Tag Archives: Anthropology

Bariloche: the Swiss Argentina and so much more!

Class Field Trip!

This trip was probably the closest I have ever gotten to having an out of this world Magic School Bus trip. I had an amazing time traveling to Bariloche on our field trip. Bariloche was so beautiful: mountains, lakes, trees changing colors, while roses crept up the side of our cabin. We stayed right on the edge of the lake, Nahuel Huapi, the namesake of the national park that surrounds Bariloche.

Bariloche´s location in relation to Buenos Aires

Bariloche´s location in relation to Buenos Aires

The cabins where we stayed by Lake Nahuel Huapi

The cabins where we stayed by Lake Nahuel Huapi

The town of Bariloche was so quaint: wooden edifices with cobblestone streets that wound around the lake. We had free time to wander through the small town filled with chocolate shops. I enjoyed taking in the crisp, fresh air, as well as the changing colors of fall that have only  just started to arrive in Buenos Aires.

We were able to take a few hikes while we were there, and I am afraid to say that my legs have completely forgotten what hills feel like in the flat pampean landscape of Buenos Aires. Indeed, that will be a rude awakening when I return to State College. Neverthless, it was great to spend sometime in the National Park and learn more about the ecology of Patagonia. There is not a huge amount of biodiversity, but a lot of species found there are completely unique to that area. So I saw a lot of interesting trees and plants that our guide, an ecologist, pointed out to us.

These types of trees only grow in Patagonia.

These types of trees only grow in Patagonia.

Learning first-hand

I am so glad I was able to take this trip with my class. Of course the touristy spots of Bariloche were spectacular, but with my class, we saw other parts of Bariloche outside of its tourism that I would never have seen on my own. For example, one day we went to a Mapuche community, an indigenous population of Argentina, and they prepared us a typical Mapuche meal. They prepared curanto. To prepare the meal they create a fire over rocks outside, and once the rocks are heated, they remove the firewood. They then lay fabric down over the hot rocks and put all of the food- chicken, beef, lamb, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples- and cover the food with leaves from trees typical of the region. After folding the fabric over top of the leaves, they shovel earth on top of the mound to seal it off and allow everything to cook.

As they prepared our meal, we listened to a lawyer´s lecture about indigenous rights in Argentina and heard community members´perspectives on securing these rights. The community we visited is one of the few that have obtained the right to their traditional territory, although the government has created laws to allow this reclamation to happen for all native communities. Once the food was ready, they called us outside for the process of disinterring our meal. Steam rose from the earth, and we could smell the distinct combination of earth, the leaves, and our food.

 

Cuarnto; a typical mapuche meal prepared on hot rocks beneath the earth.

Cuarnto; a typical mapuche meal prepared on hot rocks beneath the earth.

The food was amazing, and the experience entirely unique. With everything I have learned through my anthropology class about Patagonia in mind, I was able to interact and share a first hand experience with this Mapuche community.


With my class, we also had the opportunity to see art that is prohibited from being shown in the museum. Why? Because the art was painted by a Nazi-refugee, Toon Maes, in Bariloche. The town was actually a refuge for many Nazi leaders, where they lived quietly and solitarily until they died. Once the artist’s past was discovered, human rights activists protested for his art to be taken out of exhibitions. So when we went to see the art, the paintings were just leaned up against a wall. Normally they are kept in an office, hidden from the public. Our teachers spoke to us in English about the paintings instead of Spanish, because the person who maintains the collection was once a student of the Nazi artist. She really cared for him, so they didn’t want to disrespect her by denouncing  these paintings as art created by a Nazi.

Art by Toon Maes, a Nazi leader who found refuge in Bariloche, Argentina

Art by Toon Maes, a Nazi leader who found refuge in Bariloche, Argentina

We also visited a school in El Barrio Alto of Bariloche, a poorer neighborhood outside of the touristy center of the town. Our bus drove through dirt roads, with precarious homes on either side of the road. We arrived at the school, filled with happy children and surrounded my colorful murals on every walls. We brought with us musical instruments to donate to their school band and posters of pictures of our homes in the US. My group had a picture of mac and cheese on our poster, and the kids excitedly asked, “What’s that, what’s that?” They loved asking us questions about football and wanted to know what our school´s mascots were. The town´s newspaper was actually there and wrote an article about how we donated instruments to the school.

http://www.elcordillerano.com.ar/index.php/actualidad/item/26001-universitarios-estadounidenses-donaron-instrumentos-musicales-a-la-escuela-cailen

These excursions were very special and made my experience in this beautiful town all the more incredible. So, I was disappointed to leave this peaceful place but was happy to come home to my homestay family. They waited for me to arrive before they sat down to eat and were so excited to hear all about my trip.

 

 

Jordan goes to Jordan

                The universities decided to cut our trip a few days short due to the ongoing tensions in Israel and while many were sad to leave I’m sure we were already to go home.   So early yesterday morning we boarded a bus and were escorted to the border which was about two hours away. Once we crossed the border we spent a few hours getting through customs and border control then we met another escort who traveled with us to Amman where we are to catch our flights. Jordan has a much harsher desert climate than Israel does, as we traveled through the towns and small cities we were surrounded by mountains of sand and at times it would cover the roads for kilometers. It took several hours before we reached our airport hotel, which is easily one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Our rooms are great and for dinner we were treated with some of the best Middle Eastern foods and desserts we’ve had since our arrival. Sadly, after dinner some of us were scheduled on early flights some of which left around midnight. There were some emotional goodbyes but those who stayed hung out one last night before our trip finally comes to an end. 


Location: Amman,Jordan

Excavation

With the ban of US Flights and other international flights arriving and departing Israel, Penn State and the other schools associated with the Tel Akko Total Archaeology Field School have decided to evacuate students from the country. Most of us were originally scheduled to fly out of the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. However, with the landing of the missile a mile away from the airport, we will now be escorted to Jordan instead to catch a flight to New York. Our entire excavation was wrapped up Wednesday afternoon and we will be leaving early tomorrow morning to cross the Jordan-Israel border. Once we arrive we will stay in a hotel until our flight is scheduled to depart. I am saddened by our earlier departure especially since we were so close to finishing the dig but this is for the best. I would also like to mention once again that we have been relatively safe from any rocket fire since the conflict begin.
While this is a very unfortunate event, I am happy to travel to Jordan. Since I share the same name with country and river I am somewhat excited to say that I have actually been there, however I do wish it were under much better circumstances. The decision to send us to Jordan seems to have been an all-day affair as we were not informed until later in the day that we were being evacuated. While some embraced the change, others were uncomfortable and unhappy with the decision. However the decision has been made and tomorrow morning we will be taking an unexpected trip to another Middle Eastern country. To my friends and family I assure you that I am very safe at the moment and I cannot wait to tell you of my adventure. I will see you soon.

Location: Akko, Israel

Home Stretch

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So here we are in the final week of field school. Survey is over and I’m back in my original excavation unit. It’s a little weird jumping back into the excavation pits after being away for the last few weeks and I have to get use to leveling out the dirt as I dig again. However I won’t have much time because we’re only digging for another day or two before we close up the excavation. I’m somewhat torn about heading home, I would love to stay here for maybe one more week to see a few more of the archaeological sites around the country and maybe even go to Jerusalem. On the other hand I’m ready to go home and sleep in for the next month before heading back to Penn State for the fall and spring semesters.                

  This past weekend we headed down to the beautiful coastal city of Caesarea after touring the University Of Haifa Museum and the Carmel Caves, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site between Haifa and Caesarea. Haifa is a beautiful city and its position on the mountains allow for stunning views of the Mediterranean and the Akko/Haifa Bay which can also be seen from the University Of Haifa Museum. In fact without a doubt I have never been in a museum with such a stunning backdrop provided for the exhibits.

After touring the museum we drove about a half hour to the Carmel Caves before heading down to Caesarea. The Carmel Caves are home to some of the oldest prehistoric tool production sites in the world, we even were allowed to explore one of the caves as well as check out some of the ancient tools. Then we headed down the coast to Caesarea which was built for Caesar Augustus by King Herod. After entering the city we walked into a large open air theatre where a path led us to a large amphitheater where chariot races were held and King Herod’s pool which basically sits in the Mediterranean. Tourist are allowed to walk in the pool while watching as the waves of the sea crash against the last bit of remaining structure a few feet away. Next we toured some of the street ruins before grabbing a bite to eat and slowly making your way out of the city. Walking through Caesarea felt like walking through a dream, no matter where you look there’s a picturesque scene a few feet away and as the day slipped by and the sun begin to set over the horizon of the sea, the city became even more beautiful. Finally we made one more stop at a beach about five minutes away where an aqueduct that carried water into the city stood in the sand. Beachgoers of all ages were climbing on top of ruin to take pictures as the sun set,  most of us were pretty tired by then but we managed to climb on top before heading back to Akko. This was by far my favorite field trip here in Akko and one I hope to make again in the future.

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Location: Akko, Israel

Halfway Point

As we start week three in Israel and Gaza enters their 8th day of conflict. If things escalate any further it is possible that our excavation will be forced to close and we will return home earlier than expected. Earlier today I heard that Egypt had issued a ceasefire to which Israel had accepted but Gaza refused. This morning we also saw a fighter jet and we also received news that a Haifa, which sits directly across the bay from us, had a siren scare. This is the second time I know of that Haifa was fired at. Due to the conflict the Tel Akko Archaeology Program is one of a small number of excavations still going on in Israel at this moment. We have been told that we should be safe but we have gone over the procedure just in case we hear sirens. All of us are now paying close attention to any news we can find about what’s going on in the south. Some members of our staff are in contact with people who are also keeping a close eye on the situation so we are very well informed.

                In other news, for the last two weeks I have been part of the survey team, which checks some of the surrounding areas  of the mean excavation area for possible artifacts and ancient features. A few days ago one of us found a small group of stones at the bottom of a hill, now other team members and I are finding more of the stones along a flat area and we now think it might be an ancient road. It has also been suggested that part of the hill may actually be covering a Persian Period gate. While we haven’t uncovered the gate yet, a lot of our staff are excited about our possible find as it could help explain why a large portion of our mound. Originally it was thought the British may have been responsible for taking out a large portion of the site  but if the gate is there it would change the perceived chronology of the site.  It’ll be interesting to see if there is actually a gate under there but it could be a while before a full excavation takes place there.           

                Plus, doing survey is a good workout. We’re constantly moving around and each day we have to walk up and down a hill while hauling tool and buckets of pottery. Some of us have even started to call the survey team the “Survey Corp.” because of the extra digging. Instead of digging  in one place we dig a bunch of sample holes and once we finish we move on to the next one. Though sometimes we may be selected to use a machine to record GPS coordinates which can take all day and you don’t dig any holes, but each person only does that about once a week. While survey is actually kind of fun since we get to explore some of the site a little more, it can be annoying with all the weeds and thorns scattered around. Plus their all sorts of wildlife, bees are a constant problem because they like to land inside your holes. One day last week a walked away from my hole for a few seconds and when I came back about  five bees were walking around inside. We also see a lot of legless lizards, spiders and beetles. Yesterday someone saw a scorpion and today I found a dead snake. However, the worst apart about survey are the plants because their thorns stick you in the leg as you walk through the field and no matter how lightly you step they still get you.

                Well, that’s if for now. I’ll try to post more often as the week goes on especially since we could be cancelled. While there have been a lot of unfortunate events over the last few days I’m still glad I came to Israel. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and I hope things work out. So until next time!      


Location: Acre, Israel

Interesting 1st Week

So the last few days have been really busy, in fact we didn’t start excavating until this morning. After last year’s excavation the site was filled in with dirt and sandbags to cover the material and keep it preserved and during this time weeds grew all over the main excavation site so we’ve spent most of this week cleaning up. While some of the cleaning can get pretty tedious there have been some plenty eventful moments.

We received a tour of the tell Monday morning and learned some of the history of the previous excavations which extend back a few decades. While also learned about the history of the site itself which has played a huge part in several different eras and empires such as serving as main port city for the Persian Empire (539-323 BCE) before Alexander the Great claimed the area in 332 BCE. Then we spent the rest of the day and Tuesday cleaning the site.

On Wednesday we continued our cleanup and removed the sand bags from the previous season. While doing this we encountered all sorts of wild life living in the holes scattered throughout the site. One group encountered about 7-10 scorpions, while our group only saw one (it was huge!), several large grasshoppers and a few frogs or toads. There was even a small hive in one of the units.

However the highlight of the day was a snake that was in the unit I’ll be working in for the next few weeks. A few people had spotted it earlier before it disappeared for about a half hour. It made an incredible return while me and another member of the team were removing the sand bags in the area. I saw the tail as soon as I lifted one of the bags and alerted everyone by yelling “snake!” As soon as I finished, it darted from underneath the sand bags and slithered through the site. It was a good four to six feet long and the first time I’ve ever encountered a live snake in the wild. I actually like snakes but it was still a big surprise and I wish I could have gotten a picture.

Yesterday, Thursday was more of the same. The site looked a lot better and the only wild life I remember seeing was a small baby scorpion that scattered into a hole. Some people actually started to excavate sometime after breakfast on the site but we continued to clean in my unit.

Then finally, today, July 4th I got my first experience in excavation and it’s a little harder than imagined. We have to take the layers of dirt and stratigraphy away in a layer at a time, which usually means digging in even centimeters. My layers were pretty uneven and I went a little too deep into the dirt at times so I started to get frustrated. It’s going to take some practice to learn how to even out layers and dig the correct amount. I’m pretty determined though, especially when it comes to Anthropology and Archaeology so I’m a little anxious to get back to digging after the weekend. Also weird fact of the day, when digging if you encounter animal bone (which is usually what you find in the field, if human remains are found the excavation has to stop) if you place it lightly on your tongue it should stick, if not then it’s a rock.

Tomorrow we’re going on field trip to Galilee, we were supposed to go to Jerusalem but tensions are high in the city at the moment so it’s been postponed until our last trip of the season. Sunday we go on another to the Crusader Tunnels that run under the Old City here in Akko. I’ll be taking as many pictures as possible so stay posted!

 


Location: Acre, Israel

Days 1 & 2

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            Hi! My name is Jordan Chapman, I am studying Anthropology and Geosciences at Penn State with a minor in Geography and this summer I’m spending a month in Akko, Israel on my first archaeological excavation. First, I would like to think everyone who helped in my efforts to get here, especially all the amazing people in the Student Support Services Program and the Multicultural Resource Center at Penn State. To Ms. Alicia, Ron, Ms. Devin, Mr. Moses Davis and so many other people, I wouldn’t be here without you.

            We’ve only been in Israel for about two days now. We spent most of the first day traveling to and from the airport. Most of the other Penn Staters and myself met up in Philadelphia where met up with the other schools participating on the dig like the Claremont Colleges on the West Coast, Trinity College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While some of us come from anthropological backgrounds, others study history, religion, and geography. In all there about 70 of us in total which is supposedly the largest group ever in the Tel Akko Project. Once we finally made it to the Nautical Academy in Akko we at dinner then some of us headed off to bed.

            Today we spent most of the morning in orientation and learning about the history of the Akko and the excavation site. After that some of our group headed to the beach while others headed into Old City Akko which is separated from the rest of the city by a large stone wall which was built several hundred years ago. The city of Akko itself has been around in some form since antiquity and has been under rule of some the major powers of the ancient world like the Egyptians and Phoenicians.

            The contemporary city is pretty modern, while walking around  I noticed several familiar stores and logos from back home in the States.  I took plenty of pictures of the Old City which is designated UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its long occupancy and the city’s famous stand against Napoleon. Everyone we talked to greeted us warmly and welcomed us into the city and I even checked out a Turkish Bazar with a few members of the group. And the view overlooking the bay and the Mediterranean was beautiful. There are still other parts of the city I haven’t had the chance to see yet like the old Crusader Tunnels which are underneath the Old City. However, our entire group we’ll be taking a trip there later this month so I’ll be sure to take even more pictures.

            Tomorrow we’ll be waking up early tomorrow morning to go to the excavation site just outside the city. In fact, we’re having our second lecture of the day introducing us to excavation methods and other things we need to know while digging. I’ve been looking forward to digging ever since we landed so I’ll be sure to go to bed early. I’ll be sure to update you guys tomorrow on my first excavation ever. Until then, see ya!

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Location: Akko, Israel