Time Sifters Archaeology Society Newsletter January 2016

JANUARY-2015 January Program January 20 - at 6:00 PM - Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236 The Archaeology Year in Review Darwin “Smitty” Smith Vice President, Time SiftersDear Member:The new year has gotten off to a great start for Time Sifters. We participated in a great excavation at PhillippiEstate Park, uncovering shell tools, lithic flakes, and pieces of pottery dating to the Manasota culture, some1000 to 2500 years ago. Because of great press coverage both before and during the dig, several hundredpeople came out to observe and learn. All the participating archaeologists were enthusiastic about answer-ing any and all questions.Time Sifters Travel: Join us on The Viking Trail, an archaeological-focused trip to Newfoundland thiscoming summer. We are booking a small-group tour (about 20 participants) with a focus on the Viking sites.Included will be a special chance to meet Birgitta Wallace, specialist in Norse archaeology and Viking-ageevidence in the west and author of Westward Vikings: The L’Anse aux Meadows Saga. Details are below.Hope to see you soon! [email protected] Svekis, PresidentJanuary 20th:The Archeology Year in ReviewDarwin “Smitty” Smith Returning for capturehow largethefield ofdiscoveryhas the third year, become. He’ll also highlight seven of Time Sifters the 23 new UNESCO World Heritage board member Sites.The talk willincludetheexpansionofthe“Smitty” Smith will present the 2015 Human family tree with the discoveryarchaeological year in review. Smitty has in aSouth African caveofa newhominid;thereviewed dozens of significant reports of results of a two year study of thearchaeological discoveries around the Hidden Landscapesaround Stonehenge;theworld before narrowing it down to eight destruction of ancient sites in theto present to us. He reminds us that Middle East by terrorists; discovery ofthere is more to archaeology then just the a 5,000 year-old Underground City inclassicalcivilizationsand hispresentationtriesto Turkey; and more.

Notes from a Time SifterThe VikingsIn August of 2016, Time Sifters isoffering a “Viking Trail” Tour to thewestern coast of Newfoundland. Thistour gives you a chance to see theruins of the Vikings in NorthAmerica. They settled in north-eastern Canada more than 400 use an Old Norse system of symbols why the word “Viking” came to called runes that represented mean “pirate raid”). The earliestyears before Columbus. The things and ideas but they do not reference to them comes from the mention voyages. Vikings were English monk, Alcuin, who, inEncyclopedia Britannica defines physically similar to other Europeans 793, wrote that there had never but they liked being blond and been such a terror in England beforethe word “Vikings” as “Germanic used strong lye soap to make the Vikings arrived. They killed their hair lighter. Viking women and enslaved the locals and tookNorse seafarers, speaking the Old had more rights than most women at home their farm goods as well as that time although the eldest son the treasures from the monasteries.Norse language, inherited the family farm. Both But many settled in their new men and women fought in battle. lands as farmers, merchants andwho raided and traded from They used simple weapons, wore craftsmen. Some eventually became no armor and helmets had no leaders: Danish kings ruled Englandtheir Scandinavian homelands from 1016 to 1042, King Henry I horns (Annie Dalbéra). They were ex- of France (d. 1135) was the lastacross wide areas of northern and cellent sailors and the honored royal of Viking descent, and Russian were buried in their boats along royals have carried Nordic DNAcentral Europe, as well as European with their weapons. They had since the 9th century. Today, their own pantheon led by Odin, many Europeans (and AmericansRussia, during the late 8th to late the father of many of the lesser of European origin) also carry Viking gods, but adopted Christianity in DNA; at least one of every 33 British11th centuries.” They actually the 10th and 11th centuries men are Viking descendants (http://www.history.com). (Daily Mail, March 9, 2014). Theywent as far east as Baghdad, and made a huge impact on Europe The Vikings tribes never unified where hundreds of Old Norseas far west as North America. (they often fought each other) yet their raids were a major threat to Notes continued next page ...They were farmers who began to the local populations (that isspread from their native territoryabout 700 c.e. probably becausegood farmland is not plentiful inScandinavia. They did not callthemselves “Vikings” (NationalGeographic, Oct. 2010). The wordprobably comes from the OldNorse vik meaning “fjord” (bay)and Víkingar, which means travel-er from the fjords. It was not usedto describe the Norsemen until the18th century. Before that, theGermans calledthem Ascomanni \"ashmen\"because they built their boats January 4th & 5thof ash wood. The Gaelic word for We had a great two days of excavations and public awareness at Phillippi Estatethem was Lochlannach meaning Park. It was fun and rewarding to work with a great team of archaeologists, Newmen of the lake, and the Anglo-Saxons College and Florida Public Archaeology Network folks, and Time Sifters andcalled them the Dene Around the Bend Nature Tours volun- teers. Thanks to all the folks who came out to assist! For additional information(beach?). Farther east, the Greeks go to this website: http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2016/01/05/ archaeological-dig-in-sarasota-finds-artifacts-2k-years-old/78321424/called them Variagoi (sailors) andthe Slavs, Byzantines and Arabsreferred to them as the Rus(rowers). All of those visited by theVikings wrote about them, but theVikings were not literate. They did

words have become part of the because of the wild grapes there. 2004). Still, others came andlanguage, they founded the cities Three years later, Thorfinn spread, founding real coloniesof Oslo, Kiev and Novogrod, made Karlsefni sailed from Greenland with permanent houses.Dublin the capital of Ireland and Archaeologists have found thetook over Normandy. They discovered to Newfoundland (L’Anse Aux remains of at least 400 farmsteadsGreenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands Meadows) with his family, friends in Newfoundland, Labrador and Novaand North years America. and livestock. They found timber, Scotia. But the settlements did fish and good pasture, but also not thrive, perhaps because ofVikings had already settled in some unfriendly Native Americans hostile Indians or weather changesIceland and Greenland in the 10th who were able to chase Thorfinn and by 1500 they had all beencentury c.e. when Leif Erikson and family back to Iceland after deserted, leaving only ruins forexplored the coast of North America future archaeologists.naming his discovery “Vinland” only three years (Linden, Smith- sonian Magazine, December,Viking Trail TourWest Coast of Newfoundland & LabradorAugust 12 - 20, 2016 Thousands of years of history come alive as you ferry across the Cabot Strait to explore the West Coast of Newfoundland & Labrador. Learn about ancient peoples, the Maritime Archaic and Dorset Indians at Port au Choix, the Vikings in L’Anse aux Meadows, and the Basque Whalers in Red Bay and meet the hospitable and friendly people of today. See the beauty of Gros Morne National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and coastal fishing communities. Take a boat tour in St. Anthony (weather permitting) where you may see whales and, depending on the time of year, icebergs! For more information go to: http://tinyurl.com/gpwa2ksNET Price Per Person in US funds, (subject to change)NET Price Per Person Includes: Members Non-Members Eight nights’ accommodation Tour Director from arrival in Halifax, NS to departure from Double $2,592.00 $2,692.00 Deer Lake, NL Single $3,076.00 $3,176.00 Tour director travel and expenses Motorcoach transportation and driver expenses NET Price Per Person Does Not Include: Admission to allsightseeingmentioned in the itinerary. Travel expenses and related costs to Halifax, NS and from All bridge, ferry and road tolls from Halifax, NS to Deer Deer Lake, NL Mealsotherthan thosementioned in theprice includes section Lake, NL Optional sightseeing admissions Handling of one suitcase per person Customary gratuity to Tour Director and Driver 16 Meals: 7 Dinners; 1 Lunch; 8 BreakfastsOfficers: Board of Directors Copyright © 2016Sherry Svekis, President Time SiftersArchaeologySociety,Inc.,Darwin \"Smitty\" Smith, Vice Pres. Directors: Sharon McConnell All rights reserved.Valerie Jackson Bell, Secretary Robert Bopp Saretta Sparer We send newsletters to peopleCaroline Reed, Treasurer Glenn Cooper Alfonz Lengyel, Director who have attended or expressedKaren Jensen, Membership Evelyn Mangie Emeritus interestin our lecturesand given us their email address.

Membership Speakers & Events CalendarLifetime: $200 All to be held at 6:00 PMIndividual: $20 Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota 34236Family: $30Sustaining: $50 January 20Student: $10 Archaeology Year in Review Darwin Smith, Vice President, Time SiftersPay online at: February 17TimeSifters.org CSS Georgia: The Ladies IroncladOr mail checks to: Michael L. Jordan, President, Cosmos Mariner ProductionsTime Sifters, Inc.PO Box 5283 March 16Sarasota, FL. 34277 CulinaryJustice:Defininga Theory ofGastronomicSovereignty Michael Twitty, Food Writer & Culinary Historian *** This program will be held at: New College, Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road Time Sifters Archaeology Society A Chapter of the Florida Anthropological Society http://timesifters.org/Time Sifters Archaeology SocietyP. O. Box 5283, Sarasota, FL 34277