Worcester Society

AIA - Worcester Society

Bringing the world's archaeological discoveries to central New England

The AIA - Worcester Society is the local chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America: our members are both enthusiasts and professionals. We welcome everyone with an interest in archaeology and its related fields, and depend upon member support to fund archaeological research, publications, and lecture programs. Please join us at the next lecture and sign up! Enjoy member-only events and meeting other people with similar interests. Read more about the AIA...

Members Only: Please join us after our lectures in taking the speaker out to dinner. These informal dinners, usually at a local restaurant, are a great way to get to know your fellow members, and enjoy meeting our fascinating speakers in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. Hear behind-the-scenes stories and ask questions about your own interests in archaeology. If you're not yet a member, sign up today! Go to the Membership Page to download an application; our Local Society code is #202. Or you can simply sign up right at our lectures, look for our welcome table with brochures. For less than $5 a month, you can lend your support to preserving the world's archaeological and cultural treasures, and participate in all our Lectures, members only benefits and special events. Please see the Archaeological Institute of America home page for more details.

An informal reception immediately follows all the lectures to meet with our speaker and other members. We usually meet at the Worcester Art Museum (if you use the Lancaster Street entrance, museum admission is not required for the lectures). This museum has an impressive collection of art and artifacts from ancient civilizations worldwide -- plan on spending some time in the galleries before or after a lecture! Directions

The AIA and the Worcester Art Museum are delighted to offer members of either group a reciprocal membership offer: any AIA member is now entitled, as a perk of AIA membership, to receive a $10 discount off a WAM membership. WAM members enjoy free admission throughout the year, discounts at the cafe, gift store, educational classes and special events. WAM members can also receive $10 off an AIA membership! Two great organizations at a great price. Simply reference your AIA or WAM membership when you join or renew your membership. For any questions, please contact the AIA office for assistance.

Accidentally unearthed by a farmer in 1995, the exquisite 3^rd century AD Vichten Mosaic is a large mosaic of great importance from Northern Gaul. It originally covered the floor of the central reception room in one of the most remarkable Roman villas ever discovered in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Exceptionally well preserved, it shows in very detailed iconography the nine Muses, the goddesses protecting the arts, in the company of Homer, the prince of poets. Taking this spectacular discovery as a starting point, Professor Michel Polfer, Director of the Musée National d’Histoire et d’Art in Luxembourg and Associated Professor at the University of Luxembourg, will present the major results of ongoing archaeological excavation and research. The focus of the illustrated talk will be on Romanization: the process of gradual and progressive integration of local populations into all the aspects of the Roman Empire. Professor Polfer will take the audience on an illustrated tour back into the three centuries following the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar (c. 50 BCE) and its administrative reorganization under Augustus.

Prof. Dr. Polfer (pictured at right) has a PhD in Roman Archaeology from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg-im-Breisgau. His research interests include the archaeology of Northern Gaul in the Roman and Merovingian period as well as the archaeology of crafts in the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire, as well as the history and archaeology of early Christianization in northwestern Gaul. Since 2007 he has been a member of the National commission for monuments and sites of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg . He is this year's guest speaker of the Henry J. Leir Luxembourg Program-Clark University. This program invites prominent Luxembourg citizens and scholars to give lectures on themes related to Luxembourg and/or European affairs. Born in Germany, Mr. Leir (1900 - 1998, pictured below left) was an extremely successful businessman who eventually emigrated to the USA fleeing Nazi persecution. His love of languages, literature and the arts laid the groundwork for the numerous awards and honors he received in his life, and continues today in the provisions and gifts he made to countless programs benefitting the public.

The AIA-Worcester Society is delighted to open the 2008-2009 lecture season with this exciting find. Co-sponsored by the Henry J. Leir Luxembourg Program-Clark University (LLP-CU), the Worcester Art Museum (WAM), and the AIA-Worcester Society (the local chapter of the Archeological Institute of America). There will be an informal reception with cash bar immediately after the lecture, held among the famous Antioch mosaics on the ground floor of the Worcester Art Museum; admission to these galleries during the reception is free courtesy of WAM.

PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US FOR UPCOMING EVENTS, WE HAVE MANY MORE EXCITING LECTURES THIS SEASON!

“Let the Dead Bury the Dead”: The Forensic Science Behind the Recovery and Identification of U.S. War Casualties

The United States is virtually alone among countries in its commitment to search for, recover, and identify the remains of its soldiers lost in military conflicts. Beginning with the work of the U.S. Army's Central Identification Laboratories (CILs) that operated following World War II, and continuing through the Korean and Vietnam wars, the United States has maintained a proactive program to account for its war dead. Today, the Department of Defense Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) has 18 search-and-recovery teams deployed almost continuously-from the ice-covered peaks of the Himalayas to the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, from the triple-canopy jungles of Papua New Guinea to the rock-strewn deserts of the Middle East-in search of the almost 90,000 American servicemen still unaccounted for since the end of the Second World War. The current CIL, the largest skeletal identification laboratory in the world, is identifying approximately two men a week.

Excavation areas can look like typical archaeological squares, laid out with pegs and strings in geometrical precision. Where they take place can be anything but typical: remote sites difficult for maneuvering people and equipment, such as a grid of four meter squares climbing down the mountainside, or knee-deep in cold water and mud. Added to this can be the danger of excavating explosives which must be disarmed and reburied to prevent accidental detonation. DNA samples along with recovered personal artifacts are examined by a variety of specialists to piece together the story. Here archaeology is used not to tell us about how people in ancient cultures lived, but how army service personnel in living memory died.

Holland received a B.A in Fine Art from the University of Missouri, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the same institution. He worked as an archaeologist and museum curator before taking a position as Scientific Director at DoD JPAC. He is one of less than 80 Diplomats of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, a member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, a member of the Council of Federal Forensic Laboratory Directors, and a consultant to the New York State Police. He routinely briefs high-ranking military and government officials including the secretaries of State and Defense, and has served in scientific advisory roles to the National Institute of Justice and the International Commission on Missing Persons. Holland and his laboratory are frequently featured on such programs as Discovery, Nightline, 60 Minutes, NPR, and Nova.

He is also a writer: please see Dr. Hollland's website for information about his thrillers One Drop of Blood and the upcoming (January 2008) K.I.A.

“I sent forth butlers and officials”: The Egyptian Expedition to the Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula is today, as it was in antiquity, a rather hostile area; yet it was also the source of raw materials that were highly valued by the Egyptians: turquoise and copper ores. The first evidence of Egyptian activities in the western Sinai comes from the 3rd Dynasty, and after this Egyptian expeditions exploited the region around the sites of Maghâra and Serâbît el-Châdim for another 1500 years. During the latter phase of these expeditions a new focus of exploitation emerged - the vast mines near Timna in the Wadi Araba, located in today’s Israel. The lectures will show the landscape of the Sinai and the mining regions, present the archaeological and epigraphical material from major sites in the western and eastern Sinai, and will outline the efforts undertaken by the Egyptians in order to procure precious raw materials. The missions to the Sinai of the New Kingdom will then be placed into the broader frame of the economy of Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt had significant trade from all over the Mediterranean. Emerging elites in Egypt created a demand for luxury items, such as ivory and ebony from the south and building material, such as the gigantic cedar trees from the Lebanon. In the time of the Middle Kingdom, Egypt’s contacts with the Minoan world become strikingly visible in Aegean-influenced jewelry and the so-called Kamares ware, the Chinese porcelain of its time. During the time of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC) Egypt’s Empire became a global player in the Eastern Mediterranean. In light of all this evidence it becomes clear that Egypt and also Egyptology cannot concentrate solely on the Nile Valley but has to address a broader field.

Dr. Thomas Hikade studied Egyptology, Near Eastern Archaeology, and Prehistory at the University of Trier, Germany and the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany. Dr Hikade’s PhD was on expeditions during New Kingdom Egypt (1550-1070 BC). Since 1988, Dr. Hikade has been working on excavations throughout Egypt, working primarily for the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) in Cairo, but also for the American Research Centre in Egypt, Macquarie University of Sydney, Yale University, University Museum Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, Trust Altes Ägypten (Switzerland), and the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo. In the last 10 years he has specialized in stone implements. In July 2004 Dr Hikade was appointed Assistant Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hikade is also co-director of the excavation at Hierakonpolis/Upper Egypt which is conducted in cooperation with the Hierakonpolis Expedition directed by Dr. Renee Friedman (British Museum). He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies. For more information on his research areas, please visit the university website.

Co-sponsored talk with Massachusetts Archaeology Society, Central Massachusetts Chapter

More Than Just Marine Debris:
Massachusett's Shoreline Heritage Identification Partnerships - SHIPS

In the field of underwater cultural resource management, outreach and educational efforts traditionally concentrate on reaching the recreational diving community. The Shoreline Heritage Identification Partnerships Strategy, SHIPS, was developed by the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources in partnership to captialize on the need to respond to casual reporting of coincidental shoreline discoveries and the on-going need to inventory shoreline cultural resources. The SHIPS program is geared toward people who essentially "walk the beaches" on a regular basis and who may have an interest in local maritime history. This approach provides an opportunity for involving the public at the discovery level in the archaeological process, through a local historical society/museum in partnership with the state cultural resource management agency.

VICTOR T. MASTONE (B.A. in History and Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and his M.A. in Anthropology and an M.B.A. in Arts Administration from the State University of New York at Binghamton) has over 30 years experience concentrating mainly on eastern North America. He serves as both the Director and Chief Archaeologist of the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, joining the Board in 1987 as its first staff archaeologist. He has been a Guest Investigator and consultant with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is a member of the SHA's UNESCO Committee and the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology. He is Vice President of the North American Society for Oceanic History. He was previously employed as a Research Associate with the Public Archaeology Facility at the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Our popular ‘travels in archaeology’ series continues with an illustrated talk on some of the interesting sites for travelers in Ireland, just in time for upcoming St. Patrick’s Day! We will take a virtual tour, suitable for an independent traveler to do in 10 days to two weeks, starting on the east coast with a flight into the nation’s capitol, Dublin; the main focus will be on Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age sites as we make our way westward across the country to the far Gaeltacht areas. Points of interest will range from the most famous site, Newgrange in County Meath, to the less well-known but fascinating Dún Aengus on the Aran Islands, and will include picturesque sights along the way: historic gardens, a lovely medieval site on Inis Cealtra (Holy Island) in the middle of the scenic Shannon River, and a secluded stone ringfort towards the spectacular southwest coast. Optional excursions will include Craggaunowen, with its reconstructed crannóg (circular defensive moat dwelling) and a replica of the ship St. Brendan the Navigator used to sail the Atlantic, as well as the best scenic drives to take in Ireland’s stunning emerald beauty. Throughout the talk, various practices for heritage site management and how they affect both the communities and the tourist will be discussed.

Come learn how easy it is to work in visits to important archaeological sites on your next trip while you enjoy some of the most scenic views in Ireland. Tips for B&B’s, restaurants and other essential traveler needs are also included.

Alexandra Cleworth serves on the Governing Board of the Archaeological Institute of America as the Vice-President for Societies, she also chairs the AIA Conservation and Heritage Management committee and is a board member for SAFE/Saving Antiquities For Everyone.

Interested in protecting Ireland's cultural heritage and archaeological areas? Please visit the AIA's webpage Archaeology Watch to learn more about current threats to the beautiful Hill of Tara, perhaps the most well-known place in Ireland for its historic and cultural importance.

The AIA is deepening its commitment to the protection of our shared global cultural heritage with the new Site Preservation Grant Program, aimed at safeguarding the world's archaeological heritage. Please take a moment to learn about this exciting program and how you can make a difference in protecting our most threatened sites around the world.

On October 11, 1492, the soon-to-be-styled Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Cristoforo Colon, landed on San Salvador and almost immediately encountered its aboriginal inhabitants, the soon-to-be-extirpated Taino. He, either directly or more likely through the medium of his crew, posed a series of questions which in one way or another have been asked ever since: Who are these people; Where did they come from; How did they get here; and perhaps most vexatiously, When did they arrive? Discoveries at Folsom, New Mexico in 1926 indicated that the First Americans were contemporaries with now extinct Ice Age fauna and subsequent discoveries at Black Water Draw demonstrated a human presence at least 11,500 radiocarbon years ago. Since that time, more than 500 archaeological sites have been claimed to be older than the widespread Clovis horizon, though very few of them have stood up to scientific scrutiny. A review of the handful of sites which have withstood the criticism, including Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania and Monte Verde in Chile, indicates that not only have humans been in the New World considerably earlier than the 11,500 year-old Clovis horizon but that they were leading lifeways radically different than those posited for the so-called Clovis hunters. Current answers to Columbus’ questions are assessed and evaluated, and a very different picture is presented about the initial occupation of the New World than that favored in the Clovis-first scenario. Meadowcroft, southwest of Pittsburgh, has been recognized as the earliest well-dated archaeological site in the Western Hemisphere, with evidence of human habitation dating to 16,000 years ago.

Dr. James M. Adovasio, Director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute, Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pennsylvania (1990 - present), achieved world acclaim as an archaeologist in the 1970's with his excavation of Meadowcroft Rockshelter. He received his undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Utah. While chairman of the University of Pittsburgh’s anthropology department, Dr. Adovasio founded that institution’s Cultural Resource Management Program (CRMP) as a direct outgrowth of the Meadowcroft-Cross Creek project. Under his direction, CRMP grew into the largest contract archaeology program in the world. Working at Mercyhurst with a staff of carefully picked specialists, Dr. Adovasio has built the first comprehensive archaeological research program in the tri-state region comprised of northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York, and eastern Ohio. Noteworthy in his fieldwork are the ongoing multi disciplinary investigations at Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Mezhirich, Ukraine; Dolni Vestonice/ Pavlov, Czech Republic and Caesarea, Israel. During his 37-year career, he has specialized in the analysis of perishable material culture (basketry, textiles, cordage, etc.) and the application of “high tech” methods in archaeological research, particularly in closed site contexts (i.e. caves and rockshelters). He has published nearly 400 books, monographs, articles, and technical papers on subjects related to these topics.

Dr. Adovasio was featured on the acclaimed NOVA special “America's Stone Age Explorers.” This production explores the exciting controversy surrounding recent archaeological finds which challenge long-standing theories about human migration into the New World.

April 10-12th marks the 5th anniversary of a crime that shocked the world, a crime which continues to resonate with citizens around the world concerned about the threats to our cultural heritage. Please join us as we remember the devastating loss to our shared global cultural heritage which took place five years ago in Baghdad with the looting of the Iraq Museum. We will gather at 7:30pm to stand on the steps at the Lancaster Street entrance to Worcester Art Museum, to hear brief statements from museum personnel, academics, students and members of the public about the aftermath of the robbing of the cradle of civilization. This anniversary presents us with an opportunity to think about threats to museums and cultural heritage sites worldwide, to give thanks for our own institutions which house

our common heritage, and focus our energies on ways to insure their continued protection, against not just looting and thefts, but perhaps most importantly of all, against apathy. As dusk descends we will light candles and observe a moment of silence in recognition of what was lost, what has been found, and what we must do in the future. Light a candle to lighten the world: this vigil is one of many taking place all over the

globe, sponsored by SAFE/Saving Antiquities For Everyone. Weather permitting, a video will be shown, featuring Dr. Donny George.

Please see the wonderful, moving video on YouTube, featuring Donny George, which has images from last year's vigil. To watch related videos on the SAFE website, including interviews by Charlie Rose, please click here. To read a Newsweek article click here.

“There is not an archaeological site in the world that is safe,” Gibson said. “This is the problem — it’s not just the loss of Iraq’s treasuries, but the loss of treasures even [in the United States].” --- McGuire Gibson, archaeologist from the University of Chicago, in the Stanford Daily, January 29, 2008.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who attended the Vigil, please click here to see a few images

SPECIAL EVENT! Co-sponsored by AIA-Worcester Society, SAFE, Worcester Art Museum

Through our sponsors, this event is presented free and open to the public, for which we are deeply grateful. There will be no charge at the door, but a donation box for SAFE, in Dr. George's honor, will be available for your contributions.

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Donny George Youkhanna, the Iraq Museum’s former Director-General, will speak about cultural losses in the Iraq Museum as well as the archaeological sites. He has authored two books on the architecture and stone industries of Tell Es-Sawaan, and has given presentations on the current archeological and museum conditions in Iraq at conferences in numerous countries. "The cultural losses in the Iraq museum after the invasion of Iraq, and the looting of the archaeological sites, were so immense that this will be a lesson for everyone, all over the world, to pay attention in the future so that such things should not happen again. The losses of antiquities, and the losses of information that will not be recovered anymore, make it a subject that should be addressed to the whole world, so that people will take good care of their mutual cultural heritage in the future."

Born in the Al-Anbar province in Iraq, Dr. George (as he is known here) received his degrees in archaeology from the University of Baghdad, working at such famous sites as Ninevah and Babylon. He is an expert in Mesopotamian archaeology. He served as the Director General of the National Museum in Baghdad Oct 2003- Aug 2006. When Dr. George was initially refused approval to seal off the museum, he defied authorities and put concrete walls in place as the only means to protect the museum. He resigned

due to frustrations of no funding, political clashes, lack of authority, and threats to his family, including a bullet sent in a letter threatening his 17 year old son. Dr. George resigned as president of SBAH (State Board of Antiquities and Heritage) as of 7 August 2006, two months after 50 people were kidnapped near a museum building. Dr George, who is a Christian, says that in the past year an increasingly Islamist and anti-western agenda over which he had little control had permeated the activities of the SBAH; international ties, critical for most museums, were discontinued, and even communication with Coalition forces was reduced, making it extremely difficult to respond to reports of archaeological site being threatened. Previously, over 1400 specially trained police officers were organized to protect sites; as of September 2006 there was no funding for their salaries. He and his family fled to Damascus, and from there to the US at the invitation of Stony Brook University in New York, where his colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Stone, teaches. Dr. George is now Visiting Professor in the Anthropology Department at Stony Brook.

'He was instrumental in recovering almost half of the 15,000 Mesopotamian artworks and artifacts that date back to as much as 6,000 years, which were looted from the museum and Iraq's 12,500

archaeological sites during the invasion in 2003. Following death threats, the cessation of financial support and poor security, Dr. George left Iraq and fled with his family to Syria. While living in Iraq, Dr. George was in constant fear for his life. He was a potential target of violence not only due to being a relatively high-profile as a Christian government official, but also for his frequent appearances in the western media. “Having a position in Iraq is a dangerous thing,” he said. “I changed my car everyday, I changed my route. I changed the times I drove. It was a hard situation because I would never know if I’d make it to the museum or not.” ' [Stony Brook, The Graduate Review: Vol. iii No.4 – Fall 2006]

SAFE/Saving Antiquities For Everyone has full background information on looting and the illicit trade in antiquities, plus an interview podcast with Donny George. See also a video on YouTube, an excellent short article summarizing situation of Donny George’s departure, and an NPR story with Marine Col. Matthew Bogdanos, whose book ‘Thieves of Baghdad” details his experiences trying to stop the looting in Iraq.

Through the generous support of the Worcester Art Museum and Unum, a special reception for Dr. George will be held immediately after the lecture, across the street from Trinity Lutheran Church at the Worcester Art Museum. We are deeply grateful to Unum and WAM for hosting this hors d'oeuvres and cash bar reception amidst the beautiful Antioch mosaics in the stunning Renaissance Court. The first floor of the museum, which houses the antiquities collections, will be open during this reception for Dr. George and our audience, held roughly from 7:30 - 8:30pm. Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear Dr. George speak personally about his experiences in Iraq!

“Let’s gather together and see what we can do, so people will not forget what happened.”

Donny George, former Director of the Iraq Museum (picture courtesy of SAFE)

We are indebted to Unum for their generous sponsorship of the reception for Dr. George: Unum is a company of people serving people. As one of the world's leading employee benefits providers, Unum helps protect more than 25 million working people and their families in the event of illness or injury.

There Is Nothing More Permanent Than A Posthole - Recent Excavations at Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt

Hierakonpolis lies approximately 650km south of Cairo and 113 km north of Aswan between the modern towns of Esna and Edfu. The classical name Hierakonpolis, or "City of the Hawk", is derived from the ancient association of the town with the hawk-headed god Horus, the god of Egyptian kingship. Please join us to hear the latest information on this fascinating site, as Dr. Thomas Hikade (co-director of the excavation) shares with us finds from his most recent season, just this past January 2008. During the 4th millennium BC Egypt saw the rise of regional powers in Upper Egypt with centers at sites such as Hierakonpolis, Naqada, and Abydos with emerging elites and craft specialization. Their fight for supremacy resulted in the political unification of Egypt. Hierakonpolis, the ancient Nekhen, was once the legendary capital of Upper Egypt. Here excavations have been conducted for more than one hundred years, discovering famous finds such as the Narmer Palette, the Burnt House, the earliest temple of Egypt, and cemeteries of the common people as well as the ruling elite, and more recently the remains of monumental architecture: monumental structures have been unearthed showing the determination of the ruling elite to express their power. The lecture will present an overview of previous excavation work at Hierakonpolis and the recent results of the University of British Columbia expedition from 2005-08. For more information, please see the Hierakonpolis website.

(The picture is of one of the site workers, Salah, in a post hole, courtesy of Dr. Hikade)

Dr Thomas Hikade studied Egyptology, Near Eastern Archaeology, and Prehistory at the University of Trier, Germany and the Ruprecht-

Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany. Dr Hikade’s PhD was on expeditions during New Kingdom Egypt (1550-1070 BC). Since 1988 Dr Hikade has been working on excavations throughout Egypt, working primarily for the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, but also for the American Research Centre in Egypt, Macquarie University of Sydney, Yale University, University Museum Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Trust Altes Ägypten (Switzerland), and the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo. In the last 10 years he has specialized in stone implements. In July 2004 Dr Hikade was appointed Assistant Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia. Dr Hikade is also co-director of the excavation at Hierakonpolis/Upper Egypt which is conducted in cooperation with the Hierakonpolis Expedition directed by Dr Renee Friedman (British Museum).

Massachusetts Archaeology Society (MAS) stimulates the study of archaeology and Native American cultural history, especially in Massachusetts.

Old Sturbridge Village occasionally offers archaeology-related events, please ask the Visitor Center for information.

PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US AS WE ARE UPDATING OUR WEBSITE, WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY DELAYS WHILE THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.