One conference room or one hotel room? Barbara J Hickman, Staff Archeologist Archeological Studies Program Environmental Affairs Division, TxDOT Telephone: 512.416.2637 Fax: 512.416.2643 >>> [log in to unmask] 03 September, 2004 10:32:44 AM >>> Why don't we start by inviting them all to the next domestic SHA meeting. We can put them all in one room. Trish Fernandez Pacific Legacy Sierra/Central Division 3081 Alhambra Drive, Suite 208 Cameron Park, CA 95682 530.677.9713, ext. 24 -----Original Message----- From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ryan Gray Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 6:25 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: privy diggers You know, the Net is rife with the 'privy digger' web sites. Many of them have extensive how-to sections, which range considerably in terms of safety, ethics, and destructiveness. The most objectionable thing to me is that so many adopt the term 'urban archaeologists', which makes our lives as archaeologists more difficult. While it's technically legal and while our privydigger Eddie may have a nice website, and while he may be enthusiastic about history and a nice guy to boot, this does not mean we should legitimize it. Privy diggers like this take out all material at the same time, pick and choose what they want, and toss the rest. Information on faunal and floral remains, actual MNIs, stratigraphy, etc, gone. Forever. I think a hundred years from now, historical archaeologists will look back at our attitudes about this much like we look back at amateur archaeologists from a hundred years ago who excavated burial mounds with dynamite: why didn't professional archaeologists try to do more to protect sites? Why didn't they try to reach the public more to explain the difference between archaeology and treasure hunting? Why didn't they realize that these resources will be gone with no record for the future? So, anyone out there interested in putting together an urban archaeology web site aimed at people googling 'privy digging' and 'bottle hunting'? Illustrate in it some of the best of urban projects from all over the country, describe the importance of context and sampling, go into interpretation, and compare what we do to what amateur privy diggers do? Anyone already have a website for which they want to devote room to this? D. Ryan Gray New Orleans --- [log in to unmask] wrote: > Hey all you mid-westerners.. > > check out www.privydigger.com > > anyone know this guy? > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail