Living History by Polly Thompson- Part 1

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This is the first post that will hopefully be followed by a few more by of archaeologist expert- Polly Thompson. Polly has previously written 'Funeral Rites - Viking Burial' for us, and as that proved to be rather popular here w
e are with some more. We hope you enjoy! ~ Mae and Esther

Introduction:

Our knowledge of history is gathered from many different sources. For instance: written records recorded events and oral traditions, embedded in the names of places and people. Our knowledge of prehistory, before written records are gained, come from visible remains such as cave art, portable objects, stone tools and of course fossils. 

The work of an archaeologist is to uncover the palimpsest of human activity. To work over varying periods of time to investigate areas where humans have left visible tangible signs of their activities in the landscape. This work is important through all historic ages. You work as part of a team to record data from all aspects of an excavation or survey, often over many seasons, analysing and writing up site reports. Archaeologists can spend a lifetime of work investigating a single settlement because there are so many aspects to explore. 

In the course of my archaeological work, I have excavated and researched sites through many different periods. I worked uncovering an Upper Palaeolithic rock shelter site at Les Eyzies, France, the Temple of the Sun at Meroe in the Sudan Neolithic settlement. I have also been part of a team working on a Medieval street in Canterbury and also on an 18th Century Sugar Estate in St. Lucia. These are just some of the projects that I have worked on. 

The 'Terracotta Warriors'
While excavating in France, I visited various engraved/painted Cave sites in the Vezere Valley in the Dordogne. When I lived in South America, I visited the Temples of the Sun and the Moon and Inca sites in Peru. When living in Korea I visited the ancient Scilla capital. And in China I went to the Choukoudian Cave site where 500,000 year old skulls of early man were excavated as well as Banpo which is a Neolithic village site and at Xian where the famous 'Terracotta Warriors' dwell!

Many tales and adventures to relate to! Where shall I begin?... with the Upper Palaeolithic naturally!


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