Archaeologists are constantly asked is 'How did ancient people move large stones?'. The thought of people moving 2/20/200 tonne stones thousands of years ago just seems impossible. But what if I told you we have a lot of photos/video of people moving huge stones today? 🧵1/ One thing archaeologists regularly utilised is called Ethnography. This is where we look at how modern cultures do all types of things- including moving big stones. It ends up that even over the last 100 years, we have tonnes of ethnographic evidence including videos. 2/

Seeing as everyone is loving Greek archaeology, how about we delve into one of my favourite topics- SCULPTURE! Greek sculpture had a massive impact on the evolution of art, but not many people know how it developed or who the main artists were. So, let’s dive into it! 🧵1/ Today we will look at the development of male sculptures. After the collapse of the Bronze Age cultures, and Greece's resurgence, stone sculptures start appearing in the mid-late 7th century. Here is a favourite of mine- the New York Kouros from c.600-580 BCE. 2/

Well seeing as so many people are interested in my PhD thesis, let’s do a thread! Gestures on Ancient Greek Funerary Iconography- what are they? How did artists use them? Why are they important? Why was I awarded a PhD for this? Let’s find out! 🧵1/

https://twitter.com/hughs_news/status/1873924400690717042

A huge amount of how we communicate is through gesture. In fact, it’s the first form of communication we learn as children, before we can talk. Think of babies reaching for a parent or wanting food. Even as adults, when we communicate, we utilise gesture subconsciously. 2/

Ummmm...lots of ancient cultures could move huge stones without heavy machinery❓ Let’s address this question of stone moving the only way I know how- WITH ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE! And for fun, lets do it with one single object you can visit today. 1/

https://twitter.com/BrightInsight6/status/1823019071333638582

This is the Vatican. Notice that obelisk in the centre. It is from Egypt. It weighs 330 tonnes. It was raisedon September 10th 1586. Using modern 16th century technology, they moved and lifted the stone. You can see drawings of the event. But that’s not a mystery. 2/

SMDH‼️ Ok, let’s educate. (Hi, I’m Hugh. Actual archaeologist. 20+ years fieldwork experience). This tweet shows old mate has never visited an archaeological excavation or even understands the basics. Everything is wrong. So let’s address. 1/

https://twitter.com/brightinsight6/status/1821903629659599127

-Their clothes are clean‼️Yes, sometimes archaeology is very dirty. First picture, my face after excavating a hearth a fireplace). Fine, black, silt. Stuck to everything. 2/

Ok- let's do this one last time‼️ Why do archaeologists prattle on about technology and the future? Well to look at that, let's look at 'recent' developments in archaeology. If you are interested in learning more, this thread may help. 1/

https://twitter.com/BrightInsight6/status/1820109942474657884

Firstly, who am I? To some I am an keyboard archaeologist who isn't in charge of sites. But my CV tells me I have been a field archaeologists for 20+ years and run a pretty major archaeological project, which uses many of the techniques listed below. 2/

Ok- I will bite. This is the tweet of someone who knows nothing about excavation. This video shows a trench of 4 workers and a supervisor(those in the trench). 3 people excavating, one who will be moving the fill to a sieve(with more workers) and a supervisor(person in white). 1/

https://twitter.com/BrightInsight6/status/1817963773917003894

But who are the others watching- clearly guests of the excavation team. I mean the guy in the grey/black shirt on left is clearly talking. Guests visit all the time, VIPs, other archaeologists, lots of people. It happens. 2/