Oh dear. I'm really not as good at updating this blog as I thought I would be. In any case, here's the latest update:
Things at the site are progressing fairly quickly. It's a new project, as far as this group is concerned, and so the guys in charge have been working out the parameters of the project all week, but everything seems to be more or less organized now. We're currently working on one large trench and a section of wall higher up. Each of these sections is made up of different layers of sediment, including dirt, bones, flints, and...more dirt. And lots of rocks. Each layer represents a different depositional process, and with a deep trench cut out of the ground, it's possible to see where each layer meets the next because of differences in color, which represent different combinations of sediment. Each layer corresponds to a different period of site occupation, so we can tell by what we find in each layer pretty much where it belongs in terms of a timeline.
Yesterday was our weekly day off--I was still recovering from a nighttime trip to the site to collect data which kept us out until past 3:30 am, but I had caught up on sleep the night before. First thing in the morning, I rescued a baby muskrat that had somehow wandered into our campsite, and was keeping warm by the side of the house. The poor little guy was really really cute, but he wasn't particularly bright--I scooped him up and put him in a plastic tub so I could bring him somewhere where he was less likely to be traumatized. He didn't really seem fazed by being transported, although he made a few little grumbly sounds. I don't really know how to interpret muskrat growls, but he didn't seem to be in too much distress. In any case, when I dropped him off at the creek near the house, I waited to see if he'd be ok...and he climbed back up and just sat next to me for a few minutes. So I nudged him in the direction of the creek and made a discreet exit. Hopefully he's ok...I'm not entirely sure he was completely ready to be on his own, but oh well.
After my brief escapade with nature, we went to the museum of prehistory in Les Eyzies (which is pretty much the main museum for the region). It was cool to see artifacts from La Ferrassie in the display cases, since all the objects really did look just like what we were pulling out of the ground...although on the other hand, it was kind of funny to be seeing those things on our day off, since we see pretty much nothing else all week! Overall, though, it's a really good museum, with all kinds of helpful videos and well-labeled exhibits (if you can read French). After the museum, we poked around the town for a little bit and browsed in the souvenir shops. I have some really good/surreal pictures from a strange antique/tchotchke/weird thing store, and I'll try to put them online later this week. Then we had lunch at a pizzeria (French pizza is a little weird, but very tasty) and came home for a bit before heading off to the medieval cliffside town of Domme for dinner. We ate in a brasserie with an incredible view over what seemed like the whole Dordogne valley, because we were so high up. We got to see the sun set over the cliffs, and hot air balloons drifted by. It was ok, I guess. (I'm totally kidding. It was awesome)
Today was back to work as usual--first thing this morning we had to make the site look nice, since apparently some important bureaucratic people will be visiting in the next couple of days. Then it was back to excavating for the rest of the day. I came home, had a really nice shower (I love being clean!!) and now it is time for dinner. Beef stew. Yet another light summer meal. Oh well.
More updates soon!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
apparently, je suis awesome.
It's been quite the busy and exciting (but mostly busy) few days! I think I should be more tired than I am, so I'll have to go to bed early tonight.
Saturday was our weekly day off (since we're such badasses we only need one...?), and most of the crew went to the nearby town of Sarlat for the big weekly open-air market. It was hot, busy, and full of lots of things to see--there were tons of stalls selling weird things...like AC/DC t-shirts and African masks...but there were also tons of stalls selling gorgeous produce, various jars of duck and goose parts (oh, how the French love their confit), and all kinds of food, tablecloths, porcelains, and pretty much anything else you might imagine. I tagged along on a few dig errands, bought some postcards, and got myself one of the little wooden-handled folding knives that apparently you need to be a REAL archaeologist in France.
That folding knife came in handy on Sunday--I went to the dig to work, and it was the first day of real layer-by-layer excavation, not the bulk dirt removal that we had been doing to get the site ready. The layers that we were working on held tons of little chips of flint and animal bone--a lot of the latter had been burned, which was interesting. About halfway through the afternoon, I uncovered a weird-looking object which looked like layers and layers of stacked stone, but not quite. I thought it looked a lot like a tooth, structurally speaking, but it was too big for me to take that idea seriously. I worked on it all afternoon, picking away with a trowel, brush, and my little folding knife, and finally got the sediment levels down to the base of the object....which turned out to be a TOOTH FROM A WOOLY MAMMOTH!!! So...THAT was a highlight. :) It was a great thing to find on my first day of real excavation. I hope I did/continue to do a good job with excavating, since that's really what matters, but I can't help being really excited about uncovering something so freaking cool.
Today was incredibly hot (something like 35 or 38 Celsius, which is around 100 Fahrenheit...ergh.), but I was at the dig house doing lots of artifact washing, labeling, and data entry, so it wasn't too bad. I kept having to stick my head under the faucet because I felt overheated, and after our work day ended, several of us walked down to the river to swim. That was the best I've felt all day--the river was cold and refreshing, and we splashed around until we felt normal again. Then we came back and had dinner--I really don't understand the logic behind the meal plan here...today's dinner was pot au feu, which is pretty much stewed beef and vegetables. It's supposed to be a heavy dish for the middle of winter, so having it on a hot sultry evening was a little uncomfortable. I was really hungry from swimming, though, so I managed.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back at the dig...and hopefully it'll be a bit cooler! I'm going to go have a nice cold drink of water and see if anybody wants to make things out of flint with me. :)
Saturday was our weekly day off (since we're such badasses we only need one...?), and most of the crew went to the nearby town of Sarlat for the big weekly open-air market. It was hot, busy, and full of lots of things to see--there were tons of stalls selling weird things...like AC/DC t-shirts and African masks...but there were also tons of stalls selling gorgeous produce, various jars of duck and goose parts (oh, how the French love their confit), and all kinds of food, tablecloths, porcelains, and pretty much anything else you might imagine. I tagged along on a few dig errands, bought some postcards, and got myself one of the little wooden-handled folding knives that apparently you need to be a REAL archaeologist in France.
That folding knife came in handy on Sunday--I went to the dig to work, and it was the first day of real layer-by-layer excavation, not the bulk dirt removal that we had been doing to get the site ready. The layers that we were working on held tons of little chips of flint and animal bone--a lot of the latter had been burned, which was interesting. About halfway through the afternoon, I uncovered a weird-looking object which looked like layers and layers of stacked stone, but not quite. I thought it looked a lot like a tooth, structurally speaking, but it was too big for me to take that idea seriously. I worked on it all afternoon, picking away with a trowel, brush, and my little folding knife, and finally got the sediment levels down to the base of the object....which turned out to be a TOOTH FROM A WOOLY MAMMOTH!!! So...THAT was a highlight. :) It was a great thing to find on my first day of real excavation. I hope I did/continue to do a good job with excavating, since that's really what matters, but I can't help being really excited about uncovering something so freaking cool.
Today was incredibly hot (something like 35 or 38 Celsius, which is around 100 Fahrenheit...ergh.), but I was at the dig house doing lots of artifact washing, labeling, and data entry, so it wasn't too bad. I kept having to stick my head under the faucet because I felt overheated, and after our work day ended, several of us walked down to the river to swim. That was the best I've felt all day--the river was cold and refreshing, and we splashed around until we felt normal again. Then we came back and had dinner--I really don't understand the logic behind the meal plan here...today's dinner was pot au feu, which is pretty much stewed beef and vegetables. It's supposed to be a heavy dish for the middle of winter, so having it on a hot sultry evening was a little uncomfortable. I was really hungry from swimming, though, so I managed.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back at the dig...and hopefully it'll be a bit cooler! I'm going to go have a nice cold drink of water and see if anybody wants to make things out of flint with me. :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
oh, internet. how you thwart me.
I was going to try to upload a bunch of photos here today, but the internet is not cooperating, so words will have to do instead. Mostly.
I've gone to the dig site for the past two days in a row--it's basically been a lot of clearing backfill, which is dirt jumbled up with deposits of flint and bone. It's really interesting work, even though it feels a heck of a lot like manual labor. There's so much material to sift through that I don't really notice the time go by, except when it's almost lunchtime. I'd be getting really fit if it weren't for all the French food I'm eating, but I feel like everything cancels out and I break even :)
Yesterday the dig was incredibly hot, and there was sun and dust everywhere, but fortunately there is a spring right next to the site which has wonderful cold water. The water is directly from the source of the spring, and is filtered through about a mile of solid limestone, so it's very clean. So don't freak out, Dad.
Today I spent a large part of my time cleaning off the face of the rock wall on the other side of the dig, which meant a lot of clambering around and whacking things with a pickaxe, and rock climbing (safely. With eye protection and gloves. And only three feet above the ground. So don't freak out, Dad). I also found an enormous (and possibly pregnant) salamander.
The whole crew was treated to dinner tonight at a restaurant in town--it was all delicious, including the appetizer, which was pate, bread, and....duck gizzards. I'm not even kidding, and they were delicious. So...cross that one off the list, I guess.
I'm not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow--it's likely to be lab work, I think. But I'm sure I'll like it.
I'll do my best to post photos here or at least on Facebook as soon as I can.
I've gone to the dig site for the past two days in a row--it's basically been a lot of clearing backfill, which is dirt jumbled up with deposits of flint and bone. It's really interesting work, even though it feels a heck of a lot like manual labor. There's so much material to sift through that I don't really notice the time go by, except when it's almost lunchtime. I'd be getting really fit if it weren't for all the French food I'm eating, but I feel like everything cancels out and I break even :)
Yesterday the dig was incredibly hot, and there was sun and dust everywhere, but fortunately there is a spring right next to the site which has wonderful cold water. The water is directly from the source of the spring, and is filtered through about a mile of solid limestone, so it's very clean. So don't freak out, Dad.
Today I spent a large part of my time cleaning off the face of the rock wall on the other side of the dig, which meant a lot of clambering around and whacking things with a pickaxe, and rock climbing (safely. With eye protection and gloves. And only three feet above the ground. So don't freak out, Dad). I also found an enormous (and possibly pregnant) salamander.
The whole crew was treated to dinner tonight at a restaurant in town--it was all delicious, including the appetizer, which was pate, bread, and....duck gizzards. I'm not even kidding, and they were delicious. So...cross that one off the list, I guess.
I'm not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow--it's likely to be lab work, I think. But I'm sure I'll like it.
I'll do my best to post photos here or at least on Facebook as soon as I can.
Monday, June 20, 2011
je suis ici!
I think it has actually already been a few weeks in my head since I left for France--the past two days were quite the travel marathon, but I made it to the dig house safe and sound, installed myself in my tent, and am already hard at work and having a fantastic time.
The flight from Paris to Boston was completely uneventful, though incredible long, and for some reason my knees ached like hell for the entire flight. From Paris, I had a connecting flight to Bordeaux, which I alllmost missed. But didn't. So that's good. Then I caught a bus to the Bordeaux train station, and thanks to a very amiable bus driver with a remarkable curled moustache (handlebars! but not waxed or anything; I'm not quite sure how he trained his facial hair), I made it to the Bordeaux train station, had a sandwich and a beer, and caught the bus to Sarlat. From there, I got picked up by one of the dig directors and we drove the five minutes to the town of Carsac, where the dig house is.
This part of France is incredibly beautiful. All of the buildings are made from the local limestone, which is a rich buttery yellow, and glows ochre in the sun. All that limestone comes from the cliffs that crop up everywhere--and in most of the cliffs, there are caves--hence the hotbed of Neanderthal activity. The field where I pitched my tent is full of wild mint and dandelion greens, so it smells fantastic whenever anyone walks across it. The house that contains the lab, bathrooms, and dig director bedrooms (and encompasses our eating space) is that same yellow limestone, and has a fig tree and an apple tree..and tons of nettles, which had to be dealt with today, among the rest of the hours and hours of chores that we did.
It was fun, though. A local dog named Gary (!), a big, floppy black-lab-hound type fella came over to play for a lot of the day. I think he lives across the street, and he kept showing up to play fetch with his squeaky hedgehog toy. So I raked, cut, swept, fixed, wiped, tidied, and lots of other things...and ate bread and cheese and sausage, and drank wine and Orangina and beer, and this is already a fantastic month. The other students here are all very nice, and we're all getting along quite well so far. There are even a couple of guitars for me to play, so I'm a happy camper. Literally.
Only a couple of people went to the dig site today since there was so much work to be done on the house--I hope to be able to spend time digging soon, though.
I've already taken a few pictures--I'll post those as soon as I can, and talk more about the dig house, the dig and the people--but it's almost dinner time and I'm on a borrowed computer, so this is all I can manage for now.
The flight from Paris to Boston was completely uneventful, though incredible long, and for some reason my knees ached like hell for the entire flight. From Paris, I had a connecting flight to Bordeaux, which I alllmost missed. But didn't. So that's good. Then I caught a bus to the Bordeaux train station, and thanks to a very amiable bus driver with a remarkable curled moustache (handlebars! but not waxed or anything; I'm not quite sure how he trained his facial hair), I made it to the Bordeaux train station, had a sandwich and a beer, and caught the bus to Sarlat. From there, I got picked up by one of the dig directors and we drove the five minutes to the town of Carsac, where the dig house is.
This part of France is incredibly beautiful. All of the buildings are made from the local limestone, which is a rich buttery yellow, and glows ochre in the sun. All that limestone comes from the cliffs that crop up everywhere--and in most of the cliffs, there are caves--hence the hotbed of Neanderthal activity. The field where I pitched my tent is full of wild mint and dandelion greens, so it smells fantastic whenever anyone walks across it. The house that contains the lab, bathrooms, and dig director bedrooms (and encompasses our eating space) is that same yellow limestone, and has a fig tree and an apple tree..and tons of nettles, which had to be dealt with today, among the rest of the hours and hours of chores that we did.
It was fun, though. A local dog named Gary (!), a big, floppy black-lab-hound type fella came over to play for a lot of the day. I think he lives across the street, and he kept showing up to play fetch with his squeaky hedgehog toy. So I raked, cut, swept, fixed, wiped, tidied, and lots of other things...and ate bread and cheese and sausage, and drank wine and Orangina and beer, and this is already a fantastic month. The other students here are all very nice, and we're all getting along quite well so far. There are even a couple of guitars for me to play, so I'm a happy camper. Literally.
Only a couple of people went to the dig site today since there was so much work to be done on the house--I hope to be able to spend time digging soon, though.
I've already taken a few pictures--I'll post those as soon as I can, and talk more about the dig house, the dig and the people--but it's almost dinner time and I'm on a borrowed computer, so this is all I can manage for now.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
les travel plans!
Hello, bonjour, and welcome to my attempt at keeping everybody apprised of my doings while I am away! I'll be digging at the prehistoric site of La Ferrassie in the south of France from June 19th to July 16th, living in a tent, swimming in a river, and digging in a cave. I have a tent! I have a flashlight! I'm pretty freaking excited.
Here's a handy Google map to give you a general idea of where in France I'll be:
La Ferrassie is an important site for a number of reasons, but is mostly famous for the large number of Neanderthal remains that have been found there. These remains were found in what appears to have been deliberate burials. If that is in fact the case, then that's some really interesting information about the treatment of the dead in the course of human evolution. Examples of Neanderthal art have also been found at the site, including Venus figurines (little carved models of very curvaceous women, which may be linked to fertility beliefs...or might have just been fun to look at) and rock carvings of...vulvas? I didn't make that up, that's what they've been interpreted as. See picture below. So...it may be difficult for me to remain mature and academic at this site, but I'm going to do my damnedest.
La Ferrassie is has been more or less consistently worked in since before World War I (which one of the dig directors called a "minor interruption" in the information packet I was sent...har har), and so a really good system is in place for cataloging, etc. It's a terrific place to be taught the basics, so I'm really lucky. Speaking of lucky, did I mention I'd be camping in the south of France for four weeks? Yeah.
My travel information is as follows:
I'm flying from Boston to Paris on Saturday, June 18th at 10:55pm. The flight arrives in Paris at 11:35am on June 19th (different time zone; I'll be 6 hours ahead of the U.S), and then I have a brief layover (I won't see anything of Paris except the inside of the airport, malhereusement) before another flight to from Paris to Bordeaux at 1pm. At the Bordeaux airport, I need to catch a train to the town of Sarlat (French conversational skills...GO!!), and from there, I can get a ride to the dig house. Hopefully everything will go relatively smoothly, and it will just be a marathon travel session that I can get through and get to the fun part where there is archaeology.
In case anybody wants to send me letters (please?), the mailing address is:
France
Here's a handy Google map to give you a general idea of where in France I'll be:
La Ferrassie is an important site for a number of reasons, but is mostly famous for the large number of Neanderthal remains that have been found there. These remains were found in what appears to have been deliberate burials. If that is in fact the case, then that's some really interesting information about the treatment of the dead in the course of human evolution. Examples of Neanderthal art have also been found at the site, including Venus figurines (little carved models of very curvaceous women, which may be linked to fertility beliefs...or might have just been fun to look at) and rock carvings of...vulvas? I didn't make that up, that's what they've been interpreted as. See picture below. So...it may be difficult for me to remain mature and academic at this site, but I'm going to do my damnedest.
La Ferrassie is has been more or less consistently worked in since before World War I (which one of the dig directors called a "minor interruption" in the information packet I was sent...har har), and so a really good system is in place for cataloging, etc. It's a terrific place to be taught the basics, so I'm really lucky. Speaking of lucky, did I mention I'd be camping in the south of France for four weeks? Yeah.
My travel information is as follows:
I'm flying from Boston to Paris on Saturday, June 18th at 10:55pm. The flight arrives in Paris at 11:35am on June 19th (different time zone; I'll be 6 hours ahead of the U.S), and then I have a brief layover (I won't see anything of Paris except the inside of the airport, malhereusement) before another flight to from Paris to Bordeaux at 1pm. At the Bordeaux airport, I need to catch a train to the town of Sarlat (French conversational skills...GO!!), and from there, I can get a ride to the dig house. Hopefully everything will go relatively smoothly, and it will just be a marathon travel session that I can get through and get to the fun part where there is archaeology.
In case anybody wants to send me letters (please?), the mailing address is:
Fouilles Préhistoriques
Le Bourg
24200 CARSAC-AILLAC
My phone will work like a regular phone while I'm there, but I will have it turned off most of the time. If you need to reach me, the best way to do so is via email--I have Skype on my phone, so we can set up video chat dates. I'll do my best to keep this blog current and interesting while I'm there--I'm not bringing a computer, so I'll either be updating from my phone or from the shared computer at the site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)