Alex Bednar

DIG DAY 19

2009-07-31T12:19:37Z

Describe

Today was our last day on site. I spent the day mostly using a turrea to shovel dirt back into a bucket, to recover the mosaic that we uncovered to take photos and taking rocks out of the dirt before covering the mosaic with it. The remainder of the day was spend dusting off roads and pillars and the main coffin of the site.

Interpret

This last experience gave me an increased understanding of archaeological work. I never suspected that once uncovered, parts of a site should then be re-covered but then I never factored in the threats posed to archaeological sites by looters and threats that natural factors could present for the quality of the mosaic. Moreover I learned from this site that one does not just shovel soil on a mosaic, there is a pattern of different earthen materials which has to be used to preserve the mosaic, one layer might have sand and the other soil and a third layer might have something completely different, the purpose being to come up with the right combination to best preserve the mosaic or valuable structure.Likewise, the more dusting I do in an archaeological setting, the better I become at it. I have gained increased understanding of the type of technique necessary with brushing. When dusting it is important to not brush against the wind otherwise the dust will be carried to the places where the archaeologist just dusted and he will have to clean them again.

Analyze

All of these types of little hints and techniques will be useful to me if I would like to continue archaeological excavation in the future. Knowing the best ways to clean with a brush will make me more efficient at uncovering areas of sites which have to be photographed. Also, realizing the importance of covering certain areas and realizing the importance of getting the right combination of layers to cover those mosaics will help me in the future should I have to make a decision about the best way to preserve a certain valuable part of a site.

Wednesday Dig Day 18

2009-07-29T23:12:58Z

Describe-

Today I stayed down working on a new form of data entry that had to do with small finds. This type of data entry is in many ways a lot shorter because all of the information that occurs under a given basket number of pottery automatically shows up when the number is entered.

Interpret

The type of work I was doing involved describing finds in terms of their dimensions, what their subject category was, as well as their texture and color. These types of categorization gives me a whole new interpretation of the process. I had no idea that special finds went through another layer of categorization so that they might be more apparent and better documented for the archaeologists. This is an amazing insight into the process.

Analysis
On the whole, small finds and item categorization is kind of the icing on the cake for this experience because through that I gained the full experience of the categorization process, which is invaluable. Small FInds, because they tell the team more about a given location and often have cultural implications or at the very least provide objective data as to the layout of a site are overwhelmingly important. Spoons can help establish the identity of a monastic site as one of healing and oil lamps as one of reverence. The possibilities are endless and knowing these possibilities greatly increases my ability to interpret finds.

Tuesday Dig Day 17

2009-07-29T23:01:58Z

Describe

Today I mostly worked with data entry. Data entry is a fascinating area of the archaeological process because it is through this practice that one gets a feel for how to analyze finds like pottery, extraordinary finds, and the like.

Interpret

During my data entry, I categorized finds in terms of location, color, shape, condition and the like. Different finds, if recorded correctly, can tell an individual a lot about a given area of a site. Pottery is not only used for dating, but it can determine what kind of eating habits and cultural habits people had. Pottery, if it comes in the form of a storage jar or an amphorae, can give details about trading patterns and water and grain storage patterns on a site. Metal finds like doornails are consistently significant because they help identify the former structure of the site allowing the archaeologist with accuracy that a door existed in a certain place. Oil lamps and spoons are also significant and they have likewise been found on the dig. They can tell our group about the monastic community that lived here during Byzantine times. The spoons are most likely for medicinal purposes and the oil lamps for revering things. Today, while categorizing I also learned that pottery with swirls on it is typically Umayyad pottery.

Analysis
Taking a step back, all of this information which I have layed out in the previous paragraph is helping me become a better archaeologist. I am now starting to identify things like storage jars. They are thick and coarse. I can identify Umayyad pottery as it contains swirls. I understand the purpose of oil lamps and spoons in certain contexts. All of this will help me should I chose to work on an archeaological dig in the future.

Monday Dig Day 16

2009-07-28T05:22:10Z

Today I worked with John and Glen in the group that had the cistern in it. We found the first ever example on this site of an ostracae, or a piece of pottery with writing on it. While pottery here is usually often problematic to use for dating purposes because of the degree to which the ground has been tunneled through and disturbed by the IDF, this pottery is especially significant because it contains Greek writing which may give us insight to the use of the site even if most of the pottery has been mixed at different layers and does not provide an entirely accurate method of dating. We also got closer to the floor and found some significant pieces of diagnostic pottery, complete with handles and lip/edge pieces.

Today I am discovering so many things about archeology and much of it in talking with archaeologists. It turns out that the best finds for dating are actually coins, because since this site was disturbed so much, most of the pottery does not belong to a clear layer. Coins on the other hand have a clear date, they indicate government structure and who ruled at the time and they can even give clues as to where the nearest minting center was, relative to the rest of the site. Also in archeology there are extraordinary finds and constant finds. Constant finds are those things like door nails. They do not stand out but they give us immense objective data that we can use to identify things. Door nails identify a door was here even if it cannot be scene anymore in a situation where archaeologists would have to guess. Another find in this category are coins which as we have just stated, even though they are often ubiquitous, they are more helpful than pottery in the dating process and in telling us about the site.The rarer finds tend to have more subjective than absolute value. While consistent finds, like coins, markedly date a site, rare finds like an alloy cross necklace gives us a more personal and subjective view about life on this site. We know that someone, probably in a monastic community, on this site, wore that necklace and from this we can determine a bit about how these people lived. another rare find at this site was an Unguetarium which is a personal hygiene flask of oil for men. Probably at this site, overexerted men would use this flask with oil in it to freshen up.

Knowledge about these different kinds of finds gives me infinite and much needed help in understanding the significance of finds in an archaeological context. Now when I find a piece that is useful to the dig site, I will be able to immediately determine what type of value it has in our overall characterization of what went on in this place in the past.

Sunday Dig day 15

2009-07-28T04:48:33Z

I have been debating whether to post an entry for today or not. Basically I remained all caught up on Database entry. I remained caught up on pottery washing. The only thing which was left for me to work on was homework for the courses I am taking here. Therefore that Sunday I wrote a paper on the excavations done at the Herodium and whether their conclusions are valid or not.

Doing such work helps me understand the academic process and the subjective side of archeology. Not only am I learning how to objectively date and characterize things and work in a process that caters to this kind of objective categorization, but now I am learning how to make somewhat subjective conclusions based on the analysis of various finds and excavations.

If i pursue archeology in the future, this kind of archeology will be immensely useful to me in the future when I try to actually interpret the big picture of what all of the small finds, pottery, and architectural peices actually mean.

Note

2009-07-28T04:45:47Z

Last Wednesday has no entry. This is because I was all caught up with computer entries, pottery washing, and I tried to to homework on the main computer in our building complex, but microsoft word was on the fritz. I therefore spent the time that day fixing word. I eventually managed to fix word when I defragmented the computer.

Dig Day 14

2009-07-25T21:50:01Z

Describe

Today (Thursday) I worked mostly with John in the square of the cistern. We found a substantial amount of tessrae, and some significant pottery sherds. Most of the day we worked on digging out the area around the cistern. I used a turrea and a brush and a rockpick to shovel out dirt into buckets, removing each layer in such a way that the entire floor was dug in a level manner and removing any rocks that impeded my use of the turrea with a rockpick.

Interpret

Today I gleaned some important information. I realized that a cistern was the place where the Romans or Byzantines would store water and sometimes grain for the cite. In that way in was an extremely significant part of the site, because without water the ability to settle anywhere in the Middle East is greatly stifled. I learned that when using a turrea a person must hoe in such a way that the soil is level and they are not digging too excessively in one area of the archaeological site. I also learned via Kristina that the only way for a tessra find to be relatively significant is if 100+ of them or more are found as that might denote either a mosaic or at least fully intact clumps of mosaic, which are much more easily diagnosible than individual peices.

Analysis

Today was extremely useful for my study of archaeology. Because of today not only can I better understand the significance of tessra and properly evaluate my use of a turrea if I am not hoeing level enough, but I am learning new things every day about Roman era occupation of sites and the various structures they built and the usage of those structures.

Dig day 13

2009-07-22T06:51:34Z

Describe

Today I worked most of the time in a square with John and Daryl. We managed to find 3 capitals and 3 columns one of which has yet to be removed. One of our capitals was absolutely beautiful. It was made in Corinthian style with several small flourishes in the design which protruded off of the object. It is absolutely amazing that none of the capital had any broken pieces given all of these unique designed flourishes. Most of the work in this site consisted of using turreas and spades to remove dirt into buckets. Once we had found the capitols and pillars, one of the Palestinian workers on this site managed to skillfully remove them using heavy duty machinery

Interpret

I learned several things about archaeology from working in this square. Until this point I did not realize that the top of a column or pillar was called a capital. I am learning new archaeological jargon everyday. I also did not realize until I worked here how much archaeologists rely on heavy machinery to move objects on a dig site. I also gained a great deal more experience dusting and sweeping the archaeological square in which we worked. In our site I was sweeping and as I did so , I did not realize for a while that I had been sweeping against the wind which in effect blew the sand back on the steps which I was uncovering. Now I know never to use this counterproductive tactic again.

Analyze
As I look over the whole day's experience I can see that I gained a lot of information that I can use in future archaeological work. I know now what a capital is. I know how to use proper sweeping technique and I am fully aware of the value of having a person on a dig site who is skilled in using heavy machinery which only gives me more confidence about the necessity of a multidimensional approach.

Dig Day 12

2009-07-20T19:08:16Z

Describe
Today I stayed down and washed pottery and worked on the dig database entering information about all our finds. Our excavation is yielding a lot more pieces of amphorae which can yield a lot more information as to trade patterns on our site. Arnie's group also managed to find an inscription on the stone floor that I cleaned on Thursday, which we think may have served more or less as a welcome mat. Having started database entry, I now have a much greater understanding of what is needed in the small finds and pottery cleaning process.

Interpret
Today I realized what the dig administrators are looking for in the small finds and pottery cleaning process. Before information can be entered into the database, each find has to be measured and described in terms of its color and its historical usage. The place from which it was found must be carefully cited or the find will be of no use. As a result, when cleaning pottery it is vitally important to make sure that all of the years of dirt accumulated on the sherds are removed in such a way that their true color is revealed the best way to do this is by cleaning the sides of the sherds, as dirt is not as calcified on the edges of sherds as it is on the faces of them. If sherds are not properly cleaned it is not only difficult to categorize them in terms of color but also in terms of accurate measurments. A thick layer of calcified dirt can make an object seem far larger than it is given the precise and small unit of measure we are using. Properly cleaning pottery also exposes markings and indentations and intricate edges that could give the archaeologist clues as to how the product was made.

Analyze
Taking a step back I realize there is still so much I have to learn about classifying finds. I now know that the tessrae of the Romans are much smaller than those of the Byzantines. Yet I still am not sure how to classify pottery on the basis of its edges. Many of the staff here are able to easily classify pottery by usage. From only the edge pieces of pottery, the staff here are able to tell whether it is cassarole pottery or not. In the future I would definitely be interested to learn more about how to classify a lot of these finds.

Dig Day 11

2009-07-19T22:26:27Z

Description

Today was the start of a new week. I started working to reuncover the chancel area with Linda's group. We used turrea to remove thick piles of dirt from a tarp and a spade/trowel to remove sand from the layer over the top of the mosaic piece. We are re uncovering this area so that pictures can be taken and the area can be digitally reconstructed.

Interperet

Today was a completely new experience for me. I had absolutely no idea that archaeologists re buried certain excavated sites on a dig and then re excavated them. I learned that this phenomena takes place to prevent the site from being looted and also to protect certain vital areas, like the the tomb of the important woman, from destructive natural phenomena. I also did not realize that a certain type of sand is the best to use when preserving areas of these sites.

Analyze

I gained an incredibly valuable insight into archaeology looking back on this day. I realized that archaeology is just as much about preserving history and artifacts as it is uncovering and meticulously documenting them. I also gained insight on how to work around mosaic and that in those instances only hand shovels, trowels, dustpans and the like may be used while heavier equipment is not used for risk of damaging highly sensitive material.

Dig Day 10

2009-07-17T10:17:19Z

Description

Today I worked on the tell. I worked partially in Mrs Dr. Schuler's square and partially in Arne's square. In Dr. Schuler's square I used a turrea to shovel dirt in pales with the intent of exposing extraneous rockes that had to be removed and also in order to eventually expose the floor. In Arne's square I scrapped off the final layer of dirt with a turrea and managed to dust off the floor to reveal some beautifully preserved pavement. I also managed to find a substantial amount of diagnostic bones which might give us a clue to what types of animals were used at the site and what they were used for.

Interpret

Today was a different type of work for me in a way because even though I had alread had multiple experiences with a turrea, shoveling dirt into pales, I had never dusted off the floor of a site before and I gained an increased understanding of dusting technique. At first it was tempting just to dust as much dirt into pales as possible and remove them from the site but in reality it is better to start from an end corner of a site and dust down the lenght of the site untill one area is completely clean and then move further and further down. Dusting everywhere can lead to covering already clean squares with dust and is therefore a bit inefficient. I also gained and increased respect for how heavy those pales of dust are and a knowledge that I should not fill them as full as I have in the past in sympahy for those who have to carry those buckets out of the pit.

Evaluate

Ultimately the dusting techniques and the bucket filling experiences I have had are making me a worker that is more productive to my team while giving me some knowledge about archaeoogical process. Taking a step back, I can see how changing just very little working habits can make a great difference in the overall big picture of things.

Dig Day 9

2009-07-17T10:01:18Z

Description

Today I worked on washing pottery. It was the same as the previous times that I had washed pottery althougth this time I had noticed that there was a lot less frivolous non diagnostic pieces of pottery in this grouping. Most of the pottery included handels and diagnostic rims. There were tessrae from Both byzantine and Roman eras and a few bottom pieces to what I think were amphorae which were containers used to transport wine and other goods through commercial trade routes.

Interpret

I think that the reason there were alot less frivolous, undiognostic, small body peices of pottery is because people in the dig are learning that more is not necessarily better. Some body peices, while they may seem like a find are just to small to tell anyone anything substantial about the site or the people who inhabited it. People are now instead gravitating towards handles and rims which shown workmanship and composition style and which tell archaeologist more about the culture, craftsmanship, and eating habits in a given area. They are also paying more attention to finds like peices of amphorae. This is a good thing indeed because the more amphorae we find, the more we can make deductions about trade in this area.

Analysis

I used to think, before coming here, that the more peices an archaeologist had, the better off he would be because, after all, pottery is used for dating and the more dating material one has, the more that they can corroborate on the exact period of time they are dealing with in their site. I now find that to be completely false. Some pottery just is superfluous and does not give people many indications of anything. Body pieces do not show any flourishes or special craft techniques unless they are larger and dating can be done just as well probably by the more diagnostic pieces of pottery. The best kinds of finds are ones like amphorae that imply relations between peoples. Knowing the interactions that took place between different ethnic groups is invaluable in helping reconstruct the history of the region we are studying in and many holes in history come from the fact that archaeologists have not found enough evidence to elaborate on various relations between certain groups. I can apply this new found knowledge to my area of the dig site as I collect more and more finds.

Dig Day 8

2009-07-15T10:00:17Z

Describe
Today was the 8th day of digging. I spent the morning in Dr. Middendorf's square with the group from Irvine California. It went quite well. I spent most of the time handpicking into the floor of the site and troweling the dirt into buckets which were sifted by other members of the groups for bones, pottery, and tesserae. Our group found two coins and a lot of pottery, bones, and tesserae and we have more or less started reaching the floor of the square.

Interperet

The types of artifacts we are finding are surprising on the whole. Many thought that there was less to find in this square than has turned out to be the case. The two coins we have picked up are pleasantly surprising. Once a lot of the rust and corrosion has been dealt with, the coins should give us valuable input into who occupied the site and what dated layer of the site we have reached. the numerous amounts of bones we have found should serve as a valuable indication of what kind of livestock was used at the site and how it was used. If it turns out the livestock was consumed the question would then be how and the bones can give us many clues in this category. Often if the livestock was used for soup it would have been chopped ect...
Analysis
On the whole I am gaining a lot of knowledge in the field of archaeology from this hands on work. The meticulous manner with which we document and label everything has taught me that at its base archaeology is destruction and the only way to remedy the damage caused by removing an artifact from its natural place is to meticulously document it so that information about the ruins can be catalogued and recorded and preserved in the field of history. I am also learning more and more about the type of information that can be gleaned from each artifact that I find. It is amazing how much information things like bones and pottery can yeild on subjects like domestication, consumption, living and cultural habits and the like.

Dig Day 7

2009-07-13T18:27:03Z

Today was the 7th day of digging and I spent the day cleaning pottery much like my previous day. I followed the same process. I obtained two buckets which I filled with water. I let the the pieces soak in water for about an hour, dumped out the old water, put in fresh water and cleaned all of the pottery making sure that the bucket I put them in had the proper labeling indicating from which square the find was taken. Upon finishing I transferred the pottery and label to a netted bag and hung it to dry. Today there was the normal pottery shards of various types. Some were body, some were rim and some were handle pieces. I had a variety of different roof tiles and I also had a fair amount of tesras which are commonly found in mosaics. None of the tesras were intact.

Interpret

Today from my washing I discovered additional information about the benefits of pottery to an archaeological excavation. In a dig like ours pottery can be extremely useful in indicating how and for what the pottery was used. THis can yield much insight into the eating habits of the native inhabitants and the like. Aside from that I discovered a fair amount of data from the tesras that were found. More likely than not, our site was destroyed by a sizable earthquake in around 736 BC from which the roof collapsed on into the site. Therefore much of the tesras our group has found probably are all in peices and separated from the original mosaics because of the fact that there were several floors to the building, each of them with a mosaic and when the roof collapsed the floor mosaics collapsed in with it, which also explains the overabundance of roof tiles.

Analysis

From all of this I have gained an increased appreciation for what pottery can tell individuals about previous individual's eating and living habits and even cultural habits. I also gained an increased appreciation for the kind of information that can be gained from pieces in regards to how a site may have come to be destroyed .

Dig Day 6

2009-07-13T17:49:16Z

Description

I have returned from Israel and today I worked on my first set of pottery.I took 2 pales of pottery and scrubbed all of the contents clean, placed labels on the buckets from where the pottery was found, transferred the label and the pottery to a netted bag and hung it to dry in the sun. OF the pottery I washed was potsherds from the body, handles, or rims of the pottery.

Interpret

There are several things which I have learned to interpret from pottery and from the method of categorizing pottery. The most important element of categorizing pottery is to label a tag commenting on which the pottery was found. Without this pottery is useless and cannot be recorded or analyzed. With respect to pottery, the most important pieces are those which are handles and rims. Body shards are not as valuable because they do not have unique characteristics like the other pieces and therefore it is not as easy to determine their origin as other pieces. I also learned that the purpose of categorizing pottery is that it is one of the most important methods for dating in archaeology.

Analyze

On the whole I have gained a large amount of insight into the purpose of pottery in archaeology at the same time however there are many other aspects with regards to pottery that I have yet to learn and there are plenty of other methods in archaeology that I should pay attention to as also being comparable to the uses of pottery in archaeology. THe most important of these is the stratigraphic method. One of the main faults of Albright's work in the history of biblical archaeology was his over reliance upon the analysis of ceramics and pottery for dating. IF i am consistently aware that I should be understanding several methods in archaeology so as to yeild to all of them the time, importance, and respect they deserve I can gain a more profitable experience.