Sally Hemings Monticello Living Quarters Excavated

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1 ATLANTA ANTIQUITY Newsletter of the Greater Atlanta Archaeological Society VOL. 5, NO. 3 MARCH 2017 In the News Via archaeology.com Sally Hemings Monticello Living Quarters Excavated CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the living space of Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman with whom Thomas Jefferson is thought to have fathered six children, according to a report from NPR. The excavation is part of a renovation project at Jefferson s Monticello plantation that aims to illuminate the lives of the enslaved people who lived there. The area where Hemings is thought to have lived was turned into a restroom in In the area, archaeologists have uncovered a fireplace, the original brick floor, and traces of several shelves. One of the goals of the project is to make the presence of enslaved people at the plantation more apparent to visitors. INSIDE THIS ISSUE In the News 1 Guest Speaker 2 Meeting Info & 3 Treasurer Note Events 4 Legislative Update Info 10 Member Shout-Out 11 Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello There were no remnants of slavery that visitors could encounter, said Christa Dierksheide, a historian at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello. And we're recreating or restoring spaces where enslaved families would've worked, would've lived, and made it the dynamic place that it was. -AIA

2 PAGE 2 VOL. 5, NO. 3 March Guest Speaker Media Prehistoria A Georgia native, Scott has made a lifelong study of natural and cultural history, and the interconnections between the two. This interest in natural science and human technology merged easily with his archaeological training, and in 1987 he began to apply his expertise full-time to the study of Stone-Age skills, ancient technologies and their relation to our lives today. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Georgia and an Associate Degree in Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force. He brings over 30 years of professional experience to the field of primitive technology. His professional enterprise Media Prehistoria embodies the breadth of this experience, including demonstrations, presentations, experimental archaeology, and consulting for archaeological firms, museums, documentary films and universities throughout the southeast. Lecture: A Survey of Lithic Resources of Georgia This presentation focuses on the dominant lithic materials used for flaked stone tools within Georgia, along with a few examples of less well-known but important materials. A knapping demonstration and discussion of quartz tool technology will also be included, with an emphasis on quartz raw material typology as presented in Early Georgia 34(1), Spring

3 Our Next Meeting P A G E 3 March 14 6:30pm Fernbank Natural History Museum 767 NE Clifton Road Atlanta, GA This is the last month for combining GAAS and SGA dues! Dues are not going up for the year. Dues for G.A.A.S. are $20.00 and the dues for SGA are $20.00 (if paid at the same time as your G.A.A.S. dues). Please make checks payable to: The Greater Atlanta Archaeology Society (GAAS) Payments can be made to Lyn Kirkland, Treasurer, at the meeting or mailed to her address on the membership application: 657 Cumberland Rd. NE, Atlanta, Ga Nationwide Is On Our Side Did you know you are covered by insurance when participating in a GAAS activity? All activities sponsored by GAAS, including the monthly meetings, are covered. All "digs" are covered such as Raccoon Ridge, Topper, Glass Site, Deer Run, etc. Coverage includes all accidental injuries not covered by other carriers, including unpaid deductibles, co-insurance amounts, first-dollar coverage, etc. Coverage starts when a member leaves for the GAAS event and continues until he (she) returns from the event. If there are no other carriers paying full charges there are "first dollar" benefits. Many thanks to long time member Jack Kilgore for initiating this benefit for members! Lyn Kirkland 3

4 VOL. 5, NO. 3 PAGE 4 EVENTS Native Lands: Indians and Georgia Atlanta History Center, through December 2018 What was it like before Europeans settlers arrived here? Immerse yourself in the world of art, music and ceremony of the Creeks and Cherokees. Native Lands: Indians and Georgia shares the history and stories of the state s original inhabitants beginning with the Mississippian peoples and continuing with their descendants, the Creeks and the Cherokees. Long before the first European settlers came to what is now called Georgia, the Mississippian Indians developed complex societies on these lands complete with art, music, ceremony, agriculture, architecture and trade industries. The Creeks and Cherokees left landmarks and cultural legacies prior to their 1830s removal from the state on the Trail of Tears. Native Lands explores Indians recent history and their continuing connections to Georgia through the voices of contemporary Creeks and Cherokees. (atlantahistorycenter.com) For more information and other exhibits at the Atlanta History Center, please visit 4

5 P A G E 5 Through October 2017 Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville Showcasing artifacts from Etowah Mounds on loan from the Smithsonian Party With the Past: Center for Puppetry Arts Party With the Past is a FREE program connecting young ATLiens to the historic locations around them (and the cold brews they crave). Come explore Atlanta's past and build a stronger community for the future. What do David Bowie, Big Bird, and Atlanta have in common? Learn this and more as Party With the Past heads to the Center for Puppetry Arts in April to explore the history of this unique art form and why it thrives in Atlanta. As always, the event is free to attend, just RSVP to let us know you'll be there. A cash bar and food for purchase will be available onsite. -Atlanta History Center RSVP here! 5

6 P A G E 6 The Atlanta Preservation Center s Phoenix Flies program is taking place now through the end of March! To access the full program, click here. Notable events (FREE, but RSVP generally required): Dr. Gordon Jones s discussion of Cyclorama at the Atlanta History Center Guided tour of the Edgewood Avenue Trolley Barn Meet the Past Experience in Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta (at the Atlanta History Center) Tours and talk at L.P. Grant Mansion Historic guided walking tours of Ansley Park, Druid Hills, Grant Park, Downtown, Inman Park, Ponce de Leon Corridor, Sweet Auburn, Westview Cemetery, and Underground Atlanta Historian Susan Kessler Bernard s talk and tour of historic Standing Peachtree Park s rich history Castelberry Hill Historic Walking Tour Early Edgewood-Candler Park BiRacial History Project (walking and biking tours) Georgia Battlefields Association s Civil War Downtown walking tour Rhodes Hall guided tour by the Georgia Trust Wren s Nest tour 6

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8 P A G E 8 Lecture Series Secrets of the Ness of Brodgar: a Stone-Age Complex in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site Tuesday, March 21, :00pm University of Georgia, Miller Learning Center, Rm. 214 Lecturer: Nick Card Off the northernmost tip of Scotland lies the Orkney Islands where it is said that if you scratch its surface Orkney bleeds archaeology! This is nowhere truer than in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site that is renown for some of the most iconic prehistoric monuments of Atlantic Europe: the great stone circles of the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness; Maeshowe the finest chambered tomb in northern Europe; and the exceptionally well preserved 5,000-year-old village of Skara Brae. Recent research and excavation in this area is radicalizing our views of this period and providing a sharp contrast to the Stonehenge centric view of the Neolithic. In particular, the stunning discovery of a Neolithic complex at the Ness of Brodgar that was enclosed within a large walled precinct is changing our perceptions. The magnificence of the Ness structures with their refinement, scale, and symmetry decorated with color and artwork, bears comparison with the great temples of Malta. These excavations are revealing a 5,000 year old complex, socially stratified, and dynamic society. The Ness excavations were recognized by the American Institute of Archaeology as one of the great discoveries in 2009; named the 2011 Current Archeology Research Project of the Year; winner of the international Andante Travel Archaeology Award in 2012; and featured in cover article in National Geographic in The excavations are directed by Nick Card who has lived and worked on Orkney off the north tip of Scotland for more than 25 years. He is Senior Projects Manager of the Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology, University of Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute that he helped to establish. He is also a Member of Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site Research Committee; an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of the Highlands and Islands; Chair of the Ness of Brodgar Trust and Vice-president of the American Friends of the Ness of Brodgar. 8

9 P A G E 9 Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University Baskets were one of the first art forms in the Americas, with basket fragments found in California and the Southwest dating to 9,400 years ago. Over the millennia, native North Americans developed elaborate techniques and intricate designs worked in local materials, from sweetgrass in Florida to black ash in the Northeast and deer grass in California, among many others. These materials were sacred to their makers and those who used these special containers. So too was the way each was made with coiling, especially poignant, symbolizing for many groups the path of human emergence from inside earth and the movement of the spirits between realms. This display in the Art of the Americas' galleries explores the intersection between material, making, and meaning in the fragile basketry art of the Southeast to the Southwest and up into the Arctic. Image: Large Basket with Checkerboard Patterning Unknown artist (Native American, Ndeh [Apache]). ca Approx. 22 in. h. Anonymous gift. (carlos.emory.edu) For more information, visit 9

10 P A G E 10 Stay in the Know and Support Cultural Resources! Are you interested in receiving updates about legislation that affects archaeology, historic preservation and other environmental concerns? If so, subscribe to the 2017 Legislative Weekly Update s put out by the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists. Subscribe by sending an to sgale@newsouthassoc.com 10

11 P A G E 11 Member Shout-Out Kathy Kinev, a long-time GAAS member, has been featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution for her work as a skilled jewelry-creator and gemologist, who has also done community service work in Thailand for Emory s Michael C. Carlos Museum. To read the AJC article about Kathy, click here.. Don t forget to check out our sister organization, the Gwinnett Archaeological Research Society (GARS) for archaeology news and upcoming events nearby, plus access to the Gwinnett Archaeology Bulletin! GARS has a full line-up of talks and activities planned, so don t miss out! Preserving History Through Archaeology GARS Facebook Fort Daniel Foundation Facebook 11

12 Greater Atlanta Archaeological Society Officers President John Mayes (404) Vice President Ansley Abra- (404) Secretary Les Heyward (678) Treasurer Lyn Kirkland (404) Board of Directors Dr. Jeffrey Glover (404) Jenna Pirtle (404) Connie White (404) Dominic Day (478) Marty Benton (770) Newsletter Credits Editor: Emma Mason Contact us at or For contributions to the newsletter, please the information to the address above by the end of the month. Please send as an or.doc file. Membership Application & Renewal Form Annual Dues for the Year 2017 Check Membership type: Individual ($20) Name: Information About You: (Please Print) Family ($25) Student ($10) School GAAS T-shirts ($10 each) show number of each size: brown S M L XXL blue S M L XL XXL Tax deductible contribution to the GAAS Archaeological Research Fund Address: work/home/cell Phone: work/home/cell Phone: G.A.A.S. 657 Cumberland Rd. NE Atlanta, GA