FreeThink: Reflections, Criticisms and Emotion

Earlier today, the ASP (Archaeological Studies Program) was visited by some Grade 8 students from some random private school. They came to ask about archaeology as part of their field trip. Dante, Jay, and I became the informants for the interview. One of the questions that they asked was, "What made us pursue archaeology?". This is, however, not an isolated case. It is as if everyone has been asking a lot, "Why archaeology?". Of all the careers? Why would I choose to dig the bloody dirt? My simple answer was that:   1. I have watched Indiana Jones and Tomb Raiders. I like the professor's character. Little did I know that Indiana and what he does is far from what archaeologists really are.   2. The second thing is that I loved reading history books when I was young. I saw Paleontologists digging the ground, and I wanted to be part of something like it. It was just lately that I fully understood the difference between Paleontology and Archaeology (the tim...

Amano, N., Piper, P.J., Hung, H.C. & Bellwood, P. 2013. Introduced domestic animals in the neolithic and metal age of the philippines: Evidence from Nagsabaran, Northern Luzon. Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology 8(3): 317–335.            This paper argues examines the presence of the faunal remains in the Philippines in Nagsabaran shell midden in Northern Luzon. Analysis have revealed evidences for the domestication of animals during the neolithic age to metal age in the Philippines. The domesticated pigs are present n the earliest time periods while dog are introduced much later during the latter neolithic to metal age. Wild taxa have dominated the the archaeological record even up to the late metal age suggesting the reliance to hunting of the societies who have occupied the sites. Amano, N., Rivals, F., Moigne, A.M., Ingicco, T., Sémah, F. & Simanjuntak, T. 2016. Paleoenvironment in East Java during th...