Krysta Ryzewski

Using Airborne LiDAR Survey to explore Historic-era archaeological landscapes of Montserrat in the Eastern Caribbean

Abstract This article describes what appears to be the first archaeological application of airborne LiDAR survey to historic-era landscapes in the Caribbean archipelago, on the island of Montserrat. LiDAR is proving invaluable in extending the reach of traditional pedestrian survey into less favorable areas, such as those covered by dense neotropical forest and by ashfall from the past two decades of active eruptions by the Soufrière Hills volcano, and to sites in localities that are inaccessible on account of volcanic dangers. Emphasis is placed on two aspects of the research: first, the importance of ongoing, real-time interaction between the LiDAR analyst and the archaeological team in the field; and second, the advantages of exploiting the full potential of the three-dimensional LiDAR point cloud data for purposes of the visualization of archaeological sites and features.

Multi-Period Landscape Survey and Site Risk Assessment on Montserrat, West Indies

ABSTRACT Following a series of devastating and ongoing volcanic eruptions, the archaeological record of Montserrat (West Indies) has been exposed to the dual threats of destructive pyroclastic volcanism, and the construction of new infrastructure and settlements to accommodate those displaced as a result. Yet, with the exception of contributions from a handful of site-based research projects, the scope of prehistoric and historical archaeology of Montserrat remains poorly understood overall, in contrast to many of the other Leeward Islands. In 2010 the Survey and Landscape Archaeology on Montserrat project (SLAM) was established to create an inventory and accompanying risk assessment of archaeological sites and features in the islands non-exclusion zone, an essential resource for Montserrats preservation officials. This is the initial step in an ongoing research program that also provides the basis for a diachronic and integrated temporal approach to archaeological studies of population movements and distribution, land use strategies, and risk management over the course of the islands human occupational history. The present article discusses the projects overall approach and presents some initial results that illustrate the richness and complexity of archaeological resources in the area most subject to the impacts of rapid redevelopment.

Communities and archaeology under the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat, West Indies

Abstract The volcanically devastated landscape of Montserrat and its social fabric comprise what Maria calls a “traumascape”—a site of tragedy and catastrophe that is also a place of coping and resilience. How Montserratians engage with trauma is evident in how they remember their recent and historical pasts, and in how they are reinventing aspects of their heritage in order to sustain a distinctly Montserratian identity for the future. Such a process of coping presents challenges for conducting archaeology in collaboration with the community. In this article, we describe the experiences of a recently established project on the island (Survey and Landscape Archaeology on Montserrat) and discuss the potential for, and the obstacles involved in, developing longer-term, sustainable forms of collaboration between archaeologists and local Montserratian communities when facing the unusual circumstances of volcanic disaster and hazard.

Evaluation of segregation in Roman sestertius coins

Three brass sestertius coins from the reign of Gordian III were imaged at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s neutron imaging beam, CG-1D, at the High Flux Isotope Reactor. Tomography results showed a gradual variation in neutron attenuation from one side of the coins to the other or toward the center of the coin. Linear neutron attenuation values calculated from the neutron radiographs, as well as micro-XRF results, suggest that this gradual variation in neutron attenuation is associated with elemental segregation within the coins. The difference in segregation patterns between the coins implies two types of casting methods were utilized to form the coins—vertical and horizontal casting methods.

No home for the “ordinary gamut”: A historical archaeology of community displacement and the creation of Detroit, City Beautiful

Michigan Central Station and Roosevelt Park were constructed between 1908 and 1918 as part of Detroit’s City Beautiful Movement. The construction process was a place-making effort designed to implant order on the urban landscape that involved the displacement of a community who represented everything that city planners sought to erase from Detroit’s city center: overcrowding, poverty, immigrants, and transient populations. Current historical archaeological research reveals how the existing ornamental landscape of Roosevelt Park masks the history of a forgotten working-class neighborhood. This synthesis of archival and material evidence details the conditions of life within the neighborhood and of a contentious, decade-long displacement struggle rooted in the inequalities of early-20th-century industrial capitalism. Positioned at the start of a century of controversial urban planning initiatives, the Roosevelt Park case study encourages understandings of displacement as a process that has diachronic and comparative dimensions, both in Detroit and in other urban settings.

The Future of American Archaeology: Engage the Voting Public or Kiss Your Research Goodbye!

ABSTRACT Over the past several years, we have seen many attacks on publicly funded and mandated archaeology in the United States. These attacks occur at the state level, where governors and state legislatures try to defund or outright eliminate state archaeological programs and institutions. We have also seen several attacks at the federal level. Some members of Congress showcase archaeology as a waste of public tax dollars, and others propose legislation to move federally funded or permitted projects forward without consideration of impacts on archaeological resources. These attacks continue to occur, and we expect them to increase in the future. In the past, a vigilant network of historic preservation and archaeological organizations was able to thwart such attacks. The public, however, largely remains an untapped ally. As a discipline, we have not built a strong public support network. We have not demonstrated the value of archaeology to the public, beyond a scattering of educational and informational programs. In this article, we—a group of archaeologists whose work has focused on public engagement—provide a number of specific recommendations on how to build a strong public constituency for the preservation of our nations archaeological heritage. En los últimos años, la arqueología en los Estados Unidos, que por ley se realiza y se financia con fondos públicos, ha recibido muchísimas críticas. Estas críticas surgen en el nivel estatal, donde los gobernadores y las legislaturas estatales han tratado de eliminar los fondos, así como los programas arqueológicos estatales y las instituciones relacionadas. Las amenazas también se han dejado venir del nivel federal. Algunos miembros del Congreso han exhibido a la arqueología como un malgasto de fondos públicos, mientras que otros proponen una legislación que deje de apoyar los proyectos federalmente o que estos proyectos se realicen sin medir los impactos sobre los recursos arqueológicos. Estas amenazas no cesan y seguramente aumentarán en el futuro. Con anterioridad, una red observadora de organizaciones dedicadas a la preservación histórica y arqueológica ha sido capaz de detener estas amenazas. El público, sin embargo, no ha sido un aliado potencial. Como disciplina, no hemos construido una red sólida de apoyo público. No hemos demostrado el valor de la arqueología al público, más allá de una serie dispersa de programas educativos e informativos. En este articulo, un grupo de arqueólogos cuya labor se ha centrado en la participación del público, proveen un número específico de recomendaciones sobre como construir una red sólida de apoyo público circunscrito para la preservación de nuestra herencia nacional.

The Use and Refinement of Neutron Imaging Techniques for Archaeological Artifacts

Abstract Neutron imaging is a nondestructive application capable of producing two- and three-dimensional maps of archaeological objects’ external and internal structure, properties, and composition. This report presents the recent development of neutron imaging data collection and processing methods at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which have been advanced, in part, by information gathered from the experimental imaging of 25 archaeological objects over the past three years. The dual objectives of these imaging experiments included (1) establishing the first methodological procedures for the neutron imaging of archaeomaterials involving the CG-1D beamline and (2) further illustrating the potential of neutron imaging for archaeologists to use in the reverse engineering of ancient and historical objects. Examples of objects imaged in two and three dimensions are provided to highlight the application’s strengths and limitations for archaeological investigations, especially those that address ancient and historic technologies, materials science, and conservation issues.

“A Kind of Sacred Place”: The Rock-and-Roll Ruins of AIR Studios, Montserrat

Between 1979 and 1989, AIR Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat was a premier recording destination for a galaxy of top rock-and-roll stars. Forced to close by Hurricane Hugo, the property has suffered further damage from the ongoing eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano since 1995. Access is now restricted, but it has nonetheless become a virtual and actual place of tourist pilgrimage. In 2010 archaeologists from the Survey and Landscape Archaeology on Montserrat project (SLAM) surveyed the ruins of AIR Studios, carefully recording the spatial layout of the studio, documenting remnant material culture abandoned at the time of the studio’s closure, and excavating ash-covered pavement slabs inscribed by musicians during the studio’s heyday. Further research revealed that certain elements of the studios had been systematically stripped from the premises after 1989 and, in some cases, have since been reincorporated into other buildings across the island.

Excavating the Quiet History of a Providence Plantation

In November 2010, 78% of Rhode Islanders elected not to eliminate the second half of the state’s official name, “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” The debate over removing “Providence Plantations” suggests the selective historical memory of both civic leaders and citizens, who have forgotten the impacts and legacy of colonization in the 17th century. During the early settlement of Rhode Island, planting and plantations were explicit tools of European colonization involving many forms of oppression. Evidence from the 17th-century Old House site at Greene Farm, a former plantation in Warwick, Rhode Island, depicts a multicultural landscape and community increasingly dominated by the Greenes, an influential English family. An examination of changes in the documentary record, material culture, and lived environment related to Greene Farm between 1642 and 1711 maps the aggressive use of plantations by English settlers to permanently colonize a place and its original inhabitants, and considers how these acts of “planting” served to reinforce the development and maintenance of their New English identity.