Shumla Blog
Welcome to the Shumla Blog Page! Here we will share our ongoing research with you, our friends, colleagues, and collaborators around the world. This blog will not only feature our ongoing work as part of the Alexandria Project, but also give insights into some of the broader research questions Shumla is exploring. Happy reading!
Atlatls in Lower Pecos Rock Art
By Charles Koenig One of humanity’s oldest weapon systems is the atlatl, or spear thrower. The atlatl functions as a lever to throw a dart (or spear) with greater speed, distance, and accuracy than a hand-thrown spear. Atlatls were used by humans as early as 20,000...
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Documenting Satan Canyon Gallery: A Tale of Two Interns
By Hailey LaRock and Caitlin Houle Hi Shumla friends, Hailey and Caitlin here! We’re the 2018 Shumla archaeological interns, and we wanted to share our experience documenting an incredible rock art site called Satan Canyon Gallery. Satan Canyon Gallery is located near...
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Rancher Steward BBQ – A Birthday Celebration!
By Amanda Castaneda and Jessica Lee In early June Shumla hosted our annual Rancher Steward BBQ, an event we hold to honor and thank the many landowners, stewards, and partners that we work with throughout the year. This year marked our 8th BBQ and another very special...
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A Recipe for Success: Experimental Archaeology and Paint Making
By Amanda Castaneda and Charles Koenig One of the most frequently asked questions during a rock art site tour is, “How did these ancient artists create the paints they used?” And we usually throw the question right back and ask, “How would you create a paint if you...
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Variation of Pecos River Style Antlered Anthropomorphs
By Charles Koenig and Amanda Castañeda Over the course of the Alexandria Project one of our primary objectives is to identify repeated rock art attributes, figures, and/or motifs. As we explained in the Iconographic Inventory blog, we are recording a limited number...
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Shumla in Washington D.C.
We’re here at the 83rd Annual Society for American Archaeology Meeting!
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Shumla’s Chemistry Lab Part II: Radiocarbon Dating Eagle Cave Rock Art
**This the second of two blog posts describing the Shumla Chemistry Laboratory. This post is based on the poster presented by Karen Steelman at the 2017 Texas Archeological Society Annual Meeting in Grapevine, Texas, titled: “Radiocarbon Dating Rock Paintings: New...
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Shumla’s Chemistry Lab Part I: Plasma Oxidation & Radiocarbon Dating
**This post is the first of two blog posts describing the Shumla Chemistry Lab and our plasma oxidation system.** By Karen L. Steelman In my role as Shumla Research Director, I have been working alongside the team on The Alexandria Project, as well as pursuing...
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The Hibiscus Shelter Rock Art Curtain
***This blog post does not deal directly with the Alexandria Project, but is a throwback to a Shumla – Ancient Southwest Texas Project (ASWT) collaboration at Hibiscus Shelter back in 2012.*** By Charles Koenig Hibiscus Shelter is located on the Ryes N’ Sons Ranch...
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To Iconography… And Beyond!
By Amanda Castañeda and Charles Koenig This blog post focuses on a key aspect of Shumla's documentation methods and the Alexandria Project: iconography. Iconography includes the documentation, study, and interpretation of images and symbols. Archaeologists working...
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