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David

@archaeomather.bsky.social
6.4K followers 1.6K following 7K posts

Minnesota environmental archaeologist

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Reposted by David
Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 2h
Fabulous fragment of an ancient Egyptian wall relief with three bears and an oil jar. The paint has survived some 4,500 years! Limestone relief from the Pyramid Temple of Sahure, Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, c. 2496-2483 BC. Neues Museum, Berlin 📷 by me #ReliefWednesday #Archaeology
My photo shows a circa 4,500-year-old limestone relief with some well-preserved paint in places, from the funerary temple of Sahure at Abusir, measuring 39 × 35 × 8.5 cm. It shows three bears (partial view only) and a tall one-handled pottery vessel, across two registers. The upper register at left, shows the two leds and hindquarters of a bear, and at right, a bear’s lowered head, chest, and foreleg, painted mid-brown. The lower register at left shows a tall, dark-reddish-brown pottery vessel with a long neck and single handle, and at right, the lowered head, neck, shoulder, and top of foreleg of a dark-brown bear. The bears wear collars tethered by ropes to looped fixtures in the ground. The fragment comes from a wall scene depicting tributes from the Levant. Bears were not native to Egypt. The bears represented are Syrian brown bears  (Ursus arctos syriacus), which were quite common in Levantine mountain regions in antiquity. They were kept as exotic animals in enclosures by Egyptian kings, and also hunted.
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Exhausted archaeologist-exhausteologist @hknorton.bsky.social · 17h
Our archivist is at the Library of Congress and she sent me this photo. I want this image on everything I own
Beaux-Arts/Art Deco style painting of a woman in Greco-Roman dress looking at a large boom through a magnifying glass. At her feet is a ceramic pot. She is framed by decorative floral garlands. Above her is a red sign with the single word "Archaeology"
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 18h
So you say that your tires are “non skid” - how do you intend to communicate that to the general public?
A thin tire on an antique car, with the tread forming the words “NON SKID.”
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Postcard From The Past @pastpostcard.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Having a nice time - saw lots of bears.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Perished by Freezing,” March 14(?), 1870 - fragmented tombstone of John Johnson and his son Lewis who died near Luverne, Minnesota. At the Rock County Historical Society. I don’t know why the stone is in this condition or what happened to the grave.
Fragmented and weathered tombstone reassembled in a wooden frame.
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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A 2,300-year-old silver container in the shape of a scallop-shell decorated with an octopus 🐙 It may once have held cosmetics. From Paternò, Sicily. Altes Museum, Berlin 📷 by me #Archaeology
My photo shows a silver shell-shaped container with an eight-armed octopus in relief at the centre of the lid. The arms of the octopus curl outwards across the ridges of the shell’s surface. This ornate shell container has a hinged lid and may once have been a cosmetic container . It is displayed on a clear stand in a museum case. Dimensions: 13.3 × 13.2 × 3 cm. It is part of the Silver Treasure from Paternò, Sicily, a hoard discovered in 1909, consisting of tableware and toiletries. Dated 4th-3rd century BC.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Details of the Palace Theater in Luverne, Minnesota - constructed in 1915 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Cool wallpaper and sconce on the wall by a stage.A lovely lady on the wall with a bow. I suspect she is Diana.Images of birds flying amid foliage.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
What a great venue for a public archaeology lecture! (especially since I’m just attending, not lecturing)
The historic Palace Theatre in Luverne, Minnesota.
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Terry O'Connor @osteoconnor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Dove amended. Nice.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Delighted to see a preview of my article in the upcoming issue of The Minnesota Archaeologist, correcting a zooarchaeological misidentification from early in my career. Those aren’t mourning dove bones, they are extinct passenger pigeons!
Identification of the Extinct Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) at the Lake Lida Site (210T109)
David Mather
National Register Archaeologist
Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office

Two bone fragments from the Lake Lida site (210T109) in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, were previously identified as
Mourning Dove (Lenaida macroura). Based on recent reexamination, the identification is now corrected to Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), an extinct bird from the same taxonomic family that I had not considered in the original analysis.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“Dammit Poppins,” grunts Bert, squinting at the descending parasol with cigar smoke curling in his eye. “You know I’m out of the business.” “Quit yer bellyachin and grab your broom before you get a spoonful. We need you for one last job. It’s the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Protocols.”
avclub.com
A darker Mary Poppins TV series is in the works
A darker Mary Poppins TV series is in the works
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The cat in “The Cassandra Cat” (1963) kind of looks like Maggie
Scene from a movie with a young woman holding a cat.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Maggie & I are watching “Pigeons in the Square” (1982). Featuring an old man in a park delivering a stream of consciousness lecture about pigeons, I feel this film was made specifically for me.
A fuzzy cat’s silhouette against a
screen showing a documentary about pigeons.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Muskrat house surrounded by wild rice in Ogechie Lake in Minnesota, sunlight through the rain.
Portion of a narrow lake with wild rice, forest in the background.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Rainy autumn day
Red leaves wet with rain.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Fading basswood leaves at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
Yellow spotted leaves with straight tree trunks in the background.
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Patrick Nunnally @landh2oplaceumn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This story is squarely in your interest range @archaeomather.bsky.social !
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Hey, look at all this nonsense
Beautiful autumn foliage.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Early autumn forest floor near the Rum River in Minnesota
Ferns, leaves turning yellow, and moss on a tree trunk.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Minnesota archaeology will be on stage at the Palace Theatre in Luverne on Monday, with a presentation by Tom Sanders about recent research in Blue Mounds State Park.
Poster for an archaeological lecture, “The Mystery of the Stone Serpent” at the Palace Theatre in Lucerne, MN. Free, Monday, September 28, 7:00 PM.
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Heather Knight @heather1576.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The 16th- and early 17th- century tin-glazed wares in the Museo Arqueologico Nacional, Madrid made me smile this morning.
A large plate with a stylised figure depicted in blue and orange on an off-white background surrounded by blue and orange flowers and leaves. Made in Talavera de la Reina, in Toledo province, the main production centre for decorated ceramics. In the second half of the 16th century about thirty Talavera potteries made ceramics in both the Gothic-Mudejar style and styles inspired by the Italian, Flemish and Chinese traditions.A large plate with a stylised knight and a plant stem in the centre painted in blue, yellow and orange. The border is a stylised floral motif in blue, yellow and orange. A large plate with a portrait of a woman with the name “Margaritina” behind her head. Probably a wedding gift, the lady's portrait on its surface is framed like a classical medallion, a style typical of the potters of Deruta, Italy. Dates to the second half of the 16th century.A museum display case containing a variety of tin-glazed ceramics.
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Dr. Robert D. Bullard @drrobertbullard.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Pesticide linked to cancer and hormone disruption pollutes a quarter of US river miles - The New Lede www.thenewlede.org/2026/09/atra...
thenewlede.org
Pesticide linked to cancer and hormone disruption pollutes a quarter of US river miles
A cancer-linked pesticide banned in more than 60 countries around the world contaminates an estimated 25% of river and stream miles in the lower 48 US states, including many waterways used for drinkin...
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Overheard while walking past a playground: “Don’t fart on me, okay?”
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MOLA @museumofloot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEWS: Among 180 objects valued at $70 million seized by the Manhattan DA, four antiquities were from Michael Steinhardt, one of the world’s largest ancient art collectors. Three of the objects are female Syro-Hittite Idols crafted in northwest Syria during the 2nd millennium B.C.E.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I’m curious about this bird in the hand. It’s in a Renaissance altarpiece by Lorenzo Monaco, “Madonna Enthroned” (ca. 1390-1400).
Detail of a painting showing the Christ child’s hand holding a small bird. The bird may not be happy about this.
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Dr Alessio Veneziano @aveneziano.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
As a Bone person, I can confirm this is a more sustainable and ethical choice! 🦴💀 🧪 I can't stress enough how sustainable it is!
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Kristy Baxter @kbax.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Blep
Detailed drawing of a bison, it appears to be blepping (sticking its tongue out a lil like cats do sometimes)
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Minnesota State Capitol today
A large white dome in the distance behind trees.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Painted Lady butterfly and lots of happy bees on asters at the Minnesota State Capitol Mall.
Purple flowers with butterfly and bees.
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Dean Frey @dean.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Patti Smith hugs John Coltrane's A Love Supreme close to her heart, as all true jazz lovers do. 📷 Danny Clinch, New York, 2000 #Trane100 This was taken in Michael Carlucci’s Subterranean Records, Cornelia Street youtube.com/watch?v=ll3C...
Smith holds the album in the small yellow-lit record store
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I’ve autumned and I can’t get up
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Zzooooooooooooommies
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Bodega Cats @bodegacats.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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Duncan Mackay @theduncanmackay.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If this isn’t now your favourite Roman carving, you’re wrong. It is. I will not be discussing this further. Found Vindolanda; on display Chesters.
A really cute little running wild boar, looks like it could be from Shaun the Sheep.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi” processions in NYC recently, remembering the Dakota men executed in Minnesota following the U.S.-Dakota War in 1862.
hyperallergic.com
Buffalo Puppet Procession Traces Native History Through NYC’s Streets
“Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi” pays homage to 38 Dakota men executed by President Abraham Lincoln in Mankato, Minnesota, in 1862.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Hey there Frogtown ⭐️
Mural with images of flowers and a blue man, with text THIS IS FROGTOWN THIS IS HOME.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Good to see @vthorstenson.bsky.social at Capitol Barbers, now my haircut buddy.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Minnesota State Capitol today
Part of an ornate marble building with a dome, and the Minnesota state flag flying in a cloudy blue sky.
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TallFroGuy - Shape Decider @tallfroguy.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
ET.hIC.EPISCOPVS:CIBV:ET: POTV: BE NE DIC IT. #critterposting
Crude drawing a black and blue cat with white and blue rough amid floating green and whitecubes atop beige floorboards, brown and umber walls and white and beige paintings. Shaped like shapes.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Pillars of Society” by George Grosz (1926), skewering politicians, the press, clergy, courts, and the military in Germany’s Weimar Republic.
Painting of self-important men as buffoons. At Mia in Minneapolis: “In the aftermath of war and revolution, George Grosz became a fierce social critic, satirizing the military, the church, and the capitalist establishment of the Weimar Republic. His 1926 Pillars of Society is one of his masterpieces. In it, representatives of the press and politics, the church and the military, are gathered. Lifting the skulls of these state representatives, Grosz exposed "the elite of humanity as de facto pigs," as playwright Bertolt Brecht saw it. Front and center is a judge, with scar and swastika, obsessed with fantasies from his time as a cavalryman. At left, a publisher holds a palm of peace, but it is stained with blood; he wears a chamber pot as a hat. Beside him, the excremental brain of a member of parliament is literally steaming. The grinning chaplain preaches peace and covers up the crimes of the military behind him. Such biting caricatures made Grosz a target of the Nazis; violently opposed to their politics and tactics, he left Germany for the United States before they came to power in 1933.”
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Bee the change you want to see - detail of a St. Paul mural by by Pablo Kalaka and Dani Bianchini (2025).
Mural segment showing a bee approaching yellow flowers.
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Oscar Lozada @oz-of-the-ancients.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Legend has it if you pour water into the holes on the top of this capstone, you'll summon a devil to drink it all up! 📍 Devil's Den in Wiltshire, near Avebury, the remains of a Neolithic long barrow #TombTuesday 📸 Mine #archaeology #photooftheday 🏺
View from underneath a dolmen, with standing stones on either side holding up a huge caostine under a blue sky
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Pasta e fagioli leftovers with goat cheese, even more delicious on day 2.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Zoomies at our house
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I sent an important document out to be printed [do I have a printer at home? yes. does it work? of course not.] Thankfully I got it out of the envelope before Maggie arrived to help.
A fuzzy cat on a crumpled envelope.
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
For Earth 🌍 , Wind 🌪️, and Fire 🔥 Day—we never forget the 21st night of September—here is a depiction of the Four Elements in a manuscript from Bruges, 1470-1480, fr. 137, fol. 1r. (© BnF) : « Dieu Créateur et Ovide avec l’œuf » @labnf.bsky.social. See: journals.openedition.org/crmh/13890?l...
manuscrit fr. 137, fol. 1r.

(© BnF) : « Dieu Créateur et Ovide avec l’œuf »
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
We’re watching “Thirteen at Dinner” (1985), with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. It’s disconcerting enough to see a non-David Suchet Poirot, but in this case DAVID SUCHET is playing Inspector Japp, so my brain is melting.
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Evan Roberts @evanrobertsnz.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
But this is the risk
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Biffy rides in St. Paul, just $5. Who knows, it could be fun?
A portable toilet stall half fallen off a curb.
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David @archaeomather.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Goth kid cleaning up our neighborhood, pic by my wife sent to the family group chat. I saw a crow chasing a vulture over our house a little later - same buddy or not, idk.
A turkey vulture standing over a roadkill squirrel with wings partly spread.
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