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- April 5, 2006
Public site has pluses, minuses
- Editor's Note: Check back daily for updates on the
progress and new photos of the Department of Anthropology's team's dig at
the Memorial Union.
Original
release
Saturday, April
1
Sunday,
April 2
Monday, April
3
Tuesday, April 4
This isn't a normal dig for students and faculty from the Department
of Anthropology.
For the past several summers, many of these students and faculty have been
involved in a dig at the Clary Ranch Site in western Nebraska – miles from
the nearest restaurant, laundry facilities and hot shower.
For the next several days, the archaeology team will co-exist with the Iowa
State campus at the construction site just south of the Memorial Union.
Take-out food is available. And a warm bed and hot shower awaits them at
the conclusion of the day.
"Typically we have to prepare our own meals," said David Rapson,
affiliate professor in the Department of Anthropology, while enjoying his
lunch from Hickory Park. "It's nice that we are working in proximity
to several restaurants."
While there is a level of comfort with this dig, it hasn't come without
a price.
"This site is a lot more public than we're used to," said Matt
Hill, assistant professor of anthropology. "I don't think there's an
intersection as busy in all of western Nebraska as it is here (Memorial
Union at Lincoln Way)."
Media were afforded an opportunity to view the site up-close and personal
on the first official day of the dig. Because the site is considered by
Iowa State as a construction area, tours and unofficial visitors aren't
allowed near the dig.
That hasn't stopped students and others from peering at the archaeology
team at work through the chain-link fence and from the windows of the Memorial
Union's Sun Room. Students working on the dig site joking refer to it is
"watching the archaeologists at the zoo."
Several student groups stopped by earlier in the week to view the goings-on
at the site. Rapson says most were sent by faculty members to find out first-hand
what was happening.
"We've started giving short introductory talks as to what we're doing
here," Rapson said. "The students appeared very interested and
asked good questions. They did seem disappointed that they couldn't come
in."
And beginning Tuesday, the team was joined by another group of excavators
as construction work continued on the Memorial Union site. Now when the
construction firm is operating heavy equipment, the archaeologists must
wear hard hats.
While these distractions may pull him and his students away from their primary
work at the site, Rapson says it's important that archaeologists reach out
to the public.
"The typical U.S. citizen thinks we're Indiana Jones or are just digging
up fossils," he laughs. "Neither is correct.
"Public outreach is important to our profession. We need to explain
why it is important that we look at these type of sites and why we do what
we do in such a painstaking manner."
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Day 4 - Tuesday, April 4
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