Ross Bay Field Work

The best thing about studying anthropology is that most topics you cover are bound to be interesting and unique. Archaeology of Death is no exception. This month we've been working on a group project that I can confidently say is one of the weirdest projects I've ever done. "Monument Analysis" sounded straight forward and relatively boring, until I read the description. What it actually entailed was going to a cemetery and collecting data on monuments of choice. I had never been to Ross Bay cemetery, but heard it was the final resting place of a few famous Canadians, such as Emily Carr and Sir James Douglas. I love Emily Carr, and the thought of visiting her grave had occurred to me in the past, but going to a cemetery leisurely never sounded like a great pastime. When I finally did get there, I was pleasantly surprised with my surroundings. Fortunately, we went on a sunny (although freezing) day. I walked down the pathways surrounded by trees towards the ocean. It was nothing like the cemetery I had visited back home when I was younger, but that probably had more to do with the fact that I had no family members buried in Ross Bay. As the morning went on, we noticed joggers making their way through the cemetery, and children and dogs playing and laughing. All this struck me as odd. These people didn't seem to notice that this was a cemetery, or it just didn't phase them. Then I realized that others probably feel the same disconnection to the place as I did, since I didn't have any family ties there. It could be that the cemetery is quite old, and many grievers of these deceased individuals may not be around anymore. The project itself was interesting. We walked around for quite a while trying to figure out what we should do our analysis on, then finally decided on the most prominent landmarks: the mausoleums. The first one we saw was quite grand, with fresh flowers present. A few were like this, while a few were really erie. I enjoyed studying mausoleums and seeing which family groups were wealthy enough to afford these tombs, and which ones cared so much about their final resting spot that they felt it was important to build a shrine for themselves or their family members. I would definitely do this project again, or something like it. The only change I would make is conducting the study on a warmer day.. or wear thicker socks.

Burying Ally

Upon considering what I would want to be buried with if I should die tomorrow, I realized that it wouldn't be my choice to die tomorrow, and therefore I get no say in what I would be buried with. From here, I decided to ask the people who would be deciding on the objects surrounding me in my final resting place: my friends. As I had expected from my friends, a topic this morbid was not given the seriousness that it probably deserves. I was given some pretty funny answers to the question, and learnt a lot about how my friends identify me. These are the comments I received: "your teddy!" (my childhood toy I've never been able to part with) "your glasses, although I don't know if they will fit in the casket" (I have big, goofy glasses), "a baby kangaroo", "bangers and mash, tea and your favourite Christmas movies", "a mirror with an inscription describing you so that future archaeologists will know that their beauty will never compare to yours", "a beer or wine bottle", "can awkwardness fit in a grave?", "a trowel and a beer", "your art" and, "things that make you happy". I was honestly not expecting that many people to comment on this Facebook status, but I am very pleased and appreciative. There are few objects here that will actually preserve for future archaeologists, so as far as they will be able to tell, I was a female in her twenties, who was possibly vain on account of the mirror, used a trowel, enjoyed the occasional libation, made art (depending on how well it preserves), and for some reason, was buried along side a baby kangaroo. The making of this blog has been pretty fun, being able to see what my friends think are important to me, or what reminds them of me. But to seriously consider this, I realized that to not know exactly what I want to be buried with is an indication that I need many many more years of life. When the time finally comes, I will hopefully be buried with a lifetime of objects that made me happy, an indication that I fulfilled a maternal role, be near the remains of my loved ones, and have the skeleton of an old lady.

"Liking" Archaeology

On Facebook I follow a page called Archaeology Magazine , which posts recent archaeological finds from all over the world. A recent post I read was about tomb found in Egypt, belonging to the pharaoh Woseribre Senebkay, who ruled 3650 years ago. The king was previously unknown to Egyptologists, and apparently his entire dynasty had been forgotten. The article says that the tomb had been pulled apart by tomb robbers, so it is probable to assume that many of his grave goods have not been found. They have noted however, that materials for his mummification had been reused from an adjacent grave belonging to the Pharaoh Sobekhotep I. The fun thing about following pages like this on Facebook is that I can see what is going on in the world of Archaeology, while also catching up on the lives of my friends. It's also cool to see what other readers have commented on postings. "Forgotten Dynasty Discovered in Abydos" article can be found at the link here: http://archaeology.org/news/1729-140116-egypt-abydos-senebkay

Archaeology of Death in Ancient Athens

Since a large portion of my university time is spent learning about Greek history, I have found burials from this region to be really interesting. One in particular that I have heard about on many occasions is the tomb of 'The Rich Athenian Lady'. Her cremated remains and grave goods date to 850 BC. She is named the 'Rich Athenian Lady' because of the luxury items found in her grave. These included five model granaries (pictured), gold jewelry, ivory stamp seals, faience and glass beads. Scholars have speculated, based on these items, that she may have been the daughter of an Athenian elite. Recent analysis of her cremated remains have found an accompanied fetus, showing the woman was 34-36 weeks pregnant. This raises questions about whether she was actually wealthy, or these grave goods were placed with her because of the child. This study raised my interest of child mortuary practices in Ancient Greece.

Smithson, Evelyn Lord. "The tomb of a rich Athenian lady, ca. 850 BC." Hesperia (1968): 77-116.

Overview of me

I'm currently in my third year at the University of Victoria doing a double major in Anthropology and Greek and Roman studies. I have wanted to be an archaeologist since the age of eleven, and last summer I participated in my first excavation, in Greece. The preteen in me who was obsessed with mummies is super excited for this archaeology of death course.