Back in the field at Pig Point



It's been a long winter cooped up in the lab, so last Friday we made our first spring trip back to the field at Pig Point.  Since we still have to contend with freeze/thaw, we don't want to dig any unit too deep.  Otherwise, the sandy walls will literally slump and collapse!  Instead, we went over to the Glendening Nature Preserve to check out some depressions on the hill overlooking the site.  We were curious if these could be remains of a prehistoric activity or something stemming from the historic use of the area (extending back at least 350 years).  We found out they were likely created by the sand and gravel mining that took place in this area in the 20th century - not exactly the exciting archaeological find we were hoping for, but at least now we know! 



The test trench dug in the Glendening Preserve



Considering we didn't find anything in the trench, we decided to bury a volunteer!  I don't think we backfilled over him.  Hmm, better go back and check...

                                                                                                                                      We also took the first tentative steps toward excavating another block in the core of the site, although we only got through the upper historic fill horizons.  The discovery of three projectile points spanning the Woodland period has us very excited for what remains underneath!

We'll be back in the field occasionally throughout March, so call the lab at 410-222-1318 if you'd like to come out and volunteer.

ALSO - the Middle Atlantic Archaeological Conference (MAAC) is coming up next weekend, March 18-20.  Jessie and I will be participating in a Lithic Technology Workshop on Friday, and Al and Lauren are giving papers on Saturday (Al will be talking about the 2010 Pig Point findings and Lauren will be talking about our project researching the effects of sea level rise on archaeological sites).  If you're interested in attending, here's the website for more info: http://www.maacmidatlanticarchaeology.org/

Hope to see you soon!

-Steph          

"Mummies, Bones and Hominids.....Another Day at the Museum"

Hello everyone,


Last week, some of the Lost Towns Project staff members took a work related trip to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.  As most of you know, not only do we work hard, but we play hard.  After meeting with staff from the Forensic Anthropology Department, we had the opportunity to explore the mysterious mummy room in the basement of the museum.  There were shrunken heads, mummies of humans and animals, and the infamous soap man.  You can view the soap man in the following article (#3 Hidden Treasure and Photo #7 when you go to the gallery) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/28/AR2011012802985.html.  Here are a few other photos we would like to share with you, so that you can take a virtual tour of the mummy room too!

Mummy

Steve and the Sarcophagi

Peruvian Cave Mummy

Shrunken Head

Shrunken Head (Elaborate Headpiece)

After visiting the dead, we headed down to the "Human Origins" exhibit.....if you haven't been yet, I highly suggest that you go.....it's FUN, FUN, FUN!!!  We traced our ancestors steps through history and had the opportunity to transform ourselves back in time as well.  This exhibit has a photo booth that, after taking your picture, turns you into a hominid of your choice (Homo floresiensis or Homo neanderthalensis).  I will leave you all with a little matching game.  Can you figure out which staff members are which?

A. Stephanie

B. Jessie

C. Erin

~Erin Cullen

Digitizing Maps into AutoCAD

Hi All,

I thought I'd post a quick blog to tell you about the AutoCAD maps I've been working on for the Pig Point site report. AutoCAD is a computerized drafting program that many archaeologists use to digitize field drawings in order to see a more holistic view of a site. I first scan the field maps into AutoCAD and then digitally sketch over the field drawings.  Then, I'll add a few finishing touches and I've come up with a site or feature map that is ready for presentations or reports.

Here's an example from the Java site.  The first image is a field map showing a small portion of the exposed 17th and 18th century Sparrow's Rest site.  Below that you can see the digitized AutoCAD map that combines ALL of the smaller field maps into one larger image.  It's much more clear and ready for presenting!  I'll let you know when I have some cool Pig Point maps ready, it should be soon.

-Steph

This is an original field drawing from Sparrow's Rest, showing only the central portion of the excavated site.

Here's the AutoCAD map of the 2008 excavations. You can see the red brick hearth on the left, the five large yellow post holes that form the footprint of the 17th/18th century building, and all the other features. The above field map is digitized in the east-central area of this map.

Well, this looks a little different...

Yes, folks, the Lost Towns Project has changed our blog.  Our previous blog tool proved to be quite cranky and difficult to use, which made blogging a task of epic proportions.  Thus, we didn't blog nearly as much as we wanted to!  Since we want to share new discoveries quickly and easily, we decided to switch to a blog that is more user-friendly.  Keep your eyes peeled for MUCH more frequent blogging, and many more members of the Lost Towns staff will be sharing our finds and exciting news.  You might even be lucky enough to see a blog or two from Dr. Al!

You can still check out our old blog here so you still enjoy our old blog posts.  At some point I will transfer them over to this blog for your reading pleasure.


Keep warm and be well,  
Lauren