I certainly never meant to stir up trouble by suggesting that the Marco Polo question was valid.  I love the list and get a lot of information from it.  I write from the point of view of a new MA, one who tends to be fairly hesitant to ask questions for fear of being ridiculed or otherwise beaten down--something that rarely happens on this list but does on some others.  Had I wanted to know the same thing about Marco Polo, I might have posted it to this list as well, knowing that the membership is knowledgeable about both history and archaeology and expecting that I might receive a quick and simple answer from someone on the list, since I don't belong to any history groups.  If I had then been told that my question was inappropriate, it might well have stopped me from posting anything else, ever.  I definitely agree that Anita has full power to steer the list as she sees fit, and I really appreciate her hard work.  But I also don't want timid members, like myself, to feel as if they have no place asking innocent questions.  

It was interesting that this very simple question spawned such a heated discussion about the meaning of historical archaeology as a whole, and I don't see the harm in the occasional debate about what exactly we are doing.  

Please keep the list going; it is an excellent resource and one I much appreciate.  

Respectfully,

Jenni Hatchett