Welcome to To the Point, where we share a few articles each week about the world of archaeology (and its many interconnected fields).
Archaeologists Are Using Incredible Photographs From This Cold War-Era Spy Satellite to Unlock Secrets of World History
news.artnet.com | January 8, 2021
The Corona Project was a Cold War spy program that launched satellites into space to capture images of military installations for the United States. Approximately 850,000 photos were taken between 1960 and 1972, providing an amazing time capsule of imagery. These declassified images are now an incredible resource for archaeologists looking to find new sites and gather more information on known archaeological locations.
The Archaeologist Who Collected 4,500 Beer Cans
atlasobscura.com | January 6, 2021
If you tilt your head a little to the left and squint just a smidge, archaeology could start to look like the study of old trash. David Maxwell of Simon Fraser University would agree. As a life-long enthusiast for collecting bottle tops and beer cans, he has become an expert in beer-can archaeology, with an extensive collection and an impressive knowledge of the history of beer containers.
The Lost History of Yellowstone
smithsonianmag.com | January/February 2021
Yellowstone National Park is well known for its natural beauty, geologic history, and abundance of plant and wildlife. There is, however, a rich Native American history within the park that has been erased in favor of an “untouched” marketing agenda. A combination of research, survey, excavation, and Native American oral tradition is bringing the pre-contact use of Yellowstone to light.
