Riley Swanton
In archaeology, we are taught that “finding nothing is finding something”. Ever since hearing that phrase I’ve always had a higher appreciation of the simpler things. Especially when it comes to artifacts. This is why I’ve been so fascinated with coal during this field school. In the “Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists” it advises us that we should note the presence of coal but that it can be discarded onsite and doesn’t need to be kept as an artifact. We do keep a few pieces to help remember that it was there. But we never really take a deeper look at the beauty of coal.
At BcGn-23, the South-East corner of the trench I worked on had a significant amount of coal present. I’d never seen so much coal. It almost created a whole layer in this corner. I questioned the existence of this a lot. To me it felt like an anomaly. Like the wall had burnt down. I soon learned that wasn’t the case. Prior to this field school I always thought that coal indicated that some form of major burning event occurred. Like the house burning down. However, in this case this was most likely the traces of the waste left after cleaning out a coal fireplace or furnace. Learning this helped me better understand how to interpret the context of what I’m digging.
At BcGn-15, coal opened my eyes to a new understanding of how preservation works. When I found it at BcGn-15 I thought I found a completely different material. This coal had a shiny appearance. Each piece was unique. One specific piece even had an iridescent appearance to it. They reminded me of obsidian. Prior to this discovery, I believed coal was just a material that was brittle and didn’t preserve well. Like the coal I found at BcGn-23. I was proven wrong. At a glance, I could see that the coal from both of these sites were in various stages of preservation.
Through these observations, I was able to see these people of the past in a more personal way. I could understand the way they did things more. It allowed me to reflect on the past in a magnificent way. It taught me that even though something might seem insignificant it still can be valuable.
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