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“This is a salvage operation to get as much as we can,” said archaeologist Jera Davis, who is part of the team excavating the site.
The sites along the bank overlooking the river have been endangered by rapid erosion caused by a shift in the river channel. The salvage effort is a stopgap measure until UA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can agree on a plan to stabilize the stretch of riverbank along the wooded northern border of the park, according to Matt Gage, director of the UA Office of Archaeological Research.
“Since 2010, we have really seen a major change in what is happening with the erosion in this area,” Gage said.
The university and the Corps are trying to work on a feasibility study, he said.
The stabilization work would likely be funded by local and federal matching funds, with the Corps responsible for the stabilization and the university assisting with the archaeological work at the site.
At a site below the raised walkway that runs along the edge of the bank, the team has been excavating a midden heap — or trash pit — for about a week.
The bank below the excavation is a steep slope of exposed sandy soil where the trunks of toppled cypress and gum trees protrude from the silt at the water’s edge.
Gage estimated the staff has about six to eight months of salvage work along the riverbank on the edge of the park. The salvage by the archaeologists needs to be done before the stabilization work begins and before the valuable archaeological deposits slide down the slope into the river.
Only about 15 percent of the massive Moundville complex has been excavated. The section threatened by the river is among the least explored, according to Davis.
The site overlooking the river was likely one of the first and last places to be occupied at the complex, which was inhabited from roughly the 11th to 16th centuries by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture. The site was a religious and commercial center, home to both elite and commoners of the culture.
Based on materials found in the trash pit, experts say the sites near the river were likely the residential areas for the elite members of the society. The items include such things as shards of elaborate ceramics and mineral pigments from the Midwest, Davis said.
The trash pits offer glimpses of daily life at the sprawling complex, once the second largest of its kind in what is now the United States.
Moundville is eligible as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site, Gage said.
Erosion along the bank is speeding up, he warned.
“Every day, we are losing a little bit of Moundville,” he said.
In the past, a natural jetty formed by silt deposits at the mouth of Carthage Branch to the east of the park helped protect the stretch of riverbank by redirecting the current. The recent changes to the river channel eroded the natural barrier and began to cut away at the bank along the Moundville site, Gage said. He estimated that approximately 30 meters of riverbank has been lost since 1969. The Corps of Engineers stabilized a stretch of riverbank northwest of the park roughly 25 years ago with riprap and other stone to prevent erosion.
While the Corps was previously able to stabilize the riverbank on the northwest corner of the park with aggregate, the erosion occurring now is a more challenging engineering problem because of the steep slope of the bank, which drops almost immediately into the river channel, Gage said.
Gage anticipates the project could cost anywhere from $7 million to $11 million.
“It all depends on what the Army Corps of Engineers decides is a possibility,” he said.
Author: Ed Enoch | Source: The Tuscaloosa News [January 26, 2015]
Hatter by Daniel Coleman is a companion novel to Jabberwocky (which I reviewed earlier this year) . Hatter is set in the same whimsical world as Jabberwocky but it extends that world beyond just the Jabberwock poem to include and create Coleman's version of Wonderland, taken from Lewis Carroll.
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with retellings, one that is far too large and would completely take over this post if I tried to discuss it. But, the short version, is that while I absolutely love and adore fairy tale retellings, I completely avoid retellings of books. But the Alice in Wonderland stories kind of fall right in the middle for me. They are a book, but the stories of Wonderland feel very fairy tale-ish, so I'm a bit torn. The main reason I decided to read this book is because of how much I enjoy Jabberwocky.
I'll be honest and admit that I didn't love Hatter the same way I did Jabberwocky, but that doesn't surprise me... I've never actually read anything other than Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll and my experiences with Alice are solely based on the Disney version of the story. And we all know their reputation for sticking close to the original... ..
Anyway, Hatter is the story of Hatta, who is trying to understand his position in the world. He knows he views the world differently from everyone else and he honestly fears the insanity (or outsanity) that is lurking just within his mind. He views the world in colors, vivid, vibrant colors and his clothing reflects that. It's really interesting reading from his perspective, because the colors are tied to emotions, both his and others, and people give off colors that are reflective of their personalities. It fascinated me, and Hatta was such a quirky and interesting character to follow. The other narrator, Chism, was also interesting to read about, but for different reasons. Chism is colorblind, a soldier and full of rage and bitterness. He's a loner who wants nothing more than to continue as an elite — protecting the order of life (the circle and sword) and doing his duty. But when what he views as his responsibility seriously backfires, he ends up putting himself in a lot of danger, and also being the spark that starts the fire.
I don't know that I can put my finger on it exactly, but no matter how much I enjoyed reading the story, and enjoyed the characters, I felt a small level of disconnect from the story. Hatta was just a little too abstract and hard to follow at times and Chism was just a little too bitter and aloof. I saw where Coleman was going with that, and I understand why it was written that way, but it was just a little... too.
I do also wish that we had gotten to see more of The Queen of Hearts, got to experience more from her and what ultimately made her decide to be that person. We get to see a little bit of how she goes from a 'normal' person and becomes the violent queen, but I would have liked more. But, that's also mostly, because she was one of my favorite parts of the cartoon. (how morbid & violent is that... The young kid loving the crazy face screaming Off with his head!: P)
But overall, I really enjoyed this book. I had hoped to enjoy it, but wasn't sure what to expect given my thoughts on retellings and the fact that I know very little of the real Wonderland. But I'm happy to say that the book more than lived up to my expectations, and I'm even hoping that Coleman plans to write more Wonderland stories, because I will read them all.:) Maybe it will even be the motivation I need to finally read the originals.:)
Thanks to Anna over at Hachette, I have two great audio books to give away! I have three copies of each audio book available.
THE SURVIVORS CLUB (Unabridged)
By Ben Sherwood, read by the author
In the tradition of Freakonomics and The Tipping Point, THE SURVIVORS CLUB reveals the hidden side of survival by combining astonishing true stories, gripping scientific research, and the author's adventures inside the U.S. military's elite survival schools and the government's airplane crash evacuation course.
THE TERROR (Abridged)
By Dan Simmons, read by Simon Vance
"Dan Simmons writes with the salty grace and precision of Patrick O'Brian. But in piling supernatural nightmare upon historical nightmare, layering mystery upon mystery, he has produced a turbocharged vision of popular doom." -Men's Journal
The rules:
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This is a post I have been looking forward to for a long time. Anna Godbersen's The Luxe
is the second book I have read for my 19 Going On 20 Self Challenge. The novel starts with the supposed death of 19th Century Manhattan socialite Elizabeth Holland. Then it goes back in time to a party at Elizabeth's friend Penelope's home. Penelope's family is new money, but they have moved their way up the social ladder and are now being accepted by the elite. At least kind of. Penelope is having a very saucy romance with everyone's favorite rich boy, Henry Schoonmaker. What Penelope doesn't know is that Henry's father has other plans for him. He wants Henry to marry the nice, from a good family Elizabeth, which is perfect for Elizabeth's family since they have lost money after her father's death. It does not make Elizabeth happy though, because she is in love with her carriage driver, Will Keller.
This novel is full of dark secrets, backstabbers, and saucy love sessions. I could not put it down. This isn't the kind of thing I normally read. I don't read a lot of YA in general, but the novel's jacket caught my attention. I loved the idea of Gossip Girl in the 19th Century. I mean, how much better can it get? After the first chapter I was totally hooked. I'm dying to read the rest in the series and will probably do so very soon.
My favorite character in the novel is Diana, Elizabeth's younger sister. She is obsessed with romance and fantasy, and loves reading. By the end of the novel she has a bit of a reality check, but overall lets romance and fantasy win. She can be a total bitch but usually has others best intentions at heart. This novel has marvelous characters. It is one of the few books I've ever read where I didn't feel like anyone was the "good guy" or the "bad guy." Honestly when you finish the novel you see everyone has good and bad in them. The only exception to this is Elizabeth, who is mostly good. Although she does steal her best friend's lover even if she is doing it to save her family.
In short, if you haven't read this book stop wasting your time and READ IT!
Pub. Date: September 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback, 464 pp
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Rhys Bowen's In a Gilded Cage
is part of the Molly Murphy Mystery series. Molly Murphy is an Irish immigrant living in New York City during the beginning of the suffrage movement. Her neighbors, Sid and Gus, are lesbians and women's right activists. They appear for short periods throughout the story to invite Molly to marches or parties, but their presence as never as heavy as it is in the beginning. Molly, Sid, and Gus march in a parade and are eventually thrown in jail. Molly is not afraid like many of the other women though because she is a detective and has been in jail before. Her boyfriend is also a police captain so she knows she as a way out. During this intense scene she meets Emily, a Vassar graduate who works at a pharmacy. When Emily finds out Molly is a detective a fire lights up in her eyes. She has a mystery she wants to be solved.
Emily hires Molly to find out the truth behind her parents. She grew up with her aunt and uncle. Her aunt died at a young age and her uncle was very cruel to her. She lived with them because her parents were missionaries in China who died, but that is all she has ever been able to find out. Molly is also approached by an elite wife named Fanny, who is actually Emily's college roommate. Fanny is convinced her husband is having an affair and hires Molly to track down who the mistress is. If Molly can find proof Fanny plans to divorce her husband. But shortly after Molly has started to figure the mystery out Fanny mysteriously dies of pneumonia. It doesn't take too long before all the women in Fanny's circle of friends are also dying. Molly tries to convince herself that it's just a coincidence, but she knows something is up.
This was a good read, although it was a little too detective story for me and not enough historical information. It was obviously well researched but I really was looking for a fiction novel set during the suffrage movement. All the information about the suffrage movement in this is pretty basic. Still, it is good for the kind of novel it sets out to be. A detective mystery is promised and it is delivered. Bowen has great dialogue, unlike so much fiction I never felt like things were moving too quickly. It was always suspenseful and never boring. I might even consider reading more of the Molly Murphy Mystery books because Molly's character is very lovable. She is fiery and a hard worker, plus she always try to do what is right for other people. She did give in a little too easily to her boyfriend at some points but there was a lot of tension between them which I enjoyed.
Pub. Date: March 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: Hardcover, 288pp
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Anna Taggart, recent Colombia grad, is thrilled when she lands a teaching job at an elite private school. Her parents are less than thrilled; they don’t understand how she can just waste all the money they put toward her Ivy-League education and become..a teacher. Teaching is her passion and she can’t wait to dive in. Until she notices that the work handed in by her students isn’t their own. The majority of her students have high-priced tutors that are doing the work for them! Anna, desperately broke, gets sucked into “the dark side” and becomes a tutor after school hours. She quickly begins earning more money than she would ever have made as a teacher. She moves to a pricey “doorman” apartment, goes on shopping expeditions every weekend. The life she always thought she wanted. Until she begins tutoring a young girl that wants a “real” tutor, not someone to do her assignments for her. Anna soon learns that money isn’t everything and remembers why she decided to become a teacher—to teach! SCHOOLED is a hilarious debut novel with a view of the private schools and tutoring that could only be written by someone that has knows it personally.
Click to buy: Schooled
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