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The Anthropocene in Berlin

I am writing this from Berlin, where I am for a long weekend of talks and performances on the idea of the Anthropocene: the notion that we no longer live in the Holocene but in a new geological era which is defined by the immense impact of one species (humans) upon earth. The concept was not meant to promote the exceptionalism of Homo sapiens, not to glorify humans at the expense of all other species and of the earth in general. It rather wishes to do the opposite. Continue reading →

Julian Whitewright to be AIA’s 2014 Steffy Lecturer

Dr Julian Whitewright will be the Archaeological Institute of America’s Steffy Lecturer for 2014-2015. Julian will be delivering lectures at the University of Missouri, the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan during late October. He’ll present both his ongoing work into the sailing rigs of the ancient Mediterranean and research on eighteenth and nineteenth century British ships and shipbuilding. Continue reading →

Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds: starts Monday.

Our free, 4-week, online course starts on Monday. It’s a fantastic introduction to maritime archaeology open to anyone, anywhere in the world. Stuffed full of articles, videos, slideshows, interactive timelines and links to fantastic online resources, it has been designed by a team of lecturers, researchers and postgraduates at the Centre for Maritime Archaeology. They will be on hand throughout the course to respond to comments, queries and new ideas. Continue reading →

Postcards from the field: Studying the Neolithic figurines from Koutroulou Magoula, Greece

Clay Neolithic figurines are some of the most enigmatic archaeological objects, which depict in a miniature form humans, animals, other anthropomorphic or zoomorphic beings, and often hybrid or indeterminate entities. Figurines have excited scholarly and public imagination, and have given rise to diverse interpretations. The assemblage from Koutroulou Magoula, a Middle Neolithic site – 5800-5300 BC – in central Greece (excavated under the co-direction of Prof. Continue reading →

Update on the Hoa Hakananai’a Statue

In 2012 ACRG members, James Miles and Hembo Pagi, completed a series of RTI captures and a photogrammetry model of the Easter Island Statue, Hoa Hakananai’a, which is currently housed in the British Museum. Since then, in collaboration with Mike Pitts, we have examined the results of these RTI files and compared them with the photogrammetry model. A brief discussion of this work can be seen in a previous blog post. Continue reading →

Important New Decision by Minister of Culture, Haiti for UNESCO protection of possible “Santa Maria” wreck

Hello Everyone Just wanted to relate a landmark decision that has profound significance for the maritime archaeological protection of shipwrecks in Haitian waters regarding the investigation of the possible remains of the “Santa Maria”. It’s a good day for maritime archaeology! Michael Murray From: http://www.haitilibre.com/article-11546-haiti-patrimoine-barry-clifford-n-est-plus-autorise-a-poursuivre-ses-fouilles-sous-marines-en-haiti. Continue reading →

Fun and Games at Southampton Archaeology Activities Day

As part of the British Festival of Archaeology, people of all ages (from 3 to over 70) enjoyed a series of archaeological activities in the department on Saturday! While younger children excavated a coffin ‘burial’ complete with grave goods such as jewellery and Roman ceramics, older children explored the use of virtual reality and CGI within museums and the heritage industry. A quiz was held in which people worked out what different ceramics might have been used for (e.g. Continue reading →