October 2013 – Archaeology of College Hill Excavations

A New “Thing” for Brown’s Campus

On October 31, 2013

Indomitable - Artist Nick Bibby has created a 10-foot bronze Kodiak bear to be installed on Ittleson Quadrangle Monday morning, Oct. 28.

Artist Nick Bibby has created a 10-foot bronze Kodiak bear installed on Ittleson Quadrangle Monday morning, Oct. 28.

Brown is adding a new “thing” to our campus. Courtney Coelho’s article, “Brown to install ‘Indomitable’ bear,” shares the installation schedule for this “latest public art incarnation of Brown’s bear mascot”: http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2013/10/bear

And Coelho’s follow-up article on the statue’s installation on October 28th gives some background on the choice of artist and location, as well as on the history behind the Brown mascot. According to the Encyclopedia Brunoniana, Theodore Francis Greene, Class of 1887, was the primary advocate for adoption of the bear as Brown’s mascot in 1904. The article quotes a relevant passage from the Encyclopedia about choosing this mascot:

“While it may be somewhat unsociable and uncouth, it is good natured and clean. While courageous and ready to fight, it does not look for trouble for its own sake, nor is it bloodthirsty. It is not one of a herd, but acts independently. It is intelligent and capable of being educated.”

“Indomitable” is 14 feet tall, and according to Coelho, is “reportedly the largest bronze sculpture of a bear ever made in Britain”!

http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2013/10/indomitable

Catherine Teitz ’14: Classical Statues of Brown University

By JIAAW

On October 26, 2013

In 25 Things Blog, Buildings @Brown

Two classical statues – often misidentified, confused, and abused – have watched over campus life since they were dedicated more than 100 years ago. Marcus Aurelius and Caesar Augustus guard their greens, providing a block for studying students to lean against and an elevated platform to advertise everything from events to holidays. These statues, modeled on Roman originals, were gifts of Moses Brown Ives Goddard, class of 1854.

Bags of ceramic and recording sheets for QG3

Week 4 – Excavations

By JIAAW

On October 23, 2013

In Site Diary

Quiet Green Trench 3 (QG3)

This week in QG3, we worked in two contexts. In context 5, we used handpicks to excavate quickly. Context 5 was a light orange, clayey soil. For the most part, it was wet and clumpy, which made it slightly difficult to sift, but didn’t present any other significant problems. We encountered context 6 later in the day. Context 6 was a darker soil that formed a circular deposit on the western edge of the trench. We fully excavated the area, which returned to context 5 when context 6 was completely removed.

Linda helping some young archaeologists dig in trench 4! (Photo by Andy Dufton)

Family Weekend – Excavations

By JIAAW

On October 21, 2013

In Site Diary

Quiet Green Trench 3 (QG3)

It was a beautiful, breezy October day. At 10:00am, the class began to venture further down in both trenches. In trench 3, we used large pick axes and found a large amount of brick, which were pieces that were noticeably larger than before. Shards of pottery were also found, some were painted with blue designs, and others were what seemed like tile, glazed on one side.

Janice Havasy ’16: University Hall

By JIAAW

On October 19, 2013

In 25 Things Blog, Buildings @Brown

“Wrought in the 10th Year of her age” by Abigail Adams Hobart depicting Rhode Island College (Courtesy of Janet M. Phillips Brown University: A Short History)

As you trudge up the steep path of College Hill from downtown Providence, the Van Wickle Gates and University Hall welcome you to the main campus of Brown University. University Hall’s administrative offices, bell tower and timeless colonial style has assured its place as the center of Brown’s campus. University Hall started out as the only building on Rhode Island College’s campus. It was built in 1770, modeled after Nassau Hall at Princeton, although it ended up being slightly simpler than its New Jersey counterpart. Robert Smith designed Nassau Hall in 1756 in the Georgian-Colonial style and – just like Brown’s University Hall – Nassau Hall was designed to house the entirety of New Jersey College at that time.

Welcome to the blog on “25 things”!

By JIAAW

On October 10, 2013

In 25 Things Blog

We will be blogging about “things” on the Brown campus soon, as part of a project we’re calling “25 Things for Brown’s 250 Years” in honor of Brown University’s 250th anniversary.

Week 3 – Excavations

By JIAAW

On October 8, 2013

In Site Diary

Our excavation on October 7th reinforced patterns from last excavation day, as Trench 3 continued to produce more numerous finds while Trench 4 provided more variety in contexts. We were also able to begin to use the total station for the first time to measure more exactly our context elevations and points in both trenches. A total station is a piece of equipment that measures coordinates and distances.