As a registered professional archaeologist, I enjoy reading and writing about, and working at archaeology sites, teaching others about the field.
A Day on Dinosaur Island! Finding Fossils on the Isle of Wight Sunny days are rare in the UK, but this February morning is bright and beautiful at Compton Bay on the Isle of Wight. The white chalk cliffs of Freshwater rise in the distance. – Photo by Robin Van Auken [...]
How Incantation Bowls Protect from Demonic Forces Believing that malevolent forces caused tumors and other illnesses, Jewish communities in Mesopotamia created incantation bowls (c. 300–700 CE) to trap demons and protect the family. Inscribed in Aramaic with spiraling spells and magical symbols, and placed upside down at the entrances of their homes, [...]
Archaeology Find: Drilled Holes in Metate, Bannerstones Last week we had an artifact found by member Jim Carn and pretty much it’s been a part-time job for me trying to validate the find ever since. Jim actually brought it to my house on the bed of his pickup. At about two feet [...]
Archaeology Find: Metate Confirmed The exciting news today is that during this pandemic Jim Carn has found a real mystery item. We have sent pictures to Gary Fogelman and at this point, he thinks it might be the real thing pending closer examination. He is also mystified about the hole. Jim wrote [...]
Archaeology Find: Metate in Lycoming County, PA I’m taking advantage of the sunshine (aka coronavirus killer). I went fishing and foraging. I was a hunter-gatherer. See the first picture. These are ramps They are not spring onions although many people call them that. These are leek and you can use the entire [...]
Archaeology Find: Bird Points for Arrows The weekend was pretty busy with interaction via email. We are inspiring conversations on typology, archaeology, local history, and artifact identification. Covid19 time indoors has been an opportunity for learning. This morning, how about bird points as a topic? They are also called jewel or gem [...]
Archaeology Finds: Miscellaneous Points, Adze, Etc. The shared artifacts were found locally by Hunter Duffield. Hunter has been surface collecting in the Montoursville area and Dick Snyder called me and asked that I give him a hand. So let's look at the pictures. Picture 1 is a couple of Archaic points the [...]
The Devil's Den in Florida is a dramatic freshwater spring, and popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. To reach the Den, visitors must descend narrow, limestone steps to the karst. Lycoming College Nautical Archaeology class visit the Devil's Den, Florida Lycoming College archaeology students got a rare view [...]
Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 crash site One man's quest to memorialize the victims of the worst airline disaster in Lycoming County history, the crash of Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 on Bald Eagle Mountain, is coming to an end. The crash site has received designation from the Commonwealth as an official archaeological site. In [...]
The ruins of Urquhart Castle along Loch Ness, Scotland I thwarted my husband’s vacation plans. Days before he purchased tickets for a Caribbean cruise, I suggested Scotland. In the blink of an eye, I wasted months he spent researching itineraries. Gone were his plans to lounge poolside on the lido deck, dine on [...]
Shawn Gardner Artisan Shawn Gardner, of Fair Chase Designs, presents on prehistoric technology and Native American art. This is presentation is suitable for people of all ages, including families and school-aged children. Gardner lives in Montoursville, often presents programs to people who visit his teepee on school field trips. He also offers seminars [...]
Coin found at Long Reach Archaeology Dig Historic preservation is an admirable, though difficult, goal to obtain. Preservation works best in communities that have programs managed at the local government level. In 2003, Williamsport's City Council considered an amendment to a zoning ordinance that would result in new [...]
Prehistoric American Indians skillfully managed the natural bounty of the Susquehanna River region by living in accordance with the seasons. They hunted, fished, gathered nuts, berries and other wild foods, and they cultivated corn, beans and squash. According to archaeologists, Indians were successful in populating the New World for more than 16,000 years -- [...]
