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Dig It 15

Mar 20, 2016

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Original series of Dig It. Newsletter of the Flinders Archaeological Society. Volume 15.
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INSIDE Tlf,JJS ISSUE:

Pres idents Report 3

Annual General Meet ing Report 6

First Impressions 11

Review 12

F. U. Arch Soc Washington Trip 15

Working Class Archaeology 19

Hallet Cove Conservat ion Park 24

Fieldwork in the UK 26

Museum: Tour of the World 30

Editors Report 35

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So {ong, aru£ tfiank.s for a{[ tlie fisFi ...

Presidents RepOit - Natasha Paling.

Well, to say the least it has been a very interesting year for myself and the archaeology society in general. While this year has not been quite as successful as past years, we all had a good time and gained a lot of valuable experience. I think I speak for all of the committee when I say that this year has been both an eye-opener and a very steep learning curve!

Throughout second semester we have had some great public lectures. These have included:

* Alice Gorman- "Woomera and the Space Age: Indigenous aspects of cultural heritage".

* Jawaid Haider- 'Towards Engaging Design for · Children: museums as metaphorical town squares".

*Della Scott-Ireton- "Florida's Underwater Archaeological Preserves: public interpretation of Historic shipwrecks".

(Apologies to anyone that I have missed here!) All of the above lectures were really interesting and gave us all an insight into other aspects of archaeology, not just in Australia but around the world.

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One of our key events every year is Fairs day. Titis semester went really well with people showing far more interest in the society than they have in previous weeks. We had a lot of new members sign up and our "guess-the-number-of-lollies" game going down well ( congrats go out to Royce who won our 1st prize!). T-shiits were popular as usual and l want to thank everyone who helped out in the organising of this event, as well as evetyone who contributed to making it a success.

We have a couple of event coming up in the next weeks (although by the time you read this they will "' probably have already been). We are hosting a pub-crawl on November 15th to stmt at the Grace Emily Hotel in the city. Also, we will be having a family oriented BBQ at Mitcham Reserve on November 29t". 1l1ese events both promise to be a great forum for society members and their families to get together and have a good tune. Hope to see you all there!

Finally I would like to welcome the new executive cormnittee for 2004. Olympic style, I have passed on the presidential tomal1awk to Rhiannon Tabaka. I am sure that she, and the rest of the committee, will do a great job. However, it is up to all ofus to make sure that the archaeology society has a future. We are one of the strongest university organisations anywhere and it would be a real shame if future students were deprived of the opportunity to get involved.

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I have had a great, if slightly stressful, year. I couldn't have done the job without my fellow members of the executive. In prntieular I would like to thrn1k Dirnme Jrnnes, without who I would have struggled along rn1d probably flow1dered! Also special thanks go out to Deborah Arthur who really re-sparked our mterest in making the society work!

Thanks again everyone, have a great end of semester party! See you all next year.

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Flinders University Archaeology Society

Annual General Meeting 29-10-2003

Open: 4:05

Present: Andrea Williams, Natasha Paling, Evan Parker. Andrea Ward, Deborah Arthm, Amy Vickers, Susanne M. Jones, Bob Stone, Aiden Ash, Kris Fanner, Nieves Ehrenberg, Scott Cluisholm, Jason Deer, Glemi Murrell, Cathrine Lawson, Diana Baric, Rhiannon Tabaka, Therese Williams, Leanne Taylor, Sharon Collins, Belinda Liebelt, Tim McBeath, Yvonne Nowland, Rob Williams, Karin Diricx, Kylie Hutchinson, Dianne Edwards, Dr Claire Smith

Apologies: Helen Cooke, Tim Onnsby, Nina Ri­gano, Jacqualine Below, Mike Adamson, Debra Robertson, Karen Lindrop, Jon Marshallsay

- Minutes from last year were unavailable for reporting on as they are unavailable.

I . President's Report- Natasha Paling -Public lectures have had a good tum out this year -There haven't been that many events, however we are planning more

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2. Treasurer's Report- Dianne James

- $1012.57 presently in the bank - $688.88 is tied up in the T -shirts - $300 for Banner -Money situation is really good at present! - There are a lot of potential opportunities for

funding

3. Upcoming

- Sat 15 Nov we're doing the pub crawl, Starting at the Grace Emily final details will be sent out later. - 29 Nov is the family BBQ at Mitcharp Reserve at 12 o'clock, more info will be going out about that

too

4. Next exec

- Explanation of the parts to each role - Subscription officer has been added this year

- Positions declared vacant - President.

Rhiannon Tabaka, nominated by Deborah Arthur, 2"J by Amy Vickers. Susanne M. Jones, nominated by Nieves Ehrenberg, 2nd by Natasha Paling. Rhiannon Tabaka was voted the new President.

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- Vice President.

Susanne M. Jones. nominated by Bob Stone, 2"d by R11iannon Tabaka. Nieves Ehrenberg, nominated by Natasha Paling, 2nd by Sharon Collins. Diana Baric, nominated by Rhiannon Tabaka, 2"d by Belinda Liebelt. Tim Onnsby, nominated Himself (via email), 2"d by Deborah Arthur. Leanne Taylor. nominated by Deborah Artlmr, 2"d by Nieves Ehrenberg. • Susanne M. Jones and Nieves Ehrenberg were voted the new Vice-presidents.

-Treasurer.

Dianne James, nominated by Natasha Paling, 2"d by Andrea Williams. Elected unopposed.

-Secretary.

Bob Stone, nominated by Andrea Williams. Re­jected nomination. -Diana Baric, nominated by Dianne James, 2"d by i\ndrea Williams. Diana Baric elected unopposed

- Clubs and Societies representative.

Bob Stone. Rejected nomination. Scott Chrisholm, nominated by Nieves Ehrenberg, 2"d by Sharon Collins. Cath~rine Lawson, nominated by Diana Baric, 2"d by Andrea Williams. Scott Chrishohn was voted the new Clubs and Societies representative.

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- Publicity Officer.

Kylie Hutchinson, nominated by Andrea Williams, 2"d by Susanne M. Jones. Elected unopposed.

- Subscriptions officer.

Amy Vickers, nominated by Belinda Liebelt, 2nd by Evan Parker. Elected unopposed.

5. Dig It

-Call for articles, they need to be in Friday 71h.

- Email these to Andrea Ward at

( andrea007 @iprimus. com. au)

6. Aiden

- Expressed appreciation for the executive committee of 2003.

7. Kangaroo Island Excavation

-First Part of January organized by Kris Farmer - Looking for 2 or 3 people - Email for more information at

([email protected])

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8. NASC

- Elected separate committee to run it - Co-coordinator: K:ris Farmer. - Publicity: Therese Williams. - Treasurer: Dianne James. - Funding: Scott Chrisholm, Cathrine Lawson. - Editors: Deborah Arthur, Natasha Paling. - General committee: Leanne Taylor, Diana Baric, Rhiannon Tabaka, Evan Parker.

9. Banner

- Ready soon, end of this week start of next week

10. Life Membership - Aiden Ash, as president of the previous year

Closed 5:05

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UNIVERSITY AROIAEOLOGY FROM A FIRST YEAH STUDENTS PEf~SPECTIVE

Rhiannon Tabaka (ls1 year archaeology student)

Getting a good education can sometimes be a very long process. From primary school to high school and then for some people - straightto university. l think at some point during high school and university it's a good idea to have a break. It makes the ftrst year of university so much easier. This first year for me has opened up my mind to so many opportunities and the fact that Flinders University has helped me to do that is a bonus.

Studying archaeology is something that I have always wanted to do and now that I am doing just that, I feel like I have succeeded in part of my life.

Just recently I was involved in my first excavation and it was better than I thought. It was my test to see if I really wanted to be an archaeologist, a test that I passed with flying colours.

First year archaeology has been great fun, it just takes one push in the right direction to really get involved. l would recommend archaeology to anyone.

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REVIEW ,')'teve Dam!wis

Seglie, D. (ed) 2001, LuroPreA.rt: Eum[Jean Prehis­toric Arr. I 'as/ ,\'igns and !'resent Afc morics, CeS !'v1 AP. Italy, 52 pp. Cost: unknown.

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These aims culminated in the development of a EuroPreA.rt web accessible database, and the publishing of a CO-Rom and book. The CO-Rom component of this project is easily installed, and provides access to the EuroPreArt website. From the initial homepage the user can view a continuous slide show with 2498 beautifully detailed images of European Prehistoric Art. One concern with the design of this function however, is its inability to permit the user to pause on slides of pru1icular interest.

The user can then choose to access the database that was the impetus for the CO-Rom itself The data icon reveals a touch sensitive map of Europe and a series of data retrieval options. Clicking on a country of interest on the map retrieves records of that country's art. The remaining data retrieval options include: LIST- displays all records relating to a chosen country RECORD- pennits user to browse the database record by record SEARCH- queries the entire database for select criteria BIBLIOGRAPHY- customisable bibliography pennits viewer to retrieve references under a variety ofheadings, author, country, title, etc.

The database's fonnat successfully meets the coordinators' aim of distributing awareness about European Prehistoric Art's diversity and fecundity, while its progressive design ensures that viewers in the future will continue to be informed of the latest developments in the field .

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The CD also contains: links to associated sites, a means of providing feedback on the project, guidelines for good practice, and project partner information. The projects book contains similar content to the CD-Rom. In addition, it provides a comprehensive rundown on the CD-Rom and web accessible database (pp.40-49). It also includes various international rock art research and management codes of etl1ics (pp.28-39).

The project achieves its goal of networking and coordinating research efforts by providing the viewer with access to a number of data sharing/collecting templates for facilitating contributions to the database. This function suggests that the EuroPreArt media package is primarily intended for European Prehistoric Art researchers. However, students and lovers of prehistoric art will also find this an invaluable and inspiiing resource. Overall a comprehensive labour of love. Two thumbs up.

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FU ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY INVADES WASHINTON DC

Belinda Liebelt

This year in June, no less than 28 Flinders University archaeology students and staff travelled halfway across the globe to participate in the world's largest archaeology shindig! The Fifth World Archaeological Congress, held every four years, ran over 6 days from the 21st to the 26111 of June at Catholic University. Over 1200 people from around tl1e world, including professional archaeologists and First Nations people, attended the event. Ofthese, 71 were Australians including 15 Indigenous Australians. Nearly all of the Flinders students at the conference were members of the FU Archaeology Society, and all gave joint papers or presented posters to an international audience. The experience was one of a lifetime.

The World Archaeological Congress (WAC) is the only representative worldwide body of practicing archaeologists. It supports open dialog with all people genuinely concemed about the past. WAC promotes tl1e exchange of archaeological research, professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations/communities, the empowerment and betterment oflndigenous groups and First Nations peoples; and the conservation of archaeological sites. Previous congresses have been held in England, Venezuela, India and South Africa. WAC is a non-govemmental, not-for-profit organization within the U.S.A.

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While the overall theme for this year's WAC event was' Archaeology and War', there ~as no limit to the diversity of topics considered within seminars during the course of the week. Just a small sample of the themed sessions illustrate the assortment of discourse that occurred at W AC5:

.. 'Colonialism, Identity and Social

Responsibility'

• 'Empowerment and Exploitation'

• 'Gendered Perspectives'

• 'Archaeoastronomy, Space Heritage and Seti'

• 'Perspectives on Repatriation'

• 'Underwater and Maritime Archaeology' ...

Individual sessions ·within these themes were just as varied with titles ranging from 'The American Palaeolithic', 'the Politics of Representation', 'Archaeological Investigation of Historic Period Burial Afethods' to controversial topics such as 'Gf\·e it Back You Bastards '. Flinders students attended many of these lectures, as well as countless more. 1l1cy presented papers and posters in some, and partook as an audience in others. Students attending the event had the opport1mity to witness ar-chaeological debate at the highest level available. Many got to meet the people that write our textbooks, or that we know from archaeological articles. For the students at WAC5, marly of the contacts they made in that week will be beneficial to them for the rest of their archaeological career.

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.. ......

This was the opportunity to participate as citizens of a global archaeological world, ar1d the ar·chaeology students attending this years WAC, grasped this opportunity with both hands!

While the Archaeology Society crew was re-noun at the conference for their high attendance and their bright red 'WACS Special Addition' red t-shirts, the students were also well recognized for volunteering a considerable amount of their time ar1d effort in the organization and general running of the conference. In the months leading up to the event, the Arch Soc patticipated in at least 3 mail outs sending out information all over the world to as many as 12,000 recipients. Students also helped during the conference by setting up and sitting at infonnation desks, organizing sessions and themes, and general 'behind the scenes' activities needed to make W AC5 rw1 smoothly.

Of course, W AC5 was more than just about -the presentations. Each night a different social event was held, many of which included free alcohol r r r (Well for those over 21 at least, much to my dismay!) These activities included:

• A welcome reception the first night,

• An evening reception the second night at the

• Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natw·al History,

• A student reception for all U.S. ar1d Interna­tional student participants,

• A visit to the Australian Embassy

• A gala dinner and dar1ce on the last night of the conference. ·

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These were possibly some of the most enjoyable times of the event, where all participants had the opportunity to come together, socialize and generally just party! Memorable moments from these events will surely be numerous. I know that unforgettable moments for me include spending a relaxing evening at a small1l1ai restaurant with many archaeological colleagues after a visit to the Australian Embassy. A huge parade of drunk archaeologists marauding down the steps of the Smithsonian aficr being kicked out from the reception at I 0 I ... And who will ever forget the 200-person long conga line stretching through two levels of Cathol ic University Reception center the night of the Gala dinner!

Clearly, tJ1e experiences that Flinders students had at WACS in June this year will provide them with memories that will last a life time. More important however, are the international contacts they received in participation in a global archaeological event. In additiofl, the experience gained in presenting in a worldwide arena will help many take the next fundamental steps along the path or their archaeological career. For now however, I'm sure many students and other participants alike arc looking forward to the next WAC to be held in 2007. at an undisclosed location .

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Port .Acfe[aide - J-feaven for Working c[ass arcfiaeo[ogy ...

Please, NO MORE BOOTS!!!!!

Natasha Paling.

During the mid semester break of semester two, a group of archaeology students were enrolled in an Historical archaeology field school at Jane Street in Port Adelaide (see map). For ten days we all traipsed clown to Port Adelaide to help Susan Briggs with her Ph.D. work and to learn more about the skills of being an archaeologist. While not all ofthe jobs involved are glamorous, all are vital in the naming of any archaeological site.

Map of the Port Adelaide area surrounding Jane Street - this is a 1987 map if anyone is interested.

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But before I go into the details of the field school, what were we actually digging? Between 1863 and 1891 there were a number of cottages on the site. Two four-roomed cottages, which were owner occupied and later became six-roomed through the addition of another stmy. Also there were two two-roomed wooden cottages. These were owned by one of the four room families and were rented out. In the end it tumed out that we were looking at what was the back of the first four­roomed cottage and part of the second. These were stepped, so were on different levels and they both ,. gave an interesting view on how houses were built in the 1800s.

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A view of the Site- Susan taking charge while others work around her. Note the dumpy and the ladder (set up for us to climb in and out of the trench!)

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When we an-ived at the site the dig had been going on for around two weeks, this meant that we were immediately able to get involved in the serious work of excavating the site. Students were able to get involved in the process of excavation including the actual digging, sieving, sorting, recording, level taking and photography. We were also involved in cataloguing, artefact research and historical research into a person recorded as living at the site.

Some of the most valuable experience was actually getting involved in hand excavation of the site. While I had been on digs before, for some people this was their first experience of working on an archaeological site. Some of the work we carried out was delicate removal of soil using small tools and bmshcs. This was particularly the case when we came across shoes (something that happened incredibly frequently!!).

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One of the many boots found at the site - this was one of the best preserved.

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The field school was an excellent oppoxtunity to get to know fellow students and to get some e::..:perience in archaeological excavation. Students learnt a lot, or at least learnt how to apply the techniques that they had learnt previously.

This is a feature of field schools in general. They are fantastic learning experiences that give you both an insight into the workings of a dig and an opportunity to get to know many other students in the same area of research. I would recommend them to anyone interested in pursuing a career in archaeology. As a professional archaeologist, these are the things that you will be expected to know, and if you can show that you have field experience you will be much more advantaged than other students.

If you missed out on the field school, don' t despair! There are still opportunities for you to get involved and get some experience. Susan Bxiggs is still cataloguing the artefacts fi·om the Jane Street excavation and she needs all the help that she can get! If you want to help out, gain some experience and see what happens post-excavation contact Susan for more infonnation:

(susan.briggs@flinders. edu.au).

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The field school was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone. Get involved in the workings of archaeology and get some experience in archaeological technique. It is the best way to get a "leg-up" towards getting work in the future.

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The end result of nearly four weeks work

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HALLET COVE CONSERVATION PARK

Therese Williams

Australia's ancient geological & fossil heritage is world class. We live on one ofthe oldest continents in the world. Approximately 15 kms from the CBD of Adelaide are the remains of an ancient geological and archaeological site. TI1e site contains·vital clues to the evolution of the planet some 600 million years ago. The 1, 700 Aboriginal artefacts, give ... testimony to the Aboriginal people living in and around the area. Evidence of an ice age around 280 million years ago provides a window into climate changes in Australia. TI1e need to protect these valuable sites for the enjoyment of future generations is vital for understanding the planet, who we are and our place in it. Opposite are just two examples of the history contained within this site.

Acknowledgments: Marion City Council, Dept. of Geology & Physics- Uni of Adelaide and NP&WS

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AMPHITHEATRE

The "Amphitheatre" contains 3 main layers, naturally eroded over millions of years, giving us a glimpse of site formation processes. Silt and clay, was deposited during the Pliocene, approx. 2m yrs ago. ll1e Sandstone, containing fossil remains, was deposited 4m yrs ago and glacial sediments deposited about 280m yrs ago.

SUGARLOAF

ll1e sugarloaf" is a small inselberg" of glacial sediments of the pre marian such as tilites and diamicites. Its name is derived from the creamy white colours that make it look like a giant cake with a sugar icing.

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FIELDWORK IN THE UK

Deborah Arthur

Whilst on exchange to the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom (January to June 2003) I undertook a variety of fieldwork. I worked 011 an archaeological excavation of a c. 2nd Centmy AD Roman \ti.lla site in Piddington, Northamptonshire, UK in April 2003. This was a large scale excavation compared to my previous experiences in Burra and Port Adelaide. The trench was approximately 30 x 50 metres, and it was separated by a g1id system of wooden posts at 2 metre intervals. Finds included regional pottery such as roughcast beakers as well as exported types of pottery such as terra sigillata, a bronze broche, ceramic roof tiles, and a variety of animal bones and teeth. And being Britain, I was digging in rain and the temperatures recorded in my field journal were between 8-12 degrees Celsius each day - very cold!

The skills we leam at Flinders University are pretty much the same as students in the UK. I undertook some fieldwork with the Landscape Archaeology class, such as site recording and drawings of an Iron Age Fort. We used baseline/offset methods and triangulation to sketch the fort in Borough Hill, Rutland, UK in May 2003 . The problems we encountered during this fieldwork included rain and cold temperatures, making recording of information difficult, and cows trying to eat our measuring tape (baseline). One of the lecturers regularly chased the cows away!

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I undertook a class called Archaeology of Standing Buildings, and one of our fieldwork requirements was to draw a section plan of this Roman gatehouse (below). We used baseline/offset methods, as well as triangulation measurements to draw this structure. As a group we then drew the structure up to hand in as part of our assessment. The result is below the photo

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I attended the fieldwork with the Archaeoastronomy class in May 2003. We attended a variety of sites in the Peak Dist:Iict, to view different stone circles and see how they relate to the landscape (see photo

_below).

In May 2003 I visited several sites along Hadrian' s Wall for my Britain in the Roman Empire class. We saw several museums and Roman Anny forts. At the site of one museum they have used expetimental archaeological techniques to construct what they believe to be Hadrian's Wall in shape, height and materials (see photo below).

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I really enjoyed doing some volunteer work for the New Walk Museum. This was cataloguing of material collected through geological work. However, many of the finds were similar to archaeological finds, such as bones, teeth and antler. This photo is of a reindeer's antler and an elephant's tooth .

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So my trip to the UK was much more than completing 3 university topics towards my degree. Each experience in the field taught me new skills, and reminded me of skills already learned.

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llm' s whirfwind fri.useum tour of the worlJ

(wef! hits of it)

Tim Ormsby

In my six months or so overseas, I have been fortunate to visit some of the world's most prestigious musemns. Some were good, some were great and some needed some improvements.

My first musemn stop was on my first day in the United States: The Chicago Field Museum. My main reason for going to the Field Musemn wasn't archaeological but paleontological. Her name is Sue and she is the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found. I have to say that she is beautiful. But I was also impressed with the archaeological displays there too. The archaeological collection in the Field is mainly Egyptian and Native American.

The Egyptian display was very well setup, with lots of clear descriptions of items and life in Ancient Egypt. As seems to be growing trend in musemns these days, a lot of the display was in a darkened section of the hall. The range of artifacts was broad too "With interactive displays for the kids.

For the most part, the Native American display was in the process of being upgraded but I did get to see what was left of the old one and to be honest, it really did need upgrading. The Alaskan and Inuit displays had already been completed and were really good. Reminded me a lot of the Indigenous Australian display at the SA museum, in that there

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were lots of video monitors around to watch various ethnographic movies etc. The displays were again well labeled and presented not so much as artifacts but as objects with stories to tell. The most impressive part of the display were the 20 or so carved wooden totem poles, some over 8 metres tall . I wish I had some photos of them but I wasn't sure if I should be photographing them. Some display cases had open spaces where artifacts had been taken off of display at the request of Native American tribes because of their religious nature.

The Field Museum has been very pro-active in regards to repatriation since N AGPRA was introduced, something that the museum promotes in their display too. Another impressive part of the display was the reconstruction of a Pawnee Earth Lodge, the traditional dwelling of the Pawnee nation. About 20 metres in diameter, the lodge would have housed about 30-40 people, usually from one or two families. The lodge in the museum was used to give talks to the public about Pawnee way of life and Native Americans in general.

Overall I was very impressed with the Field Museum and would love to go back there once their new Native American display is completed.

The next museum I visited was the Smithsonian Natural History Musemn in Washington DC a few days later. All I can say is that this is one museum that desperately needs updating. Almost all of their displays were out of date. From their dinosaur skeletons to their hmnan evolution display, all were relics from long ago. Their Indigenous Australian display was very small and included some objects of a sacred nature that should not have been on

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display. The South Pacific Islander display seemed to concentrate on the war-making aspect of the islands' peoples. The Native American display, of \'ih.ich I did not see in entirety, was also in desperate need of an upgrade. Its actually quite insulting that they even have human artifacts in a Natural History museum, promoting the old stereotype that Indigenous peoples weren't humans but were prut of nature. Overall I wasn't vety happy with the Natural History musewn.

The National Museum of the American Indiru1 is a subsidiruy brru1ch of the Smithsonian Institute. We were lucky enough to get a behind the scenes tour of the new storage and curation facility for the museum in Suitlru1d, Mruyland. This place was impressive. The collection was donated to the Smithsonian by George Heye, who had collected almost 1 million cultural objects from all over the Americas. The collection is now stored in a new building specifically built for that purpose. Over 3 stories tall, the main area has row upon row upon row of drawers containing artifacts from absolutely every aspect of Native American cultures.

The scope of the collection is absolutely mind-blowing. The building was built with consultation with Native Americru1s regru-ding its design and the museum is very active in repatriating objects back to the tribes that they catne from. Some tribes prefer that the musewn store their artifacts for them so long as tl tey cru1 sti ll use them for their ceremonies. Overall I was very impressed with the NMAI facility. I cru1t wait for the public display in DC open in 2004.

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During my brief stay in England, I visited the world's largest repository of stolen antiquities, otherwise knowtt as the British Museum. First of all, it was quite good seeing artifacts that I had read about all my life. But it would be sooooo much better to see things like the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles BACK IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY BELONG! The fact that the museum wont even let Egypt BORROW the Rosetta Stone for a few months shows that the stolen attifacts will not be returned to their rightful owt1ers any time soon *sigh* Ok rant over. Like I said it was good seeing things (well the things that SHOULD be there) that I had read about for years ... the Sutton Hoo ship burial, the Battersea shield, and Lindow Man just to natne a few. The displays were generally well setup but some things were not well labeled and left the viewer wanting more information (well I did anyway). At the

l entrance to the British Museum is a place for the public to make donations to help keep the museum free for the public. Out of principle I didn't give them any money until they return their stolen antiquities.

Finally during my week long stay on the Isle of Man (which is between England and Ireland for the geographically challenged), I visited the Manx Museum in Douglas. This small museum details the entire history of the Isle of Man, from its fonnation during the Ice Age, to the first human inhabitants right up to the present day. For a small museum, this one was really setup well. Its displays were well set out and labeled really well , giving the visitor a lot of infonnation but not to the extent of overload. The displays included recordings of people speaking

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Manx, the native Celtic language of the Isle that is almost dead. The rich and varied history ofthe Isle was very well presented and I highly recommend the Manx Museum to anyone who finds themselves on the Isle of Man.

Well that's the end of my whirlwin~ museum tour of the world. I really enjoyed visiting these museums and I highly recommend visiting them (for good or bad) if you ever get the chance. The ones I've seen are obviously a very, vety small sample of the museums in the world and there are many, many more left to visit. But they will have to wait until my next trip overseas.

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Editors Report

Hello Peoples,

Well, it is finally here, the last Dig It Newsletter for 2003. I thought it would be best to continue Ruth Jenkins idea with the AS format. Very spunky.

Thank you to everyone who contributed their valuable time and effot1 to this newsletter!

On behalf of the Archaeology Executives for 2003 I would like to congratulate and welcome the following people for 2004 :

President- Rhiannon Tabaka

Vice-Presidents- Susanne M. Jones

Nieves Ehrenberg

• Treasurer- Dianne James

Secretary- Diana Baric

Clubs & Societies Representative- Scott Chrisholm

Publicity Officer- Kylie Hutchinson

Subscriptions Officer- Amy Vickers

Cheerio and good luck to everyone continuing with their Archaeology Degree and perhaps Honours next year. It has been fun dudes.

Andrea Ward Publicity Officer

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