual’s life conditions, but indeed to their mother’s and grandmother’s. We settled that until more work is carried out in this area we must continue to describe instances of palaeopathology as before, whilst keeping in mind that it could be an expression of generations of developmental stressors.

In short, the Bioarchaeology Reading Group had a great first meeting, with good discussions and well-made points. Keep an eye out for following sessions if you’re interested! While aimed at postgraduates, the session is also open for keen undergraduate students.

References

Gowland, R.L., 2015. Entangled lives: Implications of the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis for bioarchaeology and the life course. American journal of physical anthropology, 158(4), pp.530-540.

Written by Emily Johnson

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Research Seminar 06/09 | Imogen Wood: Gunwalloe through the ages https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/10/07/research-seminar-0609-imogen-wood-gunwalloe-through-the-ages/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/10/07/research-seminar-0609-imogen-wood-gunwalloe-through-the-ages/#respond Fri, 07 Oct 2016 15:35:00 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=312 On Thursday 6th October honorary research fellow Dr Imogen Wood came to talk to us about her project on Gunwalloe, a coastal archaeological site in Cornwall. The site has been used as a fieldschool for our undergraduate course in past years. Gunwalloe has a long history, with occupation from the early bronze age up to […]

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On Thursday 6th October honorary research fellow Dr Imogen Wood came to talk to us about her project on Gunwalloe, a coastal archaeological site in Cornwall. The site has been used as a fieldschool for our undergraduate course in past years. Gunwalloe has a long history, with occupation from the early bronze age up to the 12th century AD. The project is a particularly good example of a community archaeology project, as artefacts such as pottery and bone have been visibly eroding from the cliff for many years. We look forward to seeing further work on this fascinating project, which has a fantastic further ten years of funding!

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Research Seminar 29/09/16 | Stephen Oppenheimer: Peopling the Indo-Pacific Region https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/09/29/research-seminar-290916-stephen-oppenheimer-peopling-the-indo-pacific-region/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/09/29/research-seminar-290916-stephen-oppenheimer-peopling-the-indo-pacific-region/#respond Thu, 29 Sep 2016 15:25:27 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=310 We were honoured to welcome Professor Stephen Oppenheimer back to the department to give a research talk on the 29th September. He spoke about genetic migrations around the Sunda shelf, which he described as the main conduit for coastal migrations from Africa to E Asia and Mainland SE Asia to Island SE Asia and Oceania […]

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We were honoured to welcome Professor Stephen Oppenheimer back to the department to give a research talk on the 29th September. He spoke about genetic migrations around the Sunda shelf, which he described as the main conduit for coastal migrations from Africa to E Asia and Mainland SE Asia to Island SE Asia and Oceania over the past 70k years. He explained that some genetic events correspond with changes in climate and sea levels, which likely forced migration dispersals.

You can read more about Professor Oppenheimer’s research in many of his publications.

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Ground-Breaking Research Showcase 2016 https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/09/23/ground-breaking-research-showcase-2016/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/09/23/ground-breaking-research-showcase-2016/#respond Fri, 23 Sep 2016 07:28:31 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=307 Our first PGtips of the term was our annual Ground-Breaking research showcase! This excellent event has many 5-minute presentations from current PhD researchers on their thesis topics, aimed to introduce new PhD and masters students to the research going on in our department. There was such a good turnout that we ran out of wine! […]

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Our first PGtips of the term was our annual Ground-Breaking research showcase! This excellent event has many 5-minute presentations from current PhD researchers on their thesis topics, aimed to introduce new PhD and masters students to the research going on in our department. There was such a good turnout that we ran out of wine!

First our PGtips hosts Ethan and Malene welcomed us to a new academic year, explaining that usual sessions have two 20 minute presentations rather than the quick fire overviews students would be seeing today. Presentations began with Emily Johnson speaking about her research on bone fat processing and butchery at the time of the first dairying economies in Neolithic central Europe. Brice Girbal followed with an overview on his near-completed work with crucible steel production in India. Jemma Singleton continued the Indian theme with a description of her work on Neolithic rock art in India. Belinda Tibbetts then spoke about her research on infant and maternal health through analysing skeletal remains. Ethan Greenwood retook the stage to present on the Roman iron industry in the Weald. Elspeth St. John-Brooks, one of our joint AHRC SWW DTP students usually in Reading, showed us some of her work on soil geochemistry. Sabine Martin moved the presentations in the direction of the Palaeolithic with her talk on vein quartz tools. Finally, Alice la Porta presented her research on Neanderthal tool technology, finishing our session by showing us some of her experimental spears and arrows.

Many thanks to all of our researchers for kicking off this academic year so well, and thanks to all who attended.  PGtips runs roughly every three weeks – if you’re a student at Exeter who is interested in presenting email Malene Lauritsen (*protected email*), or follow our facebook group.

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Ground-breaking research, 22nd Sept https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/09/15/ground-breaking-research-22nd-sept/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/09/15/ground-breaking-research-22nd-sept/#respond Thu, 15 Sep 2016 09:57:47 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=304 Next Thursday (22nd September) will be our annual Ground-breaking Research Showcase, where current PhD students will be giving 5 minute presentations on their theses. This is a great chance for new and current students to immerse themselves in the research happening in the department and to meet their colleagues. There will be presentations on zooarchaeology, […]

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Next Thursday (22nd September) will be our annual Ground-breaking Research Showcase, where current PhD students will be giving 5 minute presentations on their theses. This is a great chance for new and current students to immerse themselves in the research happening in the department and to meet their colleagues. There will be presentations on zooarchaeology, metallurgy, human osteology, experimental archaeology, and more!

The session starts at 16:30 and is expected to run for around an hour. Join us in Laver 218 (second floor, at the front of the building) for research, drinks and baked goods!

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Archaeological Fieldwork, Romania https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/08/11/archaeological-fieldwork-romania/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/08/11/archaeological-fieldwork-romania/#respond Thu, 11 Aug 2016 08:39:40 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=295 Exeter undergraduates Sophie Pallett and Cristina Crizbasan, recent graduate Jake Godfrey, graduate student Donna Thompson, and Exeter alumnus Emma Rosen are at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the capital of Roman Dacia in Romania participating in a two week archaeological excavation.  Sarmizegetusa, founded by Roman veterans of the Dacian war early in the second century, once had a […]

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Exeter undergraduates Sophie Pallett and Cristina Crizbasan, recent graduate Jake Godfrey, graduate student Donna Thompson, and Exeter alumnus Emma Rosen are at Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the capital of Roman Dacia in Romania participating in a two week archaeological excavation. 

Sarmizegetusa, founded by Roman veterans of the Dacian war early in the second century, once had a population of over 20,000 and boasted an amphitheatre, several temples, and forum. Much of the site – including the forum and coliseum – has been excavated and turned into an archaeological park.

This year, Exeter students and students from Vienna, Heidelberg, and Romania, will participate in efforts to excavate the hypocaust of the governor’s mansion and to locate the north city gates. Students will also attend lectures on various aspects of Roman civilisation, visit local museums and archaeological sites, and tour the Transylvania region of Romania.

Written by Donna Thompson, arranged by Emily Johnson.

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Experimental Archaeology: Neanderthal Spear Technology https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/07/05/experimental-archaeology-neanderthal-spear-technology/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/07/05/experimental-archaeology-neanderthal-spear-technology/#respond Tue, 05 Jul 2016 09:25:27 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=288 PhD student Alice La Porta is undertaking archaeological experiments on the nature of Neanderthal spear use this summer as part of her PhD project on Middle Palaeolithic stone tool projectile technology. Read all about her research below! Did Neanderthal use stone-tipped wooden spears as throwing hunting weapons? In Europe, a small number of wooden spears have […]

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PhD student Alice La Porta is undertaking archaeological experiments on the nature of Neanderthal spear use this summer as part of her PhD project on Middle Palaeolithic stone tool projectile technology. Read all about her research below!

Did Neanderthal use stone-tipped wooden spears as throwing hunting weapons?

In Europe, a small number of wooden spears have been found in archaeological contexts from the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic (c. 1,200,000-40,000 years ago), such as at Schöningen, Clacton and Lehringen. The first suggestion that such spears had stone tips comes in the European Middle Palaeolithic, the time of the Neanderthals, in the form of distinctive stone points, also called Levallois or Mousterian points. But how can we be certain that these stone points were used by Neanderthals as spear-heads for their wooden spears? Analysing the utilization wear and the impact fractures present on the surfaces of modern, experimentally-used spear-tips and archaeological stone points, using optical and digital microscopes, is one approach to inferring the prehistoric uses of these tools.

A big question in any discussion of Middle Palaeolithic spears is…how were Neanderthals using their stone-tipped wooden spears? Where Neanderthals throwing their spears or were they using them as close-range thrusting weapons? It has previously been argued that, while Neanderthal populations may have used stone-tipped wooden spears, these were rudimentary thrusting weapons. However the differences between throwing and thrusting spear delivery systems are still poorly understood for the earlier Palaeolithic, both in terms of spear performance and concerning the traces left behind on the spear tips. This partly reflects the limited range of experiments which had, until recently, been undertaken.

Building on previous archaeological experiments, and drawing on ethnographic observations, I am conducting a series of weaponry experiments within my PhD research project. The experiments aim to test the performances of replica Middle Palaeolithic stone-tipped wooden spears, and explore the differences in the resulting wear and breakage patterns that can be seen on the thrown and thrusted spears.

The  experiments  have  been  funded  by  the  UK’s  South  West  and  Wales  Doctoral  Training Partnership (SWW DTP), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and the University of Exeter. They are taking place at Aöza Open-air Museum “Steinzeitpark Dithmarschen” (Albersdorf, Germany) within the OpenArch/EXARC partnership. The support of all of these organisations is very gratefully acknowledged.

Written by Alice La Porta, adapted for blog by Emily Johnson.

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Desmond Collins Teaching Collection https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/05/18/desmond-collins-teaching-collection/ https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/2016/05/18/desmond-collins-teaching-collection/#respond Wed, 18 May 2016 16:16:42 +0000 http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/?p=280 It’s been a quiet couple of months here in the archaeology department, with the Easter holidays putting an end to teaching and the hustle and bustle of undergraduate lectures. Today, however, the department was busy once more for the official unveiling of the Desmond Collins teaching collection – a collection of bone, lithics, pottery and casts […]

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It’s been a quiet couple of months here in the archaeology department, with the Easter holidays putting an end to teaching and the hustle and bustle of undergraduate lectures. Today, however, the department was busy once more for the official unveiling of the Desmond Collins teaching collection – a collection of bone, lithics, pottery and casts given to the department by the late Desmond Collins.

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Professor Bruce Bradley gave us a brief insight into the fascinating life of the man responsible for this collection and eloquently described how influential, useful and vital it will prove for future teaching in the department. Having already used some of the hominin casts in a Widening Participation lecture with Year 12 students I can certainly attest to how much they engage learning in the classroom. Professor Bradley praised the family of Desmond Collins, calling the collection his “lasting legacy” to teaching.

The collection contains hundreds of artefacts, including Romano-British pottery, Acheulean hand-axes, casts of Neanderthal skulls and prehistoric artefacts and stone tools from some of the most famous archaeological sites. It’s a wonderful collection and we’re so grateful for its donation.

Written by Emily Johnson

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