The Hand Drawn Map Contest

This one almost went into the Tumblr file–still not quite sure what I should post there and what I should post here.  Anyway, the Hand Drawn Map Association (I didn’t even know there was such a thing!) is sponsoring a contest that archaeologists should have no problem winning.

Sadly, I don’t actually have any of my own maps–they’re all in archives in various places.  Not that it would do much good anyway, as most of my American plans are of squares with rocks in them, and the single context plans are of little floating blobs with hachures scattered about.  People have different metrics of when you become a “real” archaeologist–getting paid to dig, heading a project–but I’m starting to wonder if it’s when you have ready access to all aspects of the excavations materials and the archive and everything that entails.  Digital meandering dissertations aside, I yearn for the day when I’ll find a site, excavate it, publish the data, and have all the artifacts and archive fully ordered and safely stashed away for future research.  I’ve done aspects of all of these things, but going start to finish on a single (complex, architectural) site would be amazing.

Entries are due April 30, 2009, but they have ongoing prizes so enter early, enter often!

Author: colleenmorgan

Dr. Colleen Morgan (ORCID 0000-0001-6907-5535) is the Lecturer in Digital Archaeology and Heritage in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York. She conducts research on digital media and archaeology, with a special focus on embodiment, avatars, genetics and bioarchaeology. She is interested in building archaeological narratives with emerging technology, including photography, video, mobile and locative devices. Through archaeological making she explores past lifeways and our current understanding of heritage, especially regarding issues of authority, authenticity, and identity. View all posts by colleenmorgan