Illustrations of current approaches and basic methods in archaeological research regarding past environmental change, human-environment relationship and interaction – and the important role of such data for current climate and climate change research. For a poster exhibition of the German Archaeological Institute’s “Groundcheck” research programme.
Climate archives: Soil samples, and in particular lake sediments are important sources to analyses past environmental and climate change. These are usually sampled as long cores, drilled from the ground.Climate archives: Soil samples are important sources to analyses past environmental and climate change. Sample cores are carefully examined and archived after sampling.Climate archives: mineral deposits accumulated in caves over long periods of time offer important paleoclimatic information.Evaluating and analysing archives – modern global climate simulations are heavily depending on local environmental data reaching far back into time. Archaeological research is able to provide an impressive amount of such data.Archaeobiological research: Archaeology is not only about dusty sherds and old stones, but also allows important insight into earlier human-environment relations.Protecting cultural heritage – which is under threat by current and future climate change.
Locating the archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe within Turkey.
Overview of the busy excavations at early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe (Turkey); view into the so-called main excavation area towards west.
Visual notes: Foxes depicted at early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe are shown in a very specific posture: They seem to be leaping – as foxes typically do when hunting.
Visual notes: Otherwise very naturalistic crane depictions from early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe show an unusual leg anatomy – could they hint at some kind of ‘crane masquerade’ in the frame of rituals?
Visual notes: Among the many animals depicted at early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, aurochs take up a special role – as full representations as well reduced to the symbol of their horned heads.
Visual notes: Göbekli Tepe’s animal depictions cover a wide range of different species. Interestingly they are shown as the early Neolithic hunters would have experienced them in their natural environment: larger mammals in side view, smaller like insects from above.
Watercolor impression of the monumental T-pillars (here so-called Building D, excavations in progress) at early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe (Turkey).
Documentary sketch of mortar and grinding stone in situ at early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe (Turkey).
Self portrait of the archaeologist on site, mandatory sketchbook and pencil in hand.
“The muezzin just called the faithful to prayer and, probably unintentionally, the archaeologists to finally get up as well.”“And one after another heads through the narrow alleys towards the waiting mini bus and driver.”“As we arrive on this early Neolithic site, somewhere up in the mountains of southeastern Turkey, a pale moon is still hanging around a sky only slowly changing from black to blue.”“There’s two diggers, one who shovels, and two basket-carriers.!“Soon the air is filled with the sound of pickaxes and of chanting and laughing workmen; their bright purple headscarves fluttering in a breeze. Soil is shifted, rocks are moved.”“Basket after basket of debris is brought out of the trenches. As the dust of history is slowly removed, the ancient remains are rising gradually.”“And so business is going on. And on. The dusty work only interrupted by a short breakfast.”“Over yet another tea (there’s always tea, get used to it), over some cheese and flatbread, over tomatoes and cucumbers and olives, conversations are drifting around the table.”“Breakfast at such an early hour basically consists of not more than some strong tea, a slice of soft white flatbread (which will be rather dry within the hour), and a handful of olives.”“A group of visitors, marvelling at the site’s sight, takes the chance to curiously quiz the archaeologists before returning to their air-conditioned busses.”“Students are busily taking notes, picking out small pieces of charcoal and fragments of flint tools and stone vessels from the excavated soil, collecting them in buckets and plastic bags - each labelled with date and information on their exact find spot.”“While the sun is moving towards its zenith, work’s pace is decreasing noticeably. It’s an arduous business and after eight hours of digging, just when midday’s heat is reaching its peak, everyone is happy to call it a (field) day.”“Dirt is sifted dry and wet (a rather dusty respectively muddy business).”“Bidding good bye, the crew of workmen is boarding tractors and trailers, leaving for that small village down the hill - dragging behind a dustcloud all the way.”“With the madness of an average big city’s rush hour the drive back costs a multiple of the time the way there in morning did took us - enough time for a nap. Appreciated.”“Back in town, as we leave the car and head through heated-up narrow old-town alleys towards the excavation house, buckets and pieces of equipment in hand, the muezzin is calling the faithful to prayer again.”“Well, for the archaeologists it’s lunchtime for now; the cook is already waiting. Of course the meal is not finished without the mandatory tea (you get the idea), so showers still have to wait for yet another 10 minutes or so. There’s got to be time for that.”“Meanwhile those finds of the day before, now all clean and dry and pretty, are examined, sorted, listed, catalogued, and drawn and photographed where necessary.”
How the Salt Man got his Salt Sack …A short History of Salt.
Series of illustrations on the evolution of scientific publishing for an article about the “Archäologischer Anzeiger” and the new DAI lense viewer in “Archäologie Weltweit” resp. “Archaeology World-wide” 1/2020, a magazine of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI).
Illustrations for an online video clip for the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) social media channels, narrating the institute’s founding in 1829 in Rome.
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jens notroff 