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Outreach & Education |
This year the Archaeological Institute of America is once again teaming up with the American Schools of Oriental Research and the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History to offer a series of archaeology-themed public programs during Massachusetts Archaeology Month. Details of all scheduled events are below. You may scroll down and view the entire list or click on an event to jump directly to it. You may also download the Massacusetts Archaeology Month poster PDF (color [2.9 MB] or black and white [1.7MB]) with details for all scheduled events. For more information on any of the listed events, please contact: Ben Thomas, (617) 353-8708, bthomas@aia.bu.edu Archaeology Month Events
Digging into the Past: Teacher’s Workshop and Hands-On Learning on the Practice and Promise of Archaeology
This workshop for educators—at all levels—explores basic archaeological concepts and methods drawing on new finds from China, the Middle East, and Central America. The workshop will be divided into two sessions Session 1, 9:00am-12:00pm: The morning session will feature slide presentations by workshop leaders, who will also lead a discussion on the practice of archaeology with an emphasis on how archaeology has changed and enhanced our understanding of the past. The session will be led by Robert Murowchick, PhD (Director, ICEAACH), Douglas Clark, PhD (Executive Director, ASOR), Britt Hartenberger, PhD (Program Coordinator, ASOR), and Ben Thomas, PhD (Education Coordinator, AIA). Lunch, 12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch provided by the Five College Center for East Asian Studies at Smith College, Northampton, MA. Session 2, 1:00pm-4:00pm: During this session, attendees will participate in a series of hands-on activities designed to illustrate and teach archaeological concepts in a manner that can be replicated in the classroom. Teachers will receive lesson plans based on these activities. The afternoon session includes presenters from Plimoth Plantation, Dig Magazine, ICEAACH, Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Worcester Art Museum. Coordinated by Lisa Naas (Manager, Development and Special Events, AIA). ALL EDUCATORS who want to attend the workshop must register with the AIA by SEPTEMBER 30TH. To register, please print out the registration form (link below) and send it to the AIA. You may fill all information in online prior to printing the form. Educators wanting PDP must attend the workshop and complete, before the end of the school year, a three-hour in-class activity. A report of the in-class portion of the workshop must be sent to the AIA. Additional sponsor: Five College Center for East Asian Studies, Smith College, Northampton, MA. | top | An Iranian Nexus of Trade and Commerce at 2500 B.C. by Dr. Holly Pittman
Dr. Holly Pittman, Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania, will provide an illustrated lecture showing recent archaeological discoveries at the site of Jiroft in southeastern Iran. The site features a citadel, large ziggurat, and impressions from stamp and cylinder seals, as well as a great number of stone vessels made of chlorite. Evidence of trade includes imported lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and carnelian from the Indus both of which were used to decorate these vessels. Sponsoring Organizations: Harvard Semitic Museum and American Schools of Oriental Research. For more information contact Dena Davis, (617) 495-4631, davis4@fas.harvard.edu, www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic | top | What Did Cities Mean to the Ancient Maya? Investigating the Cosmological Basis of Settlement by Dr. James Brady
Dr. James E. Brady, Associate Professor of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles will discuss cave archaeology in the Maya area. As the first cave survey connected with a large excavation project, the Petexbatun Regional Cave Survey represented a major breakthrough in Maya studies. The project documented several dozen caves in and around the site of Dos Pilas. The caves contained enormous quantities of artifacts [National Geographic, Feb. 1993] and changed the field’s appreciation of the religious use of caves. More importantly, much of the most important architecture at the site was deliberately built directly on top of caves. This discovery has led to new ideas about the ways in which the Maya related to the landscape and viewed their cities. Sponsoring Organization: Department of Archaeology, Boston University, www.bu.edu/archaeology. | top | Archaeology Open House—Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) and International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History (ICEAACH)
Come and discover the archaeological resources located in the Kenmore Square area. Visit the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Schools of Oriental Research and the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History. Talk to archaeologists, find out about archaeology, discuss fieldwork opportunities, explore career options and learn about the many archaeological journals and magazines that are produced in Boston. | top | Big Sister Archaeology Day
What was Boston like before the skyscrapers were built? How did people live? How do we know? Big Sister matches will become archaeologists for a day to uncover how we learn about the past using only the objects that people left behind. Matches will be able to touch and analyze real artifacts in Boston University’s archaeology labs as they learn to decipher clues from the past and learn how Boston became the place we know today. Each match will leave with a project to remember the day by. Limited to 24 matches. Contact: Beth Collins, 617-236-8060 or BCollins@BigSister.org to register or Margo Muhl Davis, 617-727-8470, muhl@bu.edu for more information about the program. Sponsoring Organization: Department of Archaeology, Boston University, Big Sister Association of Boston and Humanities Foundation, Boston University. | top | Making Silent Sentinels Speak: The Archaeology of China’s Buried Armies of Clay by Dr. Robert Murowchick
Dr. Robert Murowchick, Research Associate Professor and Director of the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History at Boston University will discuss the latest research into the world-renowned archaeological discoveries of legions of terra cotta soldiers that guard the mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdi the “First Emperor of China” during the Qin dynasty (about 221 B.C.) and several new discoveries of miniature armies dating to the later Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). These terra cotta armies replaced the large-scale sacrifice of humans during earlier periods of Chinese history. Learn about their cultural role, as well as the challenges they present to archaeologists and conservators and the impact of their status as the most popular tourist attractions in China. | top | Listen to the authors of American Hostage, Micah Garen and Marie-Helene Carleton, read from and discuss their book
Micah Garen and Marie-Helene Carleton were in Iraq in 2004 reporting on the looting of the archaeological sites when insurgents kidnapped Micah and his interpreter. This is the joint memoir of Micah’s experiences as a hostage and Marie-Helene’s experiences trying to get him home safely. Sponsoring Organization: Simon and Schuster and Newton Free Library. | top | Listen to the authors of American Hostage, Micah Garen and Marie-Helene Carleton, read from and discuss their book
Micah Garen and Marie-Helene Carleton were in Iraq in 2004 reporting on the looting of the archaeological sites when insurgents kidnapped Micah and his interpreter. This is the joint memoir of Micah’s experiences as a hostage and Marie-Helene’s experiences trying to get him home safely. Sponsoring Organization: Simon and Schuster and Newton Free Library. | top | Herod's Innovative Architecture, between Rome and the Levant by Dr. Peter Richardson
Dr. Peter Richardson, Professor and Lecturer of Archaeology and Architecture at the University of Toronto, discusses Herod the Great, client and friend of Augustus and Marcus Agrippa, who left a legacy of brilliant architectural projects, much of it excavated in the last several decades. Its extent, scope and quality are just as significant as its intriguing innovations and blend of Roman and indigenous elements. Herod was not just a reliable client king he was one of the most remarkable architectural patrons of his day, commanding enormous resources to express his personal aspirations and his ambitions for the Kingdom of Judea. | top | Herod's Innovative Architecture, between Rome and the Levant by Dr. Peter Richardson
Dr. Peter Richardson, Professor and Lecturer of Archaeology and Architecture at the University of Toronto, discusses Herod the Great, client and friend of Augustus and Marcus Agrippa, who left a legacy of brilliant architectural projects, much of it excavated in the last several decades. Its extent, scope and quality are just as significant as its intriguing innovations and blend of Roman and indigenous elements. Herod was not just a reliable client king he was one of the most remarkable architectural patrons of his day, commanding enormous resources to express his personal aspirations and his ambitions for the Kingdom of Judea. | top | Fakes, Forgeries and Scandal: How Artifact Counterfeiting Impacts Archaeology Location: Mezzanine Conference Room, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston, MA 02116 This symposium, presented by experts—including, Neil Silberman, Director of the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium and Clemency Coggins, Professor of Archaeology and Art History at Boston University—whose work has exposed and documented archaeological counterfeits, will approach the issue of fakes and forgeries in the context of current controversies about them and their impact on our interpretation of history. The panel of specialists will discuss the nature and extent of the problem, grapple with the challenges created when disputed texts and artifacts connect directly with a group’s history and sense of identity (particularly in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds), reflect on the implications fakes present and communicate why it is important to do archaeological research in a scientifically sound manner. |
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