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Archaeoastronomy Many early civilizations created monuments that had astronomical importance. Among the most well known of such creations are Stonehenge, the Egyptian pyramids and various Mayan palaces. However, there are literally hundreds of such sites, constructed by ancient peoples around the world. Archaeoastronomy is a confluence of anthropology and astronomy, a science that seeks to study ancient astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, calendar systems, and so on. Web:
Archaeological Dating Techniques We all know that archaeologists come up with some old stuff, but exactly how old? To answer that question, scientists have developed a variety of sophisticated dating techniques such as seriation, cultural affiliation, dendro chronology, and fluorine, carbon-14 and potassium-argon dating. Once you learn how it all works, you'll have a better understanding of how a knowledgeable archaeologist can estimate exactly how far back lie the beginnings of important cultural relics whose origins would otherwise be lost to antiquity, such as ancient papyri, primitive hand tools, and Dick Clark. Web:
Archaeological Fieldwork If you are a student of archaeology, it behooves you to spend a lot of time crawling around the great outdoors looking for little bits and pieces of whatnot. But where should you go? Here are sites that list fieldwork opportunities around the world. The pay is often low or nonexistent, the hours are long, and the work can be mind numbing, but the experience can be invaluable (especially if, one day, you plan to become a professional archaeologist, crawling around the great outdoors looking for little bits and pieces of whatnot). Web:
Archaeological Site Etiquette Archaeology sites don't grow on trees (although trees do grow on some archaeology sites). It is important, when you work on a site, to be able to investigate without damaging the site and the artifacts. Here is information about minimum impact techniques that every budding archaeologist should understand before visiting a cultural or archaeological site. Web:
Archaeological Societies If you want to be a real honest-to-Pete archaeologist, you've got to join the club. After all, what's the point of spending your life discovering all kinds of cool archaeological stuff if you don't belong to the same organization as all the other people who spend their lives discovering all kinds of cool archaeological stuff? And once you're a member, don't forget to stop by regularly to read about upcoming events, check out the online journals, and immerse yourself in all manner of things archaeological. That's what's great about the Net. No matter where you are, you can always spend time at the club. Web:
Archaeology Events If you're in the field a lot, it's easy to lose track of what's happening. So how can you be sure that you don't miss that oh-so-important conference? Check with the Net, and you will never be left out in the cold when it comes time to talk about what's been left out in the cold. Web:
Archaeology Magazines Being an archaeologist can be hard work. You dig all day, stay up all night making notes, and still, you are expected to keep up on all that is new and exciting. Well, here's where the Net can help. Take time to check out these online archaeological magazines and, never again will you get caught short when the wiseacre with the horn-rimmed glasses starts spouting off about Mesolithic sites in Scotland, or methods of detecting ancient tuberculosis. Web:
Archaeology News There are a lot of people excavating and cataloging all around the world, and a week doesn't go by without some fascinating archaeological discovery. These Web sites will help you keep current with what's new and exciting. I like to take a moment every now and then just to see what the archeologists of the world are doing. After all, on the Net, everything old is news again. Web:
Archaeology Resources Need to explore? Here's the door. Want more? Read the lore. Wanna soar? Skip the gore, avoid the war, just get to the core. Never a bore. Never a chore. Bring your paramour. Archaeology resources, wow! Need to explore? Here's the door. Web:
Archaeology Talk and General Discussion The study of archaeology covers a huge amount of ground, which is why there are a great many archaeology discussion groups on the Net. No matter what your interest or field of expertise, there is bound to be a group just for you. Follow the discussion over the Net, and you can work with people all over the world without having to venture more than a few feet from the fridge. Or, when you are out on a dig, you can take your laptop computer and cellular modem (paid for by a government grant) and keep up on what is happening, no matter how far you are from the trappings of civilization. Web:
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Archnet I have a friend named Ginny who is an archaeologist. She spends a lot of time running around the country digging up small pieces of whatnot and making esoteric discoveries. Myself, I prefer to stay at home with my cat and cruise the Arizona State University's Archnet site. That way I can spend hours poring over all kinds of archaeological resources without getting my hands dirty. Ginny may have more fun, but I'm a lot closer to the shower. Web: Biblical Archaeology People who study the Bible are especially interested in the archaeological foundations of biblical writings. However, even for non-believers, the study of the archaeology of biblical times can be rewarding, offering a glimpse into ancient societies that form the basis for much of modern Western civilization. Here is a well-organized collection of links relating to sites mentioned in the Bible. Aside from general resources, you will find links to organizations, and information about ongoing excavations. Web:
Careers in Archaeology Why settle for a boring, bland, everyday type of existence when you can get paid to live in the past? Here's a great two-part plan, just for you. (1) Find out what archaeologists do. (2) Do it. (What could be easier?) Web:
Classics and Mediterranean Archaeology Some of the richest areas in archaeology lie in the study of ancient civilizations (Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and so on). This Web site points to a huge amount of information of interest to classicists and Mediterranean archaeologists. If you are inclined toward the Ancient World, start here and your archaeological amphora will runneth over. Web:
Egyptology In 1799, a Frenchman named Boussard, digging near the city of Rosetta in north Egypt, happened upon a slab of basalt measuring 114 cm long by 72 cm wide and inscribed with a decree in honor of the Pharaoh Ptolemy Epiphanes. One result of Boussard's discovery was that generations of students have been required to memorize the significance of Patah, Amon, Horus, Kem, Ket, Roshpu, Bes, Ra, Osiris and Sebek, while more mature scholars have lain awake at night, dreaming of visiting the temple at Karnak, the portico of Denderah, the sarcophagi at Assuan, the propylon at Thebes, and the grottos of Sisileh. Boussard's discovery, the Rosetta Stone, contained a specific passage of text inscribed in several different languages, allowing two European archeologists to decipher the system of ancient hieroglyphics, and usher in the modern age of Egyptology. Ancient Egypt, the seat of many of the pursuits of modern man -- architecture, sculpture, painting, music, medicine and chemistry -- is an enduring area of scholarship well represented on the Internet. Web:
Industrial Archaeology Industrial archaeology deals with history and artifacts relating to technology, engineering and industry. Today, that means studying, say, the Industrial Revolution. But what about the future? All the technology we use and take for granted today will be studied by future industrial archaeologists. For example, say you throw away an old blender. A few centuries from now, someone is going to be rooting around in an ancient landfill and come across your blender. He or she will excavate it very carefully, and then use it as the subject of a Ph.D. dissertation. That is why, each time I throw away any type of machine, I put a note in it saying, "To whom it may concern: Hello from Harley in the twenty-first century." Web:
Looting, Plundering and Stealing It's not nice to take what doesn't belong to you. Yes, when Indiana Jones does it, it's cool, but outside of the movies, archaeological plundering can wreak havoc with a fragile historical site, sometimes defiling it permanently. Even worse, once an artifact is removed and shipped elsewhere, it loses its context. (And if there is anything that archaeologists hate to lose, it's context. I have a friend who's an archaeologist and she won't even leave the house without a bucket of context.) These Web sites will keep you up-to-date about archaeological looting (and recovery) around the world. Web:
Lost Cities Around the world, there are many places containing the remains of cities that once flourished but have long since died. Some years ago, I visited the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. I stood on top of an ancient pyramid that commanded a view of a large, broad valley and gazed at the ruins. I was filled with a sense of awe and wonder. Awe, because I could see the extent to which an ancient people were able to build elaborate structures, and wonder, as I speculated as to what might have caused such a sophisticated civilization to die out. Learning about lost cities gives us a unique sense of the past, underscoring the mortality of even the most enduring of cultures. Web:
Mesoamerican Archaeology Mesoamerica ("Middle America") refers to the area that includes central Mexico and the region extending to the south and east, encompassing parts of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua. This area is of interest because it has been inhabited by a variety of civilizations, the most well-known being the pre-Columbian Maya and Olmec. Although the Mayans flourished centuries ago (about 300-900 A.D.), their civilization was well-developed, having an understanding of mathematics, calendars and hieroglyphics, as well as architecture and city planning. The Olmec are much older (about 1300-400 B.C.), and are often considered to be the mother culture of the later Mesoamerican civilizations. Like the Mayans, the Olmec had a hieroglyphic system of writing. Although the Olmec were much less advanced than the Mayans, they have left intriguing artifacts, such as carved stone heads weighing over 20 tons. Web:
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National Archaeological Database Throughout most of recorded history, people have had to dig around for official archaeological data. Now, however, the National Archaeological Database puts hard-to-find information at your virtual fingertips. Never again need you spend hours looking for documents such as the Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains from Lake Winnepesauke, New Hampshire. Web:
Papyrology Papyrology is the study of ancient documents written on papyrus leaves. The ancient Egyptians developed the technique of creating a paper-like material from the pith of the papyrus plant, a reed that grew along the banks of the Nile River. (Pith is the material inside the stem.) The idea of writing on papyri spread from Egypt to other parts of the world. However, it was only in Egypt and Mesopotamia (part of modern-day Iraq) that the climate allowed papyri to survive over the years. Today, papyrologists study the estimated 400,000 papyri preserved around the world, many of which are fragments. These papyri contain a large variety of writing -- literature, religious works, government reports, private documents -- in Egyptian, Greek, Latin, Coptic and Arabic. As you might imagine, a papyrologist is like a detective. He or she must decode the meaning of a document, often from a fragment. Today, however, we have the Net, and papyrologists around the world can share research material. Web:
Repatriation and Reburial Anthropologists and archaeologists are concerned with the past and, hence, have a strong inclination to study and remove human remains from burial sites. In sharp contradistinction, various cultural and religious groups want the dead to be left alone, to rest in peace, as it were, safe from the clutching hands of philistine scientists. As you might imagine, two such diverging points of view are not easy to reconcile. Want to jump into the middle of a bunch of irresistible forces mixing it up with a collection of immovable objects? Here's your invite to the party. Web:
Rock Art The oldest existing works of art we have are drawings and carvings on rocks. Such artifacts have been found on every continent and form an important body of archaeological source material. Common rock art motifs include outlines of human hands, drawings of animals and hunting scenes, and pictures of daily activities. At these sites you will find great examples of fascinating rock art around the world as well as links to other rock art sites. Web:
Listserv Mailing List:
Underwater Archaeology Not all archaeology takes place on land. There is lots and lots of old and important stuff under the water. Here are some sites devoted to studying underwater archaeology. You will find articles, discussion lists, information about shipwrecks, as well as links to other related resources. Web:
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