When archaeology meets communities : impacting interactions in Sicily over two eras (Messina, 1861-1918)

When Archaeology Meets Communities examines the history of nineteenth-century Sicilian archaeology through the archival documentation for the excavations – official and casual – at Tindari, Lipari and nearby minor sites in the Messina province from Italy’s Unification to the end of the First World War (1861-1918). The area and historical period have been fully neglected by past scholars and need in-depth investigation. The substantial evidence includes sets of approximately six hundred new records and black and white images from Italian and UK archives. The historical reconstruction, based on analysis of these records, lays the foundations for the entire volume and forms the basis from which the book develops innovative outlines on Sicilian archaeology. The structure follows this central concept. Furthermore, the volume seeks: a) to clarify relationships between the Italian Ministry of Public Education, the Museum of Palermo and local government authorities (‘3-level’ structure of interaction) and to pinpoint contacts with the contemporary social context; b) to compare archaeological research during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the post-Unification period in northern Sicily in terms of methods, history of collecting, antiquities safeguarding and legislation; and c) to contextualise this work in terms of the evolution of archaeology and social change in the wider Italian and European contexts

Digging Into the Enlightenment: Mapping the Republic of Letters

The Digging Into the Enlightenment: Mapping The Republic of Letters project is a collaborative effort between humanities scholars and computer scientists at Stanford University and the University of Oklahoma in the United States, and at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Our research hypothesis is that we can revolutionize the practice of interpretive research in the humanities by integrating innovative visualization and annotation techniques into highly interactive tools for excavating and dissecting details about people, places, times, and relationships in large data sets. Our project focuses on the Electronic Enlightenment (EE), a University of Oxford collection currently containing more than 53,000 letters. The goal of the project is thus to develop new visualization techniques and tools that support research into the "Republic of Letters" by facilitating interpretation of the complex data sets that have been materialized from this predominantly textual archival collection

Backyard Archaeology: A Snapshot of Life on the Home Front in the Hamline Neighborhood

The Levin site is a household archaeology deposit dated to the 1940s. This site is a distinctive example of the emerging branch of both backyard archaeology and twentieth century archaeology. This backyard site is an essential piece in reconstructing the history of the Hamline-Midway neighborhood. The Levin site also provides unique insights into changing consumption patterns, the roles of class and gender, and the evolution of American identity. The Levin collection utilizes archaeological and historical methods to answer a number of questions. What can the everyday life of a family in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood say about national changes in the 1940s? What were the local effects of these changes? How did this particular family live during this pivotal time in history? In order to interpret this site, analysis of historical maps, documents, and archaeological evidence gathered during the 2009 Excavating Hamline History course is used to piece together a snapshot of the lives of the people who occupied this site. The remains of the household burn deposit found in the backyard contains a diverse collection of diagnostic items, from faunal remains to glass shampoo bottles and metal lipstick containers. The effects of advertising, government regulation, and other social forces that directed the consumer choices of the family that lived at the Levin site can today be found in our own bathroom cabinets, backpacks, and garbage cans. This research has the potential to guide future Hamline excavations that seek to connect and balance the local histories of an area to national and global changes in customs of living and learning

Reconstructing 830 Simpson Avenue; An Archaeological Investigation of Household Life Cycles in a 19th and 20th Century Working-class Neighborhood

The Simpson Avenue site is a household site dating to the 19th and 20th centuries. It is located on Hamline University’s current campus in the ‘backyard’ of the White House. The site was discovered during the fall of 2013 by the Excavating Hamline History class. While our original intention was to find a shed structure pictured on an 1886 plat map, we discovered a post-hole and an intact cultural deposit. A 2x1 meter test unit and six shovel tests were conducted on the property that determined site boundaries and the vertical and horizontal distribution of artifacts and features. The excavation units show clear soil changes that define the fluctuating use in landscape at the site. The home originally on this property, the 830 Simpson Avenue house, created an assemblage of 19th and early 20th century artifacts over time. While the assemblage from the site was relatively small, the artifact analysis showed the presence of women in terms of the kitchen refuse associated with women’s roles, the clothing components, and personal items of women and girls. Similarly, the archival analysis helped place women at the site during the time period consistent with our intact assemblage, indicating they were active participants in creating the assemblage. By the 1940’s this site had undergone a variety of changes in occupation and site use as well as construction to the house. Ownership of the home was private until 1916 when it was purchased by Hamline University. Students began residing in the homes all along Simpson Avenue (between Hewitt and Wesley avenue), and eventually these homes were rented to individual families. In 1946, the 830 house was moved to a new location and became 862 Simpson Ave. In place of the 830 house, the White House was moved onto the property. The construction and demolition debris observed in the soil stratigraphy indicates the crucial change from a residential neighborhood to the landscape influenced by university expansion. From 1946 on, the White House has remained in the same location on Hamline campus with remnants of the original Midway neighborhood just below our feet

Fire on the Mountain: the Bronze and Iron Alpine Ash Altar Material in the Frankfurth Collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum

Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) Accession 213 is one of many collections orphaned by nineteenth century antiquarian collecting practices. Much of the European prehistoric and early historic material in MPM Accession 213 was collected in a single two-year period from December 1889 to December 1891, but the sudden death of the donor--William Frankfurth--and the passage of a decade between collection and donation left the museum without much context for the materials. Among the artifacts in MPM Accession 213 is a collection of almost 350 metal objects from prehistoric and early historic Europe that have yet to be examined or contextualized. Through archival research and comparative analysis, I demonstrate that the prehistoric metalwork present in this collection comes from one or more of seven identifiable sites--the Grumserbühel, the Sinichkopf, the Segenbühel/Hochbühel, the Fachegg, the Tartscherbühel, the Sonnenburgerbühel, and the Tuiflslammer--all of which have produced evidence of a specific type of prehistoric context called Brandopferplätze [places for burnt sacrifices], also known as Alpine ash altar sites. Alpine ash altar sites offer a unique glimpse into the ritual life of prehistoric European populations because they were in continuous use from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. Using the excavation history of each of these sites, it was possible to narrow down the probable candidates to three of the known sites, as well as at least one unknown Roman site. The artifacts were then categorized and analyzed for presence/absence and degree of damage against existing collections from other Alpine ash altar sites to assess the likelihood of the material coming from this type of context. It was expected that the material profile would closely match the presence/absence of materials from more recently excavated Alpine ash altar sites, and thus provide a foundation for further research into the origins of MPM Accession 213

Excavating the archive: Reflections on a historical criminology of government, penal policy and criminal justice change

This article makes the case for greater use of systematic archival research as a methodological tool of criminology. Drawing upon insights from the author’s 2018 historical study of ‘early release’ in England and Wales, it reviews the legal framework underpinning the current ‘right of access’ to official records and demonstrates how greater engagement with this underused public resource can reveal a richer understanding of penal policy making and the continuities and dislocations within contemporary criminal justice. It goes on to consider the methodological challenges of gaining access to historical sources in criminological settings and concludes with a number of reflections upon the evolution of the discipline at a time of digital abundance and significant changes in government record keeping

Excavating the Archive: Heritage-making Practices in Cornwall’s Clay Country.

In 1999 English China Clays (the then principal china clay producer in Cornwall and west Devon) was acquired by the multinational industrial minerals company Imerys. Shortly after, a group of concerned clay workers and local historians came together in a salvage mission to recover historical documents which had been deemed expendable during the business takeover. Together they ransacked offices and emptied filing cabinets collecting historic documentation about the industry. In the eighteen years that have followed, the china clay industry and its associated landscape have undergone immense change and transformation. Meanwhile, that small band of individuals has grown into the China Clay History Society (CCHS). CCHS is now in the process of formalising their salvaged collection, with curatorial expertise from the Wheal Martyn Museum (of which the CCHS is a component part). In this thesis, the CCHS archive and its associated community relationships are examined in relation to experiences of past loss, present instability, and the hope of future renewal. Over an extended period of participant observation working alongside the caretakers of the archive, I explored the different practices of collecting, sorting, and valuing which are making and remaking china clay heritage in mid-Cornwall. Drawing on heritage studies and past studies of collecting, as well as professional museum and archival scholarship, this thesis emphasises the role that practice and material relationships play in the assembling of heritage (Macdonald 2009). Two distinct modes of ordering (Law 1994; 2004) – ‘Passion’ and ‘Purpose’ – are identified as central to this research, which aims to show how different practices of collecting and valuing have profound implications for the ways china clay heritage may be performed in the future.Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC

The MARTA Collection: An Investigation of an Archaeological Legacy and Cache of History

The initial rail lines for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), radiate from a center point where the town of Terminus gave rise to Atlanta. This massive public undertaking created an opportunity for Georgia State University (GSU) personnel, under the direction of Dr. Roy Dickens, to implement urban archaeological excavations, which were part of the burgeoning field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM). The material recovered from this project revealed a wealth of information about the people, culture, and growth of Atlanta. Since the conclusion of this project in 1980, little attention has been given to the physical collection. This invaluable resource has succumbed to the effects of decomposition and loss due to inattentiveness over time. This thesis focuses on the physical condition of this collection, its organization, and challenges of reassessing, stabilizing, and increasing the accessibility of the material to allow future researchers the ability to utilize this resource

Process over Product: Exploring Strategies to Record a Building Archaeology Investigation

Understanding the phases of a building’s evolution constitutes a critical step towards its preservation. The practice of building archaeology has emerged as a tool for investigating and interpreting the layers of a historic structure. Currently, a documentation guideline to assist in interpretive recording and representation of these phases and layers of a building’s history does not exist. Does the existing documentation guideline outlined by Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) adequately serve the demands of an interpretive recording? Through a critical analysis of precedent architectural and archaeological recording guidelines, this thesis creates a hybrid documentation process that combines features of architectural recording with the systems of archaeological recording. The hybrid guideline outlines a three-step strategy to develop a systematic, meticulous and interpretive record of the layers and architectural features revealed during a building archaeology investigation. A trial of the proposed building archaeology guideline was undertaken in the outbuilding at the Nathaniel Russell House to critically evaluate its efficiency. The challenge of representing all the layers in a single graphic platform was addressed by delineating alternative formats that depict the findings. The results from this trial indicate that the proposed guideline provides a starting point for developing a standardized approach to record a building archaeology investigation

The Oberlin Near East Study Collection in Context

Housed in Oberlin College’s Religion department, the Oberlin Near East Study Collection encompasses a wide variety of archaeological material from the Southern Levant. Its roughly 650 artifacts encompass a vast time span from the Epipaleolithic to the Modern Period with most objects coming from the Iron Age. As a teaching collection, the objects were used to vivify Biblical texts for generations of students in Oberlin’s School of Theology and later in the College’s department of Religion. Starting in the 1980s, the collection began to receive only limited use with its contents being largely forgotten. This thesis utilizes the collection\u27s artifacts, archival documentation, and secondary sources to reconstruct the history of how the collection was assembled and how it was used to teach at Oberlin College. By focusing on these themes, the collection can be used as a proxy to better understand a chapter in the field of Biblical Archaeology as well as the wide variety of collecting strategies employed by Biblical Archaeologists