Calling any Archaeologists! (Or similar!) Check in here!

[GazeboMouse]

Just noticed on another thread that there are quite a few with an Archaeology degree!
I work with disabled children now, got married at Uni so never managed to get an arch job cos I couldn't afford it and couldn't move away to where the work is!!! Would love to do an MA or something in future years though. My fave Archaeological interests are Iron Age/Romano British crossover, the Minoan civilisation, the Harappan civilisation, Lithics, and Historically I am interested in the Slave Trade, New Zealand, Japanese art of the Edo period,  and the 1930s!

So who is out there with an Archaeology background?
 Working or ever worked in the field? (Or lab, or hut?)
Doing something else but still subscribing to magazines and watching the TV programmes?
What particularly interests you in the subject?

I'd love not to feel alone!

[melodys_angel]

Oh, I find it interesting^^  I was going to go into astrophysics if that somehow counts (different realm I know but same general feel)--always had a massive interest in space

[kaoskat]

Sounds like a fascinating career choice! I hope you can achieve your goal someday.

[GothMummy]

hello
Where did you study? I have a degree in archaeology and ancient history from Nottingham. My area was anglo saxon and celtic Britain. I love ancient Greece and Rome though and have a love of British pre-history (I can often be found at nine ladies standing stone circle ).  I have had some temporary museum jobs and lots of voluntary work.....have worked on digs but only as a lowest of the low digger

I wanted to do an MA in museum/heritage but got distracted by marriage, house buying and then babies. How about yourself? Its somethign that I would just love to get back into but it just does not pay. I have a friend who has an MA in museum management, he was managing a local museum and I was earning more than 4K a year more than him in my admin job - its just rubbish pay in the heritage sector  

I just keep up my amateur interest now. x


edited to say: I got married at uni too. Um, did we study together? Cos there was another girl on my course who got married in her third year. ...

[GazeboMouse]

Oh, I find it interesting^^  I was going to go into astrophysics if that somehow counts (different realm I know but same general feel)--always had a massive interest in space

Just link it to particular stone circles and astral alignments and of course you can join our gang!


Gothmummy, nope, I was Up North in Curry Country! Mine was a BSc Arch, I've only been on 2 digs, one after 6th form digging up Iron Age post holes and Roman Bath Houses, and one at Uni, digging up cobbles and Roman hobnails! One day when my husband becomes a millionaire, I'll definately do some sort of Postgrad thing, I did most of a PGCE but that's the only Postgrad study I did. Cancelled my subscription last year to CBA and "British Archaeology' mag, after 20 years as I couldn't afford it any more. Still have most of the more interesting uni Arch textbooks though!

[Beldarna]

I am an archaeologist and historian. I did my thesis in archaeology about goddesses in Europe and their cults and in history I focused on medievel crimes. I love ancient Egypt and Greece and the Tudor Era in UK.

I never got to use my knowledge outside of uni tho. I spent five weeks digging with my class at a suspected stone age setting but that's all. I work in a local movietheatre now. There are too many archaeologists and too few jobs in Sweden. Even the university has downsized the sector tremendously since I studied there. I could go abroad but with a boyfriend and cats I can't see that happen.

I love to watch historical and archaological programs on TV. The only thing I can't stanc is the brittiss show Time Team. Watching them destroy the locations for a few days of rush diggings makes my heart cry.

[GothMummy]

Beldarna - Time Team makes all of us cry seriously! I hate the show.  Your speciality is interesting - I am very interested in Goddesses too.

GazeboMouse - I spent a whole summer on an anglo saxon settlement  in Norfolk (we were focusing on the grave yard) which was awesome, so much wide ranging experience... it was a teaching excavation of a whole settlement so people got to go back year after year and focus on a different bit each time.  and also a summer on an iron age hill fort in Bangor (Wales) where it rained non stop and everyone got chest infections!  I did shorter digs too. I hate the welsh one with a passion though, every morning walking up a hill (mountain) with a bloomin' mattock....!

I still have my uni text books too. Am sitting opposite them right now! I have decluttered some through the years but I still have my Bahn and Renfre "Theory Practice and Methods of Archaeology" and the other more interesting books on British archaeology.

x

[Salli]

I'm a history buff (mostly devoted to mid-nineteenth century America) and I already envy all of you in England, now I have to envy your awesome adventures! 

[Loa]

Its what I am hoping to have my second degree in!

[GothMummy]

Salli - there is nothing,... nothing!! awesome about carrying a mattock and shovel up a welsh mountain (OK... hill!) in the pouring rain day after day and finding nothing!!  I swear that so called hill fort was just a myth

I have a desperate desire to see America, especially the wild horses   and I cant imagine when I wil be able to that (we have too many pet animals and children and no money!) so we are probably equal in our jealousy!

[xeevee]

I have a degree in biological anthropology.  Not exactly the same, but in the archaeology family. I did take a few archaeology classes as part of my degree.  In one we watched movies featuring archaeology or archaeologists.  We watches indiana jones, Doctor Who, Evil Dead.  It was a weird class.

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

One of my majors is Cultural Anthropolgy, area of focus is the Pacific Northwest. With an emphasis on language and repatriation under NAGPRA.
I've been on two digs, in southern Califorina.

My plan is to move to WA, hopefully in the next three years. Jobs are null and void. I'm willing to work with local tribes or at a museum.

Right now I'm in trade school, to put myself through college. With a job related to the trade school, I'll be able to move north. Can't wait.

My other area of intrest was the south west. Due to health issues and a preference for cloudy,rainy and wet climate. That won by a land slide.

[Lightning Twirl]

I study paleontology as a hobby if that counts! ancient animals and their ecosystems  fascinate me!! Especially ancient marine life

[GothMummy]

I would love to hear about the digs in California, Sammie - what type of sites were you excavating?

[Beldarna]

Beldarna - Time Team makes all of us cry seriously! I hate the show.  Your speciality is interesting - I am very interested in Goddesses too.

It was really interesting to see the same goddess in several different incarnations and kinds of worshippers across Europe and middle east. I focused on "Celtic"/Brittish, Greek and Assyria/Babylon.

I just don't understand how they're allowed to do that for a TV-show? I had thought at least the English Heritage had a strong say in anything historic, archaological and how to handle such sites? Or are the show staying away from England and focus on the rest of UK? I thought Scotland also had very strong rules for handling excavations and historical places.. or are that just for buildings? My memory on this is a bit foggy tho..

I have a degree in biological anthropology.  Not exactly the same, but in the archaeology family. I did take a few archaeology classes as part of my degree.  In one we watched movies featuring archaeology or archaeologists.  We watches indiana jones, Doctor Who, Evil Dead.  It was a weird class.

Speaking of.. On my very first day in class our teacher told us that "this is not like a Indiana Jones movie". The next day the class had downsized a lot, lol. My most Indy like experience was when we were looking at rockart in a river at a powerstation and suddenly the alarm went of, warning us that they were releasing some water.. We knew we had four minutes before they were letting on the water so we ran head over heals over the rocks to get to safety. They opened the bars.. and hardly anything came out. A few drizzles.