In Sweden, the County Archaeologist's office decides where contract-archaeological fieldwork is needed, how much it can be allowed to cost the land developer, and which excavation unit should do the work. Åsa at Ting & Tankar reports (in Swedish) about a recent case where the County Archaeologist's representative went quite a bit farther than that in overseeing some contract fieldwork.
Aardvarchaeology
Deciding How to Dig in Sweden
The County Archaeologist's representative went quite a bit farther than usual.
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Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
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Deciding How to Dig in Sweden
Category: Archaeology • Sweden
Posted on: October 2, 2008 9:01 AM, by Martin R
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Humanities & Social Science
Comments
Hi Martin,
Speaking of digging in Sweden, there is an article today reporting on radioactive fallout from Chernobyl being detected in Swedish soil. I wonder if it is something you would consider when doing your field work.
See: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130000.htm
Posted by: PsyberDave | October 2, 2008 3:47 PM
In order for it to harm you in these miniscule amounts, you need to ingest the stuff. That was mainly an issue in the years following the accident when mushrooms, berries and game animals in northern Sweden showed increased amounts of radioactive cesium. Since then, the radioactive dust has mainly ended up in lake and river sediments where it doesn't really enter into the food chain.
So no, outdoor workers and diggers in Sweden needn't worry about the 1986 fallout. We do however need to use way more sunscreen than we used to, because of the ozone depletion.
Posted by: Martin R | October 2, 2008 3:56 PM
There are other aspects of swedish archaeology that are more radioactive than the soil.
I am walking a fine line here with my post. I am genuinely interested in this issue, but discussing it is always sensitive. Myself, I've got little to loose but I don't want my colleagues at the excavating office to be inofficially punished for opinions that I voice - I am not even employed there.
Radioactive fallout
Posted by: ArchAsa | October 2, 2008 5:24 PM
Just you be careful out there. Radiation doesn't always stay put. Back when they were doing nuclear tests in the U.S. above ground, the scientists here assured people that once the mushroom cloud blew away, all danger was past. But the rain brought the radiation back down. Thousands of children died of leukemia later around the Nevada test sites. I knew one little boy...
Joan Baez used to sing a protest song, written by Malvina Reynolds, about that. I try to sing it every so often myself, but I never make it all the way thru. I heard it back in the 1960s and here it is, nearly 50 years later and it still makes me cry:
Just a little boy standing in the rain
The gentle rain that falls for years
And the grass is gone, the boy disappears
And the rain keeps falling like gentle tears.
What have we done to the rain?
Just a little breeze out of the sky,
The leaves pat their hands as the breeze blows by,
Just a little breeze with some smoke in its eye.
What have we done to the rain?
And the grass is gone, the boy disappears
And the rain keeps falling like gentle tears.
What have we done to the rain?
I'm sorry, I'm getting my keyboard wet again, I cannot go on. Just you be careful out there. Don't drink the water. You don't want to orphan your babies.
Posted by: DianaGainer | October 3, 2008 5:48 AM