March is Florida Archaeology Month (FAM 2018) — and when most people think of archaeology, several things may come to mind. Whether it’s Indiana Jones or Lara Croft of Tomb Raider-esque adventures, or images of old european men leaning over a pit of seemingly normal dirt, jumping for joy at the discovery of a shred of pottery or a tooth, archaeology has more modern day relevance than many may realize.
Archaeology, a specialization within the broader field of study known as anthropology, is the study of human cultures in history through the recovery and analysis of environmental figures and found material remains, such as bones, stoneware tools, pottery, art or a wide variety of other substances. In studying this, archaeologists can get a glimpse into the lifeways of past societies, their knowledge and skill sets, environmental changes over time and even how the homo sapien we know today came to be.
“Archaeology is the study of past human life, but through material record, so the things that people made, used and left behind. Archaeologists use that for a couple of reasons. The first of those is to look at large processes of things that are important to our humanity, like the domestication of plants and animals, the origins of social inequality, but importantly we also look at the lives of everyday people, and we try to understand,” explained Jessie Johanson, NSU adjunct professor who teaches anthropology in the department of conflict resolution studies.
“What I think is really important about that is, many times we are telling the story of people who wouldn’t have had their story told otherwise — some of the hidden voices of the past. It’s the story of our humanity. It should interest everyone.”
According to the Florida Anthropological Society website, FAM 2018 is focusing on Florida’s natural heritage sites that are getting lost to “storms, erosion, modern development, looting, sea level rise.”
Several different national organizations have a few events scheduled throughout the month of March, such as lectures, workshops, informational meetings and volunteer fieldwork. Even beyond FAM 2018, however, many sites in Florida and across the nation depend on the dedication of volunteers to assist in the preservation and conservation of our delicate history. Visit archaeological.org for a list of sites that are looking for volunteers to see if there are any near you.
“What I want everybody to know is there’s a lot of ways to get involved in your own cultural heritage, and in the cultural heritage of Florida. You can do things such as archaeology events that are held for the public. You can do things like work in archaeological labs and excavations. And, you can also get involved through the Florida Public Archaeology Network,” said Johanson.
In addition, she encouraged any student who has an interest in archaeology and cultural heritage to look into the anthropology courses offered at NSU, and consider picking up a minor in the subject.
For more information on anthropology, archaeology or ways to get involved in Florida, visit fpan.us/FAM or fasweb.org/florida-archaeology-month.
