New Kinord is an ancient settlement situated in the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve to the South-West of the city of Aberdeen, as seen in figure 1.
New Kinord has not yet been excavated and many questions are still left unanswered, however the site has been surveyed by Sir Alexander Ogston. This survey identified the features of New Kinord (Aberdeenshire council sites and monuments record - Aberdeenshire - New Kinord Group). The settlement consists of five main circles that have boundaries marked out by rocks and stones, these stones are believed to be the remains of houses. There are also two paths, one path runs along the outside of the settlement and the other path separates from the outside path and goes through the middle of
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The Earth House is thought to be used for storage or possibly for defensive purposes. It is located underground to stop animals from entering or escaping, which suggests again that this site occupied animals.
This essay will aim to cover several archaeology techniques and methodologies that would have been used during excavation of archeological sites, in particular the New Kinord site. These methods will provide an insight into a wide range of information that I am interested in discovering. These include what the inhabitants of the site did for a living, their diet and how the term of occupation can be determined.
Body of Essay
There are many ways that an archeological site can be observed, for example, aerial photography such as satellite pictures can be used. Also when carrying out an excavation on a low budget, which is very common in most cases, a low-flying kite can replace the satellite (Roskams, page 43). More recently the more common availability and use of drones could also be used to get live aerial data from above. Many sites are more apparent from above, and New Kinord is a great example as you can see some of the stone circles clearly, see figure 2 below.
When considering excavation methods, the location of the site has to be taken into account, as many archaeological methodologies can cause long-term damage to the site. So considering conservation strategies and methods is crucial. This directly applies to New Kinord, as the
Death by Theory, written by Adrian Praetzellis, is an engaging and informational book written in a novelistic way that engages the reader to think critically about archaeology. Compared to other forms of informational text about archaeology, Death by Theory teaches archaeological theory by telling a story that incorporates the different theories of archaeology in a realistic setting. While standard textbooks about the theory of archaeology can come off a bit dry, Death by Theory skips the standard definitions and applies this in a way that aids the reader in understanding how these theories and terms can be applied in an actual archaeological setting. This text illustrates the adventure of plucky archaeologist Dr. Hannah Green and her nephew Sean Doyle as they seek to explain an unusual archaeological site while dealing with real life archaeological struggles. The protagonists deal with an egotistical colleague of Dr. Green who sought her out as a consult on a particularly strange archaeological case. All the while dealing with cults, the media, and incompatible data.
Haury’s journal article, “Snaketown: 1964-1965,” Snaketown demonstrated an architecture of independent structure, side entered, with a sunken into the desert floor, and covered by a superstructure supported by vertical posts. The posts sloped from the floor’s edge to horizontal stringers. Reeds, brush, and earth covering closed up the house. One hundred sixty-seven separate house floors made up the town. The well-engineered structure indicated a full sedentary lifestyle indicated a full dependence on agriculture with irrigation. (Haury, 2) The Gila River supported their irrigation operation, however, the citizens of Snaketown used shallow wells with in the town for drinking water. The ability of to access drinking water in a desert environment accounted for the location of Snaketown. (Haury, 3) Pits were dug everywhere searching for ground water and used to produce building material for houses such as adobe. These pits were filled with refuse, such as pottery, and allowed for archaeologists to recover cultural material that represented short time spans and phases of pottery production. (Haury,
Archaeologists are now able to come together with natives and learn about the past as a team, getting more insight into ceremonials, traditions, sacred ritueals, everyday workings, and lifestyles of native peoples. Respecting the grounds and artifacts of these indigenous people is respecting their heritage- our universal heritage. The unfolding of information allows archaeologists to gain perspective on the people and land before the white
Wilfrid Laurier University has conducted an archaeological field school at Old Fort Erie in 2012, 2013, and 2015. The work has primarily been conducted by undergraduate students supervised by Teaching Assistants and Dr. John Triggs. This paper will be focused on the 2015 season, specifically nnit M, excavated by Joshua Graf. The artifacts recovered from the Unit have been catalogued and entered into an excel worksheet; pivot tables have also been created. These artifacts will be analyzed and statements will be made about the assemblage and its relation to the wider site.
In the opening scenes, the archaeological excavation can be described primarily as a huge project. There were many people searching the ground within a large space. The location appeared to be in a dessert, in the middle of nowhere. There were many different roles for the mass amount of people that were located within this excavation. There were people searching for artifacts and there were also people dusting off the artifacts to keeping them safe and shiny. There were also some men who appeared to be important looking at the artifacts because they were dressed up in suits, while everyone else was not as dressed up.
The study area was approximately 3,717 acres in size, of which 421 acres (11%) were sampled with field investigations. Sample blocks measuring 360x150 meters in size were distributed among 31 broad pedological units. Forty-nine (49) archaeological resources were investigated, including two that were previously recorded, 33 that were newly identified, and 14 isolated finds. As a result, six sites were recommended for avoidance or additional work to firmly evaluate them for the NRHP. Based on the sampling, a density of one site/nine acres was estimated for the intensive survey phase. This density compared well with the density observed for the western section (Abbott and Davis 1995:130). Two hypotheses were given for the high site density: 1) better preservation as a result of less severe erosion and 2) specific prehistoric/historic settlement
In this thesis, I discuss my research and fieldwork at Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park (KLGO) in southeast Alaska. The conducted research examines fragile archaeological sites in unstable landscapes and articulates climatic and environmental conditions associated to cultural resources. My research includes identifying unknown sites, protecting known sites in unstable landscapes, identifying environmental factors threatening to alter or destroy archaeological resources, and examining human – environmental relationships.
The examination of this site would answer questions that are relevant to the development and abandonment of this site. Proposed excavations will begin by coring the soil of the most significant anomalies from the resistivity results. Soil coring will be done in each of the proposed 2 meter by 2 meter squares previously chosen for excavation (see attached site map plan). Soil cores yielding positive results, will then lead to shovel test pits; from there transecting trenches connecting those test pits will be excavated. It must be recognized that the precise location of the area must available for subjective change based on the results from coring and test pits. The objective of this excavation is to provide characterizations of features and sequences of the archaeological components of this particular archaeological site. There will be a need for the examination of all artefactual and ecofactual remains that are
As I researched archaeology field schools to attend, I was drawn to the Mohegan Archaeology Project due to the breadth of methods and techniques that will be used on site, the fact that it is a Native American site, and that it works so closely with the Mohegan tribe to truly meet this people’s needs when excavating its artifacts and preserving its cultural heritage.
The history of archaeology plays an important role in the controversial issues surrounding the science. Archaeology has only recently become a concrete science. Although mankind has always had an interest in the past, the root of archaeology is believed to have started in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. During this time period, artifacts were mainly sought after for collecting. The upper class of the Renaissance period collected artifacts from places such as Rome and Greece to display in their homes as art. As time went on, the lure of historical art and artifacts increased. “Classical archaeology” is the direct result of this curiosity. The “classical archaeologists” were mainly wealthy men that collected artifacts for their homes and studied where they
Finding an arrowhead is a dream every child has held at one time or another. The ones who hold that dream the longest become archaeologists. Studying the lithic material from a site can seem tedious and dull, but the information that can be gleaned from it is invaluable. The type of lithic material can provide insight into the lifestyle, tool production, trading habits, and a possible time period of habitation. We aimed to discover some of this information from the items recovered during the two weeks of excavation at the East Carolina University Summer Ventures Archaeological Field Methods class.
In 1115, Glasgow was given a bishop, indicating the importance of the expanding settlement. While in July 1136 St Kentigern’s wooden church next to Molendinar Burn was replaced by a cathedral and was dedicated in the presence of King David 1. Which emphasises the importance of the Christian faith and of the church during this time. There was also a single street formed which created a rough path from the cathedral to the River Clyde. The bishop, clergy and their servants all formed an ecclesiastical precinct within the surrounding area of the cathedral. While the surrounding settlements expanded and began to spread southwards following along the line of Molendinar Burn. They began linking up with the nearby fishing settlements close to
“The only archaeological evidence of what Heroic Age royal halls in England were like, comes from the Yeavering in Glendale in present-day Northumberland, where the site of one of the royal townships of the English kings of Northumbria has been identified and investigated” (Arnold 91). The location corresponds to Bernicia, the northernmost Anglo-Saxon kingdom. There archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a complex of seven large structures surrounded by eleven smaller ones - the royal villa mentioned by Bede of a seventh century English king (Cramp 132). Each of four of the halls are
Peacefully sited in the beautiful green valley of the river Derwent, Kirkham Priory was one of the largest and richest monasteries in the north of England. Founded c.1122 by Walter l’Espec, Lord of Helmsley, as a house of Augustinian canons; sometimes called the Black Canons after the colour of their habits.
The Repton Long Barrow Site is a Neolithic burial mound in Repton, Bluffshire, U.K. The Repton area sits on top of a large, thick layer of chalk, with native soils that overlays this chalk base. Originally, this site sat isolated in the flood plain of the River Esk which lies to the south. It appears that the Repton Long Barrow is of the early Neolithic burial mound building complex that began appearing in the archaeological record of Britain in 4000 BP. The entire site itself is roughly 50 meters long and tapers from 9 meters wide in the west to 15 meters wide in the east. As seen on the overview map of the site there appears to be an indication there is a ditch that was dug around the barrow leaving the eastern edge unfinished of during of