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'Stone tools, ethnographic artefacts and photographs - George Horne's 1922 Lake Eyre collections'?
David Kaus is a senior curator in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs at the National Museum of Australia. David holds an Honours degree in Archaeology from the ANU and a Masters degree in Cultural Heritage Management from the University of Canberra. He has had a long association with the National Museum's Indigenous collections and has published two books and several articles on them.
David has recently commenced detailed research on Horne's collection and his talk will focus on material acquired during a trip to Mungeranie on the Birdsville track in 1922. While at Mungeranie Horne recorded information about stone tools and wooden implements directly from local Aboriginal people which led to the publication of a book with George Aiston, Savage Life in Central Australia, in 1924. David will discuss the information Horne recorded and show images of artefacts from Horne's collection and photographs taken during Horne's trip.
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Launch of new book 'Writing About Archaeology ' by Prof Graham Connah
The ANU Co-op Bookshop, in conjunction with the Canberra Archaeological Society and the Centre for Archaeological Research, are pleased to invite you to the launch of Prof Graham Connah’s new book Writing About Archaeology published by Cambridge University Press.
Refreshment will be served
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The Rocks archaeological site
A talk on the history and archaeology of the Rocks site and its modern incarnation as an example of conservation and public archaeology by Patricia Saunders.
Consultant archaeologist and CAS member, Trish Saunders, will give a talk on 'The Big Dig Site at Sydney Harbour YHA in The Rocks:
conserving our historic heritage".
This is part of the Canberra Archaeological Society/Centre for Archaeological Research lecture series.
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Visit to archaeological sites at Gungahlin: The Ginninderra Blacksmith’s Shop and ‘The Valley’ homestead.
Peter Dowling will tell us about the history, results of excavations and conservation saga of the Blacksmith’s shop, with some good news this year due to interest from our Chief Minister.
Helen Cooke will then tell us the history of ‘The Valley’ homestead, the past residents and the plans for conservation.
Meet at the Ginninderra Blacksmiths Shop, Barton Highway, Nicholls at 2pm. Take the unsealed entrance towards the Golf Club maintenance depot (south of Gold Creek Road) on the left hand side heading towards the city.
We will drive to ‘The Valley’ arriving at about 3pm and after our visit and talk we can repair to the George Harcourt around 4pm for a beverage and discussion of what roles CAS can play in conserving and presenting these historic places – or the footy scores, or any other topic that strikes us.
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Archaeological Relics of First Government House at Museum of Sydney
The Museum of Sydney is built on the site of the earliest foundations of British colonisation in Australia. At this site in 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip built the first Government House; the home, offices and seat of authority for the first nine Governors of New South Wales. In 1983 archaeologists unearthed the original footings of the house, which by a miracle of history had lain preserved since it was demolished in 1846.
These archaeological remains are a feature at the Museum of Sydney and can be viewed from the footpath at the front of the Museum at any time.
Why not visit the Museum of Sydney whilst you are there (charges apply for museum entry – refer to http://www.hht.net.au/museums/mos/main)! Dig
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Archaeological Relics of Australia's First Iron Works
Come and see archaeological relics and interpretation of the Fitz Roy Iron Works in Mittagong, Australia’s first iron works.
The iron works commenced operation in the late 1840s. Commercial redevelopment of the site uncovered the nationally significant archaeological remains. Relics have been conserved in-situ in a 40 m x 45 m area of the basement car park of the Highlands Marketplace, Mittagong. This is the largest in-situ conservation outcome for historical relics in NSW. It is also a successful outcome where the history and heritage has been respected within the commercial redevelopment of the site. Relics on site include: puddling furnaces, boiler houses, iron rolling mills and remains of a Chilean mill.
The Fitz Roy Iron Works complex is currently under consideration for listing on the State Heritage Register due to the significant archaeological remains.
For more information visit: http://www.fitzroyironworks.com.au/ Dig
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Egyptians, gods and mummies: Travels with Herodotus
In about 450 BC the Greek travel writer Herodotus went to Egypt. He journeyed throughout the Delta, up the Nile as far as Elephantine, and headed into the desert towards Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. They were already, in his day, 2000 years old. He also visited the Temple of Bastet at Bubastis.
A granite column capital from this temple, weighing 3.4 metric tonnes, will be the centrepiece of the exhibition, on display in the Nicholson Museum for the first time. On either side of the Hathor capital is the carved head of the goddess Hathor. The exhibition looks at Egypt through the eyes of Herodotus. Mummified cats, birds and crocodiles will be on display, plus three of the Nicholson's mummies. Dig
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Outlines - Koori Artefacts from the Macleay Museum
Sydney is home to one of the largest outdoor rock art sites in Australia, and the largest population of Aboriginal people anywhere. Across Aboriginal Australia is a great diversity of art and belief practices. This exhibition brings together painting tools, ochres, shields, spears and clubs that all have their provenance in Aboriginal language regions of New South Wales, such as the Bundjulung, Wiradjuri and Dharug. The exhibition also includes stone tool artefacts from the Penrith lakes area thought to be around 15,000 years old.
From the deep past to today the exhibition highlights the continuing artistic traditions of Aboriginal people of New South Wales. This exhibition aims to highlight the largely untold story that these objects can tell us about the regional local knowledge’s of New South Wales and their traditional custodians. Dig
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The Sky's the Limit: Astronomy in Antiquity
How did the ancient Egyptians know when the Nile was about to flood? Why was Stonehenge built? How did the ancient Greeks know when to plough their fields? Which zodiac sign did Augustus use to legitimise his rule?
The answers were in the sky.
The sun, moon, stars and planets and their movements were of great significance to the people of the past. Their religious beliefs and ritual activities regularly involved the movement of the sun, moon and stars. Beliefs grew of peoples’ destiny being told in the sky: the zodiac and horoscopes were developed. The movements helped to signal regular events and, with devices such as the Antikythera Mechanism, these were systematised into the calendar that we still use. The philosophical reasoning and the scientific investigations and instruments that have helped to explain the world from Aristotle to Galileo, provide a continuum of human investigation and discovery.
The museum is open:
10am-4.30pm Monday to Friday
12noon-4pm Sunday
Closed Saturday and public holidays. Dig
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Celebrate National Archaeology Week at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Explore the Northern Territory’s unique archaeological heritage at this National Archaeology Week (NT) event. Through talks by archaeologists and curators from the Heritage Branch, Charles Darwin University, and MAGNT you will:
· Hear about the recent discovery of the World War II shipwreck Florence D
· Discover the life of the multi-talented government secretary John George Knight and the excavations of his house ‘Knight’s Folly’
· Encounter the Catalina flying boats lost in Darwin Harbour during Japanese air raids
· Learn what ceramic shards tell us about the encounters between Macassan traders and Top End fishermen
· Marvel at the large mounds built by Aboriginal people in Darwin Harbour thousands of years ago. Dig
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The Social Life of Things
A special exhbition at the Anthropology Museum, University of Queensland. The Exhibition showcases material from research conducted around the world by academics from the School of Social Science, along with treasures located in the Anthropology Museum. The Museum houses a significant collection of 24,000 items, including 5000 photographs.
The majority of the Museum’s holdings were made by Indigenous Australian or Pacific peoples and include many stone tools.
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Queensland Heritage Festival 2010 - Celebrate Your Story
NAWteaser. The National Trust of Queensland is hosting a program of events from Cooktown to Currumbin. This program of events is the State's largest celebration of Queensland's heritage and plays a key role in fostering an appreciation of our history and our cultural identity. We will see in 2010 once again a fantastic variety of community-hosted events being held across metropolitan and regional Queensland from Sunday 9 May to Sunday 16 May.
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Our Story Your Story - Search for AHS Centaur
NAWteaser. Public talk. Queensland Museum’s Historic Shipwrecks Officer Ed Slaughter will discuss the historical background and provide an eye-witness account of the successful search for the wreck of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, during a special presentation at Queensland Museum South Bank on Tuesday 11 May. The Centaur was sunk by a Japanese submarine off Moreton Island on 14 May 1943 with the loss of 268 lives. The exact location of the wreck was shrouded in mystery until the discovery of the last resting place of the Centaur, and many of her crew, on 20 December 2009. Dig
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Discover More – Search for AHS Centaur
NAWteaser. Public lecture. Queensland Museum’s Historic Shipwrecks Officer Ed Slaughter will discuss the historical background and provide an eye-witness account of the successful search for the wreck of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, during a special presentation at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Townsville. The Centaur was sunk by a Japanese submarine off Moreton Island on 14 May 1943 with the loss of 268 lives. The exact location of the wreck was shrouded in mystery until the discovery of the last resting place of the Centaur, and many of her crew, on 20 December 2009.
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The 2010 Hall Lecture. The origins of agriculture in the Amazon: Dark earths, manioc domestication and landscape transformation in the Amazonian Formative.
The annual Hall Lecture honours Associate Professor Jay Hall, who retired in 2007 after more than 30 years of service to the Australian archaeological community. His teaching of archaeology produced several generations of scholars who continue to influence archaeological thinking in Australia and beyond. This year's public lecture will be delivered by Dr Manuel Arroyo-Kalin of Durham University, UK. Archaeology has recently demonstrated that agriculture and sedentism were widespread in the Amazon Basin during prehistory and that humans were a major influence on Amazonian ecosystems. However, the origins of agriculture and sedentism in Amazonia sit uncomfortably within accounts of South American pre-Columbian history, partly because newer data defy simple interpretation and also because many discussions continue to ignore evidence of pre-Columbian anthropogenic landscape transformations. In this lecture, recent archaeological investigations into the prehistory of Amazonian agriculture and landscape change will be discussed, focusing on geoarchaeological research of the soils themselves. Research shows that anthropogenic soil formation was a hallmark of the Amazonian Formative and suggests manioc domestication accompanied the widespread appearance of Amazonian anthropogenic dark earths during the first millennium AD.
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Torpedo Station Excavation
Flinders University PhD Candidate James Hunter is making preparations to conduct limited archaeological investigations at the site of Port Adelaide’s former torpedo station, located at the confluence of the Port River and North Arm. The torpedo station was constructed during the latter half of the 1880s, and decommissioned and dismantled around 1917. The general aims of the proposed test excavations will be to investigate the integrity and extent of archaeological deposits and structures associated with the torpedo station site, and compare the design, composition and construction attributes of its structural features with those of other torpedo stations throughout Australasia and the United Kingdom. The excavation is scheduled to take place between 10 and 23 May, and volunteers are welcome. Guided tours of the excavation site will also be provided on the hour between 10am and 3pm (Tuesday – Sunday).
If you would like to volunteer please register your interest at http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/archaeology/dig/booking.php. Enquiries about the project may be directed to James via e-mail at james.hunter@flinders.edu.au Dig
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Digging up the dirt
Over the past 170 years the ground surface of Port Adelaide has been built up to counteract flooding, burying the remains of Nineteenth Century buildings and artifacts. This display presents artifacts and information collected by students and staff of the Department of Archeology, Flinders University, from archeological excavations throughout Port Adelaide revealing evidence of life from its colonial past. Dig
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Mitcham Waterworks: Excavation of Brick Well and Dam Wall
The Mitcham Water Works (1879-1930s) was re-discovered in 2002 during field surveys for the Hills Face Zone Cultural Heritage Progam. Subsequent research failed to identify a similar example of 19th century water storage and reticulation technology in Australia and in recent years recommendations for its protection and conservation have been made on several occasions. The Mitcham Tank, at the western end of the water works, is on the South Australian Register of Heritage Places, but was listed without reference to the rest of the complex. The rest of the complex has now been recommended for heritage listing by the City of Mitcham.
This excavation program will expose two of the major structures of the water works which have been buried by sediments eroding from a large upstream quarry. By exposing the brick well and the dam wall we can assess their condition and decide on a conservation strategy and whether it will be feasible to restore the water works
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Transported
Flinders Univeristy Department of Archaeology and the South Australian Maritime Museum will transport you 170 years into the past on a quest to investigate maritime foodways and the material culture of immigrant Australia. This event presents an historical and archaeological exploration of food preparation and consumption that includes service of ‘food from the past’ an exhibit of artefacts associated with cooking and eating, short lectures and a performance by the accapella group Nobody’s Fault but Mine. Cost includes hors de oevres from the 1840s, 1910s and 1940s, wine/beer, and entrance to the museum. Dig
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No event scheduled for Tasmania.
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EXHIBITION - Devotion and ritual, Curator: Dr Andrew Jamieson, Lecturer Spencer-Pappas Grant
17 Apr 2010 to 17 Oct 2010
The terms 'devotion' and 'ritual' evoke practices that are followed piously, in a prescribed order, often involving the performance of rites or ceremonies that are regularly and routinely observed. In the ancient and tribal worlds, devotional and ritualistic acts are remarkably varied and complex. Within different regions, societies developed specific mythologies and belief systems unique to that locality. Different groups produced devotional objects - some for ritual use - that are the hallmarks of their cultures and civilisations. The objects in this exhibition speak not of one codified or universal belief system, but of many different customs and traditions. Selected artefacts from the Mediterranean, African, Meso-American, and Oceanic regions represent unique examples of relics associated with ceremonial practices, belief systems, and sacred customs of the ancient and tribal worlds.
http://www.art-museum.unimelb.edu.au/
Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm
Saturday and Sunday 12 to 5pm
Monday closed.
The Ian Potter Museum of Art welcomes visitors with disabilities, although there are access limitations. Staff can provide assistance if notified in advance. Dig
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Restoring our Icons Peter Lovell and Fraser Brown, Lovell Chen Architect and Heritage Consultants
Tuesday 18th May 6pm to 7pm
Peter Lovell and Fraser Brown talk about their work on Australia’s first World Heritage Listed site.
Major conservation and restoration work has been undertaken on the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens over the past four decades. Architecture and heritage consultants Peter Lovell and Fraser Brown from Lovell Chen have actively contributed to the renaissance of the complex that culminated in its 2005 inscription on the World Heritage List.
Projects undertaken at various times included the removal of massive additions, external and internal fabric conservation, and subtle adaptive reuse works. They were responsible for reroofing works, including the stabilisation and re-slating of the dome, and extensive render repair and reconstruction – the north façade has largely been rebuilt. Inside, the 1901 decorative treatment was investigated and reconstructed and the vast area of the main floor progressively replaced.
Most recently, an archaeological investigation of the site was undertaken to search for traces of historic garden beds and other landscape features that might provide a basis for the German Garden’s reconstruction, which will be undertaken according to the original 19th century design.
Join us at Melbourne Museum to hear how these men have approached the architectural and landscape conservation and restoration of this iconic site.
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Using new technology to unlock ancient Egyptian secrets. Dr Mark Eccleston, La Trobe University
Wednesday 19 May 6pm to 7pm
Join Dr Mark Eccleston to hear about recent research on ancient Egyptian industries using new technologies.
In this National Archaeology Week lecture, Dr Eccleston will talk about his recent research using synchrotron science and experimental archaeology. Mark will give an overview of recent work being undertaken on the use of metals in a variety of industries in New Kingdom Egypt (ca 1500 - 1100 BC). The fieldwork and experimental replication of copper and faience production was undertaken at Tell el-Amarna, the capital city of the pharaoh Akhenaten. Analysis of faience beads and raw materials potentially used to produce faience has been undertaken at the Australian and Hamburg Synchrotrons in collaboration with the Department of Physics at La Trobe University and Museum Victoria. The results of this work have greatly increased archaeologist’s understanding of the faience industry, its links to state-controlled copper mining enterprises and for the first time, allowed them to suggest with more certainty how these objects were actually manufactured.
Dr Mark Eccleston has been a Research Fellow in the Archaeology Program at La Trobe University since 2007. Prior to that he was the Teaching Fellow in Archaeological Materials at the University of Sheffield in the UK from 2003-2006. He has a background in Archaeology, Egyptology and Materials Science and has undertaken archaeological fieldwork in Australia, UK, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus. He has worked on archaeological field projects in Egypt since 1996 and since 2004 has been conducting fieldwork at Tell el-Amarna to investigate the use of copper alloys in various industries during the Egyptian New Kingdom.
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Conservation of artefacts from the RMS Titanic: a herculean challenge and a rare privilege Dr Ian D MacLeod, Executive Director, Collections Management and Conservation, Western Australian Museum
Thursday 20 May 6pm to 7pm
Conservator Dr Ian MacLeod provides a unique insight into this most famous of all shipwrecks. Having worked on items as massive as the spare connecting rod from the engine room to the oboes and clarinets played as the ship went down, Ian MacLeod will talk about the fate of the objects and the ultimate fate of the crew and passengers on the RMS Titanic.
How did this work come about? A young French conservation masters intern came to the Western Australian Museum in Fremantle to learn about decay of metals on shipwrecks. Stephane Pennec worked his heart out on shipwreck objects made of cast and wrought iron as well as non-ferrous metals. He had done some preliminary work with Electicite de France on treatment of objects from the Titanic and developed his skills in Fremantle. Back in France his laboratory group LP3 Conservation successfully tendered for the contract work of conserving the materials to be recovered from the debris field by RMS Titanic Inc. The treatments and the problems were shared with Ian MacLeod and we worked collaboratively to stabilise some very tricky materials.
This talk will focus on the challenges of identifying the unusual corrosion products found on the wreck and how they have helped to solve the mystery of the apparently anomalous behaviour of the decay processes down at remarkable depths in the cold dark but oxygenated waters of the wreck site. Through understanding of the impacts of pressure on the chemistry of calcium minerals the absence of human remains is explained and the new methods developed for treating delicate newspapers and leather items from the wreck will be revealed.
Dr Ian MacLeod is a corrosion chemist and materials conservator who has worked for the Western Australian Museum for the past 30 years. He pioneered the use of in-situ corrosion measurements on historic shipwrecks, with particular emphasis on the use of sacrificial anodes to preserve materials on the seabed. He has studied the microstructure of metals covering a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys and has learnt how changes in the formulation of alloys and the work history of the objects predisposes them to particular patterns of decay.
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Underground, Underwater: Exploring Careers in Archaeology
Thinking about becoming an archaeologist but don’t know how to get started? Want to know what kind of career is out there for you? The Heritage Council of Victoria announces its free National Archaeology Week event Underground, Underwater.
Come and hear archaeologists new to the profession talk about how they became archaeologists and their interesting experiences along the way. There will also be a panel of archaeologists with expertise in historic, maritime, Aboriginal and Middle Eastern archaeology available to answer your questions and offer advice.
If you are a student with an interest in shipwrecks, or the archaeology of Australia’s recent and ancient history, don’t miss Underground Underwater!
More details can be found at http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au. Dig
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Yardarino School Public Dig Artifact Display
In 2007 a public excavation of the interior of the former Yardarino school building was undertaken during National Archaeology Week as part of conservation works. A program of public assisted excavation, archaeological fun day activities and a public lecture was organised by Irwin historical society,the Shire of Irwin and Gaye Nayton, Heritage Archaeologist.
A display using artifacts and photos from the Yardarino Dig will be mounted in the foyer of National Australia Bank, Dongara from about 5 May.
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WA MUSEUM - ALBANY Shipwrecks at an ancient crossroads: The Galle Harbour Project, Sri Lanka
Presentation by Jon Carpenter
Conservator, Department of Conservation, Western Australian Museum
The joint Sri Lanka-Australia-Netherlands project has been running for twelve years and has involved the excavation of a remarkably well preserved 17th century VOC(Dutch East India Company) ship named Avondster (Evening Star). This presentation outlines this unique project and refers to this vessel, plus a number of other interesting shipwrecks that exist in Sri Lankan waters.
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WA MUSEUM - ALBANY Archaeological Activities for children (and their parents!) - Look What They’ve Done To My Mummy!
Become an archaeologist and join our ancient Egypt team to uncover fascinating artefacts and information about the life of the Pharaohs, Egyptian craftsmen and farmers.
Discover the unusual powers of ancient Egyptian amulets, learn what a canopic jar is and design your own to take home or mummify your own Mummy, not your Daddy.
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Dig into the Past at Perth Town Hall
Ever wondered about past human societies? What artifacts, architecture, biofacts and environmental data from the past tell us? Well this month you may find the answer when Heritage Perth hosts an event in the Perth Town Hall for National Archaeology Week.
On Sunday 16 May, the foyer of the Town Hall will showcase an amazing display of pre-history, maritime and historical posters including Australian archaeological work overseas in Jordon and the Pilbara ARC and Cossack Projects. There will also be displays featuring the archaeology of Perth’s Government House, the Peel region, Manning Park Estate and the Archaeological Society of WA.
Look around and you might just see Governor James Stirling who can tell you about living in the First Government House and his thoughts about what Archaeologists will make of it in the future or try your hand as an archaeologist. Either by your self or as a family team of archaeologists, why not see if you can work your way through a series of activities using real artifacts and learn about the behaviours of people of the past.
Gaye Nayton, the state representative of National Archaeology Week will give a talk on archaeology in Perth at 3.30 pm and Ambika Flavel will tell us about her work as a Forensic Archaeologist including the excavation of soldiers at Fromelles. You can hear this fascinating talk at 4 pm
Investigate archaeology and take a look at the past on Sunday 16 May, Perth Town Hall from 2 – 4.30 pm. This is a FREE Heritage Perth event.
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WA MUSEUM - ALBANY Artefacts from the Albany Foreshore Project
Presentation by Jon Carpenter
Conservator, Department of Conservation, Western Australian Museum
Join Jon Carpenter to examine and discuss conservation of valuable items from the Albany waterfront, excavated in the recent work at the Town Jetty.
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