Saturday 10 August 2013

Interactions: Animals and Archaeology

So, this is an exercise to explore when you visit archaeological sites, mostly, to see how animals interact with history, and with what consequences. For example, without the dog, how would we have found the Lascaux cave paintings? But how many misinterpretations have been caused by dogs digging up ancient bones, teeth marks being mistaken for something else? And how do animals reside in archaeological sites, and what are the consequences? Is it beneficial, ever? All I'm asking you to do is keep these questions in mind when you visit historical sites, and to notice the wildlife around them, and ask yourselves about the consequences of this wildlife. And then write a blog post if you feel like it. If you are OK with it, and specify as such, I may publish that blog post additionally as a guest post on another blog of mine (and the origin of my pseudonym), amazinganimalssociety.blogspot.com.

1 comment:

  1. A few years ago I was involved in an examination of the impact for organic farming on archaeological sites one of the side issues was the impact of a large badger colony on what was believed to be a Bronze Age burial mound. Badgers can cause a significant amount of damage to earthworks but on the scale of things that damage tends to be very localised. More confusing is the result of activity by smaller rodents rabbits mice etc. If you look carefully when excavating you may find evidence of old tunnels at considerable depth, somewhat confusing unless you remember that what you see was much closer to the surface years previously. One thing that can and has happened in the past is that small artefacts can be displaced by falling into the tunnels and being moved. A coin of say Edward I can cause confusion when found under a Roman deposit

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