Dear readers (i.e. family and one colleague!), yesterday we ventured into the field with the geophysical equipment for the first time. The route to the site is becoming increasingly complex due to the massive construction development activities of the resorts between Punta Cana and El Cabo. As soon as we have crossed one territory, we come up against another, with the same negotiations and bits of paper and miscommunications. Crossing the boundary between a world of pina colada soaked tourists, and neo-classical beach houses with thatched rooves and pefectly manicured golf courses into a countryside dotted with small farms (corrugated iron shacks) surrounded by banana and cassava gardens, tended to by families who sit out under the trees with their dogs and guineafowl is quite disorienting.
On the way to the site yesterday, we were first led up the cliffs inland, above El Cabo to survey the area for sources of clay (which the pre-Columbian inhabitants of El Cabo may have used to make their ceramics). When our guard left us, we got talking to a family of farmers who told us of a site with 'Indian pottery' which was 'just over the road' (sometimes this is true, sometimes this is not). We went with them, and sure enough came across a site, with mounds and shell and ceramic remains in the man's (Feliz) fruit garden. We took some coordinates and collected some surface pieces. Feliz also told us of a cave nearby with more remains, but although we bashed through the undergrowth with him for a while, we could not find it. Nevertheless, more evidence to show that unlike what the powerful landowners say about the virgin territory they are carving out, this area was already densely inhabited 800 years ago and more. We only understand the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reconstructing past populations in the area....nevertheless, we had to move on to El Cabo and get going with the geophysical survey. This we did in the afternoon, setting out the first grids and starting with some magnetometry. All is going smoothly.
Tonight a party with the villagers in El Cabo. More anon.
On the way to the site yesterday, we were first led up the cliffs inland, above El Cabo to survey the area for sources of clay (which the pre-Columbian inhabitants of El Cabo may have used to make their ceramics). When our guard left us, we got talking to a family of farmers who told us of a site with 'Indian pottery' which was 'just over the road' (sometimes this is true, sometimes this is not). We went with them, and sure enough came across a site, with mounds and shell and ceramic remains in the man's (Feliz) fruit garden. We took some coordinates and collected some surface pieces. Feliz also told us of a cave nearby with more remains, but although we bashed through the undergrowth with him for a while, we could not find it. Nevertheless, more evidence to show that unlike what the powerful landowners say about the virgin territory they are carving out, this area was already densely inhabited 800 years ago and more. We only understand the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reconstructing past populations in the area....nevertheless, we had to move on to El Cabo and get going with the geophysical survey. This we did in the afternoon, setting out the first grids and starting with some magnetometry. All is going smoothly.
Tonight a party with the villagers in El Cabo. More anon.
posted by alice at 2:49 AM
2 Comments:
The negotiation bit does remind me of the Leiden Sardinia survey project. Although there was a piece of paper ("permesso") to allow access, issued by the archaeological authorities (and still used the season after it had expired, by the way), this doesn't mean anything to local peasants fed up with authority, who could only explain what we were doing as planning and laying-out a new road across their land. Admittedly, it didn't help that the project's sampling strategy was to survey straight lines of 5 km, measured with a total station and in the process marked out by "jalons" (can't think of the English word), which does come pretty close to planning practices in road construction. Incidentally, the transect i had to direct as field manager was in a densely occupied horticultural area. Imagine unclimbable fences, neatly planted rows of vegetables and a group of archaeologists who want to walk a straight line (and if possibly take point samples around your precious lettuces). Because the sampling strategy was not really suited to this situation, this part of the project had been left to one of the last campaigns, of course. Unfortunately, because the rewards for going ahead were numerous: a couple of single-phase classical farmsteads (one of which was geophysics-ed, by the way, showing a clear lay-out of the single-phase farmstead, published in the Antiquity Project gallery), a Roman cemetery, and some of the inevitable Sardinian 'nuraghi'. The local peasants and wandering shepherds knew, of course, of many more sites beyond the 150mx5km stretch we were following, but that didn't fit the statistical approach of the sampling strategy. So much for systematic exploration.
jalon=javelin or ranging rods (i think)
yes, I know what you mean. I am always so surprised about how friendly and unsuspicious people are here though (a cliche, but nevertheless true in my experience). Responses to what we do range from indulgent bemusement to enthusiasm (which only sometimes wanes when we refuse to buy the pots), despite the fact that they are being thrown off their land by non/locals (i.e. developers).
And 'strategy' in sampling strategy precisely refers to the judgement calls in popping the nice artefacts in the bag despite the fact they fall out of your square, or taking a detour to include the interesting site...!
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