Getting the Dirt on Medieval Archaeology New Feature! Digging up Medieval in Invitation to Joust Medieval Minded North America
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MEDIEVAL STUDIES MAGAZINE FROM MEDIEVALISTS.NET The Medieval Magazine Volume 2 Number 21 July 11, 2016 Getting the Dirt on Medieval Archaeology New Feature! Digging Up Medieval in Invitation to Joust Medieval Minded North America 4 16 22 Book Excerpt: Afterlife: A History of Life After Death The Medieval Magazine July 16, 16 20 39 42 Table of Contents 4 Letter from the Editors 6 About the Festival of Archaeology 8 There's a Lot fo Dirt: How Archaeology Works 11 Cleveland Museum of Art Announces New Acquisions 16 How the Battle fo the Bastards Squares with Medieval History 20 Vikings Unearthed: A response to the Point Rosee Documentary 30 Lady Arabella Stuart 37 News from the MINIARE Project: Manuscript Illumination 39 Come One! Come All! Medieval Tournament Announcements 42 Remedies for Infertility: How Performance Rituals Entered Early Medical Literature 45 Modern Day Knight: Female Wins Longsword Competition at World Invitational Tournament 46 The Walters Shows off its Goods 49 Medieval Mounds in North America 52 One Man's Vision at the Getty Villa: Part 3 of 3 57 Stirling Castle shortlisted for Best UK Heritage Attraction 59 Book Excerpt: Afterlife: A History of Life After Death - Philip C. Almond Monthly features THE MEDIEVAL MAGAZINE 30 New Feature! Medieval Minded Editors: Sandra Alvarez and Danielle Trynoski Website: www.medievalists.net 36 Building the Medieval This digital magazine is published on the second and 41 fourth Mondays of each month. Art/ifact Spotlight Cover Photo Credit: Excavation team on Point Rosee, 51 Travel Tips Newfoundland, Canada. Robert Clark for National Geographic 56 Talk the Talk Getting down and dirty! Dear readers, We're getting into the dirt and focusing on archaeology in this issue. While medieval manuscripts are praised for their rich colors and illuminating stories, it's the glitter of jewelry or the curve of a leather shoe that really helps connect us with our medieval predecessors. Archaeology gives us a more tangible side to history and stokes the imaginative fires of our minds. While one museum visitor might be enthralled with the craftsmanship in an enamelled belt buckle, another might chuckle softly to herself about a pair of dice or ice skates made of bone. We've still included lots of medieval news for your enjoyment, such as a discussion on Game of Thrones' Battle of the Bastards relates to medieval history and a review of the Walters Art Museum's new exhibit on medieval recycling. Of course this wouldn't be our typical Letter without addressing current events. We want to mirror the calls for honest, respectful conversations in the United States and the United Kingdom with a call for respect across medieval studies. In many situations, the manuscript expert feels far removed from the archaeologist and vice-versa. We hope that everyone who admires, studies, or explores the medieval past can recognize the strength of an open, interdisciplinary discussion. Everyone's research will be stronger because of it and it might just alter your perspective. Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to get a little dirty. Warmly, Sandra and Dani Sandra Alvarez Sandra is the co-founder and editor of Medievalists. net, and The Medieval Magazine. Sandra has a Hon. B. A. from the University of Toronto in Medieval Studies, & a diploma in Human Resources from George Brown College. She is a content writer for a digital marketing agency & lives in London, England with her Jack Russell Terrier, Buffy. When she’s not doing something medieval, she can be found with her nose in a book, attempting to learn 3 languages, & planning her next adventure. You can follow her on Twitter @mediaevalgirl or check out her blog Mediaevalgirl.com. Danielle (Dani) Trynoski Danielle earned her MA in Medieval Archaeology at the University of York in England. She is passionate about “the stuff” beyond the text of primary sources, & how modern people engage with medieval culture. When she’s not visiting museums and historical sites, she’s riding horses, reading about Vikings, or making loose leaf tea in a French Press. She currently lives in southern California and manages CuratoryStory.com. She is a contributor to Medievalists.net & editor at The Medieval Magazine. You can follow Dani on Twitter: @MissDaniTryn. Danièle Cybulskie Also known as The Five-Minute Medievalist, Danièle studied Cultural Studies & English at Trent University, earning her MA at the University of Toronto, where she specialized in medieval literature & Renaissance drama. Currently, she teaches a course on medievalism through OntarioLearn, & is the author of The Five-Minute Medievalist. When she is not reading or writing, Danièle can be found drinking tea, practicing archery, or building a backyard trebuchet. You can follow her on Twitter @5MinMedievalist or visit her website, Peter Konieczny Along with being a co-founder and c ontributor at Medievalists.net, Peter is the editor of Medieval Warfare Magazine, and the web admin at De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History. He has been working to spread knowledge about the Middle Ages online for over 15 years. Peter lives near Toronto, Canada, and enjoys all the books publishers send to him. When he is not reading about medieval history, you can find him trying to keep up with his son in Minecraft. Follow Peter on Twitter @medievalicious. About the Festival of Archaeology Roman re-enactor at History Live! (Photo courtesy of Festival of Archaeology) 1,000s of people get hands-on with the ways to get involved in your local area. past across the UK at events bringing Options for adults start from just £3.20 our archaeology to life from 16-31 July a month. Order your membership pack 2016. today! The Festival of Archaeology - The Young Archaeologists' Club offers coordinated by the Council for British hands-on archaeology activities for Archaeology (CBA) - encourages young people aged 8 to 16. There are 69 everyone to explore the archaeology YAC Branches across the UK. Most meet of their local area, watch experts at once a month, usually on a Saturday, work, and experience archaeology for and they are a great way to learn more themselves. about archaeology in your area and Dig visits and open days give the whole make new friends. To find out more family the chance to try their hand at about what Branches do and how you techniques such as digging and can get involved visit www.yac-uk.org. identifying finds and experience the The Council for British Archaeology excitement of archaeology. (CBA) Enjoy farm and woodland-themed The CBA is working tirelessly to help activities, talks on the latest safeguard Britain’s historic discoveries and expert-led walks. environment, from prehistoric and Tours of sites and buildings from medieval sites to industrial structures recent centuries bring our industrial and 20th century buildings. The CBA past to life - you can walk in the steps provides opportunities for everyone to of Robert Stephenson and visit a coal discover and learn from archaeology, mine. and get involved. Experience life as a Roman, Greek and Membership makes a vital contribution Egyptian, with living history, warfare to funding so the CBA can continue demonstrations, food tasting and speaking up for archaeology and mosaic making. Learn about the showing decision-makers that technology behind archaeology and archaeology matters! Join the CBA and have a go at geophysical and help give our past a future. topographic surveys, or take part in mini-excavations or excavate a +44 01904 671 417 prehistoric and Romano-British site. [email protected] As ever, the Festival kicks off the Council for British Archaeology summer holidays with hundreds of Originally published in activities. archaeologyfestival.org.co.uk Enjoy archaeology all year round Join the UK's leading archaeology charity, the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) and keep up with the latest discoveries and events. Receive British Archaeology, our flagship magazine, and our members' newsletter direct to your door, plus offers, special events and plenty of There's a Lot of Dirt: How Archaeology Works by Danielle Trynoski Left: A not-accurate depiction of the joys of archaeology. Image from indianajones.wikia.com Right: The first medieval finds on a Romano-British excavation; nice bright green glaze pottery with enough pieces to reshape the base of the vessel! A big win in archaeology! Photo by author. Archaeology studies human behavior handle any archaeology present in over long time periods. Closely related advance of building a new shopping to history, anthropology, and sociology, center or apartment complex. To this discipline offers a more tangible “handle” essentially means to excavate connection with past peoples. and remove, or ignore and leave Archaeologists study biology, geology, undisturbed because in most situations botany, metallurgy, chemistry, that apartment complex is definitely geophysics, and more in their quest to coming into the space. interpret the lifestyle of long-gone Commercial archaeology is also known individuals. In medieval archaeology, as Cultural Resource Management this means having an ability to identify (CRM), Heritage Resource Management sheep versus goat skeletal remains, (HRM), or Cultural Mitigation. In realistic delicately uncover a corroding bucket terms, the primary developer hopes and handle, screen for seeds or nuts, or dreams that no cultural materials (no recognize period-relevant building archaeology) exists on the site. The material. In reality, there’s a lot of dirt. identification of archaeology makes the Entry-level field archaeologists are half- development move more slowly and jokingly known as “bucket monkeys” adds expense therefore, archaeology for valid reasons. In the modern world of equals bad news for most developers. commercial archaeology, development So to return to the original point: lots of or construction firms hire dirt with no archaeology means that archaeological consultant firms to lots of entry-level field archaeologists are equally as important for the study of don’t accomplish much other than the past.