Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with archaeology

And Iran, Iran so far away

oinopaponton — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:17:17 -0800

I have a very generous offer for a place to stay and Farsi-speaking guides should I choose to visit Iran. Ergo, I have some questions about post-election Iran and the best way to organize this trip, if I go. I've looked through the history, but the latest question about visiting Iran was asked before this summer's election. Has anyone been since then, or is anyone there now? As a single American woman staying with a wealthy family in Tehran, what could I expect? I'm aware of dress/behavior expectations, but I'm more curious about what day-to-day life would be like, including but not limited to reasonably unmonitored internet access. I don't speak Farsi, but I do speak French-- am I right in thinking that this would be at least marginally useful?

Bonus: I'm really interested in Iranian archaeology, to the point where (assuming all my graduate school applications aren't rejected) I'll soon be working on a very closely related MA or PhD. Is there any way that I could visit an active archaeological site? I'd be comfortable contacting professors at American universities and asking to visit their sites; is this something that a professor at, say, University of Tehran would be okay with?

If I go, it won't be for at least six months, and probably more like nine. I know things are liable to change in that period of time, but I want to know what I can expect before I get my heart set on going. Thanks!

Damn cold around these parts...

BadMiker — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:56:22 -0800

What was grandpa doing in the ice-age? I'm trying to understand pre-ice age archaeology; I was asked recently about the earliest people in Scotland and realised that I dont know much anything pre-neolithic.

Climate obviously plays a large part; ice-ages made much of the area uninhabitable, but I dont really have a perspective on when ice-ages happened and where mankind was at, geographically evolutionary and culturally.

Is there a nice simple timeline which brings this all together?

Not looking to be Indiana Jones, but George Reisner would be OK.

oinopaponton — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:48:03 -0800

Are you, or is someone you know well, a practicing archaeologist? Yes? Come on in; I have some questions for you. I'd like to get some information before I make a big decision about my life path for the next couple of years. Don't worry, I'm already very much aware of the arguments against getting a PhD in a humanities-related field.

1. At what point in your education did you decide to go into archaeology as a profession? Did you get a PhD, or an MA, or both? What track would you recommend for someone who could probably get into a decent PhD program now, would be a stronger candidate with a related MA, but would have trouble affording two more years of school without funding?

2. Is there any professional disadvantage to writing your PhD dissertation in the area in which you're most interested (say, Hellenistic cities in the Near East), when there's a chance you'd consider leaving the academic career path in favor of working as a US government archaeologist? Basically, do research and fieldwork in one historical and geographical area easily translate to a job in another?

3. I'm attracted to archaeology because I'm looking for an interdisciplinary career with a strong focus on history. I work much better when I can break up intense attention to detail with physical activity. I've done archive work (a little conservation, a little research, a little database maintenance), which I felt was almost perfect for me, but not quite. I'm a good researcher, can draw well, and I'm not afraid of spending a lot of my time in uncomfortable physical situations as long as have some information to hunt down. I would like to actually be employable, but I'm not concerned with making tons of cash. This isn't a totally absurd career path to follow, is it?

Thanks for any advice you could give. I'm talking this to death with a solid group of professors, but if any of you out there are actually making a living in the archaeology field, I'd treasure your input like solid gold.

Are the Ceide Fields the most extensive stone age site?

Jack Alucard — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:07:39 -0800

Are the Ceide Fields in Ireland the most extensive stone age site in the world? Hi,

I recently saw a website that claimed the Ceide Fields were the most extensive stone age site in the world. Are there any amateur archaeologists out there who could confirm if this claim is correct?

Does anyone know where I can find further information?

Archaeology in the Caucasus

Taksi Putra — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:26:27 -0800

Archaeology in the Caucasus - are there any digs going on or coming up soon?
Any info on contemporary archaeology in the region, please.

Art and artifacts experienced through technology

0bvious — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:00:33 -0800

How is the meaning of art and artefacts being altered by the methods we use to: Experience, Define and Preserve them... In other words, in what ways have technologies been used to experience, re-define and/or preserve art and artifacts? I came across news on a technique using terahertz radiation to 'see' under the surface of paintings and murals. I know that similar methods have been used before, most especially to see the sketches under (Leonardo da Vinci) paintings or to map the outline of archaeological sites by satellite etc. I am interested in amassing a collection of such techniques, not limited to paintings and certainly from a wide spectrum of scientific and technological applications (for instance: art includes literature or music, artefacts can refer to objects or cultures, a new technology may simply be a new theory of linguistics).

Any links and or examples, books, journals, people you know of would help me immensely. My past questions express quite neatly the kind of reading background I have, please give them a glance if you have time.

Thanks muchly...

Any real-world rolling boulders and poison darts?

sherlockt — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:47:44 -0800

Have there ever been any Indiana Jones-style booby traps discovered in real-world archaeological/exploration expeditions? It's quite the staple of adventure movies like The Goonies, Indiana Jones, National Treasure to discover ancient ruins that are littered with working traps designed to thwart intruders. I was wondering if any such traps have actually been discovered on real-world expeditions, and if so, were any of them still in working condition when discovered?

Paying to dig up old bones and pots

dasfreak — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:52:58 -0800

Where can I find out about paleontology or archaeology "tourism"? Years and years ago I once saw an advert where you could go on established digs and do some digging yourself. Basically you were paying for the privilege of doing someone elses job. You got to do something interesting and dig some stuf up, the got free workers and the money helped pay for the whole thing. Well I'm guessing that's how it worked.

Do such things still exist? Google isn't giving me the goods but I'm guessing it's through universities.

What are the best grad schools that specialize in forensic archaeology?

danb — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:15:52 -0800

What are the best grad schools that specialize in forensic archaeology? My friend specifically wants to study archaeological human remains.

Where can one buy an archaeology trowel and calipers in London?

Kirjava — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:00:29 -0800

Archaeologyfilter: Where can one buy an archaeologist's trowel and calipers in London? My friend is off on a dig in the Sudan and has been told to bring her own archaeologist's trowel and calipers. However, she doesn't have much time before she has to leave, so she'd rather not order off the internet. Is there a physical store somewhere in London that sells WHS trowels and tools of archaeologists' trade? Preferably central or northern London, or least on a tube line. Thanks in advance for any help!

Are treasure maps real?

bugloaf — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 08:42:19 -0800

Has an ancient document ever led to an archaeological discovery? This seems to always happen in the movies: The hero translates some ancient document or digs up some ancient map which leads him to some buried treasure. For example, the Indiana Jones movies or the Tomb Raider movies. I wonder if there are any archaeology-themed movies that don't follow this pattern. Does this ever happen in real life?

I know things have been discovered that were previously only known about through ancient texts, such as the lost city of Ubar or the Gospel of Judas, but I'm not asking about these. I'm asking about discoveries that were found with direct help from an ancient text. I expect that there are none.

How long before a skyscraper decays?

ikkyu2 — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:56:33 -0800

How long would it take for the Empire State Building to vanish without a trace? So I was wondering about this. Specifically, I was wondering, "What if the inhabitants of the Upper Jurassic had built skyscrapers? Would they still be around?" If it only takes 10,000 years to wipe a skyscraper, how can we be sure there weren't any 100,000,000 years ago?

More specifically, how long would something like the ESB stick around if for some reason maintenance ceased today? How long would it be a visible skyline landmark? How long before a skilled archaeologist could detect no trace that it had ever existed?

The prior thread, If you had to warn people 10,000 years in the future to stay away from a site, how would you do it? did not propose building a skyscraper, but I'm not sure that means it wouldn't work.

What can anthropologists offer on this matter?

eighth_excerpt — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:52:09 -0800

How can anthropologists contribute to the answering of questions about the brain and consciousness in the 21st century? I'm wondering if the field has the right tools and techniques and potential to talk about the neural level and how neural events result in consciousness. For example, if neurons function the same way in New Zealand 2006 as they did in Norway 1006 (across time and across culture) does that mean cross-cultural analysis won't be fruitful? And since neurons aren't preserved like bones, what can archaeologists say on this matter?

Did giants once roam the earth?

ruelle — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:39:15 -0800

Calling all mefi archaeologists or egyptologists! Could someone identify this picture? Is this photoshopped? If not photoshopped, I beg to ask the obvious question: Did giants once roam the earth?

o_0