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Hands on the Past: Drew's Archeology Minor
As word spread of the spectacular find, Carter and his associates were deluged with requests for details and demands for daily updates. Curious tourists lined up by the hundreds outside the tomb, hoping to get a peek, while those with influential friends pulled strings to get a tour of the 3,200-year-old crypt. Soon, Egyptian style clothing was invading the popular fashion magazines and new construction began exhibiting exotic Mid-Eastern influences. To make matters even more manic, four months after the November 1922 discovery, Lord Carnarvon, the man who bankrolled Carter's work in the Valley of the Kings, died of an infected mosquito bite, inflaming still-persistent rumors of a mysterious curse. Eighty years later, the boy king and his funerary riches still pack them in, demonstrating the grip archaeological treasures have on our imaginations. But imagination often breeds exploitation, so for many of us today, archaeology has become an aberration, with bullwhip-carrying professors, mummy road-shows, and voluptuous tomb raiders replacing the scientific connection -- perhaps the true mummy's curse. However, if you happen to have an interest in real archaeology, there is an interesting alternative available at The Forest. "What we offer students here at Drew is the study of archaeology as science," explains Maria Masucci, chair and associate professor of anthropology. "Our program conducts a summer field school in Ecuador, exposing Drew undergraduates to real, hands-on archaeological field research -- something most students don't experience until grad school." No Minor OfferDrew's archaeology minor is a course of study that combines core foundations in archaeological methods and theories with lab analyses and field research. Course offerings are varied and comprehensive and opportunities exist for students to participate in other field programs. Importantly, the archaeology minor isn't just suited for anthropology majors. The field of archaeology is one of broad involvement; in the course of research and lab work, students may become immersed in many disciplines including geology, paleo-botany, and morphology, and acquainted with the use of leading-edge technology, including the scanning electron microscope. Jonathan Golden, adjunct assistant professor of anthropology, has put campus technology to good use in his course in regional archaeology. Each time it's offered, ANTH 39 examines the archaeology of a different area of the world. "When I began research for a study of Celtic Europe, I found that few appropriate texts existed," says Golden. "So I had to write my own." Golden installed his lectures on the Drew network, highlighting key words and terms. Students were able to use this material as the course text. "It was a lot of work to set up, but the students really liked it," he says. Golden is a specialist in ancient metallurgy and has spent considerable time in England and Israel studying and photographing archaeological finds. He hopes to use some of his digital photography as a kind of virtual museum tour for future Drew classes. Taking the Field
Sometime well before Drew involvement, archaeologists explored the site, recovering valuables from local tombs but doing little in the way of a systematic scientific survey. Looters also did their best to remove valuables. Drew staff and students and their local support crew now have a unique opportunity to perform the initial investigation of the site and assess their own firsthand findings. So far, efforts have recovered domesticated cottonseeds that offer evidence of textile processing, along with strings of shell beads possibly used as currency -- items that might suggest a successful trading community. "We know the Incas tried several times to conquer these people -- probably attempts to acquire their trade routes," suggests Masucci. "For some reason, they were unsuccessful and these coastal natives were able to maintain control of their own small empire. "Fieldwork brings a great deal of cultural exposure," she explains. "What we learn from that work comes not just from the objects we uncover, but through the exchange we enjoy with the local people. Our whole archaeology program is a science lab in itself." Returning to the FoldDrew alumni who have worked the South American site during their undergraduate days have been returning to provide support for current students in the summer program. Anthropology major Scott Smith C'99 served as survey director in Ecuador for the Drew crew in 2002, helping to develop a new sampling strategy and operating the equipment and computers. "Dr. Masucci and Drew provided the solid foundation for my subsequent work in academic archaeology and cultural resource management," says Smith. "My experience in the anthropology department and the larger academic and social community was a very positive one, so I've enjoyed coming back and sharing my knowledge with these students." Since graduating, Smith has conducted archaeological research in England, Belize, and in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. He is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in anthropology at the University of California at Riverside. Dawn Digrius, a Continuing University Education (CUE) student who graduated from Drew in 1999, has returned twice to run the laboratory for the summer program, specifically in macro- and micro-botanical analysis.It was her discovery of the cottonseeds that helped redefine theories about the history of the Ecuadorean site. After Drew, Digrius went on to earn a master's in archaeology from SUNY-Albany and is currently enrolled in Drew's Ph.D. program in the History of Science. "It's so important for an archaeology student to be able to see artifacts while they're still in the ground -- in the process of discovery, so to speak," she explains. "That's not only a thrill, but it gives you cultural perspective." The former CUE undergrad will be teaching ANTH 101, the background course for summer field study, this semester at Drew. "It's all so exciting," she smiles. "The intimate nature of Drew's programs allows faculty and students to work closely together. Students get a great deal of individual attention that teachers learn from also." In addition to Ecuador, students in the archaeology minor program have participated in field schools in New Jersey, Arizona, Georgia, and England. Discussions are currently underway that may allow Drew students to work several sites close to campus during the academic year. Opportunities for fieldwork and internships emerge regularly so students can often find situations that relate to their own particular interests. Examinations of the PastAlong with the archaeology minor, several other programs on campus offer examinations of the past. John Muccigrosso, assistant professor of classics, offers visits to significant historical sites in Italy as part of the Drew International Seminar (DIS) program. Groups of Drew students from a variety of majors have toured archaeological sites in Rome, Pompeii, and Paestum, site of both Greek and Roman colonies. DIS students do not take part in any hands-on fieldwork, but gain significant insight from the knowledge of their faculty hosts and opportunities to walk the paths of history. Study of the classics offers essential social perspectives for understanding science. Many Drew courses in classics also serve the academic needs of anthropology/archaeology students. Cathy Pasquale, a current CUE senior pursuing the archaeology minor, has also taken advantage of the DIS program, and has been able to enjoy several academic excursions. "Opportunities to learn at Drew are many and varied," says Pasquale. "I've traveled to Italy and Ecuador, taken classes with faculty offering expertise in cultures of Africa, Asia, and South America, and studied classical Greek and Roman archaeological sites." Pasquale has one more class to complete before earning her degree. After Drew she plans to remain active in archaeology and hopes to make another trip to Ecuador. Even when not unearthing artifacts in the field, archaeology students can find plenty of hands-on work right on campus. The support of Drew's other science departments opens labs and equipment for the examination of recovered material. This interdepartmental cooperation encourages the use of all disciplines to uncover history. "It's important to integrate the sciences so students can see for themselves how study in the natural sciences can help us better understand the social sciences," says Professor of Biology David Miyamoto. "Besides, it's fun working with Maria and the anthropology department." Twelfth Hour PayoffHoward Carter didn't just walk into the Valley of the Kings and promptly dig up Tutankhamen's well-hidden bounty. He worked several frustrating seasons under the hot Egyptian sun, finding little for his efforts and becoming somewhat obsessed. His benefactor, Lord Carnarvon, had already dropped more than $2 million on excavations and was looking to pull the financial plug on Carter, but it's said that the artist from Kensington, London (Carter had no professional qualifications as an archaeologist), persuaded him to fund one more digging season before closing his wallet. Not long after, when Carter was easing a lit match into the black void of the king's resting place, Carnarvon was by his side, anxiously asking Carter if he could see anything. "Yes, wonderful things," was the reply. It pays to keep poking around. |
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Articles
When Howard Carter first peered into the darkness of King Tutankhamen's tomb, he never suspected his discovery would spark an international obsession.
Drew students' fieldwork has yet to uncover any gold-clad mummies, but, like beauty, treasure lies in the eye of the beholder. During the last field trip to Ecuador, the Drew team discovered a plot of ground that seemed to be resting a bit higher than surrounding soil, its aspect inconsistent with the natural lay of the land. Investigating with a system of test pits, the workers began encountering pottery shards -- some quite large -- in several of the holes, raising suspicions that the earth may be hiding complete pots and vessels. Since the find took place near the end of the field season, work was halted and the pits filled in. The plan for 2004 is to skim off the upper layers of the site to reveal the "living" surface some 40 centimeters below.This particular area in Ecuador is interesting and attractive because relatively little is known about the people who lived here.