October 19th is International Archaeology Day

Is there an archaeology site in Newfoundland and Labrador that you have always been curious about?  Perhaps there's an artifact in a museum display that you'd like to know the history of?   Have you ever found a rock on the beach that you think might be an artifact? Mark your calendar, because International Archaeology Day is coming to The Rooms in St. John's on October 19th and the place is going to be crawling with archaeologists who'd love to answer your questions.

 International Archaeology Day is the brainchild of the Archaeological Institute of America and they have organized events across North America and around the world with scores of collaborating organizations all with the aim of increasing the public profile of archaeology and the fun side of discovery.  From the AIA's media package:

"International Archaeology Day, being held on October 19 in 2013 but fêted throughout the month of October, is a celebration of archaeology and the thrill of discovery. Every October the Archaeological Institute of America and collaborating archaeological organizations across the United States, Canada, and abroad present archaeological programs and activities for people of all ages and interests."

Storyboards for The Rooms Sandbox
Archaeology Program.

In St. John's, The Rooms stepped forward as a collaborating organization and reached out to archaeologists and archaeological enthusiasts in the community to come together on the afternoon of Saturday, October 19th, for an archaeology fair at The Rooms.  The fair is open to the public and there are events and displays planned for all ages.  The Rooms staff and volunteers will be running sandbox archaeology digs for kids and bringing some cool artifacts up from the vaults - the sorts of things that aren't usually out on display.  Folks from the Provincial Archaeology Office will be there to hear about your discoveries and help identify artifacts that you might have picked up over the years.  I'll be there along with other volunteers from the Newfoundland and Labrador Archaeological Society demonstrating flintknapping and talking about the role that the Society will play in the province and how you can become a member.  I'm sure that I'll have a healthy number of artifact reproductions that you can handle and use.  The Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador will be in attendance to make an important announcement on the identity of the three Conception Harbour whaling shipwrecks.  A faculty member from Memorial University of Newfoundland's Archaeology Department will be there to take you on a tour through a collection of archaeological remains so tiny that you'll need a microscope to see them.  Literally - you get to look through a microscope at stuff - how often do you get to do that?

I'm really looking forward to it.  I hope you can make.  Bring your kids and whatever treasurers you might have in that cigar box in your closet.

Photo Credits:
1: Archaeological Institute of America
2: Tim Rast

Nose to the Ground

I want to grab a link to this article from The Pilot. Its about some work that I did last spring. The Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd's Cove started a new sandbox dig for kids and I supplied the artifact reproductions. Lori and I went out to help with the set up and to train the staff in basic archaeology field techniques. This is the sort of venue where reproductions are ideal. Using the real materials creates a much more authentic experience when compared to resin or plastic casts. The stone and bone is more durable and the waste flakes and even broken or incomplete pieces all add to the reality.

Real archaeology sites are not filled with perfect museum quality display pieces -- what we usually find are the broken or discarded debris that is left behind. Hmm... and they're often muddy.

On the way back home we took a detour through Brookfield. It was the weekend of the Craft Council's AGM and to celebrate the inaugaration of Janet II as the new Chair of the Executive we held the meetings in her homeland. One of the weekend's events was a linocut workshop in her Norton's Cove Studio. I printed a design that I'd cut during a New Year's cabin retreat. I honestly hadn't intended the print to mean anything, but now a big dirty animal snuffling at a ceramic jug in the mud seems like almost too obvious of a subject for a print by an archaeologist.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast
Photo Captions:
Top, Pig and a Jug, Linocut 2008 Tim Rast
Bottom, Sharon and Lori inspecting a print at Norton's Cove Studio