To "Put My Oar in the Water"
I agree with Chris and Tim that the Time Team America (TTA) program has some real merit as Dr. Claudia Brackett and I had the privilege of working with Brian Haley, Dean Goodman and Dave Morgan on the 1st Prospection in Depth NPS program at the Presidio at San Francisco in 2008 and we had the chance to discuss the benefits and format of the TTA program. I feel that it is really important for the general public AND archaeologists to realize that we as anthropologists have some amazingly powerful archaeogeophysical and archaeochemical tools at our disposal and how fast, ENORMOUS amounts of physical and chemical data can be collected and integrated with these tools for interpretation of anthropological aspects of a site. The site in question, the Spanish Era Presidio, was particularly difficult to find due to subsequent activities and disturbance and the weak archaeogeophysical\archaeochemical signatures of the rather ephemeral Spanish occupation. BUT Dave, his students, the NPS and the archaeoscientists (including us) DID glean valuable data and experience from the effort!
The excellent approach that Dave Morgan took to see what could be done in 3-4 days of intensive field work was according to Brian, similar to what was done on the TTA investigations at Jamestown, and yielded some valuable insights to the student participants AND to the archaeoscientists who were doing the instructing\data collecting. As an archaeogeophysicist and having done mineral exploration with these tools for 40 years, I know that that instruments do not always give us the clean data and resulting answers that we see on television BUT the collection of such data by ARCHEOLOGISTS AND NOT TREASURE HUNTERS IS NOT LOST ON THE GENERAL PUBLIC!
The Treasure Hunters (TH) are glorified in the media and shows like TTA should be encouraged and monitored for providing real information on real science AND the FACT that sometimes, really NEAT data does come out of instrumental work and can be obtained by these showed with the direct and intensive application of Archaeogeophysics, Archaeochemical and Airbourne remote sensing studies in a Combined Survey Format (CSF) fashion like the mineral\oil exploration and TH do. In many cases, they are quite successful in a time and cost effective manner. Archaeoscientists can do this too! The archaeogeophysical studies of the site of the French Fort St. Louis & Spanish Fort San Luis in Texas and the archaeochemical studies of Templo Mayor in Mexico by UNAM are classic examples. CSF studies like what were done at Forts Chartres & Kaskaskia are CLASSIC examples of what can be done and what anthropological insights can be gleaned by "Completing the Circle" of understanding that comes with the addition of archaeogeophysical, archaeochemical and airbourne remote sensing data.
I believe that Peter Throckmorton said to me that the demise of the TH community would only come when they make more money off of the media rights than off of selling the artifacts. I agree and I feel that shows like TTA should be encouraged as they give the impression to the general public that archaeologist are NOT low tech plodders that spend eternities working on a site or a project but can get time and cost effective results with the up to date technologies that currently exist and are constantly being improved and made more usable for archaeologists. These advances in technology are driven by the mineral, petroleum, environmental and justice industries which have the money and markets to make such technologies affordable to us, rather relatively poor archaeoscientists. The bottom line is that the FREE data that projects and impoverished archaeologists get from TTA and other media and company programs is just like a MASTERCARD experience-PRICELESS!
Encourage TTA and other shows of like ilk and monitor them so that the producers of such shows KNOW that good and timely archaeology will outsell the, shoddy, sensational garbage (i.e. Atlantis in Costa Rica comes immediately to mind) that is currently polluting the airwaves and THEY and their investors can make a PROFIT. We, as the interpreters of evidence human behavior, have to get more up to date and professional and shows like TTA and support of the Archaeology Channel are the ways to do it.
There, I guess that I am kind of crabby today, too, but that is what arthritis and an incoming cold front will do for you.
Throw your brickbats and rotten fruit!! We need building materials to build our laboratory and have lunch tomorrow!
Enough for Now!
Sincerely,
Richard J. Lundin BA, MA, RPA, ISAP
Consulting Historical Archaeologist & Remote Sensing Specialist (Archaeogeophysics)
Mineral Exploration Consultant & Permitting Specialist (Yes, I work for the Dark Side, Too!)
Director, Wondjina Research Institute
Vice President & Exploration Manager, RICH ORE Mining, Inc. (Yes, and I enjoy the search for and acquisition of mineral resources, too!)
Co-Organizer & Co-Chair 1st SHA pXRF Symposium at SHA 2010 at Amelia Island Florida
Co-Organizer & Co-Chair 2nd SHA Technology Symposium at SHA 2011 at Austin Texas
Co-organizer & Co-Chair 2nd SHA pXRF Symposium at SHA 2011 at Austin Texas
Co-Organizer & Co-Chair 1st All Africa Mineral & Archaeological Remote Sensing Symposium 2011 at Gaborone, Republic of Botswana
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Christopher Fennell
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 2:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: query re "History Detectives" TV show
Many thanks to Tim Scarlett for a concise statement of the high value
of the Time Team America program. I worked with the program at the
New Philadelphia site, which is now a National Historic Landmark based
on its archaeological significance, and found them highly professional
and always focused on doing good science. They try to make clear to
their audience that the three-day format is undertaken because they
are working within the protocols of a long-term research project and
they are contributing by addressing a specific question or challenge
within that larger-scale project.
Chris Fennell
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Illinois
109 Davenport Hall, MC-148
607 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL 61801
www.anthro.illinois.edu/faculty/cfennell
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