Archeology/history

[Dizzy]

We have a programme on TV called Time Team, where they go and do digs on random places.

Tonight they were digging up a field looking for a roman villa. They were finding coins from about 300AD.

They also found an Iron Age roundhouse.

Got me thinking about the US and how modern it is....... I know the native americans have been on the land for ever, but their impact wasn't like that of the iron age, the romans, the industrial revolution, the dark ages etc etc...

I couldn't imagine living somewhere with no history.... Or old buildings!! Old artifacts...

We also have the antiques roadshow (can you tell what sunday TV is like now....) and they had a ring from about 1200AD... and all these random things people have sat in their houses handed down from generation to generation....

I mean, my town was founded in the 7th century, and parts of it are ancient.

What do your archeologists dig up???

 

[GlassOnion]

Wouldn't say our area has no history. There's all the Indian cultures to the south (Mayans, Aztecs, etc) that were rich in history and culture (until, ya know, ya'll killed them all). We still find out more about the umpteen different tribes that roamed North Amercia (until, ya know, we killed them all). They may not have been as advanced (or in some cases, more advanced) as the European cultures but they were relatively isolated.

But to say we have no history? Meh. That American Revolution and Civil War was nothing I guess.

 

[Dizzy]

I didn't say you had none

I said your history is pretty modern.

South America is a whole different ball game

I just wondered, when you're archeologists go digging, what do they look for?

 

[Dekka]

we look for prehistory. For the animals the lived here before people. Dinosaurs and such...

See I can imagine living in such cramped countries

How does that saying go?

A hundred years is a long time to an American and a hundred miles is a long way from an Englishman.

 

[drmom777]

Indian aritfacts, mostly, in my experience.

 

[vanillasugar]

fossils and arrowheads

 

[GlassOnion]

Indian artifacts and fossils. You can literally find arrowheads anywhere. Found one just walking through the forest one day. Who knows what that arrowhead was in? Was meant to be in?

Could've had the blood of a thousand year old boar on it.



But the nature of the inhabitants of yesteryear didn't leave much to be built. They were nomads and didn't leave behind permanent structures. Just kinda followed the Buffalo's.

 

[Dekka]

I remember breaking rocks open in the school yard (they were part of an old fence row.. found some really fun fossils. Where I live was underwater in prehistoric times.

 

[Punkygirl0101]

I have absolutely no idea what they find here other than fossils.

 

[Dizzy]

I know the sort of stuff you mean. You can find arrow heads here, but more common are the sharp flints used to work leather and stuff... I love finding that stuff.

Found old coins in my time (and lost them again).

It always amazes me what you can find.. things that people lose.... Where they walking along? Riding along? Some ancient street??

My mum lost her 1st engagement ring... imagine in 100 years time someone finding it.

 

[vanillasugar]

I remember breaking rocks open in the school yard (they were part of an old fence row.. found some really fun fossils. Where I live was underwater in prehistoric times.

Yup, there was this big old rock in my playground at my first Elementary school that we all went out to look at in Grade 1 when we were studying dinosaurs as it had really awesome fossils in it :

I've always been interested in living in Europe though, in a house that's older than my country

 

[Dekka]

yes that would be cool Nilly.

One thing I think is so cool is that my Mom traced our family tree. I can say my ancestors were some of the first to settle here and make it a country..

 

[saffie]

I love time-team! But I haven't seen it in ages, I don't think it's shown on a channel I can receive here in the Netherlands.

I do remember one episode where they found viking-traces somewhere along the American coast, but I saw it a long time ago so I don't remember any details.

I'm an archaeology student btw

 

[Dizzy]

My dad is doing our family tree... I am not entirely sure how far back he has got.. but I think it's a fair way...

 

[vanillasugar]

One thing I think is so cool is that my Mom traced our family tree. I can say my ancestors were some of the first to settle here and make it a country..

Mine too! On my dad's side.

 

[Dizzy]

I love time-team! But I haven't seen it in ages, I don't think it's shown on a channel I can receive here in the Netherlands.

I do remember one episode where they found viking-traces somewhere along the American coast, but I saw it a long time ago so I don't remember any details.

I'm an archaeology student btw

It is fun - speed archeology

I live near York, so the viking influence is pretty strong here.

 

[Dekka]

Mine too! On my dad's side.

Neat! LOL the amount of inbreeding that happened with the early settlers was kinda scary though lol.

I can put the initials UE behind my name from both sides of my family. I love having a personal connection with my history.

 

[vanillasugar]

Neat! LOL the amount of inbreeding that happened with the early settlers was kinda scary though lol.

I can put the initials UE behind my name from both sides of my family. I love having a personal connection with my history.

Matt can too I don't know if I can or not, I didn't look into it...

And ya, the inbreeding... eeeh I guess they did what they had to do.

 

[saffie]

It is fun - speed archeology

I live near York, so the viking influence is pretty strong here.

That's very interesting. Not much viking influence where I live, but I have been on a university trip to Denmark, and saw such beautiful monuments there.

Oh well, we had bog and ugly pottery (in the northern Netherlands) :rofl1:
But the bog did provide for some interesting old corpses.

 

[Dizzy]

Oooh yeah, I love it when they find a body!!! We get them in the peat bogs