Last Saturday's class (23 April) was the most engaging yet! While I enjoyed many aspects of it, my favorite part was documenting some of the surface artifacts we found. Even though I'm still a bit wobbly when it comes to reading the Transit, I love having the artifacts we found all logged and described and labeled and photographed. Mmmm, data.
We logged seven artifacts before breaking up into groups; it might be that there were a few past the seven I participated in. (Can someone let me know?) I'd already photographed all but the last one when I heard Sandy say, "Oops, I haven't been using anything to show scale." D'oh! I borrowed a quarter from Christy, re-photographed the seven artifacts, et voila! Posting them here, for fun. (I know I'm not the only one who took photos of all the surface artifacts... I hope nobody feels like I'm stepping on toes! :)
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| Artifact 01 : Burnt clay w/thumbprint, or just an oddly shaped rock? Hmmm. |
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| Artifact 02 : Piece of thin, weathered green glass. |
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| Artifact 03 : Flat, thin sedimentary stone (caliche?) |
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| Artifact 04 : Chunk of thick, glazed, white ceramic. |
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| Artifact 05 : Burnt ground, possibly charcoal, in situ. |
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| Artifact 06 : Three pieces of dried wood. |
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| Artifact 07 : Non-human long bone. |
I've really been appreciating the sense of teamwork that our group brings to the site on Saturdays. Everyone helps everyone else, whether that looks like giving tips on how to read the stadia rod, or shouting out the artifact coordinates for the fifteenth time. I've also really been appreciating the mix of graduate and undergraduate students. As an undergrad, I'm seriously grateful for the experience and knowledge that those more experienced students amongst us share with the group. It's both inspiring and humbling to realize how much there is to learn!