Day of Archaeology 2011

July 29, 2011 – what were you doing?  You can find out what over 400 archaeologists around the world were doing, and answer some of those burning questions:

1. What do archaeologists REALLY do?  (My nieces think I “dig for worms and rocks.”)

2. Do they carry whips and guns, and wear funny hats?

3. Can I really get a job in archaeology (and survive)?

4. What’s archaeology like in other parts of the world?

What other questions do you have about archaeology?  Perhaps the Day of Archaeology blogspot can give you some clues.  If not, post your question here and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Hey, if you’re an archaeologist, where’s your post for the Day of Archaeology???

Why the past is important to the present – Part 3

For today’s blog post, I am directing you right to digging the DIRT.  I quite enjoy this blog; they often include posts that make archaeology humerus, I mean, humorous to the general public, as opposed to just super keen nerdy archaeologists like me.  Today they tackled the subject of why archaeology is important, and did so through the ramblings of one comment to their blog.  It struck such a chord that I felt I had to share it here…

“I would like to know why anyone thinks archaeology is of any “useful” value.

What does an archeologist do that makes one bit of difference to the average guy on the street making a daily living?

I question where does any finding resulting from an archeologist work make a difference [to] anything in today’s working world?

Can anyone produce documentation or papers where one can find an actual “Return on Investment” on an archeological site?

Since it appears that no one even reads “written” history (current or otherwise) to apply lessons learned in order not to repeat mistakes why would anyone think that archeological history is of value? Since most archeological work is “educational guess work” any way!

Just asking”

This immediately incites rants from archaeologists on BAJR, which, to the archaeologist can be quite entertaining.  However, I do believe this to be quite an important topic.  I did create a poll on LinkedIn, asking developers what their take on historic resources was, and although it incited quite a limited response, I do think that archaeology as a nuisance is not popular opinion.  No, archaeology does not provide a monetary return and, unfortunately, it is an expense to a number of developers.  I do believe, however, that the value of archaeology is immeasurable, in terms of heritage, pride, identity and human advancement.  We learn from the past; we didn’t just magically get here with planes overhead and cars zooming by. But that’s just my opinion (See also Part 1 and Part 2 of Why the past is important to the present).  What do you think?

Walk back in time at Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is claimed to be one of the world’s oldest, largest and best-preserved buffalo jumps (that we currently know about).  What is a buffalo jump, you might ask?  Well, it’s where North American Indians “led” Bison along the prairie towards the edge of a cliff, where they eventually fell to their death.  A clever hunting technique where you kill (more than) two birds with one stone.

Head Smashed-In is a living testament to the ancient practices of Alberta’s native peoples, and is a great place for kids of all ages to learn about archaeology.  On Wednesday, May 4, renowned Alberta archaeologist, Jack Brink, will be giving a guided tour of the 5,700 year old drive lanes and other significant archaeological sites in the area.  The drive lanes are not generally open to the public, so take the day off, hop in your car, and spend the day roaming where the buffalo roamed.  (Call first!)

Site protection at its finest

There was finally an open window of dry, warm weather – hurrah!  Archaeologists all over the world cheer for this.  This means we are able to get back outside and dig some holes without having to wear and lug around excess gear.  Yesterday, this involved revisiting a known stone feature site, which happened to be a cairn right in the middle of an access road.  If you have ever wondered if developers listen when they say they’re going to protect something, here is proof.  Finding this made our job much easier, and it brought a little smile to my face.  It’s nice to see archaeology well protected; this is VERY well protected!

Spring has sprung… or has it?

Question: How long do you have to live in Calgary to get used to the crazy weather?

I spent my childhood here, and have lived here for the past five years.  When the sun shines and the snow starts melting, I think spring has arrived… but that isn’t always the case!  Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking.  As an archaeologist, winter is my enemy.  (Key word: archaeologist; for all you mountain bums out there – I used to be one of you!)  So here’s hoping that the snow melts and the ground thaws, so I can go back to digging holes and finding stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. It goes without saying that it’s silly to be wishing for warm weather when there is so much disaster and strife on the other side of the Pacific.  Help out if you can!

The new Listing of Historic Resources

The Land Use Planning Section of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit puts out a bi-annual Listing of Historic Resources, which essentially triggers developments to having impact assessments conducted.  It’s mainly used for small scale oil and gas, but other industries find it quite a useful tool as well.  In our Fall 2010 Newsletter, we analyzed the changes between the March and September 2010 Listings, finding quite limited increases in the number of sections affected by the Listing.  A similar analysis of the September 2010 and March 2011 Listings shows the same results.  Those are some exciting results, huh?

ACCS also encourages developers to recheck the Listing prior to construction, just in case, as it is illegal to disturb historic resources, and some superhero of an archaeologist might have discovered something while you were waiting for your crew to get organized.  When in doubt, contact your local favourite archaeologist.  Hopefully, that’s me.

On a new mission

I just finished reading Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.  If you aren’t aware, Zappos prides itself on its brand culture pipeline, and to sum it all up, all the people that work at Zappos WANT to be there and generally enjoy their job on a daily basis.  This has led Zappos to be a highly successful corporation, so much so that they have recently “married” Amazon with a dowry of about $1.2 billion.  As the proud owner of a start-up company, I like to read about things like this, to try to learn from other people’s mistakes and hear about the lessons they’ve learned along the way.  Hsieh’s book really got me thinking about core values and what our mission truly is.  I’ve always known that core values were essential to a company’s character and brand culture and that it was important to have a mission, but that was about it.  I’m thinking that perhaps I got it a bit wrong.  So over a frittata and a large cappuccino at The Vendome (vendomecafe.com – definitely worth a visit if you live in Calgary), I drafted a new mission, and tweaked our core values.

Old mission and core values: to provide clients with archaeological consulting services that centre around our core concepts: respect, safety, efficiency, open communication and teamwork, creating satisfaction for all those involved in the process… establishing strong, lasting relationships by exceeding client expectations, promoting both cultural preservation, as well as future development.

New mission: to help people understand, appreciate and plan ahead for heritage resources.

Change to core values: delete safety and respect.  Safety goes without saying – always be safe!  Respect must be earned – it isn’t automatic.  Add growth – it’s important to grow as people, w hich helps us to grow as a company.  Add humility – without it, you can’t grow.

Haven’t changed the website yet to reflect this… I think it can get even better.  Input?

Hello world!

I would say that archaeologists are not so tech-savvy, but I might just be speaking for myself.  I started Circle CRM Group in June of 2010 and got some great people to do my website, my logo, my branding (shout out to Charis Web and to James B!)… which helped me get started on my first marketing blitz.  Hurrah… but this world is moving quickly and it seems that the thing to do is tell everyone about your daily adventures.  What?  Wait, I sound like an old person.  Anyway…

This blog is meant to follow in the applicable footsteps of some really great companies, who have found success through great customer service, provided by great people.  The whole premise behind Circle is that strong and proper leadership will make for happy employees, who will provide the best service to our clients, who, in turn, will keep coming back for more.  A circle of happiness, if you will.  Yes, have a bite of cheese.  Tastes good, right?

This is our first WordPress blog entry, but we have been been blogging for a few months now.  We were just a bit ghetto – I said wasn’t tech savvy.  To see our old posts, please visit http://www.circleconsulting.ca/blog