First of all, there is the fact that I could never take this at home, so it's a fantastic opportunity! And then, most importantly, I have an amazing professor. His name is Dr. Huggett: he is English (from York), hilarious, mentions Indiana Jones at least once a week and really knows his stuff. Basically, people actually all come to his lectures because he makes them interesting! He also throws in these British phrases I find hilarious and will randomly write down in the margins of my notes- excellent examples?
Something was unquestionably true... in fact it was as.. "sure as eggs are eggs."
Another?
"by then, they will be as cheap as chips!" - obviously referring to the decreasing value of items over time as they become cost effective to produce (laser-scanners for archaeologists).
I really want to use these phrases at least once in my life. So be aware they may slip in at some point when you are least expecting it!
Yesterday was our required class field trip for Archaeology, which to be honest, everyone was looking forward to! It was a really cool trip, we got to see four completely different sites throughout the course of the day, learning about how the sites were (or were not) presented, and the history of them from our professors.
The first site we came to was Bar Hill, which required a bit of a trek up the hill, as per the name! The day dawned clear and bright- I even optimistically brought, and USED my sunglasses for the first time! Bar Hill is the location of an old Roman Fort, and also something even older built using earthworks. Unfortunately, we really have no idea what the older structure was, though there are several possible interpretations from it being a fortlet to and Iron Age settlement.
[A quick note on the word 'Forlet'. I think this is the most adorable word ever. Want to know what a fortlet is? ....a baby fort. I'm not kidding either]
 |
| remains of the Roman fort walls |
 |
| Apparently all the trees were planted back in the early 1900s to make the place more aesthetically appealing. |
After learning about the fort's history and being set loose to explore the area and makes notes on the presentation for ourselves, we were herded back together through the use of a handy whistle and discussed things. Dr. Huggett posed the interesting question of how we would present the site if we had an unlimited budget. Now, had he mentioned unlimited advanced technology as well, I have the perfect solution to presenting all archaeological sites: AR.
What's this AR you ask? Augmented Reality. The tech world is buzzing with it- in fact they are already experimenting with some AR stuff for smart phones- basically they enable you to get information on your surroundings. I'm just excited for the potential of using AR for video games and sunglasses! Imagine wearing your typical glasses as you walk down a street in Europe. Information on the closest cash point pops up, a review of the cafe on the corner, and a arrow showing you where to turn to find your hostel. On an archaeological site, AR could be used to show multiple stages of reconstruction- what the site might have looked like at different points in history, while still leaving the area in it's 'authentic' condition. In addition to the virtual reconstructions, information on the uses of the site and history could appear for you to view, and perhaps you could choose to get more in-depth information if you wished!
Yes I'm a nerd. But how incredible will this technology be?? But to go back to the trip:
Our next stop was really cool, simply because very few people know about it or have actually visited it. And tramping through the magical pine forest on the way there I can see why- it's pretty isolated. But that just adds to it's sense of mystery. As if you were in on a special club that knows the secret. It was called Tappoch Broch, and though there is debate on what brochs were actually for, the two common interpretations are that it was used for defensive purposes or a demonstration of power and status.
The broch was round, shaped like an igloo almost with a long narrow passage to the interior. The wall were incredible thick- 20 feet at parts! Again we followed the same pattern of learning, exploring and regrouping. We were also on a quest to find these specific tool/ stone are marks by the stairwell, though we certinly didn't find any! One of the best parts of this particular stop was how we got back to the buses. Because this time, us students decided to lead, the professors were in the back. And we discovered a magical new route! Meaning that we went in completely the wrong direction, and started to realize we'd never seen this area before... And naturally the entire bus had followed us - the wrong way. Luckily, we found a way through a slightly boggy timber area on the edge of the forest to the road, and our bus was just a short distance away. Turns out the profs followed us too- better that we all get lost together they told me on the bus!
 |
| the Interior of the Broch |
 |
| Doorway & Passage, looking out from the inside |
After a lunch and coffee break, we swapped professors (bye Dr. Huggett!) and headed to our last two stops, in completely different levels of preservation than the first two. The first was Doune Castle, a gloriously well preserved castle, so nice and tidy in fact that it's been used for several films- Monty Python among them! It was a really cool castle, built by Robert the Duke of Albany who was sneakily keeping an eye on Stirling and somewhat running the country. My favorite part about the castle though was how much we could explore! I climbed every staircase I could find (extremely narrow and spiral) and went into every room, nook and cranny. Despite our professor's blatant warning and the signs, I really wanted to go on the roof too. No worries though, I was a good law abiding non-citizen of Scotland. I love old buildings, they are so interesting with all their secret rooms, huge chambers, and even hidden things which lead to yet more rooms!
 |
| Doune Castle! |
 |
| View from the top down the river, a very strategic position for a caslte |
 |
| Note the Scottish Flag! |
Our final stop was Dunblane Cathedral- a gorgeous gothic building from the 13th century and an incorporated tower from even earlier. It was enormous, and there was a continuous chorus of bells ringing out the entire time we were there- though you couldn't hear this inside the Cathedral. What was most fascinating to me was the incredible wood carvings. There were carvings in everything from the choir stalls, to pews to the baptism and lattice screen to the Chorus area. It was pretty awe-inspiring. This level of detail must have taken months if not years!
 |
| Tradition was that the closer you were buried to the church the better- you would get to heaven faster if you were touching the church walls say that way out past the gates! The really wealthy were buried under the actual church. |
 |
| Stained glass windows of the Choir area! |
 |
| One of the hundreds of beautifully intricate wood carvings |
After some final explorations around the outside of the building it was time to head home. All together, a good trip with a variety of sights from the lost and nearly forgotten to the contested to the restored and well maintained.
Basically, archaeology rules.
No comments:
Post a Comment