Digging into Cultures
Anthropological archaeologist professor Dr. Duncan McKinnon has always had a love for history and culture.
“I like to look at the diversity that exists and ask, ‘Why do people have different perspectives on life and why do people look differently?’” McKinnon said. “Anthropology allows people to step outside of their box that they grew up in and appreciate people from other cultures.”
Between his work as a professor and working on his own personal research, McKinnon found the time to join a team of researchers on PBS’s “Time Team America” that aired in August 2014.
“I wanted to become involved because I thought it would be a great experience, and I wanted to work with others in my field,” McKinnon said. “Plus, it’s a television show!”
The four-episode series took the team of McKinnon and other researchers to Colorado, Oklahoma, Georgia and Maryland to unearth sites that not only could help further research but could also help the local communities become interested in archeology. The team explored the Lost Pueblo Villages in Cortez, Colorado, the Bones of Badger Hole in the panhandle of Oklahoma, the Lost Civil War Prison in Jenkins County, Georgia and the homestead of former slave Josiah Henson in Bethesda, Maryland.
“The show was designed so that people could not only understand what it is that we are doing, but also appreciate it and become involved themselves,” McKinnon said.
By utilizing geophysical methods (using technology to look beneath the surface of the Earth), McKinnon, along with two other researchers, were able to create maps of the sites that excavation teams used to dig to find cultural pieces.
“These methods allow us to see how cultures changed over time,” McKinnon said. “By finding their clothing and pottery, we can tell what they ate, how they lived; it gives us a look at who these people were.”
McKinnon said working the 14- to 16-hour days it took to film the show was worth every challenging minute.
“I see challenges as growth, not obstacles,” he said. “The only way society can grow is with change.”