Curtin Archaeological Consulting Inc.

10/21/2026

10/20/2026

10/17/2026

🪨 The cliffs across the Hudson from Manhattan almost became crushed stone for city streets.

In the late 1800s, quarries along the Palisades were blasting away the rock face for paving and building material, and the cliffs were visibly being eaten up. Alarmed residents, including women's clubs in New Jersey, pushed for protection, and in 1900 New York and New Jersey created the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which helped bring the quarrying to an end and protect the cliffs.

It was one of the country's early large-scale conservation efforts near a major city. Today the Palisades Interstate Park runs along the river, and the cliffs you can see from the Hudson shoreline are the ones that were saved.

When was the last time you walked or paddled along the Hudson and looked across at those cliffs? 🌲

10/17/2026

Cross-cutting relationships in action, Kosterhavet National Park, Sweden 🪨✨
Precambrian igneous rocks intruded by a pegmatite d**e, later cut by a dolerite d**e a perfect timeline written in stone, with signs of magma mingling preserved in the oldest layers.

(Credit: Thomas Eliasson, Geological Survey of Sweden)

10/17/2026

Paleoindian points found at the hematite mining site in Wyoming called the Powars II Site.

10/16/2026

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University (NC State) invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Anthropology beginning fall 2027.

We are primarily seeking candidates working in cultural heritage (subfield open), with a focus on North America (preference for US Southeast). Candidates who could develop lab, field, or community-based learning opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate students are particularly welcome.
Full details and to apply: https://buff.ly/5wd5XTM

10/16/2026

An Early Iron Age watering hole, complete with a preserved wattle lining around the base, was discovered in the 2016-18 excavations at Gravel Diggers Quarry, Waterbeach. The wattle lining belonged to an original watering hole, which was then recut after the first had silted up.

10/16/2026

🌧️ RAINED OUT - CANCELED

Due to weather, the Children’s Victory at Saratoga Surrender Day Ceremony scheduled for October 16 at Fort Hardy Park has been canceled.

Thank you for your understanding! We look forward to welcoming families back for the ceremony, weather permitting, on the morning of October 15, 2027, at Fort Hardy Park along the Hudson River waterfront.

10/16/2026

: The Cohoes Mastodon—in living color! 🦣🌈

We’re used to seeing historic photos of the Cohoes Mastodon in the State Education Building in black and white, which makes this rare color image from a 1960 Museum booklet especially striking. A commanding centerpiece of the Museum until 1975, the expansive display featured the Cohoes Mastodon at left, a furry mastodon replica at center, and the Temple Hill Mastodon at right.

But it’s the backdrop that really comes alive in color! What appears subdued in black and white reveals a vibrant Adirondack landscape, complete with grassy fields, winding streams, distant mountains, and dramatic clouds overhead.

As we continue celebrating 160 years since the Cohoes Mastodon’s discovery, this colorful glimpse into its Museum past gives us a whole new way to see an old favorite!