Notes from the Field School: July 29th, 2016
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Karl shares his work in archaeobotany
related to mummies with the students. |
Students met this morning to learn about botanical remains that can be found in archaeological contexts and what those remains can tell researchers about the lives of people in the past. We began the morning with a look at some of the palynological (pollen) cases in which Karl has been involved. Karl talked to the students about the recovery of evidence of medicinal plants and dietary remains from corpses. He also mentioned how plants can help us to identify seasonality of death, the use of oils or other botanical products in the preparation of bodies, and in some cases post-mortem anthropogenic movements of the remains. He gave a special presentation on the recovery of pollen from embalming jars containing mummified tissues and preparatory materials belonging to the Medici family of Florence.
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| Lunch of salad, bread, and a bean soup with pasta. |
Afterward, I (Johnica) gave a presentation with an overview of forensic/archaeobotany with a focus on palynological studies. The students learned the general methods for pollen collection and processing, how environmental and dietary reconstructions are done using both pollen and macrobotanicals (i.e. seeds, fruit skin fragments, etc.), and about a few cases that have been relevant to our discussions.
We had an excellent lunch of salad, bread, salami, cheese, and nectarines served with an entree of a bean and pasta soup. The soup was delicious, with earthy notes, and hearty, leaving many of us feeling quite satisfied and in need of a midday nap!
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| Jordan scans for pollen. |
After lunch, I spoke with the students about mite studies and how they relate to archaeological contexts. This new field of archaeoarachnology....specifically archaeoacarology...is exciting and wholly unexplored save for a few, isolated papers on the subject. In the future, I hope to work with Ellisa more closely and to consult with modern mite experts to unlock the secrets of these tiny macrofossils and their role in the taphonomy of human bodies around the world.
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| Sam and Erin get photos of pollen. |
The students then learned how to prepare slides of pollen and mite preparations for light microscopy. Each student prepared a slide or two of representative pollen grains and/or mites from our Lithuanian mummies. Each slide was examined microscopically and the students took turns looking at one another's slides. They then described what they saw both verbally and in writing by taking note of the shapes, surface features, and other aspects of each of the microstructures.
The students were then given some free time to catch up on their journals or explore Santa Lucia del Mela before dinner. We instructors took this time to discuss the changes to our original syllabus and talk about the final week of the course. We held our meeting at the Poker Bar, a local establishment that is just around the corner from the convent. This bar is a class favorite, serving coffee, juice, gelato, and my new favorite thing, granita! At today's instructor's meeting, I got crazy and ordered a strawberry chocolate granita with whipped cream. It was delightful and especially refreshing after a string of long days!
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Strawberry chocolate
granita with whipped cream |
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Myself, Deb, Karl, Dario, and Dario's friend from Palermo
after our instructor's meeting at the Poker Bar. |
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| Students and instructor enjoy a bit of free time before dinner. Left to Right: Sam, Mallory, Karl, Breane, and Jordan behind. |
Our dinner today consisted of yummy pork chops, fries, bread, and cheese. We were also treated to "rustici", which included "mozzarella in carrozza" (mozzarella in a carriage). These were delicious little pouches of bread filled with either ham, mushrooms, and cheese, or with cheese, greens, and tomatoes or other things. These came from Dario's family for us to enjoy and they disappeared quickly! As usual, we all walked away happy from another delicious meal!
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| One type of rustici from tonight's dinner. |
Thus ended our first week of the MSFS! Tomorrow, we will spend our Saturday traveling to Piraino to look at more mummies on the island. Be sure to check back and read about our weekend adventures!
Written by Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
