Perseus is an evolving digital library, engineering interactions through time, space, and language. Our primary goal is to bring a wide range of source materials to as large an audience as possible. We anticipate that greater accessibility to the sources for the study of the humanities will strengthen the quality of questions, lead to new avenues of research, and connect more people through the connection of ideas.

This Web site, created to complement the Petra: Lost City of Stone exhibit, looks at this once flourishing city in the heart of the ancient Near East. Although the exhibit is now closed, the web site contains a wealth of information about Petra.

In this OLogy activity, kids learn why pottery is such a common and useful find during archaeological digs and then create their own pottery ruins. The activity begins with an overview that discusses the types of objects that are typically found during excavations, why pottery is a common discovery, and its various uses throughout history. Students are then given step-by-step illustrated directions for decorating a flowerpot, turning it into ruins, and then piecing it back together. The activity includes a printable PDF that has stencils of different design motifs.

This course was developed and taught by Ben Marwick, Professor of Archaeology at University of Washington. It is a requirement for the UW Master of Science in Data Science, introduces students to the principles and tools for computational reproducibility in data science using R. Topics covered include acquiring, cleaning and manipulating data in a reproducible workflow using the tidyverse. Students will use literate programming tools, and explore best practices for organizing data analyses. Students will learn to write documents using R markdown, compile R markdown documents using knitr and related tools, and publish reproducible documents to various common formats. Students will learn strategies and tools for packaging research compendia, dependency management, and containerising projects to provide computational isolation.

STS.467 examines the intellectual foundations of archaeology in the deep sea. The course explores the current convergence of oceanography, archaeology, and engineering which allows scientists to discover, survey, and excavate shipwrecks in deep water with robots and submarines. The course seeks to address the following questions: How are new devices best employed for archaeological work? How do new capabilities (e.g. higher frequencies, higher resolution, all digital data output) change operations plans and research designs? What new technologies will be required? Area studies focus on the Aegean in Minoan times and western Sicily during Phoenician, Greek, and Roman hegemony.

Pieces together the story of the James Robinson family from artifacts found in archaeological excavations around the house where they lived for nearly a century. An African American born free in 1799, Robinson worked in a Virginia tavern earning nearly $500 to purchase 170 acres of land near Bull Run. There he built a log cabin, and his family turned the land into a prosperous farm, making him one of the wealthiest African Americans in the Manassas area in the mid-19th century.

Director of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab), Dr. Patricia Samford, presents and demonstrates an activity for students to learn about archaeobotany, or the study of botanical finds in archaeological contexts. Using tweezers and magnifying glasses, students search for seeds mixed in sand or gravel, and use a type collection to identify their finds. What do the finds say about the archaeological environment and uses of plants at a site? Search OER Commons for "Search for Seeds - Resources" for related seed id cards and a type collection for the activity. Use to support Maryland/NGSS for Grades K and 2, or Maryland Social Studies Framework for Grade 1. For K-ESS2-2, have students perform the activity then discuss what the seeds tell them about people who would have used the plants and seeds or write a short vignette about the people at this site using the seeds and their uses as evidence. For Grade 1 Content Topic "Life in the Past," have students perform the activity and similar discussion, then compare those plants and their uses to their uses today or plants that have replaced them. For 2-LS2-1, have students perform the activity along with the planting extension. Students can plant multiples of each type of seed and try growing them in conditions with different light; students can also note how much water they give the seeds. Once sprouted, have students record and discuss their findings as to which did better with more/less sunlight/water. If you evaluate or use this resource, please respond to this short (4 question) survey at bit.ly/3Ep57BP

This content includes resources related to the "Search for Seeds - Archaeobotany Activity" available here on OER Commons. In it, Director of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab), Dr. Patricia Samford, presents and demonstrates an activity for students to learn about archaeobotany, or the study of botanical finds in archaeological contexts. Using tweezers and magnifying glasses, students search for seeds mixed in sand or gravel, and use a type collection to identify their finds. What do the finds say about the archaeological environment and uses of plants at a site? 

This series of activities is designed to introduce students to the role of sediments and sedimentary rocks in the global carbon cycle. Students learn how stable carbon isotopes can be used to reconstruct ancient sedimentary environments. Students will make some simple calculations, formulate hypotheses, and think about the implications of their results. The activity includes an optional demonstration of the density separation of a sediment sample into a light, organic fraction and a heavier, mineral fraction.

Students will learn about the process of making pre-Columbian ceramics and the history surrounding the collection that this lesson plan is based on. Students will also create their ceramics which will bridge the gap between basic understanding while incorporating a hands-on activity. The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about a different culture that they would have otherwise not been exposed to at a young age. By examining pre-Columbian ceramics and creating their own ceramics, students will develop skills on how to appreciate and better understand the traditions of cultures besides their own while learning about fields of study that may be of interest to them in the future.

Nichole Doub, Head Conservator, and Alice Merkel, Collections Assistant, at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, walk through the use of silica gel in buffered microenvironments and the process of regenerating used gel. NOTE: Sound quality is lower than normal--captions have been provided. Additional references can be found online with CCI's Technical Bulletin 33 and Steve Weintraub's "Demystifying Silica Gel." The Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) standards and guidelines for preparing artifact collections and their associated records, for permanent curation at the lab can be found at https://jefpat.maryland.gov/Documents/mac-lab/technical-update-no1-collections-and-conservation-standards.pdf

The MAC Lab is a state-of-the-art archaeological research, conservation, and curation facility located at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum, the State Museum of Archaeology. The MAC Lab serves as the primary repository for archaeological collections recovered from land-based and underwater projects conducted by state and federal agencies throughout Maryland.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning. If you evaluate or use this resource, please respond to this short (4 question!) survey at bit.ly/329QvZ5

Short Description:
This resource will explore the validity of arguments and/or conclusions in dinosaur research through evaluating the scientific evidence. Students using this resource will read, experiment, and evaluate scientific literature surrounding dinosaurs. Students will have the opportunity to work with others to evaluate the plausibility of the dinosaur concepts and theories, and engage in hands-on experiments to add additional information to their interpretations. Students will learn to participate in evaluation mechanisms to assess critical thinking and science literacy.

Long Description:
This resource will explore the validity of arguments and/or conclusions in dinosaur research through evaluating the scientific evidence. Students using this resource will read, experiment, and evaluate scientific literature surrounding dinosaurs. Students will have the opportunity to work with others to evaluate the plausibility of the dinosaur concepts and theories, and engage in hands-on experiments to add additional information to their interpretations. Students will learn to participate in evaluation mechanisms to assess critical thinking and science literacy. Goals

This course is intended to engage students in science and the fossil record through the study of dinosaurs. It is intended that students will develop ideas, evaluate existing theories, and explore evidence to support or refute dinosaur interpretations. Through this course it is intended that students develop scientific fluency and critical thinking skills. Objectives Explore the scientific method and how science is conducted, communicated, and synthesized in dinosaur research. Develop theories behind dinosaur morphology and behavior and assess how these theories are supported or refuted by evidence from the fossil record. Evaluate the usefulness of modern analogues in dinosaur morphology and behavior.

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(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

This is an introductory laboratory excercise that familiarizes students with the general appearance of fossils and the multiple modes of preservation that are possible.

This visualization graphically displays temperature and CO2 concentration in the atmosphere as derived from ice core data from 400,000 years ago to 1950. The data originates from UNEP GRID Arendal's graphic library of CO2 levels from Vostok ice core.

This OLogy activity offers kids a fun way to get firsthand knowledge of how archaeologists find lost sites. In Tools of the Trade, kids are given six cartoon frames, each illustrating a problem the archaeology team faced in locating a lost mission on St. Catherines Island. When kids select a frame, they are given details about the problem; they are then asked to pick which tool they think helped the team solve the problem. Each time they correctly identify a tool, they are given additional details of the story and the cartoon frame is "colored in." After correctly identifying the tools for all six cartoon frames, they have the option of printing a PDF of the full-color cartoon.

This video profiles glaciologist Lonnie Thompson and his research into tropical mountain glaciers as a way to understand climate history. Beginning in the 1970s, Thompson recognized that tropical ice cores contain information relating to tropical climate phenomena, including El NiÃo events and monsoons. These phenomena are not archived in ice from polar regions. Thompson explains that his archive of ice cores is full of clues that, taken together with records collected from around the world, can help scientists create a timeline that tells Earth's climate story.

This article is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they learn more about the Zapotec people of ancient Mexico.

In this lab exercise, students investigate taphonomic processes operating on a large vertebrate carcass (whitetail deer: Odocoileus virginianus) in a temperate, humid, terrestrial environment (i.e., central Ohio). Prior to the lab, students read the 1991 review article on terrestrial vertebrate accumulations by A. K. Behrensmeyer. Once in the field, they familiarize themselves with the locality and note the state of the carcass and the position of any disarticulated portions of the beast. Using the stake flags they mark the location of all the elements of the carcass. Next, using the Brunton compasses and the measuring tape, create a map of the site. They then reassemble all the elements of the carcass on the tarp and identify all of the skeletal elements. Finally, the students compare the disarticulated skeleton with a control carcass placed in a wire mesh cage designed to exclude any macro-scavengers. In the lab, student synthesize their results and respond to a series of questions related to vertebrate taphonomy and the quality of the fossil record.