New on the Jazz Age Adventurers page: Leonard Woolley: Prelude to Ur
“A tiresome little man but a first class digger and an archaeologist after my own heart” – Gertrude Bell
Free for All: The Vermont Archaeological Society and the Journal of Vermont Archaeology
The Vermont Archaeological Society is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and they have not only made pdfs of their journal free to download, they have also made membership in the Society free.
The Journal of Vermont Archaeology has been published since 1994. In it, you can read about the squabble over who discovered Vermont’s first Paleoindian site.
Victor Rolando’s monograph 200 Years of Soot and Sweat: The History and Archeology of Vermont’s Iron, Charcoal, and Lime Industries, originally published in 1992, is also available for download at their site.
Who Really Discovered the First Paleoindian Sites in Vermont?
In 1927, the Folsom site in New Mexico, which contained the distinctive fluted stone points of the same name directly associated with an extinct species of bison, was identified by archaeologists as the first Paleoindian site. In conjunction with the similar, but earlier, Clovis fluted points found at Blackwater Draw a few years later, these two sites provided clear evidence that humans had been present in the United States since the end of the Pleistocene.
As these discoveries became publicized and archaeologists looked for more examples of early sites, it soon became apparent that fluted points had been found in many states by amateur antiquarians, often as surface finds. Without good contextual data, however, no one had realized how old these points actually were.
In 1929, Vermont collector Benjamin Fisher read an article about the Folsom site in the New York Herald Tribune. He immediately wrote a letter to the scientist mentioned in the paper, Barnum Brown, at the American Museum of Natural History: Continue reading “Who Really Discovered the First Paleoindian Sites in Vermont?”
Small Towns/Small Cities
From Curbed:
The focus on dense, walkable, multimodal urbanism, regardless of the size of the city or town, was a common feature of areas the Fallows felt were bouncing back. Many cities are taking advantage of their 19th-century building stock, investing in historic preservation and adaptive reuse. They’re also adding art and music spaces, showcasing how small-town urbanism is alive and well.
3D Passenger Pigeon from University of Victoria at Sketchfab
Urban Archaeology and Foodways in South Carolina
New book review of Charleston: An Archaeology of Life in a Coastal Community by Martha Z. Zierden and Elizabeth J. Reitz published in the Anthropology Book Forum of the American Anthropological Association.
Keeping a Toyota Tacoma Running
After selling an 80s-era Toyota pickup, it makes sense to replace it with an early 2000s Toyota Tacoma. Jalopnik on Here’s What It Cost To Make A Cheap Toyota Tacoma As Reliable As Everyone Thinks It Is.
Step by Step Fixing (and Flipping) a 1988 Toyota Pickup
Starting to look like old Toyota Pickups are the next Ford Bronco. Peter Monshizadeh on Jalopnik:
Here’s Exactly What It Cost To Buy And Repair An Old Toyota Pickup Truck
Check out that 4×4, indeed.
100th Anniversary of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology – Open Access Articles
In celebration of their 100th anniversary, the AJPA has released a special issue featuring 22 articles reviewing all aspects of physical anthropology. All the articles are freely available.
Historic Cemeteries along the Finger Lakes Trail
Views of Lamoka Lake, Glenn Curtiss’ burial plot, and other historic cemeteries from the Evening Tribune.