Wednesday January 4, 2006

We are going to be learning about the Winter Solstice. Today you are going on a hunt to learn more about calendars and tracking the winter solstice. You can answer the questions in your science notes or in a word document. You must do at least 5 of the 8 "topics"  that are written below.

• We are going to begin by looking at an Aztec Calendar

http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsc08b.htm

1. How many days long was a "week" ?
2. Friday is our solstice festival- which symbol represented the sun god? (DIETY means "god")

• Why were calendars created?

http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/ancient.html

1. When was the 365 day calendar invented?
2. What star was used to create it?

• Learn some more calendar trivia

http://webexhibits.org/calendars/timeline.html

1. Who first came up with the idea of daylight savings time in the US?
2. When was our current "GREGORIAN" calendar first created by Pope Gregory?
3. What date did the American Colonies first accept the Gregorian Calendar?

• Chaco Canyon is the site of a paleo-indian village in New Mexico that dates back to 2900 BC.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/HTML/canyon.html

1. What is the "SUN DAGGER"
2. What is a petroglyph?

• Why does the sun appear to rise from different places throughout the year?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/HTML/seasons.html

1. What does "solstice" mean in Latin?
2. Why does the sun appear to stop moving on the solstice?
3. What is an equinox?

• Many ancient sites were picked because they "aligned" with some celestial (sun/moon/stars) related event. Chaco Canyon is one of those sites. Take a tour of the special sites in Chaco Canyon.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/HTML/seasons2.html

1. What is each site aligned with? (the web page gives you the choice of taking the tour or clicking on the site name in a box on that page)

Fajada Butte
Wijiji
Piedra del Sol
Cardinal Directions
Casa Rinconada
Pueblo Bonito

 

• How do we know how old a site like Chaco Canyon is?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/HTML/time.html

1. What geological clues can they use to decide the age of a site?

• What did petroglyphs look like?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/HTML/time3.html

1. What is the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph?

2.  What is the problem with trying to date them?

 

• If you have extra time, check out some of the other calendars that are being used in the world now or in the past:

1. http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar.html
2. http://directory.google.com/Top/Kids_and_Teens/School_Time/Reference_Tools/Calendars/

 

Thursday, December 1, 2005

 

1.     Today we are going to work at the Jamestowne settlement site. You will be working with a partner from your team. You will be collecting and analyzing artifacts from the site.

 

Go to this site and follow the written directions I gave you in class.

2.     http://www.historicjamestowne.org/learn/interactive_exercises.php

 

• When you finish, if you have time, go to

http://www.apva.org/finding/index.html

 

Check out what archaeologists have discovered at the Jamestowne s

Monday November 28, 2005

Dig Journal 1

• Now that you know a little bit more about Archeology, let's try a virtual dig. Click on the map below to begin. Record your observations in your Dig Journal. The dig journal directions are below the map.

Virtual Dig Journal

Click on the map - the first screen will give you the history and location of the site. Then click on "survey " under the picture of the forest/field. You will find some of the definitions that you need. Then use the metal detector on the site. Each of the gray boxes that you find is a FEATURE. Click on each feature to find out what the feature is and a description of the feature. A feature is an area of interest to the archeologists. Features can be the remains of a building or structure, a garbage pit (midden), a burial site or other area where the ground may have been disturbed at some time. Explore each feature. Screen the feature for artifacts. An artifact is an object that was made by or changed in some way by humans for some purpose or task. To find the artifacts, click on "screen the feature" Each of the purple circles is an artifact. You will also find the definition of screen here.

FORMAT FOR YOUR DIG JOURNAL 1

Overview of the site - dates, location, description

 

Define these terms to know using the surveying facts:

• Site Grid (last sentence of that section)
• Surveying
• Shovel test probe

You will find this definition when you screen for artifacts in a feature

• Screen

 

 

  There are 9 features. When you are done with a feature, click on "return to map" in the left corner of the feature screen. For each feature, fill out your dig journal with the following information:

 

Feature name:

 

Feature description:

 

Description of artifacts found in the feature:

 

 

 Tuesday November 29, 2005

Dig Journal 2

 

• We are going to be making "mini-middens" in class. To find out more about middens, you are going to visit these 3 websites.  Use your Archeology Dig Journal to keep track of what you learn.

• Learn about middens in Australia http://www.historic.org.nz/heritage/archsites_middens.htm
• Learn about sea shells, fish bones and middens- scroll down until you see the definition for midden  http://www.oceansonline.com/middens.htm
• Learn about ground pentetrating radar and middens http://www.udel.edu/PR/UpDate/98/25/non.html

• One of the things that we find in middens are examples of early technology. Let's look at a time line of how technology has developed. Write down two examples of technology/inventions from each time period.

http://www.efn.org/~peace/past/spiral/

 

 

• Monday November 21
• What is the difference between Archeology and Anthropology?
• USE THIS SITE:  http://www.digonsite.com/drdig/general/6.html 

Next:

• Create a toolbox for your field work by listing the field tools and how you would use them. You should have at least 2 tools from each category. You can draw pictures to help you remember each tool.

The categories are:

• Measurement
• Surveying
• Earth Moving
• Recording
• Laboratory Tools

Click on a category, then pick a tool from the list on the left of that page. Some of them are animated so you can see how they work.

  

Wednesday December 1, 2004 

Today you get to choose which activity you would like to work on. You may do this with a partner. You will have class time to finish it on Thursday- but not computer time. If you finish early, you may go to the Virtual Dig site from last week (click on the map) and play the archeology games or check out the technology sites at the end of this assignment.

 

R.T.D. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Understanding Prehistoric Technology

Food Preperation - Pick 5 of the food categories to work with

Metal Smithing

Stone Technologies

Art

Daily Life and Work

Science

 

• Choose at least one of the categories above CLICK on it.
• Read through the information about each of the areas of technology listed in that section.
• Write down the facts/descriptions.- What is it? How did they process it or do it or use it? What tools did they need?
• Create a mini poster using plain white paper and coloring materials, Publisher or Word about your technology area.
• You can cut and paste pictures from the internet into Publisher or Word by using the "mountain" button in the tool bar to create a picture box. The "A" button will allow you to draw a text box.
• Remember, you have to print out anything you work on -

(http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/ancienttech/index.shtml)

OR

 

2. Tracking how paleo-indian cultures developed with their technology and because of their technology.

The paleo-indians that lived in Ontario were very similar to the paleo-indians that lived here in North Eastern and North Western Ohio. The dig site that I worked on this summer contained remains from 500BC-1600AD.

http://www.uwo.ca/museum/virtual_tour/palaeoframes.htm

• Click on the site link above this section
• Read through the information about each time period.
• Gather facts on what the key technology developments of the time period were
• Gather information on housing, food, culture
• Gather information on what archeologist might find from each period
• Create a mini poster timeline using the facts you gathered.
• Use WORD, PUBLISHER or Plain white paper with coloring supplies to do this.
• Go to this site to see artifacts from these time periods that were found in OHIO http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/archaeol/p_indian/artifact/index.shtml

Technology Resources

• This site  is a good description of flint knapping http://bama.ua.edu/~alaarch/prehistoricalabama/flintknapping.htm
• This site is a good description of early pottery techniques http://bama.ua.edu/~alaarch/prehistoricalabama/pottery.htm
• This site is a good description of cord marked pottery http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/villagers/cordmarked/
• This site is a timeline of Ohio Indian Heritage http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/timeline/13000bc.shtml

 

 

 

Archeology Field Notes

DO NOT CUT AND PASTE INFORMATION

MONDAY November 15

 

 Monday December 6 and Tuesday December 7

Problems Solving Resources

We have read a number of articles about archeological discoveries. We talked together in class about the underlying problem being faced by archeologists today- the conflict between preservation and progress. We now need to come up with an action plan to solve this problem. The resources below can help you begin to think about a plan.

• This site lists federal laws that regulate historical sites or archeological sites http://www.cr.nps.gov/linklaws.htm
• This site lists archeology links for kids http://www.digonsite.com/links.html
• This site lists Ohio regulations that regulate archeological sites http://www.ibsgwatch.imagedjinn.com/learn/ohiolaw.htm
• This site lists Archeology current events (scroll down a little once you get there) http://www.archaeologica.org/NewsPage.htm
• This site is the Ohio Historical Society homepage http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/histpres/sitemap.html 
• This site is the Ohio Archeological Society homepage http://www.ohioarchaeology.org/news.html
• This site is the Archeological Institute of America homepage http://www.archaeological.org/
• This site is the National Park Service Archeology site - which includes strategies for protecting sites on private land http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/afori/respon_stew.htm
• This site is the Society for American Archeology page on preserving the past for our future.  http://www.saa.org/publications/ArchAndYou/chap4.html
• This site is the article about the site I worked on this summer http://www.cmnh.org/collections/archaeo/documents/2004_Excavations_at_the_Danbury_Site.html