What does it take to be an archaeologist?
I am in the eastern USA and I am speaking only of cultural resource management. (Almost all archaeologists are in CRM). I am also assuming you will start work with just a bachelor’s degree (there are a lot of jobs available for people with a bachelor’s. It’s actually easier to get a job with just a bachelor’s, although it’s often easier to get a permanent job with a master’s). That does make a difference with some of this stuff: To be good at archaeology: -You need to be able to do physical labor all day. Sometimes the corn is above your head and cutting up your face, sometimes you are climbing steep hill after steep hill all day. Sometimes you are on your knees all day, and contorting into uncomfortable positions. You are often doing repetitive, somewhat straining motions. You are often working very quickly. There is a deadline and if they need you to dig 50 shovel tests a day, that’s what they need. -You need to have common sense. Be able to read a map, use a compass, get along by yo
The lifestyle that goes with being an archaeologist usually depends on your area of specialisation. In laboratories or office based jobs, hours can be fairly regular, Monday to Friday. The hours on sites where digs are taking place are far more variable and work is highly affected by weather conditions. Working on digs frequently involves kneeling in the mud, dressed in protective clothing. It is hard physical work in a variety of climates. At times this can mean working in poorer countries where sanitation and drinkable tap water are not a given. Such work usually takes place over weeks or months, at sites a long way from home. Those further along in their archaeology careers are more likely to spend time away from digs. Outside academia, working on temporary contracts is quite common, as commercial work can be project based, relating to highway and urban development. Fieldwork relates to particular periods of research activity. Unsurprisingly, determination, patience and endurance ar
Being an archaeologist combines a lot of different skills. First of all, it takes persistence because a lot of the work in archaeology is very slow. You might be out excavating ancient houses or temples. It sounds very glamorous, but you are digging up thousands of little pieces of pottery, stone, bone, and other objects. You have to record and draw everything, and then study each artifact carefully. It can be very hard work. I think it also helps if you are the type of person who enjoys using the scientific skills of collecting and classifying data. In archaeology, this usually means counting and organizing objects into categories so you can analyze them. It also takes imagination. You have to try to put yourself in the position of people who lived long ago, to project yourself back in time. You almost have to come up with a movie in your head of what could have happened to leave behind the remains you are excavating. You have to empathize with people who lived long ago that you will
I am a social anthropologist with a lean towards archeology. All my archaeologist friends say the three requirements are 1) you must be an alcoholic, 2) you must have had at least one divorce, and 3) you must have a bad back. These are as likely as not results of their chosen occupation but they fit every archaeologist I know.
