I'm a archaeologist AMA

[lizzybennet1926]

As it says really as I often get asked questions irl

What kind of archaeologist are you?
How many digs have you been on?
Is there a particularly famous dig that you wish you could have been at?

What is the most interesting item you have unearthed?

Usually if you find treasure in your garden you must report it to the local coroner who will assign a local finds officer. You would usually also report it to the portable antiquities scheme. Someone will then come out and assess the find. In cases of gold coin hoards or other major finds an inquest will be held to determine who owns what etc.

My MA is in the archaeology of the ancient near east but since working in the uk I have mostly worked with human remains.

I've worked on over 50 different digs now, some small and short others huge of international importance.
Good question but if I had to pick one excavation I would have loved to have been part of it would have been Leonard Woolleys excavations at Ur.

You have my dream job! Where did you study? How long have you been doing it for?

W

Did you study archaeology and anthropology? I wish I had, it looked fun.

How did you end up being an archaeologist, and did you need any specific qualifications or specialisms to get there?

Also rude, but is it well paid, and is there a marked difference between men and women's salaries?

My niece would love to be one, thank you for answering!

How are you employed? Also wanted to know what type of digs you work on.

I work in museums so interesting to know about things before they get to us!

Love the username too!

The find I always remember the most is my first ever Roman coin, it bore the head of Faustina, she was just lying there staring up at me. It was an amazing moment.
Since then I've found pottery, jewellery, tiles, bones, tomb entrances, leather shoes.......

Missed your earlier post but I’m working on a Ur redisplay next year. Fascinating stuff and a new topic for me.

You're not in Bristol, are you?

I've been doing it for nearly 20 years, I studied at Cambridge and have a BA in Archaeology and MAs in archaeology of the ancient near east and classical archaeology.
I needed good grades at A level but mostly they were concerned with my history marks. I know a lot of archaeologist friends who had no A levels and trained on the job but these days most companies require a BA in Archaeology. Once you have that companies such as Wessex Archaeology offer trainee positions for a year to build up a skills portfolio. Enthusiasm and passion is much more important than grades really as it can be long hours for little pay in very muddy conditions. You really have to love it.
Once you have started work most people go onto specialise. My area is human remains and osteology, others are experts in Roman pottery or 13th century metalwork etc. Each dig is pretty much a team effort and then extra specialists are called in/staff moved about depending on who's qualified for what and what we uncover.

I've always wondered - say for example someone found something of huge significance and/or financial value in their property, like the Sutton Hoo treasures, can that person refuse to allow a huge dig to descend on their home to excavate it? What are their rights? Not necessarily to ownership, but thinking about how their day to day lives would be disrupted and encroached upon.

Would you recommend it as a career to a secondary school pupil? If so what educational path should they follow?

so do you work with the police if you work with human remains? whats been your most significant find, in terms of human remains?

OMG this is my dream job too!!
I honestly would feel like every dig was like Christmas in anticipation of finding something that has not been seen for years but has been touched by a person who lived in the past.
I get butterflies of excitement when I visit museums with utter utter fascination.
You are so so lucky!
Have you ever found anything that has taken your breath away?

It is not well paid but it is getting better and more companies are offering permanent contracts now. There's no distinction between male and female salaries. In fact its once of the most equal professions out there I think. It's very much a best person for the job environment.
Im employed on a permanent full time contract now, I haven't always been I used to work freelance which enabled me to travel and move around a lot but this offers more stability.

No I'm not in Bristol

I would recommend it to anyone passionate about history but with the caveat that you have to love it. If you're not passionate about it you'll be miserable. And the pay isn't and will never be great for a archaeologist on the ground, the only large salaries are in management or teaching positions.
I'd say focus on history, maths and English at GCSE then take A levels in history and possibly classics. Latin is always useful to have as well. I would then advise applying to do a BA in Archaeology. As mentioned above this is generally required now and it gives a great overall grounding in the subject.
But if a student wasn't academically minded I'd still say the same about GCSEs but then maybe look to approach a big player like MOLAS or Wessex who often open up trainee/apprentice spots, prepare to work hard but it's worth it

I have worked with the police on occasion. Most significant find in human terms would have to be bodies we excavated out in ancient Ugarit, they dated to a particular ancient invasion and proved essentially something that was related textually in the Amarna letters.

Dd1 wants to know if you worked on Time Team.

She also would like to know about what you do with the human remains. She is 14 and just starting her GCSE's and is interested in becoming a Forensic anthropology.

That sounds amazing Lizzy! I'm a former life I did ancient history at UcL but got distracted by language rather than archaeology!

Pretty much every find makes me gasp, I never get blasé about it because you never know What you'll find or what the story maybe behind it. In terms of amazement Roman coins are always incredible, for me personally finding a smashed jar of make up on the Damascus road was just incredible, so personal. Someone had dropped that, and either not noticed or been unable or unwilling to stop, did she miss it, did she replaces it, was she annoyed.......possibilities are endless and I spend a lot of time dreaming up stories in my head
In terms of horror bones from a british battlefield, probably my most memorably awful find. I see a lot of traumatic injuries and deaths but this was just off the scale awful.

You are giving me butterflies in my tummy talking about coins and makeup kit!!! Wonderful just wonderful!
I realise that bones can yield much information about elements of the causes of death but what about the items with the remains? Clothing, footwear, personal items, have they deteriorated too much or have you found intact items?
How can you tell bone injuries that have occurred contributing to the death and those that have occurred to the bones due to the post death environment?