Issue No. 222 Newsletter of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut January 2010
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A.S.C. NEWS Issue No. 222 Newsletter of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut January 2010 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE archaeology more highly visible to worked to revive the ASC the public. As I outlined in my last newsletter which had become January 7, 2010 letter to you, I have been sitting in haphazardly published in the early on FOSA’s board meetings and part of the decade. After getting it Dear Members, Cynthia Redman has been sitting on back on a regular schedule, he ours, so for the first time we are passed the initiative on to Lee West I hope that this finds you having talking directly to each other. As in 1998 allowing Lee to bring it into enjoyed a very happy holiday the next year unfolds you should maturity. From his humble efforts season and that you are enjoying the begin to see some of the benefits of this present publication has sprung. new year, even though at this this cross collaboration, and I will His genuine interest in and writing we seem to be in a deep continue to bring these to your generosity to the Society will be freeze - so much for global attention in this space. sorely missed. warming. Keep in mind that every day from now on is getting a little Our Spring Meeting is scheduled for If you have not yet visited our longer. April 24th and will be held at website, I strongly urge you to do Western Connecticut State so. (www.connarchaeology.org). To help you dispel what seasonal University in Danbury. This Jay McMahon continues to up-date blues that may linger, we are co meeting will be a slight departure and improve it so that each visit is a sponsoring the program Mummy from past meetings in that Dr. new experience. He has recently Dearest, with FOSA at the end of Laurie Weinstein, our host at included a link to the FOSA website this month. This program features Westconn, is busy putting together so that you can quickly move back speakers Ronald Beckett and Gerald the program, giving our program and forth gathering information Conlogue both from Quinnipiac chairman Dawn Brown a brief from both organizations. It is the University who will present the respite. This is the first time that the latest on Paleoimaging as it has Society has met in Danbury and IN THIS ISSUE been applied to mummies. This Laurie’s program will be oriented President’s Message 1 series of non-invasive techniques toward the ethnology of early local News from the State 2 which give us a view inside ancient Indian populations which should Archaeologist human remains, holds the promise give us insight into lifestyles which FOSA 2 of yielding new insights into pattern the artifacts and features we Norwalk Community College 3 prehistoric and early historic life recover. There are more details on Connecticut Archaeology 7 Center and death. See below for further this below. AIA 10 details and directions to the Smith SHPO/CRM Reports 10 Middle School in Glastonbury. On a more somber note I just heard Institute for American Indian 11 of the death of long time member Studies This co-sponsorship is part of the Tom Harris on November 19th in Publications 13 current efforts on the part of the Norwalk Hospital. Tom had been National Park Service 14 Boards of ASC and FOSA to move very active in the Society in the late Calendar 15 closer to each other in an effort to 1990s serving as a member of the ASC Officers 15 amplify our voice and make board from 1996 to 2000. He also Membership form 15 FOSA Annual Meeting 16 1 President’s Message – continued from p. 1 background, commitment and work paleoimaging devices aid them in ethic to do the important job of examining human remains, animal other links that he has included, SHPO staff archaeologist for remains and artifacts, without however, which makes the site so Connecticut. We look forward to performing an autopsy or damaging rich and worthy of a visit. It is very working with him and introducing them from their original discovered easy to lose yourself in the him to the state’s archaeological state. We all probably have had an delightful profusion of community. x-ray at sometime. This same archaeological articles, notes, and Nick Bellantoni system can image artifacts such as a blogs. I can think of no more State Archaeologist sealed container or mummified educational and entertaining way to human remains to disclose or spend an hour. suggest what’s inside without a physical intrusion. Gerald With all of this ahead, can spring be NEWS FROM OTHER Conlogue is very skillful at this task; far behind? As usual I ask for your ORGANIZATIONS he has x-rayed objects in museums advice and suggestions on ways in without removing them from their which we can make the society display case. Complimenting the x- serve you better. Please feel free to ray is endoscopy, where a camera contact me via- e-mail (see below) probe attached to a flexible rod can or approach me at any of our up- travel through a passageway in an coming meetings. I look forward to object and its voyage through that seeing you in Glastonbury on the object can be observed on an th FOSA NEWS 30 . external monitor. This is Ronald Dan Cruson See the last page of this newsletter Beckett’s area of expertise. They President for the flyer announcing FOSA’s have also in some cases gone to the annual meeting on January 30, extent of performing a CT-scan 2010 and the guest speakers, who (Computed Tomography) on News from the State are being co-sponsored by ASC. To artifacts. With CT-scanning one whet your appetite for their can get a 3 dimensional picture Archaeologist presentation, FOSA member Jim instead of the 2 dimensional of the Trocchi has prepared the following x-ray. It produces a slice or layer- Daniel Forrest Joins SHPO background article. by-layer high-resolution image. Though these technologies can be We are more than pleased to PALEOIMAGING applied for various purposes in announce that Dan Forrest has archaeology, Ron and Jerry have started work in the Commission on The guest speakers for the FOSA most notably used them to examine Culture and Tourism, as the new Annual Meeting of 2010 are mummies. All three devices have Historic Preservation and Museum Professors Ronald Beckett and been used to disclose such things as Division archaeologist, replacing Gerald Conlogue of Quinnipiac the true or suggested cause of death Dave Poirier, who took early College. Their most noted work in of individuals who have been retirement last summer. recent years has been hosting the mummified. National Geographic Channel’s Dan had been working since 1992 ‘The Mummy Road Show’. My first thought of mummies is for the Public Archaeology Survey Through their experience and skills Egypt; something far removed from Team, Inc. and did his gained from careers in medical North America history and undergraduate and graduate studies imaging, they have adapted its use archaeology. But after researching in Anthropology at the University of to non-medical purposes, called Beckett’s and Conlogue’s work it Connecticut. Dan would like to paleoimaging, the imaging of old opened my eyes to so much more. stress that he is very honored to and ancient objects or artifacts. When something is mummified we have been selected for this position Paleoimaging uses x-rays, think of it being accomplished and can only hope to serve the endoscopy and CT-scans to non- artificially, but it can also occur archaeological community of CT as destructively examine artifacts. naturally. Even though there is a well as Dave Poirier. Their skills with paleoimaging have plethora of mummies attributed to assisted research projects around the Egypt, mummies have been found While we all miss Dave Poirier’s world. on all continents except Antarctica. expertise, judgment and personality, But we are sure there are we are excited to have someone like Just as ground-penetrating radar can unrecovered naturally mummified Dan attempt to fill his big shoes! aid the archaeologists in disclosing remains preserved in the Antarctica We believe that Dan has the anomalies below ground, so can ice because of failed polar 2 expeditions. For mummification to taxidermy? By definition what is Bibliography: occur naturally the environment has the difference between the two? Ron Beckett and Jerry Conlogue to be conducive to preventing post Mummification is any dead body 2005 Mummy Dearest mortem decay. Therefore, such that has been preserved by heat, The Lyon Press, Guilford, Ct. places as the polar regions, deserts cold, special preparation, etc., while and peat bogs have this ability to taxidermy is the art or process of Malam, John preserve and mummify. stuffing and mounting the preserved 2003 Mummies skins of dead animals for Kingfisher, Boston Then of course there are many preservation or exhibition. These cultures around the world that are interesting questions that Ron practice artificial means to preserve and Jerry were contemplating at the Archaeology their deceased, so they can view end of their book, “Mummy their loved ones after death. There Dearest”, because of certain Club of are also the famous and infamous of circumstances in a case they were Norwalk history who have been artificially working on. Both are preservation mummified such as Lenin of Russia processes, but where do we draw the Community College and Eva Peron of Argentina. To my line between the two? Perhaps this surprise, President Abraham may be brought out more clearly at CLUB MEETINGS Lincoln was mummified to preserve the Annual Meeting.