Hi everyone. So I am going to be posting frequent updates while I am here excavating in Trim, Co. Meath. Should be posting everyday or so, depends on how things develop on the site. Hopefully there will be lots to share with you all.
Day 0:
I arrived in Trim on Sunday afternoon. I drove up with another student who was leaving from a town outside of Cork. Took about 3.5 hours to make the journey up. Trim is a very small town. There really isn't much here at all. After we arrived we checked into the hostel and headed out to get an idea where the site was so were wouldn't be lost in the morning. The site is less than a 5 minute walk from the hostel. Then again, everything is less then a 5 minute walk from the hostel. Yes, the town is that small. After locating the site we headed to the pub to watch the Ireland v Croatia soccer match. Ireland lost miserably. The pub was a sad place. After the game we headed back to the hostel and called it a night.
Day 1:
First day on site. Spent most of the morning doing paperwork and health/safety training. Had a mini lecture on the site history then we were assigned different tasks. Those of us with field experience were sent straight into the main digging area. The new people were near by with the directors who were teaching them excavation techniques. My task for the day, along with a few other students, was to clean up the north area of the main trench to get it ready to be photographed. This involves taking a very small layer of dirt off the top, levelling out the surface and cleaning up all the loose dirt that might have been left over from the previous work. That took a good part of the morning and a bit of the early afternoon. Very little was found today as we were not digging very deep. Several pieces of bone were uncovered but they were most likely animal bone. It was not really identifiable and showed no signs of butchering or such. The bones were also likely a more recent deposit and therefore we discarded them. A single human tooth was also uncovered as was a bit of ceramic. The tooth was an upper first incisor (one of your big upper front teeth). The piece of pottery was left in situ and will be excavated at a later point as it was too deep in the ground to be safely removed at this point in time. Once it was all clean we took pictures of the area. With that task finished we moved onto cleaning up the wall that formed the southern boundary of the north area. This is the remains of buttressed wall of the cloister of the original church. The wall is slightly abnormal so we are looking to see if it might be that it was added on at a later point in time. We cleaned up the wall in preparation for tomorrows work which will entail a detailed drawing of the wall and the possibility of removing a section of it to explore what lays under.
Hopefully tomorrow we will start getting into the areas where the burials are thought to be. The game plan is for me to assist the bioarchaeologist in the field on the days the weather allows and to work in the lab on the remains already uncovered on the rainy days. Should be a good mix of field and laboratory work. So that's it for the first field update. Lost more to come over the next two weeks.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Moving
First off, I want to thank those of you who responded to my last post and offered financial support. Without your contributions I would not be able to go on the upcoming dig. Things are still going to be extremely tight with the budget. As such, I am still accepting contributions. There are several academic conferences that I would like to be able to attend to further my professional network and learn as much as possible. I thank you in advance for any contributions!!
I hate moving. I have moved so many times in the last 4 years. Sadly, the last 9 months have been the longest I have lived in one location for a while. That being said, I really like my new flat. It is a 4 bedroom house with a large backyard that has a built in fire pit. I currently live with 2 other Irish guys. Both of them work and one goes home every weekend, so there is a lot of space for us right now. Not sure if there will be a 4th person living here or not. I would assume so. My room is a bit smaller than my last place and I no longer have my own bathroom. But it is large enough for me as I don't need much. My only real complaint about the flat is the tiny kitchen. Can really only fit one person in it at a time. The place is right across the street from the main university campus but its further away from the archaeology department and the city centre. Nearest grocery store is just about a mile away. Looks like I will be getting in a lot more of a workout with all the walking I will be doing. I'll upload some pictures soon. My new mailing address is posted on the mailing address page.
Next Sunday I leave for excavation. I am really looking forward to the trip. This opportunity will open up a lot of doors and will help establish me in the professional Irish archaeology field. I will be working with a team from ASU and an Irish team. I will be part of the team that is excavating the cemetery and analysing all the human remains. The remains will hopefully become part of my master's thesis as well. I really don't know what to expect, as with most digs, so it should be a very interesting experience. I will try and post as frequently as possible during my time in the field. They have already found several burials!! Looks like I am in for a treat! If you want to check out the website for the dig here is the url: https://blackfriary.wordpress.com/
Still no luck on the job front. I have been all over town the last few days stopping in to every shop and bar there is looking for work. Just none to be found. Hopefully, something will turn up soon. Until then I am watching every penny I spend. really beginning to like my meals of rice and beans!
Well that is it for now.
I hate moving. I have moved so many times in the last 4 years. Sadly, the last 9 months have been the longest I have lived in one location for a while. That being said, I really like my new flat. It is a 4 bedroom house with a large backyard that has a built in fire pit. I currently live with 2 other Irish guys. Both of them work and one goes home every weekend, so there is a lot of space for us right now. Not sure if there will be a 4th person living here or not. I would assume so. My room is a bit smaller than my last place and I no longer have my own bathroom. But it is large enough for me as I don't need much. My only real complaint about the flat is the tiny kitchen. Can really only fit one person in it at a time. The place is right across the street from the main university campus but its further away from the archaeology department and the city centre. Nearest grocery store is just about a mile away. Looks like I will be getting in a lot more of a workout with all the walking I will be doing. I'll upload some pictures soon. My new mailing address is posted on the mailing address page.
Next Sunday I leave for excavation. I am really looking forward to the trip. This opportunity will open up a lot of doors and will help establish me in the professional Irish archaeology field. I will be working with a team from ASU and an Irish team. I will be part of the team that is excavating the cemetery and analysing all the human remains. The remains will hopefully become part of my master's thesis as well. I really don't know what to expect, as with most digs, so it should be a very interesting experience. I will try and post as frequently as possible during my time in the field. They have already found several burials!! Looks like I am in for a treat! If you want to check out the website for the dig here is the url: https://blackfriary.wordpress.com/
Still no luck on the job front. I have been all over town the last few days stopping in to every shop and bar there is looking for work. Just none to be found. Hopefully, something will turn up soon. Until then I am watching every penny I spend. really beginning to like my meals of rice and beans!
Well that is it for now.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
State of Affairs
Greetings and happy summer. I don't what seasons are as there seems to be only one season all year round here. I guess it is kinda like being back home, except for nice, warm, and sunny days, I have cold and rainy days. I know I have not posted an update for some time. I guess I am not very good at this blogging thing, though I have spoken with most of you on Skype. I will publish a post on my trip to Wales shortly, sorry for the delay. So now on to the update.
First school. I finished all of my courses by the beginning of April. When then had a month off before exams. Unlike back home, where you take your exams at the end of the course, in Ireland you take all your exams at the end of the year. You receive one month off, nicknamed 'Study Month', and then have a series of exams. I had only one exam for Anatomy, so not too bad. I had several other papers and projects do though, so it was a trade off. I still have 2 papers left to write, one due on Thursday and one the following Monday. I will be spending a lot of time in the library this week writing and such. Luckily, I have a friend and we force each other to get up and go to the library. Without each other I doubt we would have made it this far. The anatomy exam went well, though I totally misread a question, so there goes a good chunk of my grade. Oh well, I only needed a 40% or better to get a good grade in the class. Not too worried. My other papers are receiving good marks as well. My latest one, received a 1st, which is the equivalent to an A. As for my thesis, I have written one chapter so far and have another one half way finished. Just need to finish writing the second half. Should have that completed by the end of the month. Things are going pretty well academically.
Outside of academia things are mixed. I will start with the positive. Though stressed, I have really begun to enjoy life here. I have made a few friends though I do spend a lot of time by myself. Though that is nothing new really. I am used to the rainy weather and in some aspects do enjoy it. I love listening to the rain at night but I just wish it wasn't so cold and I could have my window open to really hear it. I am moving to a new house at the end of this month. Don't know who my new roommates will be or anything, so hopefully it all works out. I will be happy to leave this student accommodation and actually live in a proper house with good internet. The new place also has a large back yard with a fire pit built in so hopefully there is some nice weather this summer to have a few gatherings and a BBQ. In other good news, I have been added as a team member to an archaeological dig this June in Trim, County Meath (about an hour northeast of Dublin). I will be assisting in the excavation of a medieval cemetery at Blackfriary. I am very much looking forward to the experience and it will put me into good contact with other professionals and serve as a valuable networking opportunity. This has however, raised many complications which I will describe later. So that's it for the good news.
On to the not so good news. I still have been unable to secure a job. I assisted with a tour day of UCC so I will be getting a small check for that in the mail soon. I have one promising lead on a job, but don't know when exactly that will pan out. They really like me and are in the process of opening a new shop which they would have me work out. Just not sure on the exact date that it will open. As I eluded to above, the upcoming excavation is causing a series of issues. The first being that I did not budget for this whatsoever. I am responsible for my own accommodation whilst in Trim which is proving to be costly. Trim is a very picturesque village that is popular with tourists and vacationers. I also did not bring any of my excavation equipment with me due to weight regulations for the airlines. I will need to buy a pair of work boots as having mine shipped from home would cost more money then to buy a new pair here. I am also lacking in field clothes. I currently do not have enough money to cover any of these things. This opportunity is a great one that could easily help me advance my career in both academia and professional archaeology. As such I have come up with a list of items I am in need of:
1. Money. This is the most important thing I am currently in need of. Without this I will not be able to partake in this excavation. I wish things were different and that I didn't have to ask for this, but I have no other options. If anyone is feeling generous please email me and I will provide my bank details for a wire or you can send it on to my mom who can place it into my US account.
2. Field clothes. I mainly need a par of field pants. I prefer army combat uniform pants (waist size 32" or Medium-Regular). I have one pair with me now, but fresh pants will be in demand with all the rain and mud I am sure to be digging in and I am not aware of the clothes washing situation. I am also in need of a standard web belt. I thought I packed mine, but I guess I forgot it. I have everything else I think. Will buy some simple t-shirts and such to layer and have a good rain jacket.
3. Money. Can't really stress this enough. If I am going to make it through this summer I will need financial assistance. As mentioned before, I am going to need to buy a pair of boots, shirts and socks, a few small excavation tools, and most importantly feed myself. Oh, also need money for train to get me to Trim from Cork and back.
So there ya go, my current state of affairs. Basically all is good except for the money situation for this excavation. I also wish to travel and attend academic conferences this summer in the UK and mainland Europe, but I might have to scrap those plans because of money. Also it would make getting a job difficult as I would need to take time off to go to these events and such. They say money is the root of all evil, I think it is the lack of money that is the problem.
In closing I will give you a sneak peek that the location I will be excavating at. Your job is to figure out what movie this place was used (hint: it was a major blockbuster).
**UPDATE 5/14/12**
So I left something important out from the post. As I am moving at the end of the month. If you are sending me anything in the post, please make sure it is sent no later then this Friday, May 18, 2012. After that it is likely that I will not be living at this address in order to receive it. I will post my new address shortly.
First school. I finished all of my courses by the beginning of April. When then had a month off before exams. Unlike back home, where you take your exams at the end of the course, in Ireland you take all your exams at the end of the year. You receive one month off, nicknamed 'Study Month', and then have a series of exams. I had only one exam for Anatomy, so not too bad. I had several other papers and projects do though, so it was a trade off. I still have 2 papers left to write, one due on Thursday and one the following Monday. I will be spending a lot of time in the library this week writing and such. Luckily, I have a friend and we force each other to get up and go to the library. Without each other I doubt we would have made it this far. The anatomy exam went well, though I totally misread a question, so there goes a good chunk of my grade. Oh well, I only needed a 40% or better to get a good grade in the class. Not too worried. My other papers are receiving good marks as well. My latest one, received a 1st, which is the equivalent to an A. As for my thesis, I have written one chapter so far and have another one half way finished. Just need to finish writing the second half. Should have that completed by the end of the month. Things are going pretty well academically.
Outside of academia things are mixed. I will start with the positive. Though stressed, I have really begun to enjoy life here. I have made a few friends though I do spend a lot of time by myself. Though that is nothing new really. I am used to the rainy weather and in some aspects do enjoy it. I love listening to the rain at night but I just wish it wasn't so cold and I could have my window open to really hear it. I am moving to a new house at the end of this month. Don't know who my new roommates will be or anything, so hopefully it all works out. I will be happy to leave this student accommodation and actually live in a proper house with good internet. The new place also has a large back yard with a fire pit built in so hopefully there is some nice weather this summer to have a few gatherings and a BBQ. In other good news, I have been added as a team member to an archaeological dig this June in Trim, County Meath (about an hour northeast of Dublin). I will be assisting in the excavation of a medieval cemetery at Blackfriary. I am very much looking forward to the experience and it will put me into good contact with other professionals and serve as a valuable networking opportunity. This has however, raised many complications which I will describe later. So that's it for the good news.
On to the not so good news. I still have been unable to secure a job. I assisted with a tour day of UCC so I will be getting a small check for that in the mail soon. I have one promising lead on a job, but don't know when exactly that will pan out. They really like me and are in the process of opening a new shop which they would have me work out. Just not sure on the exact date that it will open. As I eluded to above, the upcoming excavation is causing a series of issues. The first being that I did not budget for this whatsoever. I am responsible for my own accommodation whilst in Trim which is proving to be costly. Trim is a very picturesque village that is popular with tourists and vacationers. I also did not bring any of my excavation equipment with me due to weight regulations for the airlines. I will need to buy a pair of work boots as having mine shipped from home would cost more money then to buy a new pair here. I am also lacking in field clothes. I currently do not have enough money to cover any of these things. This opportunity is a great one that could easily help me advance my career in both academia and professional archaeology. As such I have come up with a list of items I am in need of:
1. Money. This is the most important thing I am currently in need of. Without this I will not be able to partake in this excavation. I wish things were different and that I didn't have to ask for this, but I have no other options. If anyone is feeling generous please email me and I will provide my bank details for a wire or you can send it on to my mom who can place it into my US account.
2. Field clothes. I mainly need a par of field pants. I prefer army combat uniform pants (waist size 32" or Medium-Regular). I have one pair with me now, but fresh pants will be in demand with all the rain and mud I am sure to be digging in and I am not aware of the clothes washing situation. I am also in need of a standard web belt. I thought I packed mine, but I guess I forgot it. I have everything else I think. Will buy some simple t-shirts and such to layer and have a good rain jacket.
3. Money. Can't really stress this enough. If I am going to make it through this summer I will need financial assistance. As mentioned before, I am going to need to buy a pair of boots, shirts and socks, a few small excavation tools, and most importantly feed myself. Oh, also need money for train to get me to Trim from Cork and back.
So there ya go, my current state of affairs. Basically all is good except for the money situation for this excavation. I also wish to travel and attend academic conferences this summer in the UK and mainland Europe, but I might have to scrap those plans because of money. Also it would make getting a job difficult as I would need to take time off to go to these events and such. They say money is the root of all evil, I think it is the lack of money that is the problem.
In closing I will give you a sneak peek that the location I will be excavating at. Your job is to figure out what movie this place was used (hint: it was a major blockbuster).
**UPDATE 5/14/12**
So I left something important out from the post. As I am moving at the end of the month. If you are sending me anything in the post, please make sure it is sent no later then this Friday, May 18, 2012. After that it is likely that I will not be living at this address in order to receive it. I will post my new address shortly.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Irish Weather
The past two weeks have been a mixture of highs and lows for me here. Just like the recent weather. Last week, Ireland decided it was summer for three days. Temperatures were in the high 60s and while that may not sound like a hot day, it was about 15 degrees warmer then the days before. I guess my body had adapted to the colder weather because I was sweating while walking to class. Everyone in Cork was wearing shorts and t-shirts and had dragged out any and all furniture from the living rooms into their front gardens to soak up the the warmth. Every available section of grass on campus was covered with students lounging about. The parks were full of people playing rugby and soccer. Sadly, I was stuck in my lab for most of the days. To make matter worse, they still had the radiators on full blast within the department as if it was snowing outside, making our lab an oven. I did manage to escape for a cool pint at one of the local pubs.
Mother nature soon realised that it was not summer and attempted to correct her error. However, she clearly overcompensated and sent us back into winter. Temperatures were back to around freezing in the evenings and only reaching the high 40s during the day. Scotland and other parts of the UK were covered in snow. Now, we are back to spring time conditions. The weather reminded me of a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I thought they were just being silly, but now I realise that they were just accurately depicting the weather in this area of the world. I included that clip below for you all to enjoy.
Mother nature soon realised that it was not summer and attempted to correct her error. However, she clearly overcompensated and sent us back into winter. Temperatures were back to around freezing in the evenings and only reaching the high 40s during the day. Scotland and other parts of the UK were covered in snow. Now, we are back to spring time conditions. The weather reminded me of a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I thought they were just being silly, but now I realise that they were just accurately depicting the weather in this area of the world. I included that clip below for you all to enjoy.
Much like the weather, my life this past few weeks have been a mix of highs and lows. I gave my first public lecture here in Ireland for the UCC Archaeology Society. The lecture went fantastically well. It was the largest turn out of people for the entire year. The event was filmed but there was an issue with the camera so I am still awaiting a copy of the talk. Once I have a copy I will upload it here so you all can view it. So that was a major high point for me here.
Sadly, that high lasted as long as the Irish summer. Classes have finished but the amount of work I need to complete as increased. I have several essays, presentations and a massive anatomy exam to study for all in the next 4 weeks. Stress is starting to set in. On top of everything, I am still researching and designing a new project for my thesis. The mummy project has officially been cancelled. I will still be involved with the project, but it will no longer be my thesis. I am sick of being reliant on other people when it come to my research.
Lastly, money is becoming a major problem. I have yet to be able to secure a job and thus have yet to get any form on income. The government does not consider summer school as part of the academic year and thus I cannot get any financial aid either. Right now I am looking at about a $2000 deficit that will hit around the middle of August. I am actively searching for a cheaper place to live for the summer as well as other cost cutting measures. But I fear it won't be enough. I was hoping to travel a bit during the summer months and do some touristy things while I was living here, but those are going to have to be put on hold. Just one more thing to worry about I guess. I know it will all workout in the end, it always does. Just don't really need the extra stress right now.
I will upload some pictures from around campus that I took while during the 'Irish Summer' this afternoon. I also have a 2nd slide show I am working on from a cemetery dating back to the early medieval period. Those should be posted soon as well.
Thanks again to everyone who actually visits this page and reads my posts. This blog as been visited over 1200 times since it started back in September! Really appreciate the views!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
St. Patrick's Day
I celebrated my first St. Patrick's Day here in Ireland this year. I really didn't know what to expect, but my friends gave me some insight beforehand telling me not to get my hopes too high. The day was not what I am normally used to.
The day begun like any other Saturday. I woke up around 10am, lazily made my way to the kitchen for breakfast, then finally wondered into the shower. I made sure to put my mohawk up, threw on my Ireland rugby jersey and headed out into town. There were a considerable number of people out. I have never seen so many people in the city before. The day's events begun in the early afternoon with a parade through the main street in town. The parade, to be honest, wasn't very good. The theme this year was the Olympics, which will be held in London this summer. I found it odd that a country that so despises the English would theme the St. Patrick's Day parade after an event they would be hosting. While at the parade, I made friends with a group of kids, average age 5 or so, who really liked my hair. I was known as "cool hair guy" and it was pretty cool. I also had to pose with a random couple from Japan (I think), they didn't speak very much English, but I understood enough to know that they wanted a picture with the guy with the mohawk. This happens more then you might expect. I am frequently pulled into random groups photos while out in the pubs and clubs. I was also commonly photographed in Hollywood by visiting tourist. Good thing I am not camera shy or anything. I seriously wonder how many photos I am in that are floating around Facebook.
After the parade, I made my way into one of the pubs to watch the rugby matches. The last round of the 6 Nations Tournament was the same day and featured France v Wales and Ireland v England. The Wales game was entertaining and got to see them win and achieve a Grand Slam (not losing a single match in the tournament). The Ireland game was a different story. Ireland started off bad, got slightly better, then stopped playing. It was sad to watch the mood in the pub go from joy and happiness to dissapointment and disgust. England ended up winning by a large amount and everyone slowly left the pub. I met up with a friend who had just gotten in from Dublin and we went to meet up with her friends at a pub just outside of town. This pub, The Franciscan Well, has become one of my favorite pubs in Cork. It is a microbrewery and they produce really good beer! We spent the rest of the evening there, until they closed. On my way home, met a random German who played me a song on his guitar while dancing around saying home much he loved Ireland. Needless to say, as I passed through town, everyone was drunk. It was like a typical walk home at 2:30AM, except it was only just after midnight and everyone was wearing green. A girl tripped in front of me and I helped her up. She asked where I was from and after I told her she explained that she works for Oakley in the Ranco Santa Margarita headquarters. Small world.
Over all St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is nowhere near the same scale of celebration as it is back in the States. Looking back, I would have to say that I preferred my old routine at Muldoon's in Newport Beach. This was the first year in 4 years that I did not enter the Sexiest Man in a Kilt contest. Though I commonly know no one at that event, it was always fun to wear the kilt, get on stage, and have a blast. Will have to enter again next year, and maybe I will finally win it!
Well, that's it for my St. Patrick's Day post. Below you will see a small collection of images from the parade.
Over all St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is nowhere near the same scale of celebration as it is back in the States. Looking back, I would have to say that I preferred my old routine at Muldoon's in Newport Beach. This was the first year in 4 years that I did not enter the Sexiest Man in a Kilt contest. Though I commonly know no one at that event, it was always fun to wear the kilt, get on stage, and have a blast. Will have to enter again next year, and maybe I will finally win it!
Well, that's it for my St. Patrick's Day post. Below you will see a small collection of images from the parade.
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Wayfinders
Why does ancient wisdom matter in the modern world? This is a question that I ask myself frequently as an anthropologist. What can we learn from these ancient societies that would benefit our daily lives today. I recently read, then re-read, The Wayfinders by Wade Davis. If you have yet to read this (or anything by Wade Davis) I highly recommend you go out and get a copy of any of his works. The Wayfinders directly addresses this notion of ancient wisdom. I could post any number of quotes from the book that I feel strongly about, but the following stuck with me the most:
"We too are culturally myopic and often forget that we represent not the absolute wave of history but merely a world view, and that modernity - whether you identify it by the monikers westernization, globalization, capitalism, democracy, or free trade - is but an expression of our cultural values. It is not some objective force removed from the constraints of culture. And it is certainly not the true and only pulse of history. It is merely a constellation of beliefs, convictions, economic paradigms that represent one way of doing things, of going about the complex process of organizing human activities. Our achievements are sure to have been stunning, our technological innovations dazzling. The development within the last century of a modern, scientific system of medicine alone represents one of the greatest episodes in human endeavour. Sever a limb in a car accident and you won't want to be taken to an herbalist.
But these accomplishments do not make the Western paradigm exceptional or suggest in any way that it has or ought to have a monopoly on the path to the future. An anthropologist from a distant planet landing in the United States would see many wondrous things. But he or she or it would encounter a culture that reveres marriage, yet allows half of its marriages to end in divorce; that admires its elderly, yet has grandparents living with grandchildren in only 6 percent of its households; that loves its children, yet embraces a slogan - 'twenty-four/seven' - that implies total devotion to the workplace at the expense of family. By the age of eighteen, the average American youth has spent two years watching television. One in five Americans is clinically obese and 60 percent are overweight, in part because 20 percent of all meals are consumed in automobiles and a third of children eat fast food every day. The country manufactures 200 million tons of industrial chemicals each year, while its people consume two-thirds of the world's production of antidepressant drugs. The four hundred most prosperous Americans control more wealth than 2.5 billion people in the poorest eighty-one nations with whom they share the planet. The nation spends more money on armaments and war than the collective military budgets of its seventeen closest rivals. The state of California spends more money on prisons than on universities. Technological wizardry is balanced by the embrace of an economic model of production and consumption that compromises the life supports of the planet. Extreme would be one word for a civilization that drives plants and animals to extinction on a scale not seen on earth since the disappearance of the dinosaurs; that damns the rivers, tears down the ancient forests, empties the seas of fish, and does little to curtail industrial processes that threaten to transform the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere.
Our way of life, inspired in so many ways, is not the paragon of humanity's potential. Once we look through the anthropological lens and see, perhaps for the first time, that all the cultures have unique attributes that reflect choices made over generations, it becomes absolutely clear that there is no universal progression in the lives and destiny of human beings. Were societies to be ranked on the basis of technological prowess, the Western scientific experiment, radiant and brilliant, would no doubt come out on top. But if the criteria of excellence shifted, for example to the capacity to thrive in a truly sustainable manner, with a true reverence and appreciation for the earth, the Western paradigm would fail. If the imperatives driving the highest aspirations of our species were to be the power of faith, the reach of spiritual intuition, the philosophical generosity to recognize the varieties of religious longing, then our dogmatic conclusions would again be found wanting.
When we project modernity, as we define it, as the inevitable destiny of all human societies, we are being disingenuous in the extreme. Indeed, the Western model of development has failed in so many places in good measure because it has been based on the false promise that people who follow its prescriptive dictates will in time achieve the material prosperity enjoyed by a handful of nations of the West. Even were this possible, it is not at all clear that is would be desirable. To raise consumption of energy and materials throughout the world to Western levels, given current population projections, would require the resources of four planet Earths by the year 2100. To do so with the one world we have would imply so severely compromising the biosphere that the earth would be unrecognizable. Given the values that drive most decisions in the international community, this is not about to happen. In reality, development for the vast majority of the people of the world has been a process in which the individual is torn from his past, propelled into an uncertain future, only to secure a place on the bottom rung of an economic ladder that goes nowhere."
Wade Davis's works were one of the reasons I pursued anthropology. He as a unique ability to understand different cultures and elegantly transcribe their stories into books that anyone would benefit from. If you are looking for your next read, I highly recommend any of his many works.
"We too are culturally myopic and often forget that we represent not the absolute wave of history but merely a world view, and that modernity - whether you identify it by the monikers westernization, globalization, capitalism, democracy, or free trade - is but an expression of our cultural values. It is not some objective force removed from the constraints of culture. And it is certainly not the true and only pulse of history. It is merely a constellation of beliefs, convictions, economic paradigms that represent one way of doing things, of going about the complex process of organizing human activities. Our achievements are sure to have been stunning, our technological innovations dazzling. The development within the last century of a modern, scientific system of medicine alone represents one of the greatest episodes in human endeavour. Sever a limb in a car accident and you won't want to be taken to an herbalist.
But these accomplishments do not make the Western paradigm exceptional or suggest in any way that it has or ought to have a monopoly on the path to the future. An anthropologist from a distant planet landing in the United States would see many wondrous things. But he or she or it would encounter a culture that reveres marriage, yet allows half of its marriages to end in divorce; that admires its elderly, yet has grandparents living with grandchildren in only 6 percent of its households; that loves its children, yet embraces a slogan - 'twenty-four/seven' - that implies total devotion to the workplace at the expense of family. By the age of eighteen, the average American youth has spent two years watching television. One in five Americans is clinically obese and 60 percent are overweight, in part because 20 percent of all meals are consumed in automobiles and a third of children eat fast food every day. The country manufactures 200 million tons of industrial chemicals each year, while its people consume two-thirds of the world's production of antidepressant drugs. The four hundred most prosperous Americans control more wealth than 2.5 billion people in the poorest eighty-one nations with whom they share the planet. The nation spends more money on armaments and war than the collective military budgets of its seventeen closest rivals. The state of California spends more money on prisons than on universities. Technological wizardry is balanced by the embrace of an economic model of production and consumption that compromises the life supports of the planet. Extreme would be one word for a civilization that drives plants and animals to extinction on a scale not seen on earth since the disappearance of the dinosaurs; that damns the rivers, tears down the ancient forests, empties the seas of fish, and does little to curtail industrial processes that threaten to transform the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere.
Our way of life, inspired in so many ways, is not the paragon of humanity's potential. Once we look through the anthropological lens and see, perhaps for the first time, that all the cultures have unique attributes that reflect choices made over generations, it becomes absolutely clear that there is no universal progression in the lives and destiny of human beings. Were societies to be ranked on the basis of technological prowess, the Western scientific experiment, radiant and brilliant, would no doubt come out on top. But if the criteria of excellence shifted, for example to the capacity to thrive in a truly sustainable manner, with a true reverence and appreciation for the earth, the Western paradigm would fail. If the imperatives driving the highest aspirations of our species were to be the power of faith, the reach of spiritual intuition, the philosophical generosity to recognize the varieties of religious longing, then our dogmatic conclusions would again be found wanting.
When we project modernity, as we define it, as the inevitable destiny of all human societies, we are being disingenuous in the extreme. Indeed, the Western model of development has failed in so many places in good measure because it has been based on the false promise that people who follow its prescriptive dictates will in time achieve the material prosperity enjoyed by a handful of nations of the West. Even were this possible, it is not at all clear that is would be desirable. To raise consumption of energy and materials throughout the world to Western levels, given current population projections, would require the resources of four planet Earths by the year 2100. To do so with the one world we have would imply so severely compromising the biosphere that the earth would be unrecognizable. Given the values that drive most decisions in the international community, this is not about to happen. In reality, development for the vast majority of the people of the world has been a process in which the individual is torn from his past, propelled into an uncertain future, only to secure a place on the bottom rung of an economic ladder that goes nowhere."
Wade Davis's works were one of the reasons I pursued anthropology. He as a unique ability to understand different cultures and elegantly transcribe their stories into books that anyone would benefit from. If you are looking for your next read, I highly recommend any of his many works.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
And...
We're back.
Sorry for my prolonged absence. This year has been all over the place thus far. The highs and lows are a consistently revolving situation. As my previous posts alluded too, I was dealing with some depression and home sickness. Most of this is steaming from a frustration with several things, utmost of which is issues surrounding the mummy study. The lack of technical support and the difficulties in dealing with the politics has really strained my patience. I am still waiting for a report that was supposed to be completed last November. I was promised it again by the end of February. Alas, I have yet to receive the report. My advisor and I are going to make one last ditch effort to get this project going, but it is looking less and less likely that I will be analysing the mummy for my thesis. This means I will now have to start a new project, practically throwing away all the previous research I had conducted thus far. Plan B project is an analysis of several (well over 100) skeletons from multiple locations around Ireland. I will be identifying markers of activity on the bones and, using advanced statistical methods, compare the sites. Comparisons will be made along age, sex, and temporal, and geographic lines. This study is far less interesting than the mummy study, but I do have experience in this area. My mummy project back at UCLA involved the identification of activity patterns via 3D CT scans, so this isn't super new territory for me. I will still be involved with the mummy project should it ever come to be, it just wont be my thesis. There is still hope, I will know for sure in the next week or so.
In other academic news, classes are coming to an end. I currently am only in 2 courses, osteology and archaeogenetics. So far the archaeogenetics course has been a review of what I did for 3 years in the population genetics lab at UCLA. So, not very interesting. The osteology course is continuing along with the practical side of things. There is not very much instruction going on, but it is more a source of routine practice with various skeletal materials and recording sheets.
Outside of school, life is pretty normal. I spend the vast majority of my time at home, alone. To pass the time, I read (mostly school related articles and books), write (mostly school related essays), and watch movies. I have yet to really make friends outside of class. To be honest, not really interested in doing so. That being said, I have made one friend and we have become pretty close. Sadly, she will be moving to Dublin in the coming week. I guess that gives me a reason to visit Dublin. A few weeks back, myself and a few classmates went on a graveyard expedition. It ended up being pretty cool. The grave yard was very interesting as it had gravestones dating all the way back to the 14th century or so. The graveyard was in quite a poor state, it was clear that no one had looked after it. A few graves were maintained, I am assuming those are the ones where family members still visited. I took some pictures and will post them soon once I am finished editing them. There is also a new, and large, collection of pictures on Facebook of me wearing a suit. This is a rare thing, only happens once a year at the most, so enjoy it.
Well, I think I have rambled on long enough now. I know I always say I promise to write more, but I will try and be better with it. Daily life is just so routine to me, it is hard to find things to update about. I will let you all know about the mummy study and what comes of it.
Sorry for my prolonged absence. This year has been all over the place thus far. The highs and lows are a consistently revolving situation. As my previous posts alluded too, I was dealing with some depression and home sickness. Most of this is steaming from a frustration with several things, utmost of which is issues surrounding the mummy study. The lack of technical support and the difficulties in dealing with the politics has really strained my patience. I am still waiting for a report that was supposed to be completed last November. I was promised it again by the end of February. Alas, I have yet to receive the report. My advisor and I are going to make one last ditch effort to get this project going, but it is looking less and less likely that I will be analysing the mummy for my thesis. This means I will now have to start a new project, practically throwing away all the previous research I had conducted thus far. Plan B project is an analysis of several (well over 100) skeletons from multiple locations around Ireland. I will be identifying markers of activity on the bones and, using advanced statistical methods, compare the sites. Comparisons will be made along age, sex, and temporal, and geographic lines. This study is far less interesting than the mummy study, but I do have experience in this area. My mummy project back at UCLA involved the identification of activity patterns via 3D CT scans, so this isn't super new territory for me. I will still be involved with the mummy project should it ever come to be, it just wont be my thesis. There is still hope, I will know for sure in the next week or so.
In other academic news, classes are coming to an end. I currently am only in 2 courses, osteology and archaeogenetics. So far the archaeogenetics course has been a review of what I did for 3 years in the population genetics lab at UCLA. So, not very interesting. The osteology course is continuing along with the practical side of things. There is not very much instruction going on, but it is more a source of routine practice with various skeletal materials and recording sheets.
Outside of school, life is pretty normal. I spend the vast majority of my time at home, alone. To pass the time, I read (mostly school related articles and books), write (mostly school related essays), and watch movies. I have yet to really make friends outside of class. To be honest, not really interested in doing so. That being said, I have made one friend and we have become pretty close. Sadly, she will be moving to Dublin in the coming week. I guess that gives me a reason to visit Dublin. A few weeks back, myself and a few classmates went on a graveyard expedition. It ended up being pretty cool. The grave yard was very interesting as it had gravestones dating all the way back to the 14th century or so. The graveyard was in quite a poor state, it was clear that no one had looked after it. A few graves were maintained, I am assuming those are the ones where family members still visited. I took some pictures and will post them soon once I am finished editing them. There is also a new, and large, collection of pictures on Facebook of me wearing a suit. This is a rare thing, only happens once a year at the most, so enjoy it.
Well, I think I have rambled on long enough now. I know I always say I promise to write more, but I will try and be better with it. Daily life is just so routine to me, it is hard to find things to update about. I will let you all know about the mummy study and what comes of it.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
17 Down
So as predicted this post will have a bit of bitching and whining about my essay that I mentioned last post.
The essay I am writing is about the evolution of case studies in anthropology. In short, as anthropology was being developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, scholars were primarily concerned with the study of taxonomy, the classification of organisms within a structure. Originally, race was seen as a subdivision of the human species and, as such, required its own taxonomic classification. Eventually, with the rise of the Nazis and WWII these ideas came under fire. The idea of race as a subcategory of the human species was virtually abandoned with the civil rights movement. By the 1980s, the concept of race was more or less removed from anthropological discourse. However, one branch seemed to keep it alive, Forensic Anthropology. So that's what my paper is about. I hate it and cannot seem to get involved in the paper at all which makes writing it so much harder.
In other news, I have been hanging out with my flatmate from Spain and his friends a lot. We are all getting along really well. It is funny when I take a step back and look at my time here in Ireland. I am living in Ireland, working on a mummy from Egypt, and most of my friends are Spanish. Would never have guessed that would have been the case. But I am enjoying myself.
As for the mummy research, that is at a stand still. I am waiting for note back from my advisor about my official research proposal. Once I have the notes, I will adjust my proposal and then we will submit it to the college curator. In the mean time, I am doing a lot of reading on the religious and mortuary practices of ancient Egypt. I am also trying, and somewhat failing, at teaching myself to read hieroglyphics. I am getting the basics down, but I need a lot more practice before I can hope to start transcribing and translating the texts written on the coffin. Hopefully I will have an update for you all next week. I also have something in the works, and if it comes through will be really cool. But it is way too early on to even begin discussing that possibility.
Well, I think that is it for me for this post. I wanted to let you all know that this blog has passed the 800 views mark. Thank you all for reading. I think I am going to start posting more meaningful post to supplement the weekly narrative of my life. If you have questions or things you want to hear about in respects to Irish culture, history, etc. please let me know via a comment or an email.
The essay I am writing is about the evolution of case studies in anthropology. In short, as anthropology was being developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, scholars were primarily concerned with the study of taxonomy, the classification of organisms within a structure. Originally, race was seen as a subdivision of the human species and, as such, required its own taxonomic classification. Eventually, with the rise of the Nazis and WWII these ideas came under fire. The idea of race as a subcategory of the human species was virtually abandoned with the civil rights movement. By the 1980s, the concept of race was more or less removed from anthropological discourse. However, one branch seemed to keep it alive, Forensic Anthropology. So that's what my paper is about. I hate it and cannot seem to get involved in the paper at all which makes writing it so much harder.
In other news, I have been hanging out with my flatmate from Spain and his friends a lot. We are all getting along really well. It is funny when I take a step back and look at my time here in Ireland. I am living in Ireland, working on a mummy from Egypt, and most of my friends are Spanish. Would never have guessed that would have been the case. But I am enjoying myself.
As for the mummy research, that is at a stand still. I am waiting for note back from my advisor about my official research proposal. Once I have the notes, I will adjust my proposal and then we will submit it to the college curator. In the mean time, I am doing a lot of reading on the religious and mortuary practices of ancient Egypt. I am also trying, and somewhat failing, at teaching myself to read hieroglyphics. I am getting the basics down, but I need a lot more practice before I can hope to start transcribing and translating the texts written on the coffin. Hopefully I will have an update for you all next week. I also have something in the works, and if it comes through will be really cool. But it is way too early on to even begin discussing that possibility.
Well, I think that is it for me for this post. I wanted to let you all know that this blog has passed the 800 views mark. Thank you all for reading. I think I am going to start posting more meaningful post to supplement the weekly narrative of my life. If you have questions or things you want to hear about in respects to Irish culture, history, etc. please let me know via a comment or an email.
16 down
Well, first week back in class. It is nice to return to some sort of daily routine. There was no easing back in to school though. On Thursday, I had my first major examination in Anatomy. I felt like I prepared well for the exam, but I really didn't know what to expect. The exam was 50 True or False questions. Sounds easy, but it really wasn't. The questions were worded oddly and it made me second guess some of my answers. To complicate thing, the Anatomy Department practices negative marking, so wrong answers count against you. This is meant to discourage against random guessing, but in my opinion it only hinders the person taking the test. You can be 90% sure about an answer, but instead of going with it, you skip it so you don't risk losing points. So who knows how I did. Results will be available in a few weeks.
In my other classes, I finished both the Biocultural and Mortuary Theory courses last year. This term, I continue with the osteology and statistics course and add a Paleopathology course. Paleopathology is a fun course and I look forward to it. I am not too worried about the course as I have taken it while at UCLA and was also a Teaching Assistant for it. I am most interested to see what approach is undertaken on this side of the Atlantic. Also interested in learning more about some of the old world diseases that are as prevalent in the Americas.
I am currently working on an essay for the Biocultural course. I am having a hard time writing the paper because I just cannot bring myself to care about the topic. Trying to force the writing just isn't working either. I am commonly taking very long breaks (a day or more) just to try and get the creative writing juices flowing again. But nothing is seeming to help. I have until the 16th of January to finish it, so I still have plenty of time to get it done.
Well I guess that about wraps this week up. I am sure the next few post will be me continuing to whine about this essay. So, I apologize ahead of time.
In my other classes, I finished both the Biocultural and Mortuary Theory courses last year. This term, I continue with the osteology and statistics course and add a Paleopathology course. Paleopathology is a fun course and I look forward to it. I am not too worried about the course as I have taken it while at UCLA and was also a Teaching Assistant for it. I am most interested to see what approach is undertaken on this side of the Atlantic. Also interested in learning more about some of the old world diseases that are as prevalent in the Americas.
I am currently working on an essay for the Biocultural course. I am having a hard time writing the paper because I just cannot bring myself to care about the topic. Trying to force the writing just isn't working either. I am commonly taking very long breaks (a day or more) just to try and get the creative writing juices flowing again. But nothing is seeming to help. I have until the 16th of January to finish it, so I still have plenty of time to get it done.
Well I guess that about wraps this week up. I am sure the next few post will be me continuing to whine about this essay. So, I apologize ahead of time.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
I want to start off by thanking everyone who puts up with my tardy posts and actually reads this silly, ranting, and narrative of my life. This blog has been viewed over 750 times since its creation back in September 2011. So thanks for that!
Now, onto the actual post. My new year celebration was not what I expected nor what I had planned. My original plans for the evening fell through, as per the usual. I was on my own for the evening. Though I was determined not to let this get me down. I decided that I would still go out to my favorite pub in the city. This pub isn't your typical pub. When you think of an Irish pub something very different comes to mind. For the most part, that image in your head is quite accurate. But this pub is different. It looks like it belongs on the Sunset Strip than it does on a small riverside street. The pub doesn't have an Irish surname as its name, nor does it look like a humble establishment from the street. The outside is painted with flames and its known as Fred Zeppelins. Inside the pub is dimly, but adequately, lit. The music over the speakers isn't the latest pop hits nor is it traditional Irish. Instead it is an assortment of classic and modern rock hits ranging from Queen to Rob Zombie. As you would expect, the average customer is not your average person. As the only alternative pub in town, everyone who is different tends to gather at Fred's. Its one of the few places where I can go and feel like I am back at home, surrounded by equally weird people. Its a place that if you go alone, you will end up making a friend pretty quickly. When ever I venture out on my own I tend to stop by Fred's at some point. So that was my plan for the evening.
I headed out to Fred and after ordering a pint of Guinness I was joined in conversation by several members of a motorcycle club. The guys were very nice and I was quite surprised to find a group of Harley riders here in Cork. After sharing a drink with them, the pub started to get a little more crowded as the midnight hour approached. I was separated from my new biker friends end ended up talking to a new group of people. They were a mixed lot, some from Ireland, some from England. They were very nice, and someone kept buying rounds of drinks for everyone, myself included! I couldn't turn down a free drink. With midnight only a few minutes away, the bar staff walked around and handed out several bottles of champagne and packets of noise makers and poppers. The bar counted down the final 10 seconds of 2011 together and on the stroke of midnight, popped the bottles of champagne. Unlike back at home where we counted down to New York's celebration, here we counted down to London's celebration. It looked like quite the party in London! Big Ben is an impressive sight to see at midnight on New Years!
The night wound down after midnight. And after another round of drinks, I headed home. It was a unique new years. I do not like spending holidays away from family and friends but I guess it has given me the opportunity to make new friends. I am back in class starting Tuesday and back to the daily grind from then until the end of the semester. I am excited to be back in class as it gives me something to do during the days.
Happy New Year Everyone!!
I want to start off by thanking everyone who puts up with my tardy posts and actually reads this silly, ranting, and narrative of my life. This blog has been viewed over 750 times since its creation back in September 2011. So thanks for that!
Now, onto the actual post. My new year celebration was not what I expected nor what I had planned. My original plans for the evening fell through, as per the usual. I was on my own for the evening. Though I was determined not to let this get me down. I decided that I would still go out to my favorite pub in the city. This pub isn't your typical pub. When you think of an Irish pub something very different comes to mind. For the most part, that image in your head is quite accurate. But this pub is different. It looks like it belongs on the Sunset Strip than it does on a small riverside street. The pub doesn't have an Irish surname as its name, nor does it look like a humble establishment from the street. The outside is painted with flames and its known as Fred Zeppelins. Inside the pub is dimly, but adequately, lit. The music over the speakers isn't the latest pop hits nor is it traditional Irish. Instead it is an assortment of classic and modern rock hits ranging from Queen to Rob Zombie. As you would expect, the average customer is not your average person. As the only alternative pub in town, everyone who is different tends to gather at Fred's. Its one of the few places where I can go and feel like I am back at home, surrounded by equally weird people. Its a place that if you go alone, you will end up making a friend pretty quickly. When ever I venture out on my own I tend to stop by Fred's at some point. So that was my plan for the evening.
I headed out to Fred and after ordering a pint of Guinness I was joined in conversation by several members of a motorcycle club. The guys were very nice and I was quite surprised to find a group of Harley riders here in Cork. After sharing a drink with them, the pub started to get a little more crowded as the midnight hour approached. I was separated from my new biker friends end ended up talking to a new group of people. They were a mixed lot, some from Ireland, some from England. They were very nice, and someone kept buying rounds of drinks for everyone, myself included! I couldn't turn down a free drink. With midnight only a few minutes away, the bar staff walked around and handed out several bottles of champagne and packets of noise makers and poppers. The bar counted down the final 10 seconds of 2011 together and on the stroke of midnight, popped the bottles of champagne. Unlike back at home where we counted down to New York's celebration, here we counted down to London's celebration. It looked like quite the party in London! Big Ben is an impressive sight to see at midnight on New Years!
The night wound down after midnight. And after another round of drinks, I headed home. It was a unique new years. I do not like spending holidays away from family and friends but I guess it has given me the opportunity to make new friends. I am back in class starting Tuesday and back to the daily grind from then until the end of the semester. I am excited to be back in class as it gives me something to do during the days.
Happy New Year Everyone!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
12, 13, 14, and 15 Down
Sorry about falling off the blogging grid for the last several weeks. Below you will find a post that will fill you all in on the last few weeks of 2011.
Week 12
It was the final week in the fall semester so there was a lot of wrapping up going on. Nothing too crazy in the form of exams or anything, just the ending of courses. I finished the Bioculteral and Mortuary Theory courses. I will now have to write an essay for each of those classes. They aren't due until mid/late January. I am going to be continuing to take the anatomy, osteology, and statistics courses in the next semester. I will also be adding a course in paleopathology and eventually a course in archaeogenetics. Week 12 ended with a little lunch party for the Osteo class. This included a few of the PhD students and our professor. It was mostly finger food and alcohol, mostly alcohol. Nice little party, was good to be able to talk to everyone (professor and PhDs) in a relaxed social environment. The party ended around 5:00pm and everyone had a bit of a buzz. As it was too early to head out on a Friday night, we decided to all go to one of my classmate's house, and continue drinking there. Our plan of going out never formed and we just continued to drink at the house. By midnight, everyone was calling it quits and heading home. 12 hours of drinking takes a lot out of you. Fitting close to the first semester.
Week 13
This was my first official week off. However, it did not start out as such. I had an assignment that I still needed to finish that was due on Tuesday. It wasn't anything exciting and, in fact, I had been putting it off for at least a week already. For this project I had to measure the lengths and thickness of the upper limbs from about 3 dozen skeletons as well as record the presence of musculoskeletal stress markers. It was a lot of boring data collection. But, it was a graded assignment and I will need the data again in the course so there was no more putting it off. I was happy to see that all my other classmates were in the lab as well and in a similar situation as myself. After I finished that assignment, I was officially done with classes until the next term in the new year.
On Wednesday evening, the Archaeology Department held its Christmas Party. They rented out a medium sized room above one of the pubs in town for the small private party. Most of the faculty and staff was in attendance as well as a lot of PhD students and pot-docs that I had never seen before. Our Master's group tends to stick together so we had our own mini little party. After that party came to an end, most of the students decided to carry the party to another pub. The night was fun and it was the last time I would see most of my classmates as they would all be returning home to their families.
The week ended with both of my house mates returning home and leaving me entirely alone in the apartment. It has been a long time since I truly lived on my own. It was nice to be able to blast my music and not have to worry about being considerate of others in the house.
Week 14
Nothing much to report for this week. Spending my time reading about ancient Egyptian magic and religion. Trying to complete as much background research as I can to prepare myself for the onslaught of research I am going to have to conduct in the new year. I am also trying to begin writing my essays that will be due in January. I have decided upon the topics I will be discussing in my papers; now it is just a matter of translating the ideas in my head onto paper. So far, this has not been an easy task. Hopefully I will be able to get some work done over the next few weeks.
Week 15
Well, Christmas was Sunday. First time I have not been with family for the holiday. It was an odd feeling. It was much like all my previous days here on this break. Spent most of the day reading, playing computer games, and watching TV. Later in the afternoon, I was able to Skype with everyone back home. Got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa, Ashleigh and Mom. Also had a very brief conversation with my dad, but internet connection problems prevented us from having a conversation longer then 30 seconds. Later in the evening, a friend came over and we watched a movie together. She was alone for Christmas as well, so we decided that we should at lease see each other so we weren't totally alone for the holiday.
Cork was an interesting place over the Christmas weekend. It was virtually a ghost town. All the shops, stores, and pubs we closed down. The streets were empty except for the rare family out for a stroll. The weather was fairly warm, in the upper 40s. This is quite a departure from last year where the temperature was about 15 degrees. Only have had one 5 minute episode of snow, if you can call it that.
The rest of the week was filled with rain and crappy weather. Spent most of my time doing my normal routine of reading, trying to write, failing at writing, watching TV, and playing computer games.
Well that's it for my end of the year summary. I will post some picture from around the city after this post and should be back on tract and up to date with my post in the coming days. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Week 12
It was the final week in the fall semester so there was a lot of wrapping up going on. Nothing too crazy in the form of exams or anything, just the ending of courses. I finished the Bioculteral and Mortuary Theory courses. I will now have to write an essay for each of those classes. They aren't due until mid/late January. I am going to be continuing to take the anatomy, osteology, and statistics courses in the next semester. I will also be adding a course in paleopathology and eventually a course in archaeogenetics. Week 12 ended with a little lunch party for the Osteo class. This included a few of the PhD students and our professor. It was mostly finger food and alcohol, mostly alcohol. Nice little party, was good to be able to talk to everyone (professor and PhDs) in a relaxed social environment. The party ended around 5:00pm and everyone had a bit of a buzz. As it was too early to head out on a Friday night, we decided to all go to one of my classmate's house, and continue drinking there. Our plan of going out never formed and we just continued to drink at the house. By midnight, everyone was calling it quits and heading home. 12 hours of drinking takes a lot out of you. Fitting close to the first semester.
Week 13
This was my first official week off. However, it did not start out as such. I had an assignment that I still needed to finish that was due on Tuesday. It wasn't anything exciting and, in fact, I had been putting it off for at least a week already. For this project I had to measure the lengths and thickness of the upper limbs from about 3 dozen skeletons as well as record the presence of musculoskeletal stress markers. It was a lot of boring data collection. But, it was a graded assignment and I will need the data again in the course so there was no more putting it off. I was happy to see that all my other classmates were in the lab as well and in a similar situation as myself. After I finished that assignment, I was officially done with classes until the next term in the new year.
On Wednesday evening, the Archaeology Department held its Christmas Party. They rented out a medium sized room above one of the pubs in town for the small private party. Most of the faculty and staff was in attendance as well as a lot of PhD students and pot-docs that I had never seen before. Our Master's group tends to stick together so we had our own mini little party. After that party came to an end, most of the students decided to carry the party to another pub. The night was fun and it was the last time I would see most of my classmates as they would all be returning home to their families.
The week ended with both of my house mates returning home and leaving me entirely alone in the apartment. It has been a long time since I truly lived on my own. It was nice to be able to blast my music and not have to worry about being considerate of others in the house.
Week 14
Nothing much to report for this week. Spending my time reading about ancient Egyptian magic and religion. Trying to complete as much background research as I can to prepare myself for the onslaught of research I am going to have to conduct in the new year. I am also trying to begin writing my essays that will be due in January. I have decided upon the topics I will be discussing in my papers; now it is just a matter of translating the ideas in my head onto paper. So far, this has not been an easy task. Hopefully I will be able to get some work done over the next few weeks.
Week 15
Well, Christmas was Sunday. First time I have not been with family for the holiday. It was an odd feeling. It was much like all my previous days here on this break. Spent most of the day reading, playing computer games, and watching TV. Later in the afternoon, I was able to Skype with everyone back home. Got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa, Ashleigh and Mom. Also had a very brief conversation with my dad, but internet connection problems prevented us from having a conversation longer then 30 seconds. Later in the evening, a friend came over and we watched a movie together. She was alone for Christmas as well, so we decided that we should at lease see each other so we weren't totally alone for the holiday.
Cork was an interesting place over the Christmas weekend. It was virtually a ghost town. All the shops, stores, and pubs we closed down. The streets were empty except for the rare family out for a stroll. The weather was fairly warm, in the upper 40s. This is quite a departure from last year where the temperature was about 15 degrees. Only have had one 5 minute episode of snow, if you can call it that.
The rest of the week was filled with rain and crappy weather. Spent most of my time doing my normal routine of reading, trying to write, failing at writing, watching TV, and playing computer games.
Well that's it for my end of the year summary. I will post some picture from around the city after this post and should be back on tract and up to date with my post in the coming days. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Monday, December 5, 2011
11 Down
Well, December is here. There are several great things about the arrival of this month. First, it means that November is over and I can finally shave my mustache off! November is also known as 'Movember.' The point of this is similar to 'No Shave Novemeber' but is commonly restricted to just growing a mustache. In order to participate, you are supposed to shave the 1st of November and not again until the month is over. Men participating often get sponsors and all the money raised is donated to men's health causes. Silly contests for good causes. It was fun, but to be honest, I hate this thing on my face. It has to go.
The next thing about the arrival of December is that the weather has finally decided that it is winter. As such, the temperature ranges from cold as shit to fucking freezing (major bonus nerd points if you can identify that quote). I commonly wear a long sleeve shirt, hoodie, and my pea coat when going out. On the really cold days I add a scarf, gloves, and maybe an undershirt. Its times like these that I am happy I have longer hair again as it really help keeping my head warm. The rain has been a little bit more than normal this week. Even got a thunder storm mid week. The temperature during the day has been in the mid to high forties and close to freezing in the evening. It dipped below freezing the other day and looks like it will be doing that several more times in the next few weeks. Snow is becoming more likely as well.
On Monday, I had a meeting with the lady who conducted the original investigation into the mummy and coffin at UCC. The meeting was mostly pointless, more a show of good will on my part. I was able to examine some of the original x-rays and CT scans. Its amazing how far imaging technologies have come in the last decades. The CT scans were practically worthless. This meeting just proved how important it is to get a modern high tech evaluation of the material. I have also been in contact with several of my friends and colleagues back at UCLA who have advised me on several aspect of study that I could possibly pursue with this material. So while things seem to not be moving forward, they are. Just at an immeasurably slow pace.
On Wednesday night, our class celebrated the holidays by having a potluck dinner and a secret Santa gift exchange. The secret part of the secret Santa only lasted about 2 days. Our class sucks at keeping secrets. Being the only guy, I knew I was in for some type of prank. Even more so when I learn who had drawn my name. Of all the ridiculous things I could have imagined, nothing could have prepared me for my gift. I was given a bunny onesie, complete with hood and ears and a pink heart-shaped tail. Yep. Giant bunny onesie. Everyone one else got scarves, stuffed animals, jewelry. Not me. Nope. Even worse, they made me put it on. It felt exactly like the scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie is forced to put on his pick bunny onesie. Dignity remaining after that night: none. Wonder where they got the inspiration. Not cool!
So December is off to an interesting and cold start. I have only one more week of class before the Christmas break. That will mark the end of the first semester and I will be that much closer to my master's degree. I will post some more picture from my trip last weekend soon. I took over 80 pictures at the Rock of Cashel so I need to shrink that down into a slideshow. It should be posted in the next few days.
The next thing about the arrival of December is that the weather has finally decided that it is winter. As such, the temperature ranges from cold as shit to fucking freezing (major bonus nerd points if you can identify that quote). I commonly wear a long sleeve shirt, hoodie, and my pea coat when going out. On the really cold days I add a scarf, gloves, and maybe an undershirt. Its times like these that I am happy I have longer hair again as it really help keeping my head warm. The rain has been a little bit more than normal this week. Even got a thunder storm mid week. The temperature during the day has been in the mid to high forties and close to freezing in the evening. It dipped below freezing the other day and looks like it will be doing that several more times in the next few weeks. Snow is becoming more likely as well.
On Monday, I had a meeting with the lady who conducted the original investigation into the mummy and coffin at UCC. The meeting was mostly pointless, more a show of good will on my part. I was able to examine some of the original x-rays and CT scans. Its amazing how far imaging technologies have come in the last decades. The CT scans were practically worthless. This meeting just proved how important it is to get a modern high tech evaluation of the material. I have also been in contact with several of my friends and colleagues back at UCLA who have advised me on several aspect of study that I could possibly pursue with this material. So while things seem to not be moving forward, they are. Just at an immeasurably slow pace.
On Wednesday night, our class celebrated the holidays by having a potluck dinner and a secret Santa gift exchange. The secret part of the secret Santa only lasted about 2 days. Our class sucks at keeping secrets. Being the only guy, I knew I was in for some type of prank. Even more so when I learn who had drawn my name. Of all the ridiculous things I could have imagined, nothing could have prepared me for my gift. I was given a bunny onesie, complete with hood and ears and a pink heart-shaped tail. Yep. Giant bunny onesie. Everyone one else got scarves, stuffed animals, jewelry. Not me. Nope. Even worse, they made me put it on. It felt exactly like the scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie is forced to put on his pick bunny onesie. Dignity remaining after that night: none. Wonder where they got the inspiration. Not cool!
So December is off to an interesting and cold start. I have only one more week of class before the Christmas break. That will mark the end of the first semester and I will be that much closer to my master's degree. I will post some more picture from my trip last weekend soon. I took over 80 pictures at the Rock of Cashel so I need to shrink that down into a slideshow. It should be posted in the next few days.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
10 Down
Well, this week wasn't too special so I will avoid the boring stuff related to school and skip ahead to the end of the week. Thanksgiving was this past Thursday and unlike all of you, I spent it in class. In fact, I had a quiz that day. After class, I made myself dinner. No turkey and stuffing for me this year, just a frozen pizza. This Thanksgiving was the first major holiday I have spent away from family and friends. It was odd. Thankfully, I did have a long conversation with my mom and was able to Skype with my dad, uncles, and cousins. It was strange spending a holiday alone. But, I guess that is what I am to expect for the rest of my stay here.
On Friday, all the postgrad students had a trip to Dublin. We were going to visit several places that could aid in our research. These places included the National Museum, the National Library, National Monuments Services, and the National Archives. The trip was a huge waste of time for our class. Nothing about bones was even discussed. Furthermore, we didn't even visit the location where the human remains collections are stored in the National Museum. The trip was an even bigger waste for me as nothing of any value relating to mummies was even mentioned. The museum was at least slightly interesting. After a very brief tour of the collections stored underground in the vaults of the museum (all the stuff not on display) we were given only a few minutes to tour the museum until our next tour at the National Library. Our class ran straight to the room with the bog bodies. Sadly, I did not have my camera so no pictures. After a brief glace at the bog bodies I went upstairs to see the small Egyptian exhibit. I was able to spend only a few minutes in the exhibit attempting to learn about 26th dynasty mummification. I will hopefully be making another trip out there sooner rather than later to spend more time in the museum. I will be sure to bring my camera that time.
The rest of the weekend was spent on a trip with the Archaeology Society. We left Saturday morning, visited several sites in the south of Ireland, spent the night in a hostel, and traveled to another site on Sunday before heading back. I will post pictures in a post following this one. Saturday was spent in and around the town of Cashel. The main place we visited was the Rock of Cashel. This large hill (actually a limestone outcropping) was the site where Irish kings were crowned. Nearby, was an large abbey and the remains of an old ring fort. You can't really make out the ring fort, just the mound it once stood on. Sometimes archaeology requires a lot of imagination. After our tours of the sites, we headed back to the hostel where myself and Simon (another member of the society) somehow became elected chefs and cooked dinner for the whole group of 15. Cooking food for 15 people on a crap stove and using pots with no handles was quite the adventure. Amazingly, dinner was prepared without any major injuries and no one got sick as a result. After dinner we headed to the pub and watched the rugby match. On Sunday, we traveled north to the midlands and visited one of the oldest and best preserved church sites in Ireland, Clonmacnoise. It was a beautiful place located right on the banks of the Shannon. The weather was freezing, but it was quite the picturesque trip. After our tour, we all got on the bus for the long ride back to cork.
So that was my week. Spent 6+ hours per day on a bus and celebrated Thanksgiving alone with a frozen pizza. Sometimes I wonder if coming here was the right choice. Sadly, the more time I spend here, the more I lean towards this being the wrong decision. Sure, I will be getting my master's degree, but at what cost? I guess this is just a period of doubt and I am sure it will pass. Just second guessing myself. Ok, this post just got depressing. I'm going to end it now. Enjoy the pictures!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
An Egyptian Mummy and Coffin
I guess it is time for me to let you all in on the little secret that I have been hinting at over the last few weeks. I am sorry for this, but I had to be elusive as this matter does have the potential for massive political ramifications. I wanted to be sure that this project was going to happen before I let you all in on it. As this project has some elements that the University would rather not have publicized I will keep my discussion about the project to my personal involvement and basic information about it. Furthermore, as this is going to be my thesis project, I will not be elaborating on much of the details via this blog. I am more then happy to discuss the project in greater detail in private (email, skype, etc.). OK, enough of that crap!
My project involves the examination of a 2,500 year old mummy and coffin from Late/ Ptolemaic Period Egypt (747-30 BC). There are several aspects which I am going to study. The primary goal of this examination is that of conservation. The mummy itself is in poor condition. I will be documenting any and all postmortem damage and providing recommendations on how best to halt or even reverse the damage that has been sustained during the 100+ years since its excavation near Thebes, Egypt. The purpose for this is to allow for further studies to be carried out without further harm and damage to the material. Eventually, I would like to see the material officially curated into the college museum, but that is unlikely due to its poor condition. The next phase of the project builds off the first. I will be recording and analyzing the funerary texts inscribed and painted along the outside and inside of the coffin. Much about the coffin's original occupant would have been written on the coffin including his/her name, their occupation, as well as instructions for the afterlife. These texts will be compared with the Book of the Dead as well as several other funerary texts popular at the time. Lastly, I hope to preform a high tech investigation of the mummy. This would include 3D CT scanning and digital X-rays which, in turn, would allow me to conduct a virtual unwrapping of the mummy. I am also hoping to have portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) preformed on several spots within and upon the mummy and coffin in hopes of understanding the elemental composition of the paints and resins used during the mummification and coffin construction.
Much of my time is currently spent reading books on this subject matter. As this is the first Egyptian mummy I have worked with I have a lot of learning to do in regards to Egyptian funerary practices, religion, and technology.
My project involves the examination of a 2,500 year old mummy and coffin from Late/ Ptolemaic Period Egypt (747-30 BC). There are several aspects which I am going to study. The primary goal of this examination is that of conservation. The mummy itself is in poor condition. I will be documenting any and all postmortem damage and providing recommendations on how best to halt or even reverse the damage that has been sustained during the 100+ years since its excavation near Thebes, Egypt. The purpose for this is to allow for further studies to be carried out without further harm and damage to the material. Eventually, I would like to see the material officially curated into the college museum, but that is unlikely due to its poor condition. The next phase of the project builds off the first. I will be recording and analyzing the funerary texts inscribed and painted along the outside and inside of the coffin. Much about the coffin's original occupant would have been written on the coffin including his/her name, their occupation, as well as instructions for the afterlife. These texts will be compared with the Book of the Dead as well as several other funerary texts popular at the time. Lastly, I hope to preform a high tech investigation of the mummy. This would include 3D CT scanning and digital X-rays which, in turn, would allow me to conduct a virtual unwrapping of the mummy. I am also hoping to have portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) preformed on several spots within and upon the mummy and coffin in hopes of understanding the elemental composition of the paints and resins used during the mummification and coffin construction.
Much of my time is currently spent reading books on this subject matter. As this is the first Egyptian mummy I have worked with I have a lot of learning to do in regards to Egyptian funerary practices, religion, and technology.
The primary reason there is so much sensitivity surrounding this mummy and coffin is because its history is practically unknown. No one is sure exactly how it came to University College Cork. Previous investigations have hinted that it arrived some time between 1890-1910. It was originally stored in the Anatomy Department until some time in the 1920s. During this time, for reasons not entirely known, the mummy was stored (or hidden) under the floorboards of the Pathology Department. It wasn't until a remodeling of the department in the 1970s that the mummy was 're-discovered' and moved to the central library on campus, where it has been ever since. A study was conducted on the mummy in the late 1980s by a former master's student in the archaeology department. Since then, no one has had much contact with the mummy until a month ago. As you read in the newspaper article I posted some time back, Egyptian officials visited the campus to examine the mummy and determine its fate. With the opening of a brand new museum in Cairo scheduled for 2013, Egypt is attempting to collect all the mummies from various museums around the world in hopes have centralizing Egyptian archaeology in Egypt. I have many issues with this, and their approach, but that is another rant for another time. However, the recent events in Egypt have put a stall on everything. Only time will determine the true fate of the material at UCC.
So that's the big secret I have been keeping from you all. I will update you on my studies as best I can via this blog. If you have specific questions about the mummy, I would email them to me. For general questions, I am more than happy to answer them publicly. That way I can discuss it at further length with the potential consequences of a public discussion.
Below is a picture of the coffin. As you can see, it's not in great shape. I'm hoping to fix that.
 |
| Egyptian coffin at UCC. Photo: UCC |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)