Welcome!

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Welcome,

This is the first post to my new blog, Archaeology Actually, which begins the fulfillment of one of my goals for 2015. The most significant of these goals is the submission of my Master of Arts thesis in Archaeology, which I am currently working on at the University of Otago in New Zealand. My current research is focused on determining the nature of cultural change along the the southern coast of Papua New Guinea from around 2000 years ago through to the period of European contact (more on this in future posts).

The purpose of this blog is to share some of my experiences and insights along the way, not just related to my thesis study, but on topics relevant to archaeology and cultural heritage more generally. I hope to use this blog as a means of reflecting on my own learning. In line with my background, there will be a particular (but by no means exclusive!) focus on the Asia-Pacific region. As well as perhaps being of some interest to those currently in the field, it is hoped that this blog may provide interested others with insights into what it is that archaeologists actually do, how they do it, and maybe combat some popular misconceptions.

In a nutshell, archaeology is the investigation of the human past through the study of the material remains left behind. Those material remains can range from some of the most famous structures in the world:


 The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, Egypt. Source Image Here.


Stonehenge, Britain. Source Image Here.

To the leftovers of someone's breakfast:
Part of an Aboriginal shell midden (rubbish dump), Australia. Source Image Here.


In fact, so typical is the study of people's rubbish - discarded food remains, detritus from stone tool manufacture and use, broken pieces of pottery vessels, broken glass bottles, etc - in archaeology that British archaeologist Stuart Piggott once called archaeology 'the science of rubbish'. 



 
Indiana Jones - NOT a good example of Archaeology Actually! Source Image Here.

 
Oh, and just to be clear from the very start, notice that I said the investigation of the HUMAN past in the definition given above:

If you are more interested in dinosaurs than people then you may be disappointed with the content of this blog! Source Image Here.


Communication and engagement with the public is an important, but often overlooked, part of archaeology. Important because we are all stakeholders in the past and in heritage. Overlooked because many archaeologists are often extremely busy with fieldwork, report writing (which I am informed is often by far the most time consuming occupation for professional archaeologists), and in academic settings, teaching, supervision, and their own research.

My hope is that this blog will be a reliable source of information. The upmost care will be taken in ensuring that the information presented within is factually correct. I will provide links and references where appropriate. My interpretations will be flagged as just that! I have no doubt that from time to time someone with a deeper understanding of a topic than myself will stumble upon this blog, and I welcome feedback about any errors that may have crept in.


Thanks for reading.

Hope to see you back soon!

Nick.   

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