The Field School is in its final two weeks, and that means we are in the final module, Archaeology, taught by Dr. Sonia Harmand. So far, students have learned about the Oldowan and Acheulean stone tool industries, with lots more coming in the next week and a half.
A box of various geofacts and artifacts from near the TBI-Turkwel compound.
On Wednesday, students completed a lab exercise to make sure they could tell the difference between geofacts and artifacts and identify the major features of cores and flakes.
Eloise, Stacey, Trisha, and Katie concentrate on the lab activity.
Katie and Melina collaborate.
Two lovely Oldowan flakes.
Students worked together and asked questions to make sure they were ready to head out tomorrow and identify lithics in the field.
Dr. Harmand shows Stacey , Alex, and Trisha the striking platform.
Today, we headed to Ayaniyeng, a site rich with Holocene stone tools, sherds of pottery, and fragments of ostrich eggshell. Students got started by flagging every artifact they saw.
A view of Ayaniyeng.
Maggie gets up close and personal with a stone tool.
Sharp-eyed students spot artifacts on the landscape.
Dr. Harmand took a look at all the flagged artifacts and each student got a chance to show off their knowledge by describing the features and stone type of the various artifacts.
Dr. Harmand talks archaeology with the students.
Let’s end today with a special request from UCL anthropology/archaeology student Eloise, who wants to share her very clever game entitled “Rock or Potato?”
Rock or Potato?
