This week provided further insight into the Antiochia ad Cragum site and allowed me to build on the knowledge I gained last week in order to complete a more accurate picture of the site we are working at. Since we have cleared the upper layers of dirt, we have had the chance to find some more interesting artifacts. This week, two pipes and two coins were discovered in our room which was a nice change from the usual pottery, glass, and bones. I feel like the coins especially are helpful for placing the room in context and gaining an understanding of its place on the timeline, because based on the designs, we are able to trace them back to specific eras in the Roman Empire.
Continuing to focus on my specific room in the Great Bath, I’ve been working to theorize about what may have occurred there. One of the main anomalies that we are facing is that there are a variety of burned areas throughout the floor of the room, however they are all very contained and we found no burned artifacts around them, only charcoal and timber. I’m wondering if maybe these burned areas were originally some sort of small fires for cooking or maybe to make art. I’m interested to see how deep they go as we continue to dig deeper into the soil. I am also very interested in the burnt beam that runs down the center of our room. It sounds like most people believe it was a support beam in the ceiling of the room, but I’m curious as to why it is by itself and how it got burned in the first place. These are questions I hope to raise going forward. I’m also hoping to continue learning about the original function of the room and what signs were are able to use to determine this.
I would say that the aspect of archaeology that interests me the most is the treatment of the artifacts after they have been found. I am very interested in the categorization of the pottery, bones, and other materials found at the sight. I have really enjoyed getting to help in the bone lab this week. I learned a lot more about what happens to human and animal remains once they get taken back to the lab. Being able to sort the different bones into categories and learn about their defining features helped me better understand the intersection between history and science. It also answered many of my outstanding questions, such as what happens to the bone fragments that are too small or nondescript to be identified. It was a very unique experience to be able to work directly with experts in the field of osteology and hear about their route towards become specialists.
Next week, I’m eager to dive even deeper into my site and its history. I also hope that I have the opportunity to do more behind-the-scenes work. Now that I’ve learned about bones and the processes used to sort and organize them, I’m curious about what this process looks like for pottery. We’ve spent a lot of time while at the dig site emphasizing the importance of keeping different contexts separate, but I would like to know more about how painting separate bags for pottery found in different places is able to help us in the lab. How much reconstruction is done? Is there any scientific testing done to the sherds? What can we gain from the small, non-diagnostic sherds? These are all questions I hope to pursue in the coming week so I can have a more well-rounded understanding of our archaeological process.