ANTH 663
Christopher Dostal
Assistant Professor
Office hours: Friday 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, or by appointment.
Location: ANTH 102B
Email: dostalc@tamu.edu
Phone: 979-845-6355
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of analytical methods used in archaeology and archaeological conservation. The class is separated into two sections: artifact material analysis, and artifact documentation. Material analysis is the way that we study artifacts, both in structure and elemental composition. Classifying an artifact by use is often only just the beginning of an archaeological study; knowing that a projectile point is a projectile point can only tell us so much, but knowing what that point is made of can often tell us where it is from and can suggest trade routes and habitation patterns. Artifact documentation is one of the most important aspects to any archaeological project, but doubly so in archaeological conservation. Proper documentation can allow for studies to be completed without demanding that the artifacts be present, and often details not readily observable become apparent during the documentation process. This class will cover the traditional methods of artifact documentation, photography and sketches, as well as 3D computer modeling and digitization of artifacts and 3D printing. Though this course will emphasize existing equipment and techniques used in the anthropology department, capabilities available elsewhere on campus, like neutron activation analysis and scanning electron microscopes, will be included.
Course Prerequisites
Graduate Classification or Instructor Approval
Textbook and/or Resource Materials
Scientific Methods and Cultural Heritage: An Introduction to the Application of Materials Science to Archaeometry and Conservation Science by Gilberto Artioli (2009)
*Other readings will be provided by the instructor
Assignments
Analysis Project and Report – (35% of Grade)
Due Week 16
Each student will choose one of the provided artifacts and analyze it with a variety of the methods learned in class. (In exceptional, pre-approved circumstances you can provide your own artifact, but it is almost always a bad decision to do so.) Each student will individually analyze their artifact with the XRF, FTIR, and optical microscopy, the artifact will need to be photographed and drawn, and then it will be laser scanned, and it will be modelled using photogrammetry. The laser scanned model will be 3D printed and compared to the original. Along with the images and files, a project report will be handed in, describing the historical background of the object, the techniques used, and the benefits of using one or the other for this particular object. All sources must be cited in text with page numbers, and the format of the citation should be stated on the bottom of the first page. (e.g. ‘This paper follows the APA citation format’). Papers MUST use Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced, with 1” margins. Papers need to be submitted as a .doc or .docx file.
Critical Response (10% of Grade)
Due Week 10
Each student will write a 5-page critical response to one of the pre-selected academic papers provided. The review should include a brief summary of the article, your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the study, how the study could be improved, and suggestions for future work. All sources must be cited in text with page numbers, and the format of the citation should be stated on the bottom of the first page. (e.g. ‘This paper follows the APA citation format’). Papers MUST use Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced, with 1” margins. Papers need to be submitted as a .doc or .docx file.
Scientific Literacy Paper (10% of Grade)
Due Week 13
Each student will write a paper that ‘translates’ a scientific journal article about archaeology or conservation into a popular magazine-style article, like what one might find in National Geographic or Popular Science. Despite their best intentions, the authors typically doing the translating are rarely experts in the field they are describing, and so it is imperative that we as scholars are familiar with the types of shortcuts and metaphors that might be used to correctly or incorrectly convey complex scientific ideas and results to a lay-person audience. The length of this paper will be dependent on the length of the article assigned, but 10 pages is an estimated baseline. Forget about citations for this one paper! Papers MUST use Times New Roman, 12pt, double spaced, with 1” margins. Papers need to be submitted as a .doc or .docx file.
Exams
Each exam is worth 20% of your final grade. Each exam will consist of 25 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each, and 10 short answer questions worth 5 points each. I will provide the exams, you do not need to buy a blue book. Exams are non-cumulative.
Exam 1: Week 8
Exam 2: Week 16
Grading Policies
Exams (2) – 40%
Analysis Project and Report -35%
Critical Response – 10%
Scientific Literacy Paper – 10%
Reading summary and discussions – 5%
A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=59 and below
ALL COURSES
- ANTH 313 – Historical Archaeology
- ANTH 316 – Nautical Archaeology
- ANTH 317 – Introduction To Biblical Archaeology
- ANTH 318 – Nautical Archaeology of the Americas
- ANTH 323 – Nautical Archaeology Of The Ancient Mediterranean
- ANTH 353 – Archaeology Of Ancient Greece
- ANTH 354 – Archaeology of Ancient Italy
- ANTH 402 – Archaeological Artifact Conservation
- ANTH 417 – Naval Warfare & Warships In Ancient Greece And Rome
- ANTH 418 – Romans, Arabs, and Vikings
- ANTH 420 – History and Archaeology of Pirates, Privateers, and Sea Raiders
- ANTH 436 – Ancient Egypt
- ANTH 438 – Ancient Egypt II
- ANTH 464-664 – Cultural Heritage and Resource Management
- ANTH 603 – Seafaring Life and Maritime Communities 1450-1950
- ANTH 605 – Conservation of Archaeological Materials I
- ANTH 606 – Conservation of Archaeological Materials II
- ANTH 608 – Skills in Maritime Archaeology
- ANTH 610 – Outfitting And Sailing The Wooden Ship 1400-1900
- ANTH 611 – Introduction To Nautical Archaeology
- ANTH 612 – Preclassical Seafaring
- ANTH 613 – Classical Seafaring
- ANTH 615 – History Of Wooden Shipbuilding Technology
- ANTH 616 – Research and Reconstruction of Ships
- ANTH 617 – Conservation of Archaeological Materials III
- ANTH 628 – New World Seafaring Anthropology
- ANTH 629 – Post-Medieval Seafaring Anthropology
- ANTH 663 – Analytical Methods in Archaeology and Conservation
- ANTH 685 – Archaeological Diving: Skills and Methods
Course Schedule
This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
| Week 1 |
Introduction, Description, and Syllabus |
Read: Artioli p. 1-15 |
| Week 2 |
Artifact photography & Optical Microscopy, scope photography, Image processing |
Read: Abramowitz, M. (2003) Microscope: Basics and Beyond. |
| Week 3 |
Artifact Sketching Guest Lecture from Dr. Carolyn Kennedy |
Read: Collett (2012) Introduction to Drawing Archaeological Pottery |
| Week 4 |
3D Modeling: Using documentation to recreate an artifact. |
Read: Tanner et al. (2020) The Digital Reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo Ship |
| Week 5 |
3D Modeling 2: Arranging Mesh models in Rhino & 3D Printing. |
Read: Castro and Dostal (2020) Computer Graphics for Archaeology |
| Week 6 |
3D Digitization using Photogrammetry |
Read: McCarthy (2014): Multi-Image Photogrammetry as a Practical Tool for Cultural heritage Survey and Community Engagement |
| Week 7 |
3D Digitization using Laser Scanning |
Read: Dostal et al (2020) Integrating Digital and Conventional Recording Techniques for the Documentation and Reconstruction of an 18th-Century Wooden Ship from Alexandria, VA. |
| Week 8 |
Exam 1 |
|
| Week 9 |
Spring Break |
|
| Week 10 |
X-Ray Fluorescence |
Read: Artioli p. 29-37 |
| Week 11 |
Guest Speaker: Kim Breyfogle |
Readings TBD |
| Week 12 |
X-Ray Diffraction, Mass Spectroscopy, NAA |
Read: Artioli p. 50-52, 178-180, 214- 216 |
| Week 13 |
Tentative: tour of NSC |
*Scientific Literacy Paper due |
| Week 14 |
Reading Day – No Classes |
|
| Week 15 |
Semester review, exam review, project wrap up. |
Final exam. |
