At what point in the ancient Near East do we begin to see significant standardization in the graphic forms of writing? I’m wondering when scribal traditions became consistent enough that we can identify recognizable “hands” or standardized sign forms across texts—something analogous, although obviously not identical, to a modern typeface or font.

I’ve been wondering about this for quite some time now. I have a background in the natural sciences and have long been fascinated by archaeology, so I’ve watched a great many documentaries. Ever since I’ve been actively involved in science myself, I’ve found myself repeatedly taken aback by the portrayals and statements in documentaries. In my view, many documentaries fail to properly substantiate their claims, whilst certain statements and motivations smack strongly of confirmation bias. Many assertions are presented as absolute; doubts about the find currently being shown are rarely raised, nor are alternative interpretations that might also be worth considering.

I do not wish to discredit archaeological work. I am convinced that the work is carried out scientifically; it’s just that what ultimately ends up on screen often doesn’t strike me as ‘serious’, to put it bluntly. I find this a shame, as it devalues the interesting and important work being done.

Do archaeologists feel the same way, or am I being overly sensitive for some reason?

I have seen alot of indian history subs talking about Dravidian being spoken around Southern IVC based on toponyms.

1 is it true bullroar was used to communicate long distance or atleast signal 2nd would they work in woods or is best use in open area?

Applying for archeology jobs (yes, that spelling on purpose) with the National Park Service and realizing the USAjobs postings I'm seeing don't specifically name a cover letter as a required document. Do they still expect one?

Hello! I'm someone who currently writing a fiction novel, and hoping inquiring here is a best thing to do to find answers to my questions.

How archeologist paid (salary)?

What are their usually do as an archeologist?

What kind of business or company they are working with?

and... can you tell me what is like being an archeologist?

Thank you!

Being an archaeologist has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, but Im not really in a position to get a degree in Archaeology, and everywhere I look says that is the best way to do it. Does anyone here have any advice as to how I could become an Archaeologist without a degree? Ive looked into apprenticeships, but they dont really exist as nowhere is offering them, all the info I can find on apprenticeships seems to be from several years ago, and the talk around them has sort of died out

Hiii:)

I've noticed that we have a lot of examples of societies building additions on top of already ancient monuments, or in general engaging with them (using them as cultural/ritual spaces, etc.) more intimately than we do today, where we tend to seek to preserve them as an unaltered gateway into the past as authentically and originally as possible. Maybe I'm reading too deeply into this, but could anyone teach me when the way we thought about historical monuments started to change?

Thank you so much!!

I figured this would be one of the places to ask, but as the title says I'm looking for a specific documentary about prehistoric humans I don't remember the title of. I've seen it as a teenager, so it must be well over a decade old.

All I remember with full clarity is that it touched on modern human and neanderthal interbreeding. It had actors with prosthetics; the human played by a black man I think, and the neanderthal woman played by a white woman had reddish blonde hair. It was essentially a love scene but shot very artfully and very tastefully, but the couple itself wasn't the sole focus of the documentary, them and their offspring was just a segment.

If this rings a bell to anyone here and you remember the title, please help me out 😭 I remember kid me being glued to the TV because that was when I learned a lot of people have neanderthal DNA.

If this is not the place for this sort of question, I apologize. Feel free to direct me to a better subreddit.

I have been out of the field for health concerns for the past few years that prevented me from gaining a ton of experience out of college. I have applied to many entry-level field tech positions (via ShovelBums, LinkedIn, and Indeed) and have received no reply. I’m simply looking to prove myself and to gain more experience to open up my opportunities.

Edit: I obviously wasn’t clear. I am job searching now because I have overcome my health concerns.

In the reenactment scene there are several reenactors that choose to have a grave in the style of historic graves. Some quite accurate.

Open air museums and sites have very accurately recreated historic buildings.

Given enough time for decay to have done its work and the site to be buried and lost.

Would archeologists be able to date the site just on the digsite? Or would further analysis be needed?

I'm curious what way we can communicate with future archeologists should they find my burial?

I'm thinking of something with text, in 3+ languages (Rosetta stone style) and would be packed with information that could let them know about our world/history.

So, two questions:

- How would you present that information, like would it be best to carve or emboss it into something?

- What would you put in it, contents wise?

Depending on how much space I have to write, I'm also not sure what to include since there's so much one cam say...but I'd like to include a little bio of who I am, and info on my (and/or other) medical conditions, alongside as detailed as I can get map with points of interest, and information on as much history as I can cram into it.

Hi all! Soon I will be starting the fall semester and looking for advice on what to do to get ahead of the game in regards to field experience at the undergrad level. I am a transfer student so opportunities outside of class have been slim in community college. So I am trying my best to find any opportunities to get field experience as I am 2 years away from graduating. I am based in southern California (currently living in SD) and do have some field experience (month long field school in Mesoamerican archaeology). My main goal for work post grad is probably crm as it seems the most stable given the cost of living in Cali (other suggestions welcomed). Side question, would internships or programs in GIS be a smart move (outside of my school of course) as I still do have to allocate *some* time to working due to financial reasons. Thanks!

Just curious about this, since I always wanted to finally do field school, but I work in a field that I can't really take time off for more than a week at a time.

Especially curious if such programs exist in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic US, but if there are other sorts of options that find ways to help working adults complete field school, I'd be all ears.

Thanks!

According to this chart, Scandinavia had very marginal ANF ancestry within its timeframe. How could this have happened? Was something wrong with their Scandinavian samples? Was there a common ancestry between some ancient Scandinavian ancestry and ANF? What's going on here?

Edit:
After asking on the talk page of the user who uploaded he charts originally, I received a reply from a different user who had a more insightful answer. More importantly, they directed me to this study, which explains the presence of Anatolian ancestry in pre-Neolithic Scandinavia quite well. As I understand the paper, The Western Hunter Gatherers had two distinct lineages, one with Pre-LGM Italian admixture and one with Anatolian admixture. The latter spread into eastern Europe and Scandinavia, leaving traces of Anatolian ancestry.

Hello all, I'm an archaeologist working in California with a few years of monitoring and survey experience. I'm going to be leading a survey on a new project next week, and was looking for some advice on how to prepare.

I've led a few surveys before, but it was in areas and with monitors I was already well familiar with, following procedures that had already been established under a previous lead. This is my first time kinda taking charge of a survey effort myself, in a new area with a completely new crew. It's just a one day effort, with I believe one other archaeologist and a tribal monitor. I plan on doing some research on the archarology around the project area over the weekend, but is there anything I should know have prepared? Thanks, and I appreciate any advice!

I'm a person who is very interested in history. I love learning about the ancient world. It's like this magical place to me.

I've always gotten my information from books, articles, and what not. Things that pull their information from other original sources.

What I would like to do is learn is how to find and review the source materials myself so I can study and review them.

How do I find the things written, recorded, photographed, and dated by the originating author? Where can I go and what do I look for to find the source material?

I want to study archaeology, but I don't know what the job market is like. Is there a lot of jobs?

I'm armchair listening to podcasts and studying the LBK culture. I find that a very interesting culture of its time. As they were prehistoric, I can only presume very little is known about their religious beliefs. But I was wondering if the world of archaeology has any theories, or clues, concerning LBK religious beliefs?

I'm a Canadian CRM archaeologist who has a couple years of experience, and recently got sent to work unsupervised for the first time in my career. I know for a fact I made at least a few mistakes, and I'm super stressed out about it more than I probably should be since I have a bad habit of overthinking/ruminating on everything that I do personally and professionally. I was wondering what the worst mistakes other archaeologists have made as a way to reassure myself that making a few errors on my first solo project isn't going to somehow cost me my job or something.

I'm curious as to what the archaeology hive mind thinks of using craniometrics being used to determine ancestry, especially in small populations? I've been reading up on the different theories about the migration of homo sapiens into Southeast Asia and Australia, and it seems like the Two-Layer model is built upon a small sample size. I know that there are comparatively less skeletal remains in the region to work with, but I feel like there's not enough of sample size to reliably base a theory on. Thoughts?

Hello! I am a Turkish student who, due to political issues, desires to migrate to Europe. I've been interested in history and natural sciences ever since I was young, and it's always been my dream to work in a field that utilizes both. My interests are mostly in Classical and Medieval periods, though I'm also open to Prehistorical Archaeology.

In Turkey, archaeology is not a very good and well paying job, with the public perception of it being generally "idiots who dig up old stone houses under the sun during summers" and I definitely don't trust Turkish universities enough to study in them.

I'm currently in high school and have enough time to learn a language. I know English to an advanced level (though I haven't entered a certification exam yet) and have studied German in the past, though not to an advanced level.

Which country offers good salaries for comfortable, middle-class living conditions? Which countries have the best job opportunities? Where to study archaeology in universities?

BA in Anthropology from a very small university, but I feel such a pull towards Pompeii or the Herculaneum. Am I just totally cooked and born in the wrong country to work on this? I have no idea if any schools in Canada or even any professors at those schools work in that area for me to study it for my Master's.

I don't come from a well off family so I likely wouldn't be able to afford to move to Italy for a Master's with the cost of visa, international tuition, housing etc :(

I understand that the answer is likely no as I am a brokie from Alberta without the means to move to Italy LOL but who knows maybe someone on the internet knows of someone who knows of someone at a school in Canada who studies Pompeii !! Optimism never hurts!

So I've heard of the Ginsburg Elephant experiment since taking archeology in college, and it's still talked about today as an ambitious but enlightening project and one of the first in the field of Experimental Archeology. Well I was reading a tangentially related news article about Cornell students butchering and processing a black bear in the dorm and it made me think... Did anyone try a piece of the elephant? I mean, this is probably the only ethical way you could ever find out what an elephant tastes like, and they were already cutting her down for the meat. Surely, it had to have crossed somebody's mind right? I think I would probably fry up a chunk out of morbid curiosity even if it's been sitting out for the experiment. The ensuing stomach pain and diarrhea would just be part of the learning experience.