A breath of not-so-fresh air: archaeology and asbestos in Christchurch

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

When I first started studying to become an archaeologist, the dangers and difficulties of working with asbestos wasn’t really something that had ever crossed my mind. I knew what it was, in a vague sort of way, and that it … Continue reading →

Gin! That aromatic schnapps, that bright moon beam, the Mother’s Ruin…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Archaeologists and whisky go well together. I agree with that universal truth. However, I fit in the gin lovers team at the office. So, as Jessie did one year ago, I’m writing a post combining two of my favourite things: … Continue reading →

Good beard, bad beard, red beard, blue beard: facial hair in Victorian Chr…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Part the First Movember is upon us once again, and to celebrate Undershaved Overgrown Archaeology brings to you a brief history of facial hair in Aotearoa. Movember is all about men’s health, and we’ve previously covered health in the blog … Continue reading →

“In the soil of a friendly country”: an archaeologist’s visit to Gallipoli

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

This blog may lean more heavily on the personal than the archaeological. Every year, thousands of Kiwis and Aussies commemorate ANZAC Day. We take this time to reflect on the losses of war, and the terrible costs it has had … Continue reading →

Piles, bones and marbles: what was under the Godleys’ house?

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Way back in the winter of 2012, at the height of the post-earthquake demolition, I was pretty excited to learn we were going to get the chance to investigate the site of John and Charlotte Godley’s house in Lyttelton. John … Continue reading →

A Curry Paste Jar, a Keepsake, a Symbol of British Colonialism

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Hello loyal blog readers, welcome back to another year of posts on the history and archaeology of 19th century Christchurch. I thought we’d start the year off by looking back at one of our more interesting finds from the very … Continue reading →

The acclimatisation affair (or how we learned not to underestimate the pow…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

The first feeling that strikes everyone on coming to New Zealand is its intense want of animal life. Mountains, plains, rivers, – mere features without a soul; for you can hardly dignify the miserable ground lark, the wailing weka, or … Continue reading →

The difficulties of dating #1: age is not equal to experience

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

One of the most commonly assumed facts about archaeologists (aside from our ability to have adventures, look good in a fedora and be surprisingly skilful with a whip), is that we can look at an object and know how old … 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 →

In which bottles are used, beer is drunk, and graphic design atrocities ar…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Over the past two blog posts we’ve been looking at a large assemblage of labelled bottles found under a house in Akaroa. Today on the blog we’re going to take a step back and look at how the bottles travelled … Continue reading →

In which a fortune is made, an Oddfellow is not a type of mint, and archae…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Earlier this year, we excavated a site on Armagh Street that revealed not only a large quantity of artefacts, but also a historical and material narrative set in the swampy bowels of a fledgling city, a tale of politics, commerce, … Continue reading →

Blowing smoke: clay pipes, advertising and other things in the 19th century

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

As the study of human history, it comes as no surprise that archaeology can be an exercise in contradictions. Humans are, after all, complex and paradoxical creatures. From a material culture perspective, one of the most obvious and frustrating incongruities … Continue reading →

The strange adventures of Etienne Brocher (aka Stephen Bosher, aka Stephen…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Bricks are the best thing that I find. That’s my answer to the most common question an archaeologist is asked. Bricks? Why bricks? Because they always have the best stories to tell! Brickmaking was a booming industry in the 19th … Continue reading →

In which the emanation of effluvia is offensive to one’s senses

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Continuing on from last week’s blog, today’s post takes a look (or a sniff, if you will) at the aromas of everyday life inside a Victorian house. Smell is such an intrinsic part of human life, yet so fleeting that it … Continue reading →

“Today, tomorrow, Timaru”: souvenirs of early tourism in New Zealand

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

The idea of a ‘souvenir’, as a physical keepsake of a place or event, is not a new concept. It’s been around for as long as people have been bringing home exotic treasures from far-off lands, or trying to preserve … Continue reading →

Archaeology: where losing your marbles is sometimes a good thing

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Imagine, if you will, that you were born in 1870. Your parents are colonists who journeyed to Christchurch to build a new life for themselves and their family. They’re not rich, but you live comfortably enough in this new country. … Continue reading →

A tale of two suburbs: the story (and the man) behind the naming of Sydenh…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Should you have been so fortunate, while wandering the streets of 1860s Christchurch, to find yourself north of the square, you may have come across an establishment bearing the name of Sydenham House and containing within its walls all manner of … Continue reading →

Everything’s coming up roses (and lilies and jasmine and violets)

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man or woman in possession of natural body odour is most definitely in want of something to cover it up. At least, in today’s society, it certainly seems to be considered unacceptable … Continue reading →

Public faces and private spaces: domestic pride and hygiene in the 19th ce…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Today’s post continues the theme of the last one (a little), in terms of exploring the relationship between products and industries in the past and their connection with our lives today. It’s easy to scoff at some of the things … Continue reading →

From bottle to basement: uncovering a repository of information

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Late in 2014 we were contacted by contractors working on a rebuild project in Christchurch’s city centre. It was reported that a number of bottles had been uncovered during routine earthworks and the area cordoned off until our arrival. The bottles … Continue reading →

Spirits, skittles and a stolen goose: the life and times of the Caversham …

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

John Bent leaned over and grabbed the goose. There was a whole flock of them in the street—surely one wouldn’t be missed? It was 11pm, and he had been drinking heavily all night. In his muddled state it seemed like … Continue reading →

The Standard Hotel: beer, burlesque and a “sketchy kind of farce”

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

This week we’re delving into the seedier side of the life in early Christchurch with the story of the Standard Hotel, an establishment that found itself on the fringes of Victorian respectability during its short existence in the 1860s. At … 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 →

Photograph by Jocelyn Kinghorn 1904

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Detail of the fence around the 'Ark of Hope' by Wongi Wilson in Sydenham Square, corner of Brougham and Colombo Streets. A sign reading "In the end it will be alright - if it is not alright, it is not the end." has been attached to the fence.

Oh, the irony: a tale of unexpected survival (or how the little things can…

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Over the last few weeks, as archaeologists do, I’ve found myself thinking about the physical legacies people leave behind them. In particular, I’ve been thinking about the contrast between the monumental (buildings, in this case) and the artefactual and how, … Continue reading →

Affordable Eating: Meat and three veg in Victorian Christchurch

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that Aotearoa New Zealand is facing a cost-of-living crisis. That weekly visit to the supermarket seems to be getting more expensive each time. Throughout history people have sought ways of … Continue reading →

The archaeology of an archaeologist’s desk

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

This week’s post is a bit different. It’s not directly about Christchurch archaeology, but it is about an archaeologist working in Christchurch. We’ve taken a bunch of photographs of one of the desks in our office and we want you … Continue reading →

It’s better when we stick together.

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

What would we do without glue? Well, it’s estimated that each person in  U.S.A and the U.K. uses 18.2kgs of glue annually. I’m probably more of a Sellotape/Blu-Tack person myself, but those statistics sound impressive! The development of commercial synthetic … 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 →

Just what the doctor ordered!

Articles, Christchurch uncovered

When it comes to the weird and wonderful in 19th century life, it’s hard to go past the field of medicine: specifically, pharmaceutical and ‘self-care’ remedies. Health-related products can be some of the wackiest and most interesting things we find … Continue reading →