Archaeology Actually

Kia ora, I have previously mentioned on this blog  that the study of human origins is a keen interest area of mine. So, with the recent publication of a couple of relevant research papers, I couldn't resist the opportunity to come back to the topic! The papers in question are on the subject of the Denisovans - an enigmatic group of hominins presently known only from a few very fragmentary fossils recovered from sites in Siberia (Denisova Cave, after which they are named) and on the Tibetan Plateau. These fossils are so fragmentary in fact that no physical description of the Denisovans exists and they have yet to be given a proper species classification like Homo sapiens (the classification of our own species). The presence of hominins distinct from both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals ( Homo neanderthalensis ) at Denisova Cave, in the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia, ca. 50,000 - 30,000 years ago was brought to light thanks to the sequencing of genetic material (DNA) ex...

Kia ora, Due to recent work schedules, it has been difficult for my partner and I to take full advantage of New Zealand's post COVID lockdown freedoms and travel very far beyond Dunedin. Fortunately, within less than an hour's drive of where we live there are plenty of scenic walking tracks, opportunities to view local wildlife, and some fascinating heritage sites! Ross Creek Reservoir I mentioned the Ross Creek Reservoir when I talked about the Silverstream Water Race in my last post . This reservoir was created in the 1860s to meet the need for a reliable water management system for the then rapidly growing settlement of Dunedin, becoming New Zealand's first major urban water supply. Built and initially managed by the privately owned Dunedin Waterworks Company (backed by a provincial government guarantee), construction began in August 1865 and was completed in November 1867. The facility was taken over by the Dunedin City Council in 1875. The Ross Creek Earth Dam and Va...

Kia ora, Over the last couple of weeks I've been fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of the slightly relaxed COVID-19 restrictions by visiting some local walking tracks around Dunedin. This included a walk along one of The Silver Stream Water Race Tracks . Water races are a familiar component of historic goldfield archaeology in New Zealand. These are channels that were cut across hillsides to bring water from streams to places where gold was mined.  The Silver Stream Water Race was not established to supply water for gold mining however, but to help meet the demand for water of a rapidly expanding urban population in the nineteenth century. View of North Dunedin ca. 1861 ( Hocken Snapshop , Item 0518_01_003A ). North Dunedin in December 1874 (To create this image I've stitched together two separate photos taken from the steeple of Dunedin's First Church and sourced from  Hocken Snapshop ). In the earliest days of Dunedin ...

Kia ora, For the last month New Zealand has been in lockdown to try and eliminate the Covid-19 virus. This has temporarily placed considerable restrictions on our normal freedom of movement. For most New Zealanders, this has meant travel outside of one's immediate neighbourhood has been limited to the access of essential services, such as grocery stores and medical care. In response I thought I would write a short blog post about a couple of sites of historic interest I've come across during recent walks in my local area - the North East Valley in Dunedin.   I thought it was particularly appropriate to write a New Zealand focused blog post this week, seeing as it is New Zealand Archaeology Week . This is an annual nation-wide event coordinated by the New Zealand Archaeological Association that is now into its fourth year. In previous years events such as public exhibits, talks and guided tours of archaeological sites and landscapes have been held across th...

Kia ora,  What a surreal last few weeks this has been! I hope everyone reading this is safe and well.  Here in New Zealand we are in the second week of a national lockdown  to try and eliminate the Covid-19 virus. I thought I'd use some of the extra time I now have up my sleeve to start writing for this blog again!  This past week has presented a great opportunity to reflect on and write about a real interest subject of mine - human origins - with the publication of a number of relevant scientific papers reporting the discoveries of important new fossils and the application of new (and refined) analytical approaches to glean new information from older fossils.  Quick side note  here: I'm not a trained palaeoanthropologist and I welcome feedback from those that know the field better if factual errors are spotted, as I would like this blog to be regarded as an accurate source of information. Hopefully I somehow manage to do justice to such a complex and fl...