ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
CHARLESTON CHAPTER
NEWSLETTER From the president...
FALL 2009
Dear all Members, past, present, and future, Hello all! I want to take this time to thank all of you who have supported the Charleston Chapter of the ASSC all of these years, and to those of you excited to begin your involvement with us. The overall goal of the ASSC is to promote archaeology and the preservation of it across our great state of South Carolina. To do this, we are supposed to offer activities such as field trips to sites being worked on actively or lying dormant, lectures about archaeology in our state, conservation/ preservation related activities, and participation in active archaeological excavations. While working to reorganize our local Chapter here in the Charleston area, I turned to my good friends at the South Carolina State Parks for assistance. Fortunately, we are very lucky to have the Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site as our new home!!! Charles Towne provides all of the facilities we have always wished we could provide to our members, and leads the state with current research-oriented fieldwork that focuses directly on our State’s history and origins. With Charles Towne Landing willing to host the Chapter, we have the best match up we could imagine! Due to this new partnership, we are able to offer our members brand new opportunities as we start to move away from the style of meetings we have held for the past 10 years into more dynamic, fun, and hands-on oriented activities and events. I encourage all of you interested in archaeology and history to join our newly reborn Chapter. If you were a member in the past and your membership has lapsed, I urge you to come to our meetings to experience a fresh new start! What I most look forward to is member input and involvement. The ASSC is YOUR Society. It has always been, and always will be yours. If there are things you don’t like, it is your right as a member to change them. If there are things you’d like to see happen, it is your right and obligation to bring it forward to the Executive Committee’s attention for immediate action and vote. Without an active membership, there is no active ASSC! I hope to see you all soon at our future meetings and events. Sincerely, Andrew Agha
Meeting and Event Schedule • December 16th, 6 pm Christmas Party– Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Founders Hall.
FALL 2009
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Meet Our Officers Andrew Agha
President
Andrew Agha serves as a Senior Archaeologist with Brockington and Associates, a cultural resource consulting firm in Mt. Pleasant , SC. He has over 12 years of experience primarily in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, but has also worked in North Carolina and Georgia. He received his master’s degree in Anthropology in 2004 at the University of South Carolina. His research focuses on past slave communities, the development of inland rice technology from 1690-1770, and plantation landscapes.
Vice President
Dee Dee Joyce
Dee Dee Joyce earned her B.A from Catawba College, her M.A. from the University of Arkansas and her PhD from SUNY-Binghamton. Her dissertation research centered on race, class and ethnic relations in antebellum Charleston with a particular focus on Irish immigrant workers. She teaches Anthropology at the College of Charleston and is currently conducting research on the Andre Michaux botanical garden in North Charleston.
Treasurer
Ron Anthony Ron Anthony received his master's degree in anthropology through the University of South Carolina in 1989. Originally trained in southeastern prehistoric archaeology, his research interests since the late 1970s have focused on plantation archaeology, particularly that of slave communities. He has been a staff archaeologist at The Charleston Museum since 1989 and an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston since 1990, previous to which he worked for twelve years in cultural resource management archaeology.
Secretary
Barbra Aldrich Barbra Aldrich has been an ASSC member since moving to Charleston in 1996, and volunteers in the archaeology departments of the Charleston Museum and Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. Prior to the move, Barbra was active in the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology.
Newsletter editor
Cicek Beeby Cicek Beeby, born and raised in Turkey, received her master’s degree from the Florida State University in Classical Archaeology. Prior to moving to Charleston, she had the opportunity to participate in a number of projects in Turkey ranging from land surveys to underwater archaeology. She currently works as an archaeologist at Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site.
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American Indian Expo November 7, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site
AIA LECTURE SCHEDULE 2009-2010 http://www.archaeological.org/ Clemens Reichel, University of Toronto (Kershaw Lecture) Worlds in Collision - Urbanism, Competition and Conflict in Northern Syria During the Chalcolithic Period (4500-3000 BC) Where: Simons Center for the Arts, Room 309, College of Charleston. When: October 30, 2009, Friday at 5:00 PM Abstract: http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10224&lid=209#abstracts Sharon Herbert, University of Michigan (Roberts Lecture) In Search of the "Last" of the Phoenicians Where: Simons Center for the Arts, Room 309, College of Charleston. When: February 18, 2010, Thursday at 7:00 PM Abstract: http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10224&lid=145#abstracts Patrick Hunt, Stanford University Tracking Hannibal in the Alps: National Geographic Hannibal Expedition 2007-2008 Where: Simons Center for the Arts, Room 309, College of Charleston When: April 16, 2010, Friday at 5:00 PM Abstract: http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10224&lid=194#abstracts
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON FACULTY SEMINAR SERIES Barry L. Stiefel, Department of Historic Preservation and Community Planning, College of Charleston. Author of Jewish Sanctuary in the Atlantic World: A Social and Architectural History Where: Levin Library, Jewish Studies Center, 2nd Floor, 96 Wentworth Street. When: November 19th, 2009, Thursday at 7.00 pm.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Expo will focus on the contributions of American Indians native to South Carolina with a historical timeline of the first contact with settlers to present day involvement. Activities include dancers, herbalists, storytellers, arts and crafts, games, modern cuisine, and much more. Educational exhibits and interaction will be for registered K-12 students only on the 5th and 6th. Open to public on November 7th. Admission: $5/adult; $3.25/S.C. Senior; $3/youth age 6-15; Free for children 5 and younger. For more information call (843) 852- 4200 or visit http://www.americanindianexpo.org/
FALL 2009
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October Meeting- ARCHAEOLOGY MOVIE NIGHT ! On October 21st, we celebrated our new and improved Charleston Chapter with a movie night! The event took place at the Visitor Center of Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site. After a welcoming address from our president Andrew Agha, guests munched on snacks while admiring the accomplishments of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Our guests included archaeologists, volunteers, students from the College of Charleston, and other Indy fans. We would like to welcome all those who became members of the ASSC Charleston Chapter, and thank those who helped us set up the room.
Top: Some new members of the Charleston Chapter. Left: Indy cake (he is edible!).
Join us again for our Christmas Party at Charles Towne Landing’s Founders Hall on December 16th, at 6 pm! We will announce the details via email.
PAST EVENTS
Left: Credits roll as the guests strech their legs. Bottom: Dee Dee Joyce chatting with guests after the movie.
FALL 2009
Chapel of Ease Excavations On Halloween, we’ll be digging again at the ruins of the Chapel of Ease/St. James Goose Creek, located in Strawberry just outside of Moncks Corner. Last October, we dug on the intact brick wall of the Church, verifying it is still there. Although we uncovered few artifacts, we learned a great deal about the architecture of the Church. This year, we will focus our attention inside the Church, in order to try to locate Col. George Chicken’s grave!! This would be a major discovery if found, so if you’ve ever wanted to see how archaeologists do their work, this is a perfect chance to see it happen! Contact Andrew Agha at andrewagha@brockington.org for more details. If you plan to come, please let Andrew know, as he is organizing and planning the logistics of the excavation. Thanks!
volunteer dig
ARCHAEOLOGY ON HALLOWEEN
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exhibit If you have any questions about the newsletter, please contact Cicek Beeby at assccharleston.newsletter@gmail.com