Speaking Archaeologically™

  Let's start with a few "big questions" : How do you define your position in this world and your journey in evolution, with respect to other primates? Who have been our nearest "cousins" in this long evolutionary journey of ours? Who were the Neanderthals? Did they fight with the archaic sapiens, or did they marry and inter-breed? Was there ever a Neanderthal-Sapiens war? Are Neanderthal traits still alive among some of us, or have they completely disappeared? These were some of the questions that I (and all of us at Speaking Archaeologically) were pondering about, the day we sat to listen to Dr. Chris Stringer. I held a copy of his book "The Origin of Our Species" firmly in my hand, going through all the scribbled pages and little notes tucked in between printed words.  "Changing Landscape of Evolutionary History of Upper Palaeolithic Hominins": read the title of Dr. Stringer's lecture. Some of the initial questions that he laid ou...

"We are not leaving this site until and unless we spot all the inscriptions that are there. We cover each cave that there is, okay? Even if our stomachs growl with hunger, and our feet hurt like anything." - Five Research Wing Members on a mission You are in the midst of a weeklong Prehistoric Archaeology workshop, toiling away in the blazing heat, mapping river routes and knapping stone tools. The echoes of prehistory follow you everywhere, yes, even during your tea breaks (The struggle is real *makes sad puppy eyes*). Each day starts with a burning fire within you to decode the enigma called Prehistory (after accomplishing the herculean task of waking up, of course), and by the end of it, leaves you with a fuzzier mind and an aching body that treats chai as ambrosia. Trust us, chai is the elixir for survival when on field. Seriously. Nevertheless, moving on. Finally, that one holiday arrives! A chance to let those poor muscles have some rest, to sleep like...