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Death and Taxes
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
He is bed maker to the dead. The pillows which he lays never rumple. The day of interment is the theatre in which he displays the mysteries of this art. Thomas Lamb 1811. Nothing in this would can be … Continue reading →
A club for Christchurch gentlemen
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
At the start of an archaeological investigation we often consult historical documents to learn as much as we can about a site’s past. Such research can identify the buildings that were once present, the people associated with the site through … Continue reading →
A lot of old rubbish!
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
…this yard being kept in a disreputable state, there are no cinder pits in proper places to throw the refuse of cooking and things in general, as at home, so old bones, vegetable remains, scrapings of plates, cinders, tea leaves, … Continue reading →
“the marvellous antiquity…of our beloved ritual” – Past Master G. W. Speth…
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Context is an important concept in archaeology. Everyday artefacts, often mundane and fragmented, can take on a powerful meaning due to an unusual placement or an association with other material of a different type or function. These circumstances will often … Continue reading →
Talking treasure
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Words. Words, words, words. Words[1]. We’ve been talking about words this week. Specifically, the words and phrases associated with archaeology (and heritage) in the public sphere that we – as a profession – can find problematic. Even more specifically, the … Continue reading &#...
Anecdotes from the appraisalists
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Call us appraisalists, historical researchers, or even cyber archaeologists. Most of our day consists of using a wide variety of historical material to pull together the histories of sites around Canterbury (and to make sure those archaeologists in the field … Continue reading →
The world is your oyster – a tale of talking molluscs, bar brawls and Vict…
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like oysters – they’re slimy, they look weird and they taste like the sea. So perhaps I was affected more than your average person when I recently had the task of analysing … Continue reading →
Making sense of it all
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
It is interesting to consider how we are influenced by an intangible map of our senses and emotions tied to our place in the world. We pay little attention to how we feel walking around a familiar neighbourhood, looking at … Continue reading →
Whisky, that philosophic wine, that liquid sunshine
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
It is a well-known truth, in this office at least, that archaeology and whisky go well together. Or, perhaps more accurately, that archaeologists and whisky go well together. With a few exceptions (you know who you are, gin drinkers), it is … Continue reading →
The Cater-Ring
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Following on from last week’s blog post, when we discovered a tea set used by a local 19th century caterer – this time we will take a closer look at what catering may have been like for the Victorians. Prior … Continue reading →
2018: We Out
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
And just like that another year has passed us by. 2018 has been a year of changes here at Underground Overground. It’s with a very heavy heart we’ve said a few goodbyes to some tremendously talented archaeologists; Chelsea, Shana, Matt, … Continue reading →
Around the world in seven plates
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Have you always wanted to travel the world? See the famous cathedrals of Europe? Smell the streets of China? Taste the spices of India? But travelling is expensive and everything’s just so damn far away, right? Well have we got … Continue reading →
A tea cup as a symbol of political change
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
As a 90s baby millennial, Helen Clark was Prime Minister from the time I started primary school to the time I started high school. I grew up in a world where in the eyes of a child there was never … Continue reading →
Chew with your mouth closed, my dear
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
The dinner party; a minefield of social etiquette and proper behaviour for both the host and the guests. For the host – the pressure of who to invite, where to sit them, what to serve them? Having the right invitation … Continue reading →
In which a teacup is smashed against a wall in a fit of rage
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
One of the most fascinating things about studying and interpreting the past is the possibilities it holds. Could the broken tea cup I’ve found been smashed against a wall in a fit of rage after a wife found her husband … Continue reading →
Doe, a Deer, a (Possibly) Female Deer
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Bones, of the animal variety, are a common find on historic archaeological sites in Christchurch. The vast majority of the bones we come across are sheep and cattle, with the occasional pig and chicken showing up as well. From these … Continue reading →
Bits and Bobs (again)
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
It’s been a while since we last did one of these, so here are some of our most interesting finds from the past six months. Clara Watson References Coysh, A., & Henrywood, R. 1982. The Dictionary of Blue and White … Continue reading →
Maids of Misfortune
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Every year on the 14th February we celebrate St. Valentine’s day with the exchanging of small tokens of our love and affection with our significant others. As so often is the case, the exact origins of this holiday are clouded … Continue reading →
New Year, New Me
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Every January I find myself saying the phrase “new year, new me” any time I do anything remotely healthy or out of the ordinary. Ate a salad: new year, new me. Went to the gym: new year, new me. Read … Continue reading →
The Ng King Brothers Chinese Market Garden Settlement
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Today on the blog we’re talking about an exciting project that we’ve been involved with over the past few months. In 2013 the Ashburton District Council took over stewardship of the Ng King Brothers Chinese Market Garden Settlement on Allens … Continue reading →
Cocaine Cough Medicine and Liquid Mercury Eye Drops
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the number of people coughing and sneezing in the office is increasing day by day. Flu season is here, and with it comes … Continue reading →
Black Beers and Ring Seals: the underdogs of the artefact world
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
This week’s blog was inspired by a Facebook comment on our previous blog post. You might remember that in the last blog we went through some of the artefacts we’ve uncovered over the past six months. One set of artefacts … Continue reading →
The Curious Case of the Red Building
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
The two-storey red building in the centre of Christchurch was like many typical pre-1900 buildings that had been modified over the years. The veranda was enclosed to provide more rooms within the building and multiple other extensions and rooms had … Continue reading →
‘Archaia’ and ‘Logos’, what even is archaeology?
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
The word archaeology comes from the Greek archaia (“ancient things”) and logos (“theory” or “science”). So, archaeologists study past societies through the material culture. In other words, we write the history analysing what people threw away or left behind. That’s … Continue reading →
Early Christchurch women, breaking the rules: the exhibition.
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
The ideal Victorian woman In Victorian society, a woman was to be meek, mild, virtuous and peaceful (Whiteside 2007). She was expected to marry and have children. She would stay at home, looking after her children and her husband and … Continue reading →
The story so far
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
As life-changing experiences go, the earthquake on 22 February 2011 was fairly significant. On the one hand, our house was red-zoned (but still liveable), friends lost their lives and the city lost many of the old buildings that, for me, … Continue reading →
Terra Forma: viewing Christchurch’s changing landscape through painting
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
At the encouragement of one of our resident artists/art historians/cyber archaeologists, Annthalina, I took a visit to the newly-reopened Te Puna O Waiwhetu Christchurch Art Gallery over the weekend.[1] Annthalina knows I love landscapes, both the painty-brushy kind, and the … Continue read...
How to read a landscape
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
Some of you might have been to the St James Conservation Area, a remote and beautiful area managed by the Department of Conservation. You might have been cycling or walking there, or you might have been drawn by the romance … Continue reading →
The fascist punishment: a foul taste used for foul purposes
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
It’s made from plant seeds named for their resemblance to a tick and has been known through history as the ‘golden nectar of nausea’ and the ‘fascist punishment’, among other things. When combined with chlorine, it forms a “a substance … Continue reading →
The bitter waters of archaeology
Articles, Christchurch uncovered
This week on the blog, we delve – or dive, even (sorry, I can already tell you that this post will be filled with water puns) – into the bitter waters of the 19th century, by which I mean mineral … Continue reading →