Archaeology Magazine - January/February 1982 - 12

THIS

ISSUE

Archaeologists are a cautious breed- extremely careful not to
say too much about too little. Yet they must exactingly piece
together millennia from mere scraps of other people's garbage. The well-rounded archaeologist needs the patience to
accomplish sometimes tedious fieldwork; a solid base in
history, language and art; and the ability to communicate the
exciting process and results.
Archaeology has become a "hot" topic. How do archaeologists cope with unaccustomed publicity? Many will tell
you that handling the media, and being handled by the press,
is a frustrating lesson. Not everything can be reduced to the
discovery of Noah's Ark or proof of ancient astronauts. But
it's encouraging that archaeology increasingly is receiving
front page news coverage, and in addition millions more of
us are being reached by public television science programming. People want to know.
In many instances, the story is not only more accurate, but
better if the archaeologist tells it. Author Frank J. Frost examines one case- the Chinese anchor mystery- and comments on the results of popular coverage of one hypothesis.
It's a tale of enigmatic stone artifacts found off the coast of
southern California. One theory concludes that these ancient
"anchors" represent evidence of Precolumbian Chinese explorers. Frost proposes other ideas.
Reconstructing the past is a slow process. It took historian
Timothy Gregory years to research the transformation of the
classical past to Byzantine times, which eventually led to the
Middle Ages. His study of the fortifications and walls of
ancient Greek cities presents a fascinating account of the time
when life was plagued with barbarian invasions. It's not
difficult to imagine Alaric, King of the Goths, sweeping the
Greek countryside in search of booty, slaves and statues.

ABOUT

Gregory

THE

Frost

Bier

FRANK J. FROST is Professorof Greek
Historyand the HistoryofSeafaringat the
UniversityofCalifornia,Santa Barbara. He
receivedhis Ph.D.at UCLAin 1961.In addition to his workon Athenian political
history,he has doneextensiveexploration
and surveyingof submergedcoastalsites in
Greece.
LIONELBIER receiveda Ph.D.fromthe
Institute ofFine Arts, NewYorkUniversity
and is currentlyAssociateProfessorofArt
Archaeology

The royal residences of Sasanian Iran are examined by author
Lionel Bier in a rare look at this dynasty. The ruins - some
still partially standing in isolated spots - provide a unique
glimpse of early palace planning and construction.
Our special coverage of the recent digs in Mexico City begins
with a personal account by Jamake Highwater, television
host, author and lecturer. When a subway construction
worker stumbled on the sculpture of Coyolxauhqui, the
Aztec moon goddess, the discovery and subsequent salvage
excavations sparked worldwide publicity. Archaeologist
George E. Stuart of National Geographicwrites about the
Aztecs in their cultural setting, and their famous human
sacrifice rituals.
Some of the Aztec objects found under the streets of Mexico
City are now traveling in a special exhibit, "The Art of Templo Mayor," organized by the National Institute of Anthropology in Mexico City. The show, now in Spain, is scheduled
to arrive at the American Museum of Natural History in New
York in July 1982.

Executive Editor

AUTHORS

TIMOTHYGREGORYreceiveda Ph.D.in
Byzantinehistory fromthe Universityof
Michiganand nowteachesat OhioState
University.He recentlyspent twoyears as
Samuel H. Kress Professorat the American
Schoolof ClassicalStudiesin Athens,and is
co-directorofthe Isthmia Excavationsand
directorofthe OhioBoeotiaExpedition.

Life during an even earlier time- the Bronze Age in Denmark
- is equally intriguing. Author Janet E. Levy analyzes the
impressive bronze hoards, and their relationship to prehistoric society. The beautiful bronze neckrings, armbands,
brooches, spears, buckets and shields obviously held great
meaning for early Danish culture, and signify a special mixture of ritual, rank and religion.

Levy

Highwater

Historyat BrooklynCollege,CityUniversity
ofNewYork.Hehas workedonexcavationsin
Turkeyand Egyptas an archaeologist,surveyorand fieldarchitect.Bierspentthe year
1975-6in Iran on a Fulbright-HaysGrant
studyingSasanianarchitectureforhis doctoral dissertation.He is nowpreparinga book
on the Sasanianpalacenear Sarvistan.
JANET E. LEVY receiveda Ph.D.in anthropologyfromWashingtonUniversity,St.
Louis.She is interested in the prehistoryof
North Americaas wellas ofwesternEurope.
Levy is presently Assistant Professorat the
UniversityofNorth Carolina-Charlotte.She
wouldlike to acknowledgethe financial
assistance of the Danmark-AmerikaFondet
and the extensiveassistanceand hospitality
of the National Museum,Copenhagen,the
Institute of Prehistoryofthe Universityof
Copenhagen,and numerousregional
museumsin Denmark.The illustrationsare

Stuart
reproducedcourtesyofthe National
Museumin Copenhagen.
JAMAKE HIGHWATERis wellknownfor
his work as writer and narrator ofthe public
broadcastingseries, "Songsofthe Thunderbird: ChroniclesfromIndian America."Author ofnumerousbooksand articlesontopics
related to Native Americans,Highwaterwas
recently awardedthe Anisfield-WolfAward
in RaceRelations.His newnovel,TheSun,
He Dies,chroniclesthe end ofthe Aztec
world.
GEORGE E. STUARTis StaffArchaeologist at National Geographicand specializes
in Maya archaeologyand the archaeologyof
the southeastern United States. Stuart receivedhis Ph.D.fromthe Universityof
North Carolina-ChapelHill and has worked
for the National GeographicSocietyfor
twenty years.

Archaeology Magazine - January/February 1982

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - January/February 1982