Sipa 2009

Archive for the ‘Internet’ Category

Since 1991 the Africa section of the Prehistory Departement of the Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, has engaged in research in Northeastern Nigeria, specifically Borno and Yobe States. Research has concentrated on three areas. First, excavations started around the present town of Gajiganna, NE of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. Here various Later Stone Age and Early Iron Age sites have been discovered. The second region consists of the vast clay plains (locally called firki), south of Lake Chad, where four extensive mound sites have been trenched. Research here concentrated on the Later Stone Age layers in those mounds but also on Iron Age and Medieval periods up to the onset of Colonial times. Mditionally, considerable attention has been given to the social and political structures of the present societies, as various culmral influences both from the islamic empire of Borno as well as the local indigenious traditions merge in this area. The third area is the region around River Yobe. The most fascinating find so far is a frilly preserved boat at the site df Dufuna, between Potiskum and Gashua on the Komadugu Gana. The radiocarbon dates for the boat are: 7264 ± 55 bp (KN-4683) and 7670 ± 110 bp (KJ-3587) (uncalibrated). This makes it the oldest known boat in Africa and one of the oldest in the world.

The Archaeological Institute of America (AlA) has been dedicated to the encouragement and support of archaeological research and publication and to the protection of the world’s cultural heritage for more than a century. A nonprofit cultural and educational organization chartered by the US Congress, it is the oldest and largest archaeological organization in North America, with more than 11,000 members around the world. The Archaeological Institute of America/Institut Archéologique d’Amérique (AIA/IAA-Canada) was incorporated in Canada in 1994 as an independent affiliate of the Archaeological Institute of America (AlA-US). Members of the Institute have conducted fieldwork in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The AlA has further promoted archaeological studies by founding research centers and schools in seven countries and maintains close relations with these institutions, including the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the School of Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome, and others. Come to this web page for information on AlA membership as well as AlA programs, including publications, lecture series, scholarships, internships, fellowships, and local affiliates. The web site also provides a complete directory to the archives of the MA, from its founding in 1879 to the present day. In addition to the daily operations of the Institute, the records deal with Institute sponsored foreign schools, excavations, explorations, publications, lecture tours and Local Societies.

ArchNet serves as the World Wide Web Virtual Library for Archaeology. This sewer provides access to archaeological resources available on the Internet. Information is categorized by geographic region and subject. Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish language versions of the home page are also available. The webmasters are Thomas Plunkett of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and Jonathan Lizee of the University of Connecticut, and the resources are virtually (no pun intended) endless. Come here for hundreds of links on such topics as Archaeometry, Botanical Archeology, Cereamics, CRM and Government Agencies, Educational Materials, Ethnohitory/Ethnoarcheology, Faunal Archeology, Geo-Archeology, Historic Archeology, Lithics, Mapping and GIS, Method and Theory, and Archeological Software. Click on that latter category for free downloads of such great offerings as The Bonn Archaeological Statistics Package, a terrific DOS and Mac radiocarbon calibration program from the University of Washington, Macintosh mapping software for caves and rockshelters, a user-friendly geographical information system for Windows called Map Maker, and Point, a DOS-based projectile point classification program by Tara Prindle (UCONN). This highly useful program utilizes morphological data to classic projectile points from the northeastern United States. Whatever the specific subject of your quest, be sure to make ArchNet your first stop when browsing for archeology-related information on the web.