ABACUS MAGAZINE

THE ANU ARCHAEOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY STUDENT-RUN BIANNUALWINTER 2015. VOL 2. ISSUE 1

INSIDE

SPRINGBANK

2015

WHAT IS

MEDICAL

ANTHROPOLOGY?

ABACUS

+

FLINDERS

Discover the newest collaboration

CONTENTS

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Note From the Editor………………………………….………………… 3

Flinders & ABACUS……………………………….………………………. 4

The Inside Scoop………………………………………………………….. 6

Course Spotlight…………………………………………………………… 7

Sleep Cultures (Med. Anth. Student Showcase)……….…. 8

Student Profile……………………………………………………..…….. 10

ABACUS Steps Into the 21st Century………………….……….. 11

Fieldwork (Arch)………………………………………………….. 12

NASC 2015…………………………………………………………... 14

Philippines Field school 2016…………………………………. 15

Making the Most of Archaeology at ANU……………… 16

Book Club…………………………………………………………….. 18

Volunteer Opportunity…………………………………………. 19

Unearth All 2015………………………………………………….. 23

Parting Notes……………………………………………………….. 25

COVER PHOTO : Springbank Island, Canberra (2015)Source: Simon Tener

I’d like to begin by saying how

honoured I am to have had the

opportunity to be a part of this

publication and the ANU Archaeology,

Biological Anthropology and Cultural

Heritage Society (ABACUS) this year.

ABACUS has been continuing to grow

since its change, in 2014, from the

ANU’s Archaeological Society to a

wider society including a wider variety

of disciplines including, but not limited

to, Anthropology and Biological

Anthropology.

This winter issue will cover many of

the events and student engagement

opportunities that have arisen both at the

ANU, in the surrounding Canberra

region and interstate through an exciting

new collaboration with the Flinders

University Archaeology Society.

ABACUS and the Canberra Heritage

Society successfully ran excavations and

Heritage Day activities at Canberra’s

historical Springbank island.

A big thanks goes out to the

organisational efforts of Duncan Wright

and the Canberra Archaeology Society in

addition to the volunteer work of the

ABACUS members who gave their time

to the project.

This Winter issue will also be the first

issue to cover topics Anthropology and

Biological Anthropology, in addition to

Archaeology at the ANU. This new

dimension will hopefully open the doors

for increased student engagement within

the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

By keeping all our readers aware of what

is happening within their field of interest

both on and off campus we hope to

continue to fuel their passion and

studies.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Parayiwa

Editor, ABACUS Magazine

(abacusanu@gmail.com)

Note from the Editor

3Indonesia Anthropology Fieldschool (2014), Photo Source: Cynthia Parayiwa

ABACUS

“Dig It is the student-run, peer-reviewed journal of the Flinders Archaeological Society. Its purpose is to provide students – including undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates – with the opportunity to practice and familiarise themselves with the processes involved in academic publications, including writing, publishing, editing and reviewing. In addition, it aims to keep future and junior archaeologists connected and informed about what is happening in the archaeological community.”

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In July 2015, a collaboration between the Flinders University Archaeology Society and ANU ABACUS was born. The collaboration has opened the doors for an inter-institutional sharing of Archaeology related topics of interest between the two universities. This will be mainly through content sharing between ABACUS Magazine and the Flinders’ student journal, Dig It!. To kick off the collaboration, an overview of what the journal has been provided directly from the Dig It! Team. Links have also been provided for interested students from the ANU to send through contributions, so read on!

FLINDERS&

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To submit a proposal or get in contact with the Dig It team, please

Contact them via dig.it@flindersarchsoc.org

For more information, visit http://flindersarchsoc.org/digit/

Dig It considers a range of contributions for publication, including research articles, essays, personal accounts/ opinion pieces, book reviews and thesis abstracts. We welcome contributions from local, interstate and international undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates. All contributions are reviewed by the editors and a panel of reviewers; however original research articles and research essays undergo an additional anonymous peer-review process involving external experts. Referees can be of any academic status; however young academics are preferred in agreement with the mission statement of Dig It, to provide the opportunity for professional training to students.

The inside

ScoopAs of early 2015 a new student space was opened in the AD HopeBuilding (Building #14). Located on the Lower Ground (LG) floor, thespace, commonly known as the Fishbowl (due to it’s distinctive largewindowed walls?) is open to all and offers a welcoming space forbrainstorming, brainbreaks and more.

So make use of the area in Semester II to :

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STUDY

TAKE A

EAT, SLEEP,ETC.(SNACKS USUALLY

AVAILABLE)

DISCUSS ISSUES/EVENTS WITH

ABACUS EXEC’S

JOIN IN GROUP

STUDY SESSIONS(KEEP AN EYE ON

FACEBOOK GROUP FOR

DETAILS)

STUDY BREAK(BYO COMPUTER AND

EXTRA LARGE BOOKS

…CHAIRS/ DESKS/COUCH

PROVIDED.

LEND/BORROW

TEXTBOOKS AND

REFERENCE MATERIAL

(ANTH2026/6026)

The course provides an introduction to

the field of medical anthropology. It

includes the application of different forms

of social and cultural analysis to the study

of health, illness, and healing. Examples

of medical systems and medical practices

are drawn from a range of cultures. In the

first part of the course the scope of

medical anthropology will be covered and

different approaches to the understanding

of the body discussed, including the

social and cultural construction of illness

and illness categories, healers and their

roles, the foundations of efficacy in

healing, and the place of individual and

social agency in health and illness. In the

second half of the course health and

human rights, pharmaceuticals and ethics

of medical research and organ trafficking

will be the centre of the discussion.

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COURSE SPOTLIGHT

Medical Anthropology

For more course details visit the

ANU Programs and Courses Site

<http://programsandcourses.anu.e

du.au/2015/course/ANTH2026>

(ANU Programs & Courses, 2015)

Student work over the semester is

showcased at an Health Awareness

campaign held in Union court. This years

topics included Social Media Addiction,

Handling Stress, Volatile Substance Use,

Dealing with Anxiety and Depression,

Volunteering in Palliative Care,

Domestic Violence and Sleep Cultures.

The campaign on ‘Sleep Cultures’ was

showcased within this issue but you can

view the 2014 student Med. Anth.

projects on topics ranging from

infectious diseases to body image at:

<http://medanth14.wix.com/medical-

anthropology> . A big thank you to Dr

Trang Ta for helping in putting this

article together and her continuous

enthusiasm for student showcasing.

SLEEP CULTURES

The socially, culturally and historically

appropriate and inappropriate ways of

‘doing’ sleep, that is, the normative

conventions or social etiquette of

sleep, vary among different cultures –

defined or otherwise. Sleep exhibits

socio-cultural plasticity and is able to

transcend the dynamics of social

organisation, patterning and

scheduling of every day (and night)

life. These dynamics are grounded in

the following elements:

What we make of sleep

With whom we sleep

When we sleep

Where we sleep

Ulysses Cabayao,

Jessica Durrant-Whyte, Meagan Botnick

(Health Awareness Campaign,

ANTH2026/6026, 2015)

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Follow the link to view the group’ s video

<https://vimeo.com/129061049> (or follow the

QR code) and have a peak at their infographic poster on the next page!

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Po

ster b

y Ulysses C

abayao

, Jessica Du

rrant -W

hyte

, Meagan

Bo

tnick

Student Profile |Hannah James||PhD Candidate, Research School of Earth Sciences|

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Drop by Hannah’s latest blog entry at :http://oncirculation.com/2015/05/05/the-

tooth-the-whole-tooth-and-nothing-but-the-tooth/ and if you crave more, have a look at other research and musings within the Earth

Sciences at http://oncirculation.com/

SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU

STUDYING?

I am currently doing a PhD at the Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES), looking at oxygen and strontium isotopes in archaeological teeth and mapping environmental strontium values in New Caledonia and Corsica.

WHAT DROVE YOU TO SUCH

STUDIES?

My academic journey to this research has taken 9 years and has been heavily influenced by courses I have enjoyed.

CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH HOW

THAT CAME ABOUT?

I started as a Medical Science student, who got bored and did Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology, which led to me adding on Biological Anthropology. I went on the Philippines Field School at the end of my undergrad and realised Archaeology is amazing, so signed up for the Master of Archaeological Science program.

The master’s program led me to Scientific Dating and Isotope analysis for Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology, which in turn led me to the exciting field of isotopic analysis and my PhD.

WE FEATURE A BIT OF YOUR

BLOGGING IN THIS ISSUE OF

ABACUS MAGAZINE, CAN YOU

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THAT?

My blog post is an introduction to my research which hopefully shows that combining archaeology with scientific research is not that hard and provides interesting results!

IS THERE MORE TO THE BLOG OR

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE

TO ADD?

The blog itself is run by a group of PhD students from RSES. The motivation behind this blog is to demonstrate that wearing socks and sandals is not representative of today’s earth scientist and to show the fascinating range of subjects that come under the umbrella of Earth Sciences.

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Fieldwork

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Photo source: Simon Tener

The Field School consisted of two weeksof excavations on Springbank Island, anartificial island on Lake Burley Griffin. Thesite was chosen due its position as highground in the Molonglo flood plainsbefore the lake was built. The area aroundwas known as the Springbank propertyduring the Early European period and thefirst homestead in Canberra was built onthe high ground due to frequent floods.The site was also proposed to haveindigenous significance as the area is saidto have been an important meeting placefor indigenous groups before and duringearly European contact. As such the aimsof the fieldschool were to look forpresence of both early European materialand Indigenous material.

Excavators included archaeologystudents and lecturers from theAustralian National Universityand members of the CanberraArchaeological Society. Theexperience allowed students towork along side esteemedAustralian archaeologists.

Firstly I would like to thank all involved in the Springbank Archaeological Project,especially to the Canberra Archaeological Society and Dr. Duncan Wright forproviding the opportunity of a local fieldschool to archaeology students of theAustralian National University.

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FieldworkExcavations uncovered modern,

early European and Indigenous material.The site of the homestead itself was notfound but various early Europeanceramics and nails among other earlyEuropean materials are most likely fromthe occupation of the homestead. Theindigenous material including flakes andcores of various origins were mostlyfound in disturbed layers which makes itdifficult to pinpoint their origin. AsSpringbank Island was artificially filledwith soil from deposits excavated fromother areas of the lake it is likely thatthat the lithics were transported toSpringbank Island along with the infill.Even with the ambiguity, the amount oflithics highlights the significance and use

of the Molonglo floodplains byindigenous groups. Other modernmaterials also highlight the processes ofthe construction of Lake Burley Griffin.An intact jar was uncovered at thebottom of the disturbed layers whichmay have been transported there by aconstruction worker on the site. Suchfinds though not as historicallysignificant do highlight more intimatestories about the people who lived andshaped the story of Canberra.

Melandri Vlok

(President, ABACUS ANU)

You can now keep up with the latest news and events through ABACUS on the go.

Just follow/like/join us on:

Instagram (@a.b.a.c.u.s)

Facebook (A.B.A.C.U.S ANU)

Twitter (@A.B.A.C.U.S)

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Grab your tickets NOW and cure that weird Fear Of Missing Out you’ve been experiencing!

Join other passionate Archaeology students from around Australia and hear about the latest

student targeted events currently happening within your discipline.

Registrations Close:

7th July 2015

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For more information head to : http://www.nascaustralia.com/For registrations visit : http://www.nascaustralia.com/registration/

Philippines Archaeology Field School (Summer 2016)

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If all this talk of field schools and out of the box study has you in a tangle of

Wonderlust and a thirst for knowledge there is still hope with a number of

field opportunities on offer through the School of Archaeology and

Anthropology.

Photos source: Melandri Vlok & Andrea Cosalan

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The Philippines Field School is a great opportunity to gain archaeological experience on an international field. Ran by Marc Oxenham the summer session can provide 6 units within the Bachelor of Arts and Archaeological Practice degrees. An option for a site report counting a further 6 units is also available after the field school. The 2016 season will begin in January and an information session will be presented soon. Some of the benefits include:- working along side leading experts in South East Asia from both the Australian National University and the University of the Philippines- Be taught a high standard of excavation techniques- Archaeology of human remains experience that is not available on Australian digs- Opportunity to work on a mortuary site which is not available for Australian digs- experiencing the culture of the people of Philippines and learn from others from different historical and social backgrounds- meet many new people in both social and academic contexts which are beneficial for a career in archaeology- Go to many historical and archaeological places within the Philippines

More…

There may also be an opportunity to attend a bio archaeological conference before the summer school commences.

If you have any questions about the Philippines experience feel free to chat with Melandri Vlok(ABACUS President) or email ABACUS at abacusanu@gmail.com

Photos source: Melandri Vlok & Andrea Cosalan

Striking “Story”: Making The Most Of Archaeology At ANU

This rather wonderful quote by one of our founding fathers (Sir Mortimer Wheeler. 1954) provides us with two very important lessons. Archaeology involves objects, sites and landscapes however it is our responsibility to move beyond the “thing” to see people (and stories). We are scientists and storytellers, protecting cultural heritage while at the same time trying to bring stories back to life. Do you agree with this? If so, try this one on for size.

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“In a simple direct sense, archaeology is a science that

must be lived, must be seasoned with humanity. Dead archaeology is the driest dust

that blows.”

Sir Mortimer Wheeler 1954

Wheelers second lesson (based on my reading of this quote) is that to learn about archaeology we must also live it. In Australia, we are lucky that there are many opportunities to do so (archaeology seminars/ societies, volunteering etc.). Not all sites have been excavated or surveyed. Some of the biggest archaeological questions (including the age of first arrival on this continent) remain unanswered. At any time any one of us has the opportunity to dig through a layer of soil and strike “story”!

Marni Booth (ABACUS Exec.) sieves soil on Springbank during organised excavations. Photo Source: Simon Tener. (2015)

Each opportunity taken (and this includes your ANU degree) is likely to open new doors. The more times you say “yes”, the more direction you will get and the more experience will show up on your CV. The Springbank field school represents an example of the importance of engagement. From project inception students took an organisation role in this. Initially I was helped by Iain Johnston and Lucy Blackam, but in no time at all the bemused clientele of “Gods” had to put up with organisation committee meetings that took over half the café! It is not for me to say how much you got out of the field school, the public open day and the artefact sorting workshops that followed. I will hazard a guess that it was worth sacrificing the time and effort.

Since this excavation finished I am proud to see students saying “yes” to opportunities. Some of you have been offered archaeology contracts with cultural heritage firms or have volunteered to assist local Traditional Custodians. Others are in the process of preparing presentations for the National Student Archaeology Conference in Sydney.

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The skills/contacts and ideas that you will gain from each of these opportunities, coupled with the effort you put in to your ANU studies will shape your careers. It will also make the whole process a hell of a lot more fun! Make the most of your time here. Get engaged and who knows before long you will be chasing a story of your own.

Dr Duncan Wright

Striking “Story”: Making The Most Of Archaeology At ANU

Lucy Blackam takes site measurements on Springbank Island. Photo Source : Simon Tener (2015)

Book Club

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Synopsis: “This volume explores the complexity, diversity and interwoven nature of taxonomic pursuits within the context of explorations of humans and related species. It also pays tribute to Professor Colin Groves, whose work has had an enormous impact on this field. Recent research into that somewhat unique species we call humankind, through the theoretical and conceptual approaches afforded by the discipline of biological anthropology, is showcased. The focus is on the evolution of the human species, the behaviour of primates and other species, and how humans affect the distribution and abundance of other species through anthropogenic impact.

The book is available in pdf/epub/mobi and online formats from : http://press.anu.edu.au/titles/taxonomic-tapestries/

Weaving together these three key themes, through the considerable influence of Colin Groves, provides glimpses of how changes in taxonomic theory and methodology, including our fluctuating understanding of speciation, have recrafted the way in which we view animal behaviour, human evolution and conservation studies.” Source: ANU Press (26/05/2015)

If you are in need of an interesting read to tuck into over the mid-semester break why not sink your teeth into the collaborative publication of ANU’s Dr Alison Behie & Dr Marc Oxenham with contributions from Dr Robert Attenborough and many others.

Volunteer Opportunity (Boost that CV!)

Nothing brightens a CV quite like a bit of volunteer work and here’s a great opportunity open to anyone willing. The Canberra Archaeological Society is seeking helpers for their 2015 Heritage Symposium

Saturday18 July 2015

8a – 5p

Please take a moment during your break to give a hand and also gain experience in heritage planning within the Canberra region. See attached registration details.

For more information visit :

http://symposium.cas.asn.au/2015.html

To volunteer, contact Lucy Blackman:

Via email : lucy.blackam@live.com

Mobile : 0401787293

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ACT and Region Annual Australian Heritage Partnership Symposium 2015

SHARING HERITAGE: CREATE, CHANGE, CHERISH

Hosted by: Canberra Archaeological Society,

National Trust of Australia (ACT),

Canberra and District Historical Society, and

Australia ICOMOS

Date: Saturday 18 July 2015

8.45 am – 5.00 pm

Venue: Sir Roland Wilson Building Theatre

Building 120

McCoy Circuit

Australian National University

Acton

Cost: $70 full

$50 members of the host organisations

$30 concessions, full-time students and speakers.

Please complete attached Registration Form and return to:

Post: National Trust (ACT)

PO Box 1144

Civic Square ACT 2608

Email: info@nationaltrustact.org.au

In person: National Trust (ACT) Office (open 9.30am – 3.00pm Monday – Thursday)1st Floor North Building (above Canberra Museum & Gallery) Cnr London Circuit & Civic Square, Canberra, 2600

Please register as soon as possible to assist with catering.

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REGISTRATION FORM

Name: __________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

Contact Phone number: ____________________________________________________

Email Address: ___________________________________________________________

Please advise any special dietary requirements __________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

REGISTRATION:

________ @ $70.00 full registration

_______@ $50.00 member of host organisation – please state which one:

________ @ $30.00 (concessions, full-time students and speakers)

Total Tickets ___________$ _______________

Concession/Student Card No: _________________________________

PAYMENT METHOD:

1. Credit Card Visa [ ] Mastercard [ ] Amex [ ]

Card no: ___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| ___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___

Expiry date: ___|___|___|___ Card security number: ___|___|___|___

Name of cardholder: _________________________________________________

Signature: _________________________________________________________

2. Cheque [ ]

Please include with registration form and make payable to National Trust of Australia (ACT).

3. Money Order [ ]

Please include with registration form and make payable to National Trust of Australia (ACT).

4. In Person at the National Trust Office or on the day at the venue. Please register in

advance to enable catering.

Are you

Ready

Unearth All 2015 Begin to prepare for the intersociety physical and mental challenge of the year. ABACUS ANU is proud to present UNEARTH ALL.

WHEN : SEMESTER 2, WEEK 3WHERE: ANU CAMPUS AND

SURROUNDING SUBURBS

Wait, what is this?

An intersociety scavenger/photo hunt with a social media twist. Take a stimulating study break before knuckling down for your end of year assessment binge.

Get your teams together now!

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More Details Coming

Soon

Parting Notes: Semester 2 Notices

MemberRegistration – costis $5 and gains youexclusive access toArchaeology/Anthropology relatedevent informationand discounts atsociety events.

Fishbowl availablefor quiet study,crammingsessions, snacks,help, etc. (ADHope LG07)

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There are still a number ofmembership cards waiting to bepicked up. If anyone is aftertheirs head down to theFishbowl

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