2019 HARVA L. SHEELER FELLOWSHIP FIELD REPORT: KARA LARSON
Beyond Broken Bones and Dusty Teeth: Faunal Samples from the Khirbet Summeily Excavations
First, I would like to formally thank the Harva L. Sheeler Excavation Fellowship donors again for allowing me to excavate, research, and study in Israel. Tell el-Hesi, and the surrounding Greater Hesi region, are staples in the history of archaeological investigation in the Near East and having the opportunity to be a part of that legacy was incredibly rewarding. My master’s thesis would not have been feasible without this monumental award.
This fellowship gave me the excellent opportunity to become a staff member on the Khirbet Summeily excavation team for the 2019 survey field season, working under co-directors Dr. Jimmy Hardin (Mississippi State University) and Dr. Jeff Blakely (University of Wisconsin-Madison). While I have previously served in the role of a staff member, I found this position extremely rewarding because my thesis research is on the faunal material from this site. Khirbet Summeily was identified as a prime excavation site for answering important regional Iron Age questions when the Hesi Regional Survey Project visited the region between 2008 and 2010, as part of a large-scale pedestrian survey of the surrounding area. The co-directors identified the Khirbet Summeily site as an Iron Age domestic settlement based on the collected sherds from its surface. Our excavations have revealed a singular structure dating to the Iron Age IIA, along with four Iron age occupation phases, with the earliest occupation potentially dating to the late Iron Age I. The current goal of the excavation project is to understand the nature of the large building structure and how Khirbet Summeily interacted with rising political structures during the Iron Age.
View from atop Tell el-Hesi.
My master thesis focuses on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the isotopic data from the Khirbet Summeily faunal remains concerning site functionality and intraregional connectivity across the Iron Age. During the summer of 2019, I traveled to Israel to participate in the Khirbet Summeily excavation project and conduct research on the Iron Age faunal remains. As part of the excavation staff, I was able to sort through a plethora of faunal remains and select teeth from identifiable Iron Age contexts that were suitable for isotopic analyses. I learned from our dig directors how to properly take artifact photos, apply for an export license from the Israel Antiquities Authority, and how to conduct fundamental analyses on the faunal remains in preparation for travel back to the Cobb Institute of Archaeology.
Outside the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.
After the Khirbet Summeily excavation season was complete, I had the opportunity to stay at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research to expand my breadth of knowledge and research the collected finds from the Hesi Regional Survey Project. Applying the skill set I learned during my time with the Khirbet Summeily staff; I identified, analyzed, recorded, and stored the remaining survey artifacts for transportation back to the Cobb Institute of Archaeology. My personal favorite finds included a group of polished and cut astragali, a Roman bracelet, and a lithic blade/tool. It was also a fantastic experience to conduct research out in the courtyard of the Albright and chat with other scholars about various ongoing research across Israel. During my downtime, I had the opportunity to explore the streets of the Old City, partake in an evening light show, and visit several museums.
Selected finds from the Hesi Regional Survey Project.
Following my research-intensive time in Israel, I returned to the United States to sample and process the faunal molars recovered from the excavation and faunal boxes. While I had all the proper documentation and licenses for exporting faunal remains from Israel, I still received some puzzled facial expressions when airport security would inspect my carry-on and pull out a bag of animal teeth. Nonetheless, I safely made it back to the Cobb Institute to begin the post-field analyses required for my thesis. Currently, the Khirbet Summeily molar samples have been subjected to isotopic analyses, and I am presently interpreting the results for the completion of my thesis. Along with the critical research skill set I learned over the summer, I am most appreciative of being a first-hand witness to the journey of an artifact being recovered from the site to the post-field analyses, and finishing with the official write-up of the important archaeological discoveries made during the summer.
Kara Larson is an M.A. student at Mississippi State University and the lead research assistant for the Near Eastern Archaeology Laboratory at the Cobb Institute of Archaeology. She is a staff member for the Khirbet Summeily Excavation Project and the Hesi Regional Survey project and specializes in zooarchaeology and isotopic analyses. Her research focus is on the use of multiproxy isotopic analyses geared towards answering questions of socioeconomic and political complexity.
Want to help more students and early career archaeologists get into the field? Donate to the cause today by selecting “Excavation Scholarships” as your gift purpose!
