21
Jul, 2016

By Darcy Calabria

I’ve Been Really Trying…. To Make a 3D Model

When you think of an archaeologist, what do you think of? A brawny man with a whip? A scrawny professor type? Basically people who are obsessed with the past and are very removed from reality? Not quite. Here at Tel Akko, we are leaping into the future with some cool tech that will not only benefit our search to understand the past, but will also lead to other applications in fields completely unrelated to archaeology. For the past few weeks I’ve been working on 3D photogrammetry. Every morning, before sunrise, a few of us go out to the tell to take pictures. Each day, we will be assigned a square which we then take pictures of from all angles.

We then take the pictures and put them into a program called AgiSoft. In this program, we take all of the photos and cover up all of the elements that we don’t want in the model, like shades, poles, or rope lines. The program then takes all of the photos and aligns the common features that it can then make a three dimensional model of.

Honestly, the computer does most of the hard work, but there is a little human effort that goes into making 50-some photos become a 3D representation of one of our squares. Most of my personal struggle comes from orienting the model. You would not believe how often I orient a model completely upside down and think it is right side up!

While the struggle can be somewhat frustrating, learning this program has been a lot of fun and given me a lot of opportunities that normally would not have happened. Seeing the sun rise up over the Mediterranean is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I may have to wake up a littler earlier and my day might be a little longer, but the mornings are peaceful and the results of all of our efforts are amazing. Like many things, it takes a village, and making these 3D models is no exception. It takes a lot of effort from our tiny team, and I really am trying.

 

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21
Jul, 2016

By Mira Heckman

Worlds Collide

By Mira Heckman…I have always had an interest in learning about the past, but couldn’t shy away from my interest in the sciences. When I first got to Umass I was dead set on going into a purely scientific field. Shortly after I realized that I wasn’t as passionate about the subject as i’d thought. I couldn’t see it as something that I would want to do for the rest of my life. I’m needed to think of a way to incorporate both science and my interest in the past. I knew that I wanted to do something within the field of archaeology. However, archeology in most cases doesn’t involve a purely scientific approach. When I realized that Umass had a geology program I became interested in learning more. Geology incorporates different aspects of earth sciences as well as geographic elements. At first, I wasn’t sure  exactly how this could be combined with archeology, because I lacked the knowledge of exactly how the archeological field worked.

Coming to Tel Akko has made me realize the different ways in which Geoarchaeology can be applied to the practice of archaeology. Before coming here I was not completely aware of the different technical methods that are used in archaeology, as well as how these can be applied to geologic research questions on the tel. It was interesting to see the different ways in which archeology is performed in on the tel, both in survey and excavation. It was encouraging to see the software that can be used in mapping the tel, such as GIS and AgiSoft which can also be applied to geologic mapping and archaeology.

By studying ancient remnants and civilisations, we can gain a better understanding of the past. I am currently double majoring in Geology and Geoarchaeology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. By doing so, I can join my knowledge of the ancient world with scientific reasoning. My main interest is looking at climatic changes in landscapes over time and how this has affected past civilizations, as well as the adaptations that have been made. By combining the research techniques of Geology with the historic side of Archaeology, I want to gain an extensive understanding of archaeological research methods in order to enhance my knowledge of the more technical side of Archaeology. Applying a scientific approach to what I know about the past will allow me to expand my comprehension of ancient civilizations.

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21
Jul, 2016

By June Weber

The Garea Part 1…Maybe

By June Weber…Welcome to MM2 better known as the Garea. A previously unexcavated square, we started to dig total archaeology style this 2016 season. We have recently dug ourselves out of “the Danger Zone” which was the disturbed territory and into the Early Hellenistic Period which is stratum A-3. Out of our exciting finds we have found a scarab beetle from Iron II period and our little shell floor which we like to call “Shelly Ann.”

In this non-Dothan square, which to some extent has not been dug with backhoes, we are hoping to reach a Persian strata by the end of this season. Under the guidance of our fearless leader we have been moving at a steady pace, despite the constant dirt sifting that has been undertaken, which of course is a necessary part of an archaeologists repertoire. I have recently betrayed the motherland by venturing into the surveyor’s territory, which I am sure someone else will blog about (no promises though.) However, the prodigal daughter has returned to her homeland, and thus has continued  in the excavation of the best square, with the best Mediterranean breeze of course. We will continue our excavation and venture into the unknown underneath us, hoping to one day publish Dothan’s previous work along with the work done by Killebrew and Artzy.

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21
Jul, 2016

By Lalita Limpichart

Akko rap

 

Breakfast on the tell is scenic and it gives me energy

They say don’t sit down in the squares, the scorpion is your enemy

I’m sweeping dirt under the sun until I get the tan on me

Because the soil scientist dig to find out the history

but the archaeologist digging to solve a mystery-

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21
Jul, 2016

By Anna Bidstrup

A Squareless Beginning

My expectations for this dig, and Akko in general for that matter, were completely wrong. I thought that archeology in Tel Akko would mirror my past archeological experience at the San Martino Archeological Field School in Torano di Borgorose, Italy. I expected hours of troweling, sweeping and finding artifacts alongside close companions in a square that I would know like the back of my hand. Last summer, I spent every day in the same square, learning all of the unique features the architecture had to offer and intimately understanding the strata and history of my square. I got attached to that square—and I looked forward to having a square to call home again, but this time in Akko, unfortunately for me, I didn’t find a home for the first week and a half.

The first few days on the Tel were hectic to say the least. Whether we were moving sandbags or cleaning the Tel, it felt chaotic and almost foreign. Rather than a square, I was assigned to an area in which I floated between the squares, only changing course when my area supervisor told me to go somewhere else. As people started to excavate in squares that would become their own, I was still meandering around the Tel, doing odd jobs to seemingly pass the time. I found myself feeling jealous of my friends who were learning the intricate details about their respective squares; while I barely (and literally) touched the surface of the squares that I worked in. Even if I did feel connected to a square, like when I found a worked bone in NN20, it was fleeting since I would never return the following day. In reality, everything I was doing was important or at least a necessary step in collecting the data that allows us to understand what life was like thousands of years ago.

Even though I did not enjoy my time as a nomad on the Tel, there are definitely a few positive things that came along with the job (or lack there of). First off, I occasionally was filled in with brief histories of different squares. These short descriptions gave me a semi-solid background of the Tel, but even now my understanding of the Tel is far from complete. Another positive aspect of the floater life is having the ability to sample different activities, like learning how to trim a bulk or participating in survey. I’ve done survey for the past two days, and it is incredibly rewarding but exhausting (you essentially dig an average of six 40 by 40 by 40 cm holes throughout the course of the day under the hot Israeli sun). Now I know this last one is quite cheesy, but I met a lot of different people and made some great friends and memories through my various squareless adventures on the Tel.
Now I have found what I would call a “half-home” in the sense that I dig in PP19 that I eventually joined later on. However, I’m not expected to go there every day since I also participate in survey and conservation. I don’t get that exciting yet familiar feeling when I’m in the square about to start excavating, but I still enjoy it nonetheless. I love getting updates from my fellow square-mates at the end of the day, but I don’t feel the same square attachment as I did with my square on my dig last year.

It is okay that things are different here and I’m so fortunate that I have the opportunity to experience another archaeological dig. Overall, I cannot recommend the floater lifestyle but I can’t NOT recommend it either. All digs are different, so you will never know what you like until you get out there and try it. 10/10 would recommend going on an archaeology dig.

 

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21
Jul, 2016

By Mark Van Horn

No Slacking on Slag

At Tell Akko, any square or area supervisor will be able to tell you that one of the ubiquitous finds is iron slag. Most squares that are undergoing excavation have at least one bag of slag coming out per day. Certain squares from seasons past, such as MM20, RR3, and most recently RR19 have been notorious for their ability to bring up kilos of slag or quintuple the amount of hammer scales that one might expect in a day. This isn’t just metal trash, however. When any object is created, there is a certain waste that is given off. While iron slag is by definition waste, by understanding the amount of slag that is given off we can attempt to gauge how much iron was being processed at the site and where it may have been coming from. In order to give insight to this process, we can track the story of an average piece of slag being recovered in a day of excavation on the Tell.

The first thing that a piece of Akko slag goes through (in the modern period, that is) is its excavation and discovery. Uncovering slag in situ on the Tell is always an exciting experience, because in many cases you are the first person to interact with it since it was deposited there almost 2,500 years ago. When students are digging, we give them a few pointers to help them identify slag accurately and effectively in the field.

The first key to field slag identification is the coloring of what otherwise looks like a normal rock. Although slag often acquires a very rocky look over the years, clear points of oxidation and rust will be apparent around the surface. These bright orange spots are dead giveaways to the true nature of what this so-called rock actually is. If it is not entirely clear by sight alone, and the slag has already fallen from its initial position, then weight is the next major hint. Slag, being comprised significantly of iron, is extremely dense. This means that relative to a rock of the same size, it should weight much more – unnaturally so. If both of these methods still leave the discoverer uncertain, there is one final test: the break test. True iron slag will not break in half from a hand-held breaking attempt; the metal is too strong. Many types of rocks or ambiguous materials will crack under this sort of pressure, however. Given a combination of these three tests, slag can be accurately diagnosed in the field.

Yuki finds a piece of slag in the field. See if you can find it just above the bucket!

A piece of freshly excavated slag. Small pockets of orange and an irregular shape are noticeable.

After the slag is identified, it is collected as excavation occurs around it. It is important to not to get too excited and dig a hole around the slag; rather, natural excavation should occur around the piece. The slag will always come out when it is ready.

From here, it is bagged and tagged for processing in the Small Finds area of the office, located at the academy where we are staying. While living in the pottery office, the slag is documented in our site wide database. Here, anyone working at the site is able to access information about any slag that was collected on any day, since the first day of excavation in the 2010 season. The Tell Akko database is what makes projects like mine, where the goal is to document and map all the slag found on the Tell, feasible.

A cross section and piece of slag in the pottery office. The coloration and porous structure characteristic of slag is clearly visible.

After this, the slag is taken across the Bay of Akko, where it is stored at the University of Haifa and can be accessed in the coming seasons. These store rooms hold information from the current Akko excavations, and even material dating to the excavations in the 70s and 80s. One of the main components to my project is poring over previous slag from other seasons and getting direct quantities and weights for the material coming from certain regions of the Tell. Once these weights are collected, there is one more (digital) step to the process.
GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, are incredibly important in conveying information from a variety of disciplines. Archaeology is no exception. After creating artifact maps for Iron last season, my project this season is to map a slag distribution from this season and all previous seasons. These maps allow a comparison of various regions of the Tell extremely quickly, and gives a compact visual display to represent the incredible amounts of slag that we excavate from the Tell. With an easy to read format, these maps can be examined to determine relationships that might otherwise not be immediately apparent, and they help to increase our understanding of ironworking and production across Area A at Tell Akko.

GIS map showing Iron Artifacts found from stratum A-4 (Persian Period)

In addition to my work on macro-metallurgical remains, we are also conducting analysis of the elemental composition of soils across the Tell. But that is a blog for another time…

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21
Jul, 2016

By Ross Claar

Surveying, Onions, and Falling

For the past three days–starting on the 19th of July–at Tel Akko, I have been working with Survey. While there I have experienced the full beauty of Tel Akko, seeing the Tel in a way that most of the other excavators would not experience. I had not originally intend to participate in survey, however since that first day of walking around the side of that hill and digging survey holes, I would not missed it for the world!

On the first day, when I first arrived at the excavation site, I was asked if I was interested in joining survey for the day, to which I responded with a yes. And so I set off to the survey area. When I arrived there I was taught how to dig a survey hole—I however ended up digging a few bathtub shaped holes due to the looseness and collapsing nature of certain areas of the site. And that was my task for the entirety of the day.

During that time I managed to uncover various amounts of pot sherds of large sizes as well as a basalt grinding stone! I was happy to manage the feat of digging six holes that day. The strangest thing that I did uncover were the onions the size of human heads— although they appeared very appealing they are poisonous, and their liquid is potent enough to cause a rash on a person’s skin!

On the second day, I spent the entire of the day holding a stadia rod with a prism on top (the rod is also referred to as the “The Staff of Ra”), walking across the hillside. For the first part of the day I was surveying the holes that were dug the on past day. To survey a hole the rod barer has to place the rod at each of the four corners of the square while someone at the total station takes a reading of all four points. After all of the survey holes had been surveyed they were then filled in. Afterwards I moved on to laying grid points across the hillside. Walking diagonally across the hillside and falling down many times.
On the third day, I managed to dig four holes before being called over to help hammer stacks into the ground, while digging the survey holes, I recovered various amounts pottery sherds and onions. After a while I was then asked to hammer stakes into the ground, which I continued to do until the last two hours, where I switched to refilling the surveyed holes.

I am so happy that I decided to participate in survey, as it
has opened up a whole new way of experiencing Tel Akko and learning her hidden secrets.

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21
Jul, 2016

By J.T.

Drawing Akko’s Spicy Medusas

By J.T. ….

Here at Akko we have numerous specialists at our disposal; an archaeobotanist, zooarchaeologist, pottery experts, etc.  Someone who often gets lost in the shuffle is the humble artist.  While the majority of archaeologists revel in their tedious notes, measurements, and “science”, it’s the artist who puts the creativity back into archaeology.

Akko’s resident artist is Rachel Wynn Moszkowicz.  Rachel’s incredible talents have left us with so much wonder and awe that I felt compelled to share them.  The following are a distinct selection of Rachel’s finest pieces.  Enjoy.

 

                      

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21
Jul, 2016

By Daniel Xu

Information about the Tel Akko Total Archaeology Program

By Daniel Xu…

As an Econ major student, I have never imagined myself working on a archeological site in Israel. But, here I am. In this program, I have had so much fun and met so many interesting people. Meanwhile, I also experienced confusions and troubles. I would like to share my experiences here with those future participants who have only limited knowledge about archeology and excavation, and hope this information can help these participates to better prepare themselves for the program. The experiences shared are very subjective, and may be totally different for different people.

  1. This program involves great amount of physical work. Working on the site can be especially strenuous under the summer heat.
  2. There are a number of things you can do on the tel. Although they are mostly repetitive, there is much space for job rotation. Boredom is totally avoidable.
  3. Most people you are going to meet in this program are extremely nice, and you are going to make a lot of friends. However, as the participants are from all over the world, you should prepare yourself for cultural and personal differences and be as open-minded as possible.
  4. Due to the amount of physical work involved, the working environment on the site, the heat and the extremely efficient or inefficient AC system of the dorms, you may experience unfavorable physical conditions, the most common of which are dehydration, cold and allergies, remember to bring some basic medications and pay more attention to your health.
  5. Excavation-related works and lectures would take 70% time of your day, and you will very likely be exhausted. Although fun excursions take place at weekends, they cannot provide a full view of the beautiful culture of Israel. If you want to see more,  travel before or after the program.
  6. The lectures during the program are mostly drastically interesting, but many of them require basic knowledge about archeology and history of the region. They can be confusing.
  7. Life is full of changes and bad things may take place anytime. If you encounter any trouble during the program, you can always talk to people around you and you would definitely get help.

 

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I’ve Been Really Trying…. To Make a 3D Model
Worlds Collide
The Garea Part 1…Maybe
Akko rap
A Squareless Beginning
No Slacking on Slag
Surveying, Onions, and Falling
Drawing Akko’s Spicy Medusas
Thursday 21st July