Myth, Memory, History, Encounter: Fall Commemorations

Myth, Memory, History, Encounter:  Fall Commemorations

October 9 is Leif Erikson Day.  It has been since 1964 when congress approved it and President Johnson proclaimed it (it is a federal “observance”, not a federal holiday).  Leif Erikson Day usually passes relatively unnoticed where I live in New York State, although I imagine things are a bit different in Minnesota and other places around the upper Midwest.

Announcing a Great New Publication in Archaeology

Numbers 83-84 of the journal Northeast Anthropology is a single, integrated, guest-edited volume titled Archaeological Landscapes:  Scale, Technology and Emerging Approaches.  It is guest-edited by Nina M. Versaggi, Laurie E. Miroff, and Edward V. Curtin.  

One Head, Many Hats: The Diverse Expertise of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Archaeologists

One Head, Many Hats: The Diverse Expertise of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Archaeologists

Recently, my friend Nina Versaggi provided a contribution to The Conversation that succinctly and beautifully offers her perspective of a career in archaeology. While Nina conveys the excitement of archaeological discovery and the importance of reconstructing the past, she also talks about the varied responsibilities and skill-sets that many American archaeologists have as cultural resource managers.

January in June? 1816, the Year without a Summer

January in June?  1816, the Year without a Summer

Since I’m seeing news-reference again to the infamous Year without a Summer, I resurrect this piece from a couple years back.  200 years ago this month, a Ballston Spa, New York newspaper story stated that June 6, 1816 dawned cold and snowy.  In the “Year without a Summer” it was reported in Ballston Spa that 5 inches of snow fell in June, and 12 inches during June through August.