Day 5: Digging Up History (by Francesco)
Today was the third day excavating the Kent Taino archaeological site on Spanish Hill. Similar to the other two preceding days on the site, we spent the day separating artifacts based on whether they were shells, pottery, lithics (rock), or bones, as well as an additional bag for any special finds. Day 1 we found many shells, very little pottery and lithics, and not even a single bone as we concluded our excavation. Though some of the shells we found were interesting, we became discouraged by the lack of hardly anything else in the other bags. This is were Dr. Conolley taught me a great lesson in archaeology: patience is key. He told me that in this practice, it's better to be patient and go slow, because if you rush your work, you might miss something that's right under your eye. Even after learning this important lesson from Dr. Conolley, I would still say the most memorable souvenir from day 1 of archaeology was the brutal sunburn I received.
Day 2 was all about pottery and special finds. By this point, we had just about finished context 1 of the unit we were excavating, which meant that we were entering a new level of stratigraphy . In context 2 we found many pieces of pottery of all different shapes and sizes, including one that could even be identified as a part of a bowl. In addition to pottery, we found just as many if not more shells, both marine and terrestrial. Dr. Conolley told us that, since the marine shells could not have come there naturally (unless they were fossilized, and were there from millions of years ago), we could conclude that they must have been brought there from the coast by humans. Personally I really enjoyed this aspect of archaeology: getting to suggest possible theories and origins about the artifacts we find in the ground. Also on day 2, we extracted a few special finds: a stone tablet with markings on it that could be possibly considered as a book or story, a piece of coral with holes in it that may have been used as a smoking device, and even a surface find which was a spiral shell that Dr. Conolley thought might have been used as a horn.
On day 3 before getting to work, we put up a huge tarp with some sticks that served as a protection from the suns relentless UV rays. Today we continued context 2 as we had not quite broken through a new level of terrain. Towards the bottom of the context we were finding more of the same things, however they were all much bigger and more complete; The shells were bigger and whole, the pottery was bigger and had distinct features, and even the lithics were more clear and identifiable. My favorite part of the day however was once we started to find bones. They started very small just like the others, but eventually grew as well. We found fish bones, bird bones, turtle bones, a pig tooth, and even a manatee bone, according to Dr. Conolley. Unfortunately, today was cut short due to a heavy amount of rain, however to me it was refreshing to not have the sun beating down the entire time.
Overall, my experience with archaeology has been rewarding, getting to learn about such an interesting practice, while at the same time getting to see the natural beauty of rural Jamaica. It's a satisfying feeling knowing that I am able to help a foreign community on a project that is truly beneficial to them, even though I am just a kid from the U.S. staying for ten days. Each new day I am able to strengthen my relationships with my fellow Jamaican archaeologists as they teach me new things about the practice they love. I am proud of the work I've accomplished over the past few days and I am eager to resume work next week.
Day 2 was all about pottery and special finds. By this point, we had just about finished context 1 of the unit we were excavating, which meant that we were entering a new level of stratigraphy . In context 2 we found many pieces of pottery of all different shapes and sizes, including one that could even be identified as a part of a bowl. In addition to pottery, we found just as many if not more shells, both marine and terrestrial. Dr. Conolley told us that, since the marine shells could not have come there naturally (unless they were fossilized, and were there from millions of years ago), we could conclude that they must have been brought there from the coast by humans. Personally I really enjoyed this aspect of archaeology: getting to suggest possible theories and origins about the artifacts we find in the ground. Also on day 2, we extracted a few special finds: a stone tablet with markings on it that could be possibly considered as a book or story, a piece of coral with holes in it that may have been used as a smoking device, and even a surface find which was a spiral shell that Dr. Conolley thought might have been used as a horn.
On day 3 before getting to work, we put up a huge tarp with some sticks that served as a protection from the suns relentless UV rays. Today we continued context 2 as we had not quite broken through a new level of terrain. Towards the bottom of the context we were finding more of the same things, however they were all much bigger and more complete; The shells were bigger and whole, the pottery was bigger and had distinct features, and even the lithics were more clear and identifiable. My favorite part of the day however was once we started to find bones. They started very small just like the others, but eventually grew as well. We found fish bones, bird bones, turtle bones, a pig tooth, and even a manatee bone, according to Dr. Conolley. Unfortunately, today was cut short due to a heavy amount of rain, however to me it was refreshing to not have the sun beating down the entire time.
Overall, my experience with archaeology has been rewarding, getting to learn about such an interesting practice, while at the same time getting to see the natural beauty of rural Jamaica. It's a satisfying feeling knowing that I am able to help a foreign community on a project that is truly beneficial to them, even though I am just a kid from the U.S. staying for ten days. Each new day I am able to strengthen my relationships with my fellow Jamaican archaeologists as they teach me new things about the practice they love. I am proud of the work I've accomplished over the past few days and I am eager to resume work next week.
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