Mahasthangarh (Physical setup) so far the oldest archaeological site of Bangladesh, lies on the western bank of river karatoya, about 12 km north of Bogra town, and is connected by a good metalled road. The site includes partly shibganj and partly bogra sadar upazilas of bogra district and lies between latitudes 24°50´N and 25°0´N and longitudes 89°15´E and 89°30´E. The spectacular site is an imposing landmark in the area, having a fortified, oblong enclosure measuring 1524m by 1370m with an average height of 5m from the surrounding paddyfields.

Climate characterised by tropical monsoon climate, with the bulk of rainfall occurring between May and October. Considering the variations in temperature, pressure and precipitation, the site can be included within the climatic sub-zone of hot summer and moderate rainfall. The annual precipitation in the area decreases from east to west. The maximum temperature ranges from 37°C to 39°C whereas the minimum temperature varies from 7°C to 10°C.

Soil about 60% of the soil is composed of semi-consolidated older Madhupur Clay, which forms the Barind and Lalmai terraces. The remainder of the soil is developed in unconsolidated recent and subrecent alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers bangali and Karatoya.

Agriculture most of the area is under cultivation, but natural vegetation remains in several small areas. Mixed forest, scrub and replanted Gajari and Shal (Shorea robusta) occupy patchy areas of the higher ridges of Barind and Lalmai terraces. Floodplain soils were probably covered with grassland. crops are grown almost everywhere and farming practices have strongly influenced the present vegetation. Approximately 10% of the area are triple cropped, 38% double cropped and 40% single cropped. Grassland and barren lands together occupy about 2 percent whereas settlements, water bodies and rivers constitute about 10%. The present landuse is mainly determined by elevation of the land in relation to the duration and depth of seasonal flooding and by the availability of soil moisture in the dry season. rice, mainly aus [aush] and transplanted aman [aman], is by far the most extensive crop. In the floodplains, where the land is only shallowly flooded or water can be kept on the land by artificial field bunds, farmers grow aus followed by transplanted aman. Man-made platforms and homestead areas are used for vegetables, bananas, fruit trees, Pan (Betel leaf) and seedbed for aman rice.

Topography and relief it stands on the red bed barind tract that comprises slightly elevated landform terraces within the alluvium. These areas are higher in elevation than the surrounding flat plains and form a distinct, relatively flood free physiographic unit. The elevation of the Mahasthangarh ranges from 15m to 25m. The ridge tops in between the valleys are almost level and the valley sides and floors have been closely terraced for cultivation.

Drainage the Pleistocene (2 to 0.1 million years ago) the archaeological sites of Mahasthangarh and paharpur stand on Barind Tract, is well drained by numerous small, entrenched, meandering streams and rivers. The western Barind is drained by mahananda and punarbhaba rivers and their numerous tributaries that discharge into the padma towards the south. The middle and eastern Barind is drained by two major rivers, atrai and Karatoya discharging into the mighty jamuna river to the southeast. The Punarbhaba, Atrai and Old Jamuna rivers have cut across the Pleistocene Barind Terrace. Most of the small streams of the Barind areas are seasonal and are fed by monsoon season. The major rivers are perennial, shallow and narrow during the dry season and overflooded with water during the monsoon season.

In the Mahasthangarh, Karatoya is the major river that passes near the eastern margin and flows towards the south. Three small rivers (ichamati, bangali and nagar) are around the Mahasthangarh. East of the Mahasthangarh, the Bangali and Ichamati rivers flow southeast. The Nagar located in the west flows southwest. Many swampy areas, locally known as beels, are also found around the area.

Landform units broadly speaking, the Mahasthangarh of Bogra district can be conveniently subdivided into two landform units: (1) Barind terrace and (2) Karatoya-Bangali meander floodplain.

Barind terrace situated west of the Karatoya river. This unit represents a series of uplifted blocks of Madhupur Clay, believed to be equivalent in age to the Pleistocene. The greater part of the Barind Tract is undissected and has poorly drained grey soils overlying clay at a shallow depth. Only a few minor rivers cross this almost level area. Two sub-units of the Barind Tracts are: (i) Nearly level Barind Tract, and (ii) Broad dissected Barind Tract.

The nearly level Barind Tract occupies the western part of Bogra district and comprises a low, nearly level, uplifted terrace. Fault scarps mark the edges of the outcrop. The Karatoya and the little jamuna channels run at the foot of these scarps. The level Barind tract includes grey, variably mottled, less permeable soils overlying the little weathered Madhupur Clay at a shallow depth.

The broad dissected Barind Tract is relatively higher than the remainder of the tract and occurs mostly in the eastern and northeastern part of the Barind Tract. The area has been uplifted, tilted and broadly dissected by valleys, most of which are streamless. It is relatively deeply weathered, and has well to moderately well drained red or brown soils.

Karatoya-Bangali meander floodplain a complex landscape containing sediments of diverse ages and origins. Sediments from both the rivers appear to have partially buried an older landscape, which extended up to the lower Tista floodplain. The greater part of this floodplain comprises broad ridges and basins. Silts predominate on the ridges and clays in the basins. Sands occur only patchily on ridges and along river channels.

Geology The archaeological site of Mahasthangarh is situated on the shelf area of Bangladesh. Tectonically, it includes the active Bogra Slope nearest to the hinge zone. Aeromagnetic survey has revealed that the basement is criss-crossed by numerous fault traces. Faults have vertical displacement trending N-S, E-W and NNE-SSW. Only a few of the faults form outcrops, such as Karatoya river fault.

The seismic zoning adopted by the committee of experts on earthquake hazard subdivides the country into three zones. Mahasthangarh lies within zone II where shocks of maximum intensity of VIII and basic seismic coefficient (the number part in front of an algebraic term, signifying multiplication) of 0.05 are suggested. The structural activity of this region is mainly differential vertical movement. The relative displacements along the basement faults have resulted in horst and graben features and the inducement of contrasted relief.

No sediments older than the Pleistocene Madhupur Clay Formation are exposed in Mahasthangarh. However, in the subsurface of the Stable Shelf region including the Bogra slope sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Permian (286 million years to 245 million years ago) to Recent (0.1 million years ago till today) are laid down on the Precambrian basement. [Sifatul Quader Chowdhury]

Gobustan occupies the south-eastern spur of the Great Caucasian Range and situated 60 km south of Baku. It is a monticulate semi-desert area dissected by numerous gullies and ravines and Gobustan, in translation, means “ravine land”. Caves and rock outcroppings surround the region. Settled since the Stone Age the area is one of the major and most ancient museums of rock engravings (petrogliphs) in the world.

It was here in Gobustan, in the area of this fantastic destruction of mountains Beyukdash, Kichikdadh, Jingirdag, Shongardag and Shikhgaya, in the ‘sea of rocks’, the witnesses to the past of Azerbaijan people of the Stone Age and subsequent periods are concentrated: these are rock carvings, settlements, tombstones etc. Among them ancient rock carvings are of a particular prominence. Ancient people used to cover the stone blocks near the caves and the walls of the caves with images of human beings and animals and various signs which had been carved with stone implements and, sometimes, with metal tools. These prehistoric art monuments reflect culture, economy, world outlook, customs and traditions of ancient Azerbaijan people.

The petroglyphs of Gobustan were not discovered by an archeological expedition. In fact, their revelation came about quite by accident. In the 1930s, work was going on there in a stone quarry. The area is full of huge boulders and rock formations. One of the quarry workers noticed some unusual carvings on the rocks. The more the rocks were cut out, the more the paintings could be seen. Before they had been hidden from view inside a huge pile of boulders.) Even more paintings were found inside what appeared to be man-made caves. Work at the quarry soon stopped so that the paintings could be examined more carefully. In 1939, archeologist Isaak Jafarzade began the first archeological investigation of the petroglyphs at Gobustan. Due to assiduity of the archeologists such as I.M. Jafarzade, D.Rustamova, F.M. Muradova and so on, from that time to nowadays about 6000 rock pictures have been discovered and recorded in Gobustan. As a result of archeological excavations 40 barrows and scientifically attributed 105 thousand subjects of material culture were found. The most ancient petroglyphs have been identified as belonging to the 10-8th century BC. However, it is assumed that life existed here even earlier and that Gobustan was one of the cradles of civilization.

Gobustan may be seen as a unique source of knowledge on the period from the 10,000 B.C. to the Middle Ages covering the fields of history, culture, art and archaeology. A thorough and detailed study of Gobustan’s rock drawings, particularly their overlapping and also their style, themes, way of composition, and technique of performance as well as comparison with similar dated rock drawings in this and other countries allow some suggestions about their dating. The rock drawings of Gobustan are very diverse as to their themes and content. Among them one can find pictures of human beings, wild bulls, deer, bezoar goats, lions, gazelles, horses, wild asses, some of them being nearly life-size. There are also drawings on some rocks, representing collective labour processes, reaping, sacrifice, hunting scenes, battle scenes. There is a picture of a group dance for instance, which is done in a circle with arms on each other’s shoulders – forerunner of the yalla danced in Azerbaijan to this day. Linguistically “yalla” is cognate to “yal” which means “food”. The “food dance” was presumably a magic rite done before hunting. It might also have served as good training for huntsmen-nimble synchronous movements are essential in collective chase. A very attractive relic of the past is so called “gaval dash” (tambourine stone),  which emits a booming sound when it is struck, was probably used for accompaniment to the yalla dance.

The rock drawings dating back to remote centuries suggest that the climate of Gobustan in the distant past was damp and close to subtropical. This is evidenced by the pictures of people wearing loin-cloths as being typical of the inhabitants of tropical countries, and also by the representations of bulls, deer, and pigs whose existence is impossible without perennial water reservoirs and rich pastures. Rainfall was heavy enough in those ancient times, rivers and springs abounded in water, the herbage of the area was rich and diverse. An abundance of food made it possible for countless herds of herbivorous animals to graze in the pastures of Gobustan.

]]> http://www.shovelbum.com/archaeological-sites/gobustan-rock-paintings/feed/ 0 http://www.shovelbum.com/archaeological-sites/the-zvartnots-cathedral-archaelogical-site-in-armenia/ http://www.shovelbum.com/archaeological-sites/the-zvartnots-cathedral-archaelogical-site-in-armenia/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:45:37 +0000 http://www.shovelbum.com/?p=105 In the first half of the VIIth century, a number of renovations and constructions took place throughout Echmiadzin. The Mother Church of the Holy See of Echmiadzin — Seat of The Catholicos, was rebuilt and remodeled by Catholicos Komitas of A?ts . In the year 618, the Monastery of St. Hripsim? was built. The church to this day is a remarkable and spectacular in its geometric order and aesthetic simplicity. The church is complete in terms of its formal and as well as functional design. The monastery of St. Gayan?, was completed in the year 630. One of the most superb and outstanding churches to be built during this period was undoubtedly  the triple-decker [symbolic of the Trinity and the Triple decker Universe] Cathedral of Zvartnots or the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

 The construction of the Cathedral began in 643 by the orders of Catholicos Nerses III Išxan?i and was completed in the year 652. It was extraordinarily enormous in its size and towering in its height – three layers, one on top of another. The Cathedral was massive in size and was completed with a traditional Armenian conned dome. The whole of the structure was covered by frescos of saints as well as Armenian geometric ornaments of fine craftsmanship. Inside, the Cathedral housed the Catholicosal quarters, monks quarters as well as the main chapel. The Grand Hall served everyday mass as well as similar rituals. The Cathedral also housed a library. There were also a number of adjoining structures, including baths and shops.

 The frescos of the Cathedral of Zvartnots were also found in the decorations of the Church of Ste.-Chapelle of Paris, Roman Catholic pilgrims must have seen the Cathedral of Zvartnots and were amazed by its superb architecture. The Ste.-Chapelle fresco depicts Zvartnots on top of Noah’s Ark, most probably, the Cathedral of Zvartnots at that time along with Holy Mt. Ararat, must have stood as symbols of Armenia. The Cathedral was destroyed in the Xth century most probably as a result of a devastating earthquake. As time went on, the Cathedral was covered in deep layers of dirt and the debris. Even the place, were Zvartnots once stood were forgotten. Not until the archaeological excavations in the first half of the XXth century, when the remnants of the beautiful frescos and obelisks from the columns of interior and exterior frescos were uncovered, did we discovered the lost grandeur that was once Zvartnots.

Cuddie Springs is an important archaeological and paleontological site, located near Brewarrina in central north New South Wales. About 40 km south of the Barwon River and 15 km west of the Macquarie River it forms a shallow enclosed basin (3 km diameter), away from the natural drainage. The site is in the middle of an ancient lake that irregularly contained water. After heavy rains, the only source of water, the lake may take months to dry again. During arid glacial periods this water attracted animals and also helped in preserving bones that accumulated there. In contrast to the red-soil plains surrounding the lake, its deposit consists of gray soil developed in stagnant water. In an area of about 200 metres diameter, at the lowest centre of the lake, animal bones and stone artefacts have accumulated.

In 1876 the Yeomans family, who owned the property, constructed an 8 metre deep well. During the digging of the well they recovered the bones of some large prehistoric animals. William B Clarke, the father of Australian geology, examined these bones and sent some to Sir Richard Owen, a distinguished geologist at the British Museum in London. Subsequently Dr Charles Anderson from the Australian Museum, with his assistants, conducted scientific excavation at Cuddie Springs in 1933. Between 1991 and 2009 Dr Judith Field from the University of Sydney, with her team and some support of the Australian Museum, excavated the site during several field seasons. She applied the most up to date archaeological and analytical methods that allowed her to understand how the site was formed and the nature of the coexistence of humans with large, now extinct, prehistoric animals.

Research suggests that in arid periods, animals were attracted to the shrinking pool of water in the lake’s centre, where they died by drowning or other causes and their bodies were soon embedded in sediments. The excavation of over 3 metres deep, cut through sediments, reaching to the period before humans appeared in Australia about 50,000 – 60,000 years ago. Layers in the middle, dated to 30,000 – 36,000 years ago, include the bones of large, now extinct animals, other animals that are still alive, as well as stone artefacts. The site is the only one in Australia that contains such clear and complex evidence of the coexistence of mega fauna with humans.

Patagonia being a rather large area, I was unable to visit all the spots that interested me. One that, unfortunately, I didn’t have time for was La Cueva de las Manos, or “the cave of hands,” in south-central Patagonia. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s one of the world’s oldest outdoor art museums; its most striking characteristic is hundreds of stenciled paintings of human hands. And the paintings were made using a primitive but highly effective form of spray paint.

Handing It to Them

Like so many things in Patagonia, the name “Cueva” is a bit of a misnomer; the so-called cave is more of a shallow indentation in a cliff face with overhanging rock. At first glance, the walls appear to be covered with hand prints. On closer inspection, it’s clear that the hand shapes themselves were not painted or imprinted on the walls; instead, you see empty spots in the shape of hands with halos of paint around them. The borders are too diffuse to have been painted with brushes; it looks like someone pressed a hand on the wall and then spray-painted around it to form the image—a process known as negative stenciling. And in fact, this is exactly what happened. The artists apparently blew liquid pigments through small tubes—perhaps the hollow bones of birds—to create the images.

Because most of us consider spray-painting a relatively recent invention, these paintings give the impression of being modern art; the impression is heightened by the deep, vibrant colors. In fact, the oldest of these paintings dates from at least 7,300 B.C., and perhaps earlier. The earliest contributors to the cave were known as Toldense; millennia later, Tehuelche artists were still adding new figures—the most recent paintings were made around 1,000 B.C. Hands are not the only subject, by the way—also pictured are human figures and local animals such as guanacos (relatives of the llama) and rheas (flightless birds that look like miniature ostriches). The paints, of which there are many distinct colors, were made from a variety of substances, including the Calafate berry and mineral pigments. A layer of sealant made from guanaco fat and urine helped to protect the paintings from the elements for all these years.

The Haji Piyada Mosque was built in the second half of the 9th century, only two centuries after the establishment of Islam and immediately following its arrival in Central Asia. Located in northern Afghanistan, the mosque measures 65 by 65 feet (20 by 20 meters), a modest but architecturally rich religious structure. The mosque derives its alternate name, Noh Gumbad, from the nine cupolas that once covered it. These brick domes collapsed due to aging materials. Only one of the arches that held them still stands. The stucco ornamentation that remains etched into the arch and piers is a union of motifs of the Samanid and Abbasid styles. Haji Piyada was rediscovered in the 1960s and though cursory research was conducted in the early 1970s, very little has been done in the past few decades because of civil unrest in Afghanistan. The site holds extraordinary potential for archaeological and architectural investigation but has been made vulnerable by looting, erosion, and lack of proper maintenance.

HOW WE HELPED

Haji Piyada Mosque was included in the 2006 Watch List and represents WMF’s first conservation field project in Afghanistan, although Afghan sites had previously appeared on the Watch and WMF had conducted a mission to Herat earlier. WMF worked with UNESCO and other international preservation agencies as well as Afghan officials to conceive a long-term conservation plan. A roof shelter had already been placed over the building to protect it from harsh weather but a fence was still needed to prevent illegal excavation and looting. A structural assessment was conducted and a project for emergency stabilization of the only arch still standing was prepared. The project, conducted with Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, will include the conservation of the plaster decorations and the stabilization of the arch. The project will be completed in spring 2010.

WHY IT MATTERS

Haji Piyada Mosque is the oldest known Islamic building in Afghanistan and one of the earliest structures in the entire eastern Islamic world. There seem to be no similar surviving structures from that time period, endowing the mosque with unparalleled cultural and architectural significance. Preserving Afghan heritage has been made all the more important by the recent sociopolitical challenges in the country. In the last 40 years, Afghanistan has endured invasion by the Soviet Union, the rise of the Taliban, military occupation, and internal regional and tribal conflict. With this project, WMF hopes to raise awareness of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan and encourage a new generation of conservators in the region.

The giant Buddhas, carved into a mountainside at Bamiyan in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountains, were among Asia’s great archaeological treasures. In antiquity, central Afghanistan was strategically placed to thrive from the Silk Road caravans which criss-crossed the region trading between the Roman Empire, China and India. One of the stopping-off points was the old kingdom of Kushan, whose people were responsible for carving these wonders of the ancient world.

The larger statue stood at 53 metres (125 feet) above the town of Bamiyan – as high as a 10-storey building – and was considered to be the most remarkable representation of the Buddha anywhere in the world. Once, it and its 38-metre-high companion were painted in gold and other colours, and they were decked in dazzling ornaments. All around there was a synthesis of Greek, Persian and Central and South Asian art. There were countless rich frescoes. On one cave wall, there remain traces of a painting of Buddhas in maroon robes strolling in fields of flowers. In another painting, milk-white horses draw the Sun God’s golden chariot through a dark blue sky. It was a place of pilgrimage, and there were 10 monasteries built into the cliff – the home of yellow-robed Buddhist monks, who presided over festivals.

Muslim Afghanistan

The monks and the pilgrims left 14 centuries ago when Islam came to the Hindu Kush and Bamiyan fell into neglect. For a time, the 1960s hippy trail passed through Bamiyan and it became a hub for a new kind of traveller. But Afghanistan’s 20 years of civil war put a stop to that, with the area playing an important strategic role. For many years it was the stronghold of the Hezb-i-Whadat party, the main faction of the Shi’a Muslims of the centre of the country.

Hezb-i-Whadat is one of the members of the Northern Alliance which opposes the purist Taleban movement. They apparently approached the site with a mixture of suspicion and disinterested neglect. It became variously an ammunition dump and a home to dozens of families displaced by the war. Those who visited Bamiyan said this treatment was threatening the integrity of the monuments. The Hezb were driven out by the Taleban in the campaigns of 1997 and 1998. Despite their abhorrence of idols and un-Islamic images – the Taleban initially assured the international community that the site would come to no harm. But that restraint has now been dropped, apparently in the belief that there is little to be gained from bowing to the sensibilities of the outside world.

Age 15 – Am I too young to start?

It is never too young to start, but it is not always easy. You can try joining the Young Archaeologists Club: there are clubs scattered round the country, but they depend on volunteers, and they tend to vary depending on who is running them. They are not to everyone’s taste, but you may be lucky!

Or you could try joining your local archaeological society. This is a little tricky, as most of the people will be old enough to be your grandparents, if not your parents. Not to worry, most of them are desperate to welcome young people, and if you are keen, this is often a good opportunity to go on small scale digs and to start handling small finds – ask if you can help with the ‘post-ex’, that is post-excavation work, writing up the excavation reports.

Try and start visiting some archaeological sites. Try and persuade your parents to spend a long weekend walking Hadrian’s Wall with you, or at least the middle sector from Chesters to Birdoswald; visit some of the sites in your area, and write up an account of them for your school magazine.

What should you study at school? It really does not matter: remember that much archaeology is now scientific, so science A levels are welcomed. My personal choice would be to suggest Latin or medieval history – but this probably shows I’m old fashioned!

Age 18 – should I go to university?

This section is mainly for parents. Should you encourage your offspring a) to read archaeology at university and b) to become an archaeologist; to which the answers are a) yes; b) no.

Perhaps surprisingly, archaeology is turning out to be a very good general subject. It combines both the arts and science – it demands both that you learn to handle conflicting sources of evidence and to assess scientific results, even if you do not actually achieve those scientific results yourself. It does not keep you sitting in a library or a laboratory – it takes you out into the field; and almost certainly you will have to compile a database and learn to mine it for results. How many other subjects can offer you a similarly wide range of education? How many other subjects will give you such an excellent preparation for a career in business?

So having decided that you want to study at a university, the next question is: which university? The answer is that it probably does not matter. You should probably start by looking at the Research Assessment Exercise, which is carried out every three years; and the new assessment of teaching quality exercise from the Quality Assurance Agency, both of which are due to be updated at the end of 2001. Both should be taken with a strong pinch of salt but you should nevertheless take some notice of them because the government appears to believe in them.

You can then look at our background introduction to universities which may be of some help: in it we try to give something of the background to the various departments, but as these change so rapidly, this is not always as useful as it might be. Please email us with your own experiences!

The main questions are probably those to be asked of any university for any subject. Do you want to be in a big department in a big city like, say, London (which is expensive)? or do you want to be in a smaller department in a very small town (like Lampeter)? Do you want to be at university in a town centre or one where the campus is outside the town? Check on the number of staff in the department. Do you want to be in a big department with a wide range of choice but possibly more impersonal, or in a small department, less choice but hopefully more friendly.

Finally, look at the universities’ web sites: There are several questions you should ask: do they give a list of the staff, and their interests? Do they describe the courses adequately and simply – or do they just give the syllabus? In particular, check to see if they conduct any excavations or similar projects, and if so, where. Sometimes it may be possible to apply to go on the excavation before going up to university, which would provide an excellent insight into the department.

Age 21 – a career in archaeology.

There are many careers in archaeology – academic, professional, government, museums, and public archaeology.

Academic. If you are very bright and look like getting a first, then an academic career is in many ways the most conventional and can be very rewarding – though academia is becoming increasingly bureaucratic and frustrating – see the American experiences. You will no doubt do a doctoral thesis and then climb the ladder.

Note, however, that

a) the generation gap is currently favourable. The big expansion time for universities was in the 1960s and 70, so many of the staff are elderly and coming up for retirement. There will be some good opportunities in the coming decade.

b) Note too that archaeology is becoming very ‘theoretical’ in universities, which tends to mean ‘politically correct’. You should attend an early meeting of TAG, the Theoretical Archaeology Group, to see if you really like theory.

The profession.

This has been the biggest growth in archaeology in the last twenty years – rescue archaeologists digging sites in advance of development. Read our section on PPG16 to find out all about it.

What it means is effectively you will be employed by developers to do the archaeology necessary for them to get planning permission. Your career will be in two halves. The first ten years you will probably be actually in the field doing the actual digging and then supervising the digging. Then there are two choices ahead of you.

On the one hand you may become a researcher writing up excavation reports, or you may become a finds specialists, producing reports say on Roman pottery.

The other side is to become a project manager. This means essentially that you will become a go-between, between the developer who is your employer, and the planning officer and the digging team. This can be a very stimulating aspect of archaeology but you must be a realist. If you believe that development is all wrong anyway, then a career as a professional archaeologist is probably not for you.

3 Government

There is a substantial government side in archaeology, either working for English Heritage or in County Planning Offices looking after monuments. Do you fancy yourself as a civil servant?

4. Museums are mostly part of the local government system – we will discuss this later.

5. Public Archaeology

This is a side of archaeology that is often ignored, that is presenting monuments to the public, often for bodies like the National Trust. This is something that is often ignored, but if you are interested, you might consider taking a diploma in tourism or hotel management – or acting or media studies – or even take a teaching diploma.

6. None of these – is this the time to leave archaeology and get some boring (but lucrative) qualification? This is what I did myself – I became a Chartered Accountant. I then managed to get back into archaeology – but it has been wonderful to have the best insurance policy in the world behind me!

Age 22 – the circuit

OK, you are 22. You have your degree, but you don’t know what to do. You can always go on ‘the circuit’, that is going round from site to site, digging, and camping or staying in digs. It is great fun for a couple of years, but do not stay in it for too long.

If say by the age of 25 you have not made it – you are not yet a site supervisor and almost ready to become a project manager – you should consider getting out, getting a qualification, become a lawyer or an accountant or a computer expert. The job may be boring but the pay will be good – and that is a not unimportant consideration in life.

And the experience you have gained will mean that you will be very welcome as a weekend digger with your local society. Is it not perhaps better to be do a boring by well-paid job five days a week – and enjoy your archaeology at the weekends?

Age 28: am I too late?

You are not an archaeologist. You are stuck in a dull, boring job. You dream of getting out to enjoy yourself and become an archaeologist. Please, think twice!

Archaeology is very competitive, and by now you will need a lot of luck to make a decent living in archaeology.

Still, if you are really determined, you could look up the CHuNTO website and see if you can get a diploma in cultural heritage studies. Many archaeologists are suspicious of such diplomas, but the government has high hopes of them.

Better, perhaps, to build on your existing skills. A carpenter who was one of our subscribers went to work in a museum – as a carpenter. Computer experts are always welcome. A subscriber recently rang up to change his address to what sounded like a very posh address indeed. He explained that he and his wife had been schoolteachers and had got jobs as chief guide and warden in a National Trust property where they were living in the butler’s quarters – with a view of some of the finest gardens in England! Perhaps the best chance you have of taking up archaeology in mid-life is if you are a teacher, or a salesman – or at least an extrovert, when you may be able to find may be able to put your enthusiasms to use in the public archaeology sector.

Age 50 – Can I still be of use?

Yes, of course you can, especially if you don’t need to earn any money.

The problem – and the danger here – is whether you need to get any further qualifications. This is fraught with dangers – the dangers essentially of becoming a perpetual student. Universities these days love adult students because they are profitable – they pay their own fees. And they want to keep them being profitable so they want to keep them being students – BA, then a Masters – then wouldn’t you like to do a doctorate? And I must admit I am slightly saddened that so few of those who become mature students ever seem to escape, get out, join local societies, and try to do some original work of their own. Perhaps I am flying my own kite here, but I do feel that universities tend to exist in a theoretical world of their own, (note their contortions to to avoid the use of the word ‘invasion) and that mature adults should not be afraid of sometimes striking out on their own. . A lot of archaeology is simply common sense, and there are a lot of opportunities to be found by using the skills you have already acquired.

So if you decide you need more qualifications – fine. But be aware that universities are some of the smartest salesmen around, and that some of their patter is – well let us just say a little exaggerated.

As well as investigating universities, you should also investigate you local societies, your local units, your local museums, and see if you cannot carve out your own niche by using the help and advice that you will probably find is so readily available.

In conclusion

Archaeology has traditionally always been a career open to the talents; in recent years it has become more formalised, but there are still archaeologists rising to the top from the most surprising backgrounds: Martin Carver, the Professor of Archaeology at York spent the first 12 years of his career as a soldier: but when he came to archaeology, he shot to the top.

Archaeology is still I hope ‘open’; we still need and welcome people with ideas and enthusiasm – people who are in love with the venture of discovering the past, and who wish to share and communicate their enthusiasm. If you are one of these – I wish you the very best of luck!

1. When you started going to school did you always intend on becoming an archaeologist?  What made you choose this career?

I did not intend to become an archaeologist.  I was an art student, then became interested in anthropology.  I went on my first excavation in 2002 and decided to become an archaeologist because I enjoyed excavating and wanted to learn more about people in the past.

2. What kind of different research or volunteering did you do with this career before you decided that this was your chosen career?

I worked on the Thomas and Nora Cole project in Dallas, Texas.  We excavated the house, gathered oral histories about the neighborhood, and made a digital archive of the historical materials that we gathered for the project.

3. Do you feel that the field you work in is very rewarding?  How so?

I find the work to be incredibly rewarding because I have been able to work with interesting, intelligent people.  I also enjoy solving puzzles and thinking about the past in new ways.  In archaeology we are able to work with our hands and our minds at the same time, and that can be rare in a profession.

4. Have you traveled to different sites for your job and if so, where and why?  If you have not, do you hope to?

I have traveled to many states in the U.S. and I have worked in Turkey and will work in Jordan this summer.  I hope to gain a broad knowledge of excavation methodology and experience in a variety of time periods and geographic areas.

5. Have you ever had to work in a lab analyzing artifacts?  If not, do you hope to?

Yes, I have worked in a lab analyzing artifacts, and while I do not find it as gratifying as some other aspects of our research, it is the inevitable outcome of excavation.  I worked in the Texas Archaeological Lab working with prehistoric and historic materials which included shell, nails, glass, ceramics, and lithics.  I worked in a lab professionally and cleaned, sorted, and analyzed a variety of lithics.  Right now I primarily work with digital artifacts such as photographs and video of excavation, but I sometimes go to the museum on campus to look at various collections. Right now I am working with an assemblage from Bahrain that includes ceramics, skeletal materials, copper, glass, and some animal bone.

6. What effect do you think archaeology has on the future?

I think that archaeology provides a way for people to understand the enormous variety of ways that humans have lived and gives us hope that we will be able to find ways to creatively deal with even the most extreme situations.

7. What training do you think would be useful to prepare someone for a career in the archaeology field?

A good archaeologist should be trained in the scientific method, but should also have an appreciation for the humanities and the social sciences.  Classes in geology and biology are very important, as well as an ability to draw and measure accurately.  A good understanding of geometry is essential.  If the archaeologist plans on working outside of the United States, they should pursue language training in at least two other languages.  The archaeologist should be able to easily work in groups, explain complicated concepts in ways that everybody can understand, and appreciate the different ways that people interact socially.

8. What fields of science do you believe are related to archaeology?

Geology, Biology, Anthropology, Geography, Sociology, Architecture.

9. What tasks do you need to perform on a daily basis in your career?

It depends on if I am in the field, the lab, or writing.  Right now I am writing, and so I need to read every day, correspond with my fellow archaeologists, and write about my research.

10. How many people do you estimate are interested in a career in your field?  What are your thoughts on this?

It is hard to estimate how many people are interested in a career in archaeology, but there are many more than who actually get a job working as an archaeologist. While many people hope to become a professor who does research and teaches archaeology, in reality most people work in the private sector, excavating sites in anticipation of road or building construction.

* Somewhere in there I probably should have mentioned that I make less per year now than I did as a part-time grocery store clerk in high school.  True story.

Archaeologist Educational Requirements

The archaeology field offers employment opportunities for archaeologists at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree levels. The Society for American Archaeology recommends that students seek degree programs with an archaeology laboratory, at least one staff archaeologist and fieldwork opportunities (www.saa.org).

Bachelor’s Degrees

Bachelor’s degrees are generally required for entry-level archaeology positions, such as field assistant, surveyor or museum technician positions. Aspiring archaeologists typically pursue degrees in anthropology, which consist of studies in archaeology, cultural anthropology, biological anthropology and linguistics. These programs combine classroom and laboratory instruction, and they may offer practical experience through fieldwork programs. Courses may include archaeology methods and theory, analytical techniques, prehistory, North American archaeology, evolution and sociolinguistics.

Graduate Degrees

Master’s or doctoral degrees typically qualify students for upper-level positions in museums, archaeology firms and government sectors; Ph.D. degrees are also usually required for teaching positions in universities and curator positions in museums. Master’s degree programs typically take 1-2 years of post-baccalaureate coursework to complete, and doctoral degree programs may last an additional 2-3 years. To graduate, students are typically required to submit thesis or dissertation projects based on original research in a specific topic.

Internships

Archaeologists may gain the fieldwork experience necessary for many positions in the occupation by completing internship programs. Internships and similar training programs may be available through field schools, museums, government agencies and archaeological associations. These programs promote professional development and allow students to sharpen their archaeological research and excavation skills under the supervision of experienced archaeologists.

Employment Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, archaeologists and anthropologists are expected to experience a 28% growth in employment from 2008-2018 (www.bls.gov). This growth will be spurred by increases in construction; archaeologists will be needed to confirm that historical locations and structures are not affected by construction projects. Archaeologists qualified for supervisory, scientific and technical positions may see the greatest employment opportunities.