{"id":403,"date":"2024-07-17T21:33:34","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T04:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/?p=403"},"modified":"2024-07-17T21:33:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T04:33:34","slug":"a-word-which-here-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/2024\/07\/17\/a-word-which-here-means\/","title":{"rendered":"A word which here means:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A glossary of Vigla jargon<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laila Maidenberg<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like any field of study, here at the Pyla-Vigla archeological project, there\u2019s lots of jargon to learn. Here\u2019s a collection of some of the most common, and my favorites.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SU <\/strong>&#8211; an abbreviation for stratigraphic unit, which refers to a section of the area you\u2019re excavating that has a consistent soil color, texture, and composition. This basically makes up a \u201clayer\u201d of the unit, and all of the things you find get bagged and labeled together<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EU<\/strong> &#8211; stands for excavation unit, and refers to the subdivided square (or sometimes rectangle) of dirt that you\u2019re working in. Each one has a \u201ctrench supervisor\u201d who oversees it, and each EU works as a team. It\u2019s a way that we can label finds, and remember which square of dirt different objects came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Trench<\/strong> &#8211; a slang term we use for EU<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Trench supervisor<\/strong> &#8211; the person who\u2019s in charge of running, taking notes, and filling out paperwork for each EU<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Baulk<\/strong> &#8211; the wall of dirt that forms the edge of a trench<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXe3uLBF5sc6mli_nzZ_B1z2CzBvIGY4hBwCLqsNK2CA-ccMM0Q431muKaZ_7ZvjoF7gpFqqXC8Ebw69fXU1ereMMjzDOhPOhMTjONGa5lCGnNlVcaQ-Vy1b53i6wYCHTrSxAvoB-XaQlLMrW3Ve74IyIWyW?key=fZWVMt9QNc3FLJfidYGfyg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Excavations, labeled!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dumpy Level<\/strong> &#8211; A tool comprising a very large ruler (stadia rod), and mounted sight, that helps you find out the elevation of a given spot. It\u2019s a great tool, and very reliable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXd83iK-PdpX1jkHfI9s0qwwhWOjgvDG9EMkN4RTskFmANDhnVHXhaVjBX5vVcPsai00OsIRGIojmQumdQmJWC_zbTHf8u7Yb-gS3tmYfzqLKC7Hik9nhwBWykgvKtBviNwDAsAnRkZ3GHRLDAx6VGEjRaGn?key=fZWVMt9QNc3FLJfidYGfyg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mason with the stadia rod, getting ready to take a point<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GPS Stick<\/strong> &#8211; finicky stick connected to the Global Positioning System that will record a GPS location for you, if it feels like it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>Taking a point<\/strong>\u201d- recording the location and elevation of something, using both the GPS and the dumpy level. Aka taking elevation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beirut Airport<\/strong> &#8211; Where we aren\u2019t, despite what the GPS often says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcyRNe2qA7V5L2Tl2DzMJOrcl1ebfAm8aLBtUw9RvqGZRLMfsFdPUphed65VGXyhab_e0ixhJGDHz9kmU5qivd2zPDTkuvklsUZNgKu8wm-HpmAU_yu-xve0pvqbPMSmf0iQoXrK9Jz9SWSsWauNR2Dwhb7?key=fZWVMt9QNc3FLJfidYGfyg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Turreya<\/strong> &#8211; a flat, square tool used for scooping dirt into buckets.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfD8zS2Wxz0YAtVZvxIolJOdTntPQrlcBJrfCETT-eAS-b_fd9sj6Hl47QGISmQuhmzsVS5UQnS-pQzuAF3AG6qyKfAeXODjaHd-xxK6sQKD0BNzPLoxRVMhlA8DLa1OybhyREXpCLpxqllhe_8_cooV9s?key=fZWVMt9QNc3FLJfidYGfyg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Laila with a Turreya\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Munsell Soil Book<\/strong> &#8211; a both very precise, and entirely qualitative way of communicating to other archeologists what color your dirt is. It\u2019s a reference book with color swatches, and gives you both a reference number and color name.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Wall fall <\/strong>&#8211; a pile of rocks made up from a collapsed wall. These rocks tend to be floating, and arranged mostly randomly, but can mislead you into thinking there\u2019s a real wall there. Aka a tumble.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Floating<\/strong> &#8211; rocks that sit on dirt, rather than other rocks, and aren\u2019t part of an architectural feature.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXexZ5C1sZG5q6suhsq2KKlK0NRbVY9WGiTlA1hlvoKt5aSVHVyS1GTfwhvSiNuiuOuPdlN7OOIQtuafSsSFGaX_HP5K-YPN2HP_OyFH0_PFBNg3Zgf-tG93idlpRjcgf2NCJOJc4HLwaR1Vs-yqwfIDH66T?key=fZWVMt9QNc3FLJfidYGfyg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ella and Mason removing a floating rock with two pickaxes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Plow Zone<\/strong> &#8211; at one point, the land where our site sits was farmed, and so just under the topsoil is a layer with distinctive parallel lines. Plow blades tend to churn up the soil, so sometimes you\u2019ll find things that you would expect much further down in this level.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Topsoil<\/strong> &#8211; this is the layer of loose dirt that\u2019s the very top layer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mudbrick<\/strong> &#8211; a material made out of compacted dirt that we find a lot of.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In situ<\/strong> &#8211; a Latin phrase (situ: abl, n, s), meaning \u201cin position\u201d, refers to when we find objects still partially stuck in the soil, as they would have been.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stratigraphy<\/strong> &#8211; the different layers of soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Deposits<\/strong> &#8211; large collections of something, found in a concentrated area.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfTIojtTJqjxf1z-dKqjYka4d4GdZVnEB2xtr1EoDVB1PghCrzWDUwpUofen_F_qTUOSU-hLHrSSdO9T4dEql1h8hS2SwFwrXxSty4qVCOsK6rkNKYrTNV-SUwpjjLiI7-23-DOcBS40FzpCjn2rpT3FN8?key=fZWVMt9QNc3FLJfidYGfyg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A nice deposit of pottery, in situ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coin rock<\/strong> &#8211; a rock that really, really looks like a coin, and leaves you feeling a bit disappointed&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Special find<\/strong> &#8211; a really cool object of some sort. Generally, anything man made other than pottery shards. These get bagged and tagged with special labels, and have their locations written down and marked with a GPS point if they\u2019re found in the trench. If you find one of these, you also get to parade it around to everyone and show off.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Second breakfast<\/strong> &#8211; we start pretty early here, so our break occurs around 8:30, and just like hobbits, we usually eat a second breakfast at around that time. This is when you might eat what you picked up at Zorba\u2019s that morning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Zorba\u2019s<\/strong> &#8211; a fantastic 24 hour bakery we stop at every morning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A glossary of Vigla jargon Laila Maidenberg Like any field of study, here at the Pyla-Vigla archeological project, there\u2019s lots of jargon to learn. Here\u2019s a collection of some of the most common, and my favorites.&nbsp; SU &#8211; an abbreviation for stratigraphic unit, which refers to a section of the area you\u2019re excavating that has &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/2024\/07\/17\/a-word-which-here-means\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;A word which here means:&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1117,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":404,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions\/404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/vigla-archaeological-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}