Blog
By Corey Cookson
February 20, 2017
Finding Archaeological Sites from the sky using high-tech advances in archaeology
In recent months, news feeds have been erupting with stories of “Lost Maya Cities discovered using LiDAR”, “revealing the secrets of Stonehenge using LiDAR”, “LiDAR uncovers ancient city near Angkor Wat”, and the popularity of “space archaeologist” Sarah Parcak, but this technology is not limited to finding the remnants of “lost civilizations” in far reaching
Keep Reading
By Corey Cookson
February 15, 2017
Visiting the Great Wall of China
In honour of the Mysteries of China IMAX series currently playing at the Telus World of Science, I decided to look back on my trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site in February of 2014. We took a tour to Mutianyu organised by our hostel in Beijing. This portion of the wall is in a
Keep Reading
By Britt Romano
February 6, 2017
Introduction to CRM Part 5: Reporting
Once we have surveyed our targets and evaluated any sites we have found, it is time to return to the office. All of our notes are taken on an ipad in the field. Now all we have to do is export our notes into a database which eliminates the hours spent on data entry. Note
Keep Reading
By Britt Romano
January 30, 2017
Introduction to CRM Part 4: Evaluating a Site
When we identify a site, we conduct further evaluative testing to determine the type, character, and extent of the site. This is done according to government guidelines, and depends on the type of site, and the type of landform. If the landform allows for it, testing occurs in each cardinal direction or in a grid.
Keep Reading
By Britt Romano
January 23, 2017
Introduction to CRM Part 3: Archaeological Survey
Using information compiled in the office, the next step of an HRIA is to leave the comforts of home behind and to venture into the field. Although there is a perception of archaeologists working at large excavations, often dressed in khakis and maybe wearing a fedora, archaeological survey is the most common type of field
Keep Reading
By Reid Graham
January 18, 2017
Atlatl Point
This little quartzite projectile point comes from a small site near Wabasca-Desmarais, Alberta. We found it on a small hill that was next to a lake, along with several chert and quartzite flakes. This point likely was fitted to an atlatl dart, a type of feathered throwing spear that uses a hooked throwing stick to help propel
Keep Reading
By Britt Romano
January 16, 2017
Introduction to CRM Part 2: Development Screening and Project Planning
The first step of a historic resources impact assessment (HRIA) happens in the office. Once we have the plan for a development, we need to assess whether the footprint will impact any recorded sites or if it has the potential to impact any unrecorded sites. We use our experience and knowledge of archaeology, GIS data,
Keep Reading
By Britt Romano
January 9, 2017
Introduction to CRM Part 1: Cultural Resource Management
Cultural Resource Management (CRM) is undertaken in many different countries all over the world and it can go by just as many names, Contract Archaeology, Consulting Archaeology, Compliance Archaeology, and Heritage Resource Management (HRM) to name a few. Whatever CRM is called, the underlying purpose is always the same. These archaeologists engage in the protection,
Keep Reading
By Kurtis Blaikie-Birkigt
December 5, 2016
Archaeology Risk Management Plans?
In a previous blog post, I wrote about how remediation and archaeological impact assessment pose very similar problems, from a technical perspective. In both cases, there is something in the ground, and we need to figure out where, how much, and what to do about it. My impression is that remediation is well ahead of
Keep Reading
By Elenore
November 14, 2016
Careers in Archaeology
Consulting The most common career in archaeology is that of a consulting archaeologist. Consulting archaeologists work in the field of Historic Resource Management or Cultural Resource Management (CRM). People in this line of work generally work on Historic Resource Impact Assessments of planned developments before construction is started. The responsibility of consulting archaeologists is to
Keep Reading