UF Archaeologists share their expertise on specific archaeological topics in educational videos produced by the Department of Anthropology. Intended for student use, these videos are available on YouTube and can be viewed without charge or subscription. No permission is needed to utilize the videos in the classroom or for online instruction.
The Archaeological Imagination with Dr. James Davidson [4:17]
UF Archaeologist Dr. James Davidson trains his field school students to develop their archaeological imaginations: to discern from physical traces the presences of people who are now absent and were left out of history books. They excavate a cabin occupied by enslaved Africans at the Bulow Plantation in Volusia County, Florida, which was burned in the Second Seminole War. Filmed on location at Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park.
Bioarchaeology: Beyond the Bones with Dr. John Krigbaum [5:15]
Bioarchaeologists investigate human remains in archaeological contexts, using the techniques of biological anthropology to answer archaeological questions. University of Florida Professor John Krigbaum explains how osteology and bone chemistry (isotope) analysis can directly determine the diet of peoples in the past, as well as their places of origins in cases where humans moved away from their homelands.
Ethnoarchaeology with Dr. Kate Grillo [6:05]
What can contemporary pastoralists (herders) tell us about peoples of the past? With her Samburu Archaeological Project Dr. Kate Grillo uses ethnoarchaeology to study how the Samburu herders of northern Kenya use pottery to sustain themselves especially during droughts, to cook meat and other foods. This information may help archaeologists interpret pottery use in East Africa going back to the Pastoral Neolithic period.
Ceramic Composition with Dr. Lindsay Bloch Florida Museum [6:22]
Dr. Lindsay Bloch of the Florida Museum demonstrates how archaeologists can determine the engineering of ceramics even from small fragments. She analyzes the composition of clays, minerals, and other materials that go into the making of ceramic objects found at pre-contact Southeastern US sites. Filmed at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida.
Southeastern Pottery with Dr. Neill J. Wallis Florida Museum [14:22]
Dr. Neill Wallis of the Florida Museum explains how archaeologists glean specific information from whole and reconstructable clay vessels. He distinguishes cooking, storage, and serving vessels and discusses different methods of cooking using ceramic pots. Filmed at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida.
Archaeological Artifact Processing with Dr. Lindsay Bloch Florida Museum [8:17]
Dr. Lindsay Bloch of the Florida Museum explains the steps needed to process archaeological artifacts from the time they are excavated at a site until they are curated in permanent storage. Using materials excavated from the Garden Patch site on the Gulf coast in Dixie County, Florida, she discusses cleaning, cataloging, accessioning, analyzing, and recording information for these materials, keeping their contextual information intact and making the data available to other researchers.