The Society for Georgia Archaeology » primitive technology

UGA students learn primitive skills, atlatl throwing

sammy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:26:33 +0000

The University of Georgia Student Association for Archaeological Sciences recently sponsored a day-long atlatl workshop with Scott Jones, primitive technologist and expert in atlatl manufacture and use. Twelve SAAS members and their faculty advisor, Jared Wood, gathered at Scott's outdoor classroom at "The Woods" just northeast of Lexington, and listened to Scott's exciting lecture, then practiced primitive skills, and had great fun taking aim at cardboard quarry. The full story includes many exciting photographs of the outing.

Considering household wealth: residential architecture

sammy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:00:05 +0000

Archaeology is a comparative science. How can we compare houses cross-culturally? How do houses reflect variable wealth among their owners and residents? How do their size and layout reflect the activities they are designed to accommodate? How does our concept of the house affect how we think about the residential living areas of ancient peoples? These issues are touched on in the full article….

Food storage is linked to horticulture

sammy — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:00:18 +0000

When people began to save food for longer than several days, they had to develop ways of storing it that would be safe from predators ranging from other humans to bacteria. Look around a typical Georgia kitchen today, and you probably will see a refrigerator and freezer, cupboards, perhaps a pantry, breadbox, and cookie jar—all for storing food. What strategies did ancient peoples use to store their food? This article uses an example from the Neolithic period in what is now Jordan to investigate how ancient peoples solved the problem of food storage.

No cell phone: how do you communicate long-distance?

sammy — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:00:19 +0000

Consider this…you live in a world without cell phones, without cars, or even bicycles or horses to ride. You walk if you want to go somewhere. People living in the places you know about live in scattered, small villages and hamlets. So, if you want to communicate with someone who lives several villages distant, how do you do it? Think about this and then click over to the full story.

Primitive technology in a modern world: The art of Brian Floyd

Kelly — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 04:08:54 +0000

SGA member Brian Floyd uses primitive technological methods and materials to produce replicas and art regarding Georgia history. His work is not designed through the lens of modern interpretation on past artifacts but rather creates a more accurate looking replica of the past based on intensive research. Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia, has picked up on the uniqueness of his art and talent as they are beginning to carry his ceramic pottery pieces in the gift shop. Make sure to get yours today!

Two days at the Georgia National Fair with the ArchaeoBus

sammy — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:00:36 +0000

In the full story, click through photos from two days spent with the ArchaeoBus at the Georgia National Fair, in Perry. Visitors of all ages enjoyed the Fair from October 7–17, 2010. SGA members pulled together to staff the ArchaeoBus exhibit with three or more volunteers at all times, helping thousands of fair-goers learn about Georgia archaeology.

Monitor construction of a medieval castle

sammy — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:00:37 +0000

Are you interested in visiting a castle? There's a thirteenth-century fortress under construction in northern Arkansas that opened in May. Well, the construction site opened. Planners say it'll take thirty years to finish the stone complex.

Archaeology Month 2010 Recap

sammy — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:45:03 +0000

The Society for Georgia Archaeology’s seventeenth annual Georgia Archaeology Awareness promotion, Archaeology Month 2010, had as its theme Making the Past Come to Life: Exploring Ancient Techniques. Making Archaeology Month 2010 happen involved several events. Governor Perdue signed the proclamation designating May as Georgia Archaeology Month on May 25 at the Capitol. Volunteers met on April 26th at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History to package posters, fliers announcing the lesson plan, and surveys for the teachers to return to the SGA. Finally, the SGA’s annual gathering for the spring meeting was held in Albany, Georgia on May 14–16, 2010, complete with demonstrators and the ArchaeoBus.

Pictures from Spring 2010 Meeting

sammy — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:50:06 +0000

The SGA's 2010 Spring Meeting, held Saturday, May 15th, at The Parks at Chehaw, just outside of Albany, featured demonstrators knowledgable in the skills of ancient peoples. The theme of this year's Archaeology Month was Making the Past Come to Life! Exploring Ancient Techniques. The full story has more photographs.

Watch the past come to life!

sammy — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:24:41 +0000

How could Native American Indians in Georgia have survived in a vast “wilderness” for thousands of years? That question will be answered on Saturday, May 15th at The Parks at Chehaw in Albany. Human survival long ago required mastery of the many skills to be demonstrated and explained by experts who have studied and learned them. So, if you’ve ever wanted to get back to basics—this program is for you!

SGA’s Spring Meeting, May 15th, near Albany

sammy — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:56 +0000

The Society for Georgia Archaeology invites you to join us in honoring the our state's seventeenth annual Archaeology Month! The theme is "Making the Past Come to Life! Exploring Ancient Techniques." The meeting will be Saturday, May 15th at The Parks at Chehaw, near Albany. The meeting features exciting outdoor demonstrations by modern-day craftsmen who will show you skills much like our ancestors'.

2010 lesson plan now available online

sammy — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:05:55 +0000

The Society for Georgia Archaeology proudly presents this year's lesson plan for teachers and other interested parties! The theme SGA has chosen for Georgia Archaeology Month 2010 is Making the Past Come to Life! Exploring Ancient Techniques. We hope that the readers of this lesson plan will become familiar with a range of skills and techniques used by the early inhabitants of Georgia, and perhaps better understand the dynamic interaction between the natural environment and humans and their culture.

Read Archaeology Month 2010 Events Brochure

sammy — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:40:07 +0000

The SGA proudly presents a brochure listing Archaeology Month events scheduled for around the state. This year, 2010, is Georgia's seventeenth Archaeology Month! Read the full story and download the brochure listing special events, including the SGA's Spring Meeting, Saturday, May 15th at The Parks at Chehaw, near Albany.

Botanical lesson: Osage orange tree

sammy — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:00:28 +0000

Across the Southeast, before Europeans arrived, Native Peoples prized the wood of a tree that inhabited only a small portion of the vast interior of the North American continent. The tree is commonly known as the osage orange. The fruit of this tree looks like a lumpy bright green to yellow-green softball. The tree is thorny, too. Read the full story to learn why North American archaeologists ponder this strange species.

Arrows or spears?

sammy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:58:55 +0000

The Human Spark is a three-part series investigating the topic of human uniqueness hosted by Alan Alda. One of the interviewees, Dr. Veronica Waweru, discusses the pros and cons of arrow and spear use, along with other interesting topics, in a blog entry associated with the program's web pages.

percussion flaking

sammy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:00:38 +0000

method for making stone tools that involves striking a lump of tool stone with another object, often stone, thereby detaching waste flakes

Stay tuned: Spring meeting plans underway

sammy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:42:55 +0000

Just a brief head's-up that plans for the Spring Meeting (that is, Spring 2010) are moving forward.

New experimental archaeology/primitive technology book

sammy — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:50:03 +0000

Long time SGA member and primitive technology researcher Scott Jones has just published a book that is a compilation of his articles from the past decade related to primitive technology and experimental archaeology. Scott has practiced primitive technology for two decades and now makes a living presenting the subject to the general public (always with [...]

Points, pottery, and hafting

sammy — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:22:02 +0000

Major technological and cultural innovations have the potential to influence technology and culture beyond the immediate realm of the innovation itself. While the widespread adoption of fired clay ceramics in the terminal Archaic/Early Woodland era is directly relevant to food preparation, the transition from indirect heating (stone-boiling) to direct heating in pots represents a dynamic [...]

Reconstructing the Past: Archaeology and Experimentation

sammy — Sun, 20 May 2001 21:45:22 +0000

Archaeologists seeking to reconstruct past lifeways rely for their interpretations on the timeworn remains of ancient cultures for guidance; here in our humid Georgia climate, we are further disadvantaged since often only the inorganic residues of prehistoric culture remain. The study of stone tools, sherds of pottery, and the scant remnants of organic items and [...]