After the second year of my undergraduate studies while conducting fieldwork, I discovered a profound enthusiasm for learning about the lives of ancient peoples that has furthered my determination to pursue research and a graduate degree. In the summer of 2015, I already had two years of experience working on the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, Israel as a volunteer. That year I was chosen to work on a different project; I was part of a small team tasked with excavating the recently discovered Philistine cemetery. During that season and the season that followed, I not only learned about excavating human remains, but I also had the opportunity to study the lives and deaths of the deceased individuals: what they ate, their illness and injuries, their lifestyles, and their relationships with others outside their communities. Even their feelings for each other were sometimes evident. I became fascinated with understanding who the individuals were, what kinds of lives they had, and how they viewed the world, with the last question being the most intriguing. We used the small amount of artifacts buried with the deceased and previous finds from inside the city to paint a picture of their lives, but there is so much still unknown about the context in which the Philistines lived. When I returned to Johns Hopkins University, I maintained my newfound interest in ancient contexts and I began to channel it into my research. Through my classes, I conducted several projects in
An unscrupulous archaeologist by the name of Henirich Hochstetter excavated the Shoen-Tell site in Turkey in the late 1920s. Hochstetter was interested more in antiquities than in data, so he provided little substantive information tot eh professional community about his dig or his findings. However, a conscientious assistant of Hochstetter’s, Roxanne Browne, managed to collect detailed information on fifty of the burials Hochstetter plundered. Her data is
The ancient Greeks and Romans were perhaps two of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. These two civilizations thrived in their ancient environments which eventually led to a vast amount of prosperity within these two cultures. It is because of this prosperity that these ancient cultures were able to make a variety of advancements in literature, architecture, art and a variety of other fields. These two civilizations also produced some of the ancient world’s greatest writers, leaders, and philosophers. The cultures of ancient Greece and Rome made a number of contributions to western civilization in the form of advancements in literature, architecture, art, government, and philosophy.
One very interesting aspect of the human experience is the manner in which certain themes appear again and again over time, in literature, religion, mythology, and culture regardless of the geographic location, the economic status, and the time period. Perhaps it is the innate human need to explain and explore the known and unknown, but to have disparate cultures in time and location find ways of explaining certain principles in such similar manner leads one to believe that there is perhaps more to myth and ritual than simple repetition of archetypal themes. In a sense, then, to acculturate the future, we must re-craft the past, and the way that seems to happen is in the synergism of myth and ritual as expressed in a variety of forms (Bittarello)
Park your car and take a stroll through the burying ground. Stop and read the markers and they will tell you their story of ordinary people making their living from the land and sea. When you stroll, please do so with the utmost respect
High Noon, which is an old western type of movie, is about a sheriff named Will Kane that has to fight to save his town. "The Most Dangerous Game", which is a short story about a man named Rainsford who has to fight for his survival. High Noon and "The Most Dangerous Game" have similar main characters and similar story patterns, but have a different overall theme.
Death by Theory, written by Adrian Praetzellis, is an engaging and informational book written in a novelistic way that engages the reader to think critically about archaeology. Compared to other forms of informational text about archaeology, Death by Theory teaches archaeological theory by telling a story that incorporates the different theories of archaeology in a realistic setting. While standard textbooks about the theory of archaeology can come off a bit dry, Death by Theory skips the standard definitions and applies this in a way that aids the reader in understanding how these theories and terms can be applied in an actual archaeological setting. This text illustrates the adventure of plucky archaeologist Dr. Hannah Green and her nephew Sean Doyle as they seek to explain an unusual archaeological site while dealing with real life archaeological struggles. The protagonists deal with an egotistical colleague of Dr. Green who sought her out as a consult on a particularly strange archaeological case. All the while dealing with cults, the media, and incompatible data.
Indiana Jones is a renowned character in today’s media. He is portrayed as a fearless fedora-wearing archaeologist, and his goal is to collect artifacts and preserve them in museums. While the field of archaeology is exciting, and the idea of partaking in perilous adventures may seem alluring, the archaeologist was depicted in an incorrect manner. An archaeologist is someone who studies human history through the excavation of sites and the examination of artifacts. Archaeologists study the past to learn more about the lives and cultures of people before. The science of archaeology is a relatively new and quickly growing field; yet, as expected with science, numerous ethical and controversial issues have emerged.
At the beginning of this summer, I embarked on a journey through history by going to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The museum is one of my favorites because of its variety of exhibits of history in both science and art. With every trip, the museum always has something new to offer. Going to the museum felt like a completely new experience with the new perspective I have coming from this class. There were many parts of history to look at, but the ones that stood out to me the most was their exhibit on Ancient Egypt. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit’s information on the artifacts and the funerary practices of this ancient
Archaeologists are now able to come together with natives and learn about the past as a team, getting more insight into ceremonials, traditions, sacred ritueals, everyday workings, and lifestyles of native peoples. Respecting the grounds and artifacts of these indigenous people is respecting their heritage- our universal heritage. The unfolding of information allows archaeologists to gain perspective on the people and land before the white
Howard’s research team of 200 people took twelve years and 6 million dollars to analyze the 419 bodies that were exhumed from the site (Blakey, 2010, p.64). The knowledge gained from the remains was disseminated to the public through three comprehensive reports. Rothstein (2010) comments,
Some coaches of been in trouble for paying athletes to come to their college. Do you think college players should be paid? Me myself I don't think college players should be paid. They are already paid in someway.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which was initially made in 1947, represents one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the twentieth century. In the caves of the cliffs overhanging the northwestern end of the Dead Sea, in an area now known as Khirbet Qumran, a number of large clay jars containing more than six hundred ancient Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts were discovered by some travelling Bedouins. These manuscripts were attributed to the members of a previously unknown Jewish brotherhood, and were written approximately between the years of 100BCE and 68CE. While these scrolls provide scientists and historians with a window into a previously undiscovered community,
So many people see history as something dry and lifeless but in reality it is a study that is full of life. There is no better way to see this than through the lens of archaeological artifacts. The people of the past are intrinsically a part of these objects. They were shaped by human hands; some were used in everyday life while others only meant to be appreciated as art. In any case, they show the vitality of history which can sometimes be obscured by the centuries. I want to work with a collection that deals with archaeological artifacts, and ideally I would like to work with objects of Greek or Roman origins. One day I would like the opportunity to create an exhibit where the viewer can see how the objects relate to a whole as well as their own individual characteristics. I want others to have the same sort of experience I had while walking through the Byzantine and Christian Museum; I want them to have a moment of connection to the past and see how alive history can be. I am especially interested in the courses that the Museology program offers which teach the proper methods to curate archaeological collections. The experience of working with the objects in the Burke Museum will benefit my goal of curating a
I have always been fascinated by the ways of the ancient Egyptians. There life was interesting but it was there beliefs about death that intrigued me.
Throughout our nation’s history, various forms of executions (such as hanging, electrocution, crucifixion, drowning, beatings, stoning, lethal injections, along with many other methods) have taken place as punishments for those who have committed crime. Our nation should stop and ask ourselves, what is capital punishment? Capital punishment is simply defined as one person taking the life of another. It is deliberate manslaughter and first degree murder. The death of one human being by another is an act so profound that one cannot simply flip a switch, blink an eye, and have it all be over. The tragedy of a loss of life is as terrible as sanctioned killing is. There are many reasons why punishment