One of the fundamental concepts in archaeology is the Law of Superposition, which states that older material is located underneath more recent material. So generally, on an archaeological site, the deeper you dig, the older the materials will be. It’s a simple concept that at times can require a good amount of interpretation and investigation. But for archaeologists before the mid-20th century, the law of superposition provided the only means of estimating the age of objects at an archaeological site.
Category: Archaeology (Page 1 of 19)
In the late 1980s, the City of Harrisburg began to experience economic rejuvenation under the driving force of the newly elected mayor, Stephen Reed. One of his projects was the revitalization of City Island, situated in the middle of the Susquehanna River.
There are lots of things I look forward to in March as spring nears, like melting snow, daffodils, warmer sunny days, and… the PA SHPO Annual Report!
The Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey (PASS) is the Commonwealth’s inventory of recorded archaeological sites. The program officially started in the late 1970s—when site files held by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History were combined with those kept by the State Museum of Pennsylvania—but it was built on a foundation of nearly 100 years of site recording by numerous institutions and individuals across the state. Since that time, the PASS files have been kept in a centralized repository at the SHPO, where they are now submitted, archived digitally, and made available to qualified archaeologists and researchers through PA-SHARE.
In painstakingly precise recreations, archaeologists of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) created three vessels during the innovative outreach program, the Pennsylvania Dugout Canoe Project, which educated thousands of visitors about this fascinating aspect of travel by Native Americans. This project, which concluded in 2005, was done through public programs using replicated historic and/or prehistoric tools and techniques.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) recently approved an additional 9 new historical markers, to the previously approved 47 markers in September. Many of these markers will contribute to Pennsylvania’s celebration of America250, while others contribute to Native American history and religious tolerance.
Leading up to the new year, enthusiasm at PA SHPO was building as we plan to welcome new staff, commit to fulfilling our NAGPRA responsibilities, honor America’s 250th anniversary, and unload a sleigh-full of enhancements to PA-SHARE.
I’ll start by offering an apology to anyone who now has this holiday classic from the Sound of Music running on a loop in their head. I was looking for a new twist on our traditional end-of-year blog highlights and the “My Favorite Things” song kept popping up in my mind.
During the week of June 15. 2009, archaeologists from the State Museum of Pennsylvania and Temple University tested a pre-contact Native American site along the Lehigh River in Lehigh Gorge State Park, Carbon County. The site (designated 36CR0142 in the Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey files) was brought to our attention by local amateur archaeologists who were alarmed that it was being looted and valuable archaeological information was being lost.
I’m excited to introduce you to some of my colleagues who joined the SHPO team over the last six months. I’ve asked Nika, Clare, Anusha, and Sarah to answer a few questions so we can get to know them better. We’re happy they’re here!
Recent Comments