Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2024 - 8

LETTERS
FROM OUR READERS
A DREAM REKINDLED
My wife gave me a subscription to
Archaeology for Christmas and I wanted
to tell you how much I enjoy your
magazine. When I was much younger,
I dreamed of being an archaeologist
and wrote this in my eighth-grade jobs
paper: " Archaeology is a science that has
been able to piece together the past and
to give our community and our world a
history. Although there are many missing
links, someday archaeology may come up
with the answers. " I became a freelance
writer and photographer specializing in
contemporary music but wonder if there's
still time for another career. Thanks for
reigniting an old passion and for great
coverage of those " missing links. "
Tim Van Schmidt
Fort Collins, CO
FULL OF SURPRISES
As a new subscriber, I am finding each
issue of your delightful magazine chockfull
of wonderful stories about the fantastic
archaeological discoveries that have
taken and continue to take place around
the world. Of particular interest in the
January/February 2024 issue was reading
ARCHAEOLOGY welcomes mail from
readers. Please address your comments
to ARCHAEOLOGY, 36-36 33rd Street,
Long Island City, NY 11106, fax 718-4723051,
or e-mail letters@arch a eology.org.
The editors reserve the right to edit
submitted material. Vol ume precludes
our acknowledging individual letters.
about the earliest carpenters in Zambia's
Kalambo River area and about the world's
oldest book. I am enjoying gaining new
insight into the many different cultures
and civilizations that make up our world.
Holly Allen Homka
Perkasie, PA
TRIP TO REMEMBER
I've been an avid subscriber for years
and was excited to see the cover of your
March/April 2024 issue featuring a photo
of Karahantepe, which I visited in June
along with Göbeklitepe. These sites represent
a fascinating culture from an era we
had no idea existed until recent discoveries.
The current bleakness of the landscape is
in sharp contrast to what we know of the
climate when these structures were built.
The stone pit with phallic carvings at
Karahantepe is an enigmatic construction
unlike anything I've ever seen. I can only
imagine the rituals that may have taken
place there. Keep up the good work.
Bruce Siekmann
Fleetwood, PA
AN ASTOUNDING FEAT
Amazement is a regular benefit of each
issue of Archaeology. Sometimes it
comes from striking photos; other times
it's the product of an article presenting
a deep dive into a single theme. Amazing
scholarship also abounds. We learn,
in " Breaking the Code of the Kushan
Kings " (March/April 2024), that Svenja
Bonmann mastered nine ancient Iranian
languages to help her decipher the
Kushan language. Nine! Amazing!
Stu Kantor
Camden, ME
SHOE STORIES
We received multiple letters suggesting
what the urns in March/April 2024's
" Letter From Nicaragua: Who Were the
People of Greater Nicoya? " may represent.
Thank you!
The burial urns look to me more like the
distended abdomens of women who are
heavily pregnant. My mind went to a
possible concept of returning the body to
a form or vessel similar to that from which
one came. Were there actual shoes in
Nicoya or other histories that looked like
these? My abdomen looked just like that,
twice! I love your magazine so much that
I subscribed for my sister. She loves it, too.
Edie Goldman
Schenectady, NY
Archaeologist Larry Steinbrenner replies:
These burial urns are often casually
referred to as " shoe pots " because of their
supposed resemblance to baby shoes,
but it's highly unlikely that their makers
viewed them this way. Art historian
Laura Wingfield refers to these vessels
as " womb-shaped urns " and links them
to Chibchan traditions of birth and
renewal. So, the idea that womb urns
reflect a belief in a rebirth in the afterlife
is more than plausible.
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©2024 The Archaeological Institute of America
ARCHAEOLOGY * May/June 2024
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Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - May/June 2024
