6/24/2015
Alexis Francois
Welcome to the first field day of the 2015 Season for the IAP! We loaded the entire crew and equipment into a jeepney and headed down toward the Old Kiangan village. The thirty-minute hike to the actual site should definitely be considered fieldwork. Trekking through muddy narrow paths, walking along loose rock walls, crossing rivers via stones and walking the cliché old rickety bridge were all-apart of the journey. Throughout all of this we all found ourselves stopping either to decide which rock to hop to next or to simply take in the beautiful scenery. We saw several women working the dried fields, endless stretches of greenery, flowing rivers (which we carefully crossed,) and even a white water buffalo. Upon reaching the site we discovered that today’s original plans of survey had to be delayed due to the rice fields being flooded and the dried areas not being dry enough. This was a great lesson that all archaeologists should experience; things rarely go as planned. However, our trek was not in vain, our field day turned into a very much needed practice day with the mapping equipment. We were divided in to groups and were able to work with four different mapping techniques and technologies. My first station was the pocket transit, which is a more accurate way to determine distance and direction of points or structures wishing to be mapped, relative to the tape-and-compass method. We took turns to collectively map a structure on the property in which we were working on. In the next area we were able to work with the Total Station, this is an even more technologically advanced method to determine spatial distance and direction. One person is sent out in to the field with a meter stick with an attached prism, the person utilizing the Total Station pod aims the cross hairs at the prism. The device can then determine how far away the marked prism is and the cardinal directions in which it is located. The third station we were taught how GPS systems work and how to properly utilize them in the field. All of us took turns plotting points in an open area, which will then be downloaded on to a computer so we can apply a visual to the plots we made in the field. The fourth station we were shown (but of course not allowed to touch) how the drone works. In this field season a drone will be utilized to properly acquire aerial maps of the entire site in order to better understand spatial proximity of structures and determine the total span of the entire settlement. Before heading back to the jeepney we were surprised with an in-field treat of fresh coconut water and coconut meat procured by the always-helpful SitMo boys. We returned to the field house in the early afternoon and this is when I realized days in the Philippines last a lot longer than the ones back home, so it seems. After lunch, those researching ceramics or faunal remains were allowed to have a lab session, while those like myself, doing human remains and spatial distribution were allowed to go in to town for much needed snacks and supplies. The rest of the day I dedicated to mentally preparing for an actual full field day tomorrow seeing as today was only a half-day and we were all personally victimized by the equatorial sun.
Alexis Francois
Welcome to the first field day of the 2015 Season for the IAP! We loaded the entire crew and equipment into a jeepney and headed down toward the Old Kiangan village. The thirty-minute hike to the actual site should definitely be considered fieldwork. Trekking through muddy narrow paths, walking along loose rock walls, crossing rivers via stones and walking the cliché old rickety bridge were all-apart of the journey. Throughout all of this we all found ourselves stopping either to decide which rock to hop to next or to simply take in the beautiful scenery. We saw several women working the dried fields, endless stretches of greenery, flowing rivers (which we carefully crossed,) and even a white water buffalo. Upon reaching the site we discovered that today’s original plans of survey had to be delayed due to the rice fields being flooded and the dried areas not being dry enough. This was a great lesson that all archaeologists should experience; things rarely go as planned. However, our trek was not in vain, our field day turned into a very much needed practice day with the mapping equipment. We were divided in to groups and were able to work with four different mapping techniques and technologies. My first station was the pocket transit, which is a more accurate way to determine distance and direction of points or structures wishing to be mapped, relative to the tape-and-compass method. We took turns to collectively map a structure on the property in which we were working on. In the next area we were able to work with the Total Station, this is an even more technologically advanced method to determine spatial distance and direction. One person is sent out in to the field with a meter stick with an attached prism, the person utilizing the Total Station pod aims the cross hairs at the prism. The device can then determine how far away the marked prism is and the cardinal directions in which it is located. The third station we were taught how GPS systems work and how to properly utilize them in the field. All of us took turns plotting points in an open area, which will then be downloaded on to a computer so we can apply a visual to the plots we made in the field. The fourth station we were shown (but of course not allowed to touch) how the drone works. In this field season a drone will be utilized to properly acquire aerial maps of the entire site in order to better understand spatial proximity of structures and determine the total span of the entire settlement. Before heading back to the jeepney we were surprised with an in-field treat of fresh coconut water and coconut meat procured by the always-helpful SitMo boys. We returned to the field house in the early afternoon and this is when I realized days in the Philippines last a lot longer than the ones back home, so it seems. After lunch, those researching ceramics or faunal remains were allowed to have a lab session, while those like myself, doing human remains and spatial distribution were allowed to go in to town for much needed snacks and supplies. The rest of the day I dedicated to mentally preparing for an actual full field day tomorrow seeing as today was only a half-day and we were all personally victimized by the equatorial sun.
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