Letters Amazing Ephrata I find myself constantly watching the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, and many times they have had documentaries on various archaeological discoveries that I find fascinating. Archaeology is an incredible science and it was so nice to read about the findings of the 1732 religious commune of Conrad Beissel in the Fall issue of American Archaeology. How he got his followers to do his bidding is amazing. I guess if you really believe the Second Coming will happen during one’s lifetime, then the follower will do everything necessary to make that commune work. The information gathered from this dig is historically important. The farming techniques of this period are now well documented, thanks to the hard work done by these archaeologists. The Cloister at Ephrata is a valuable finding for all future generations to study. Alicia Najar Red Bluff, California
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Overselling Small Insights As a professional historian who has also done time at several archaeological digs, I hate seeing historical archaeologists justify their endeavors as somehow superior to historical research. The idea that the dig at the Ephrata Cloister is “telling a more truthful story” than can be gleaned from documents is pure hype. Yes, written texts are biased. This is news? The possible existence of bias is why good historians are systematically skeptics. And what great new truth has been unearthed at the Ephrata dig? That the society’s members ate meat although cautioned by their leader not to do so. Gosh! Let the Ephrata project go forward with its good work of adding to our knowledge of its material culture. But please, let’s not oversell the significance of very small insights. Robert R. Dykstra Worcester, Massachusetts
Editor’s Corner There is no place archaeologists won’t go. In this issue, we follow two of them underground and underwater as they attempt to comprehend prehistory. George Crothers has been plumbing the depths of Mammoth Cave in southern Kentucky since 1992. This is the world’s largest known cave system, and within its hundreds of miles of passages is evidence of thousands of years of human activity. The artifacts speak of a wide range of activities—from mining to rites of passage to convalescing from tuberculosis. While Crothers dons a hard hat and headlamp for work, Michael Faught’s work attire consists of a wet suit and goggles. He explores the seabed of the Gulf of Mexico, more than three miles off the coast of northwestern Florida. Thousands of years ago, this area was dry land and Faught has found stone artifacts that are 8,000 to 12,000 years old. Crothers and Faught are exploring fascinating places, and we have the good fortune of accompanying them.
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