Saturday, June 30, 2012

Horse Furniture Study Group

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was invited to attend a study group session at the end of June. This was a fabulous experience!  As a budding archaeologist, nothing is better than meeting with well-established professionals who are just as excited about artifacts as I am. Topics of discussion included: stirrups, bridle bosses, bridle bits, saddles and horse shoes.

Attending this study group session made me think how wonderful it would be if more regions tried to organize similar events. It is important to clarify that this was not a conference.  This was a small gathering of professionals, sitting around a table in a conference room, engaging in conversation about a shared interest in an artifact type. Representatives from several labs brought examples from their collection to serve as conversation pieces and to gain outside interpretation of objects that could use a little extra analysis. Guests brought their out lunches, although coffee and snacks had been provided by the hosting facility. The setting was casual and the session was extremely informative.

I will bookmark this experience in my mind in the hopes of implementing similar events when I become a seasoned archaeologist.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Nevis Heritage Project

I recently returned from my field school abroad in Nevis. Nevis is an island located in the West Indies and is commonly referred to as the "Queen of the Caribbean." The people are wonderful and the island is beautiful. I spent four weeks working with Monmouth University students and faculty on the Saddle Hill Fortress.  This fortress was constructed in the early eighteenth century and was reportedly never put into operation. Each morning the crew hiked from the guest house to the site, approximately a thirty minute hike- uphill. We excavated a few test units and shovel test pits. Our crew cleared much of the fortress of overgrowth so that a total station could be used to take measurements of the fortress. We spent a day assisting the Horatio Nelson Museum by creating an inventory of the contents in their storage container. This container houses artifacts that have been collected from previous excavations (led by other institutions).  This was a dynamic project and I was happy to have been apart of it.