Virtual interview with Linda F. Stine, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, conducted on April 1, 2011. Linda also happens to be one of my siblings . . .
EC: How has technology changed the way archaeology is conducted?
LFS: We now use geophysical remote sensing techniques to search for potential below ground ruins and find patterns in the ground. Sometimes we do this from the air, using planes and photographs or satellites. Some folks even use Google Earth images to seek out large buried fortifications and towns. This saves us time. We don't have to dig so many excavation units or shovel tests.
EC: How did you become interested in doing archaeology?
LFS: I always liked digging things up. I enjoyed trying to figure out what old things were used for when visiting historic living history museums (eg., wool carders, spindles).
EC: Any favorite places, or places you'd like to do fieldwork?
LFS: Place with soil that is easy to dig, holds its walls and shows features well. Hmmm. Actually, anywhere that is a beautiful place that has interesting people, an intriguing history and prehistory. I am really interested in immigration and what happens when members of different cultures end up having to adjust to each other.
EC: Anything else you might want to discuss here?
LFS: I wish more people would be aware of the importance of combining conservation and stewardship of the natural environment and the cultural environment. That would include sounds as I heard someone from South Carolina give a great paper imagining what life on a historic site might have sounded like. Music, work sounds, animals, trees, water . . .
EC: anything that's astonished you in the way of new discoveries since you began this?
LFS: Look up epigenetics and you will be astonished.
More to come, no doubt. I did look up epigenetics and I am astonished!
Today's Rune: Fertility.
1 comment:
Yes, epigenetics is rather eye popping.
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