Gunter ’11 Collaborates on Archaeological and Geological Research
By Holly Foster
July 1, 2010
In June, Madeleine (Maddy) Gunter ’11, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Nathan Goodale, Associate Professor of Geosciences David Bailey and Science Center Administrator Alissa Nauman conducted archaeological and geological field research on Inishark, an island off the west central coast of Ireland.
The research focused on connecting Early Medieval gravestone production and distribution to geological sources. Through their work, the group hopes to establish aspects of early Christian social networks through the movement of gravestone raw materials. Initial results have found that while local production on the remote islands was most common, several islands have gravestones transported from some distance.
The field research was made possible through a Class of 1966 Career Development Award to Goodale and the Cultural Landscapes of the Irish Coast (CLIC) project. The ongoing CLIC project is directed by Goodale and Professor Ian Kuijt of the University of Notre Dame. This was the fourth year of field work in Ireland for Goodale and Nauman and the second for Gunter. Gunter’s senior thesis will be based on her work during the two summers.
The research focused on connecting Early Medieval gravestone production and distribution to geological sources. Through their work, the group hopes to establish aspects of early Christian social networks through the movement of gravestone raw materials. Initial results have found that while local production on the remote islands was most common, several islands have gravestones transported from some distance.
The field research was made possible through a Class of 1966 Career Development Award to Goodale and the Cultural Landscapes of the Irish Coast (CLIC) project. The ongoing CLIC project is directed by Goodale and Professor Ian Kuijt of the University of Notre Dame. This was the fourth year of field work in Ireland for Goodale and Nauman and the second for Gunter. Gunter’s senior thesis will be based on her work during the two summers.
