Archaeology where to work
Some are
employed by historic sites, museums, or archaeological parks. Archaeologists
might oversee artifact collections, engage in public programming, or work in
education. They might go on to become administrators overseeing research,
collections, teaching, and exhibition programs.
Where
Archaeologists Work
The
majority of archaeologists today work in cultural resource management, or CRM.
CRM companies are responsible for the archaeological research done to
follow federal historic preservation laws.
Archaeologists employed in CRM firms may work as temporary field or laboratory
assistants. Or they may be project managers or administrators. CRM
archaeologists direct field and lab work and manage staff. After collecting
data, they are responsible for writing reports and other publications to share
the results of their research. CRM archaeologists may also engage in public
education and outreach efforts. They could share their discoveries with the
public through site tours, brochures, and exhibits.
There is much more that archaeologists do than just
"dig." On public land, archaeologists working for federal, tribal,
and state governments are in charge of overseeing, safeguarding, and
interpreting archaeological sites. Some are employed by historic sites,
museums, or archaeological parks. Archaeologists might oversee artifact
collections, engage in public programming, or work in education. They might go
on to become administrators overseeing research, collections, teaching, and
exhibition programs. Archaeologists are employed by colleges and universities
as faculty members to instruct graduate and undergraduate students. Academic
archaeologists are active researchers in their field in addition to being
teachers. To assist in funding their research, they write grants. They also
supervise the interpretation and analysis of projects and disseminate the
findings of their labor. Publications such as books and journals have published
their research.
When
Do Archaeologists Go?
That varies. When conducting surveys, excavations, and
laboratory analyses, archaeologists whose research areas are distant from their
residences may have to travel. But few archaeologists actually travel all that
much. This applies to certain positions in state and federal government, as
well as in parks, museums, and historic sites. Those positions entail
overseeing public programs, collections, and educational initiatives. While traveling,
other archaeologists stay in a limited geographic area. For
instance, when required by the business, an archaeologist overseeing projects
for a major engineering firm might travel within a few hundred miles. The
projects that are underway at the time may have an impact on their route. They
might work mostly in the office and lab, conducting analyses and producing
publications or reports. Expert archaeologists devote more time to these
assignments than they do to fieldwork.
Archaeological
Education
Secondary
Education
It's critical to strengthen your foundational knowledge
in math, science, English, and history throughout high school. Since
archaeologists write more than they dig, they require strong research and
writing abilities. They also use statistical and mathematical ideas in data
analysis and the field. Learning foreign languages and developing programming,
chemistry, or physics skills can also be beneficial. Additionally,
archaeologists must be proficient communicators with a variety of audiences.
They disseminate their findings to the public and other archaeologists.
Post
Secondary Education
A four-year college degree is the minimal requirement for
employment in the field of archaeology (BA or BS). Archaeologists typically
major in either archaeology or anthropology. They are also trained in
laboratory and field methods related to archaeology. Only field or lab
assistants are eligible for positions requiring this level of education and
training. The Register of Professional Archaeologists defines certain
professional requirements for archaeologists. In addition to work experience
supervising field and lab projects related to archaeology, RPA requires
post-graduate study in anthropology (a Masters or Doctorate).
The four subfields of anthropology—cultural, biological,
linguistic, and archaeology—are typically majored in by students interested in
archaeology in North America. Most anthropology majors take courses in each of
the four subfields. When conducting your research, try to find a university or
college with an anthropology department that employs at least one
archaeologist. To work as an archaeologist, you must also complete a field
school sponsored by a university. Typically, a field school is a credit-bearing
course in which students actively participate in lab and field research related
to archaeology. Examine the available field and lab work opportunities when you
plan your degree. A few schools have a museum or an archaeology
lab where students can work for pay, volunteer, or receive training.
What do Archaeologists do?
Why
Do People Study Archaeology?
The techniques employed by archaeologists to collect
information are applicable to any era, including the recent past. An American
archaeologist gained notoriety for his research on the trash that Tuscon,
Arizona residents threw out in the 1970s! This "garbology" project
demonstrated how much can be learned about the people who used and disposed of
modern artifacts.
Archaeologists have created useful strategies and methods
for researching the past 150 years. Additionally, archaeologists use techniques
from other disciplines, including history, botany, geology, and soil science.
Methods
of Historical Research
Historical
investigation
In archaeology, archival research is frequently the first
step. The written records related to the study area are found through this
research. If people were residing in the region at the time of written records,
the archaeologist will search for relevant original historical records. The archaeologist
may visit public or university libraries, the local historical society, the
courthouse, or even people's homes as a result of this archival research!
Newspapers, diaries, letters, land and tax records, maps, and/or photos of the
area are examples of primary documents. Archaeologists will search
for site reports that other archaeologists have written about this region in
addition to original historical documents. What the archaeologist discovered in
this area during any earlier investigations will be detailed in these reports.
The more recent research can be guided by these earlier site reports. All
state-recorded archaeological sites have documentation files kept up to date by
the State Historic Preservation Office. This will cover earlier reports on
archaeological research conducted on state-owned sites.
History
by Oral
Historians and archaeologists can also use oral history
as a research method to collect data. It contains oral tradition-based
information. Oral history consists of tales that have been passed down about
your family's history and customs.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural
traditions of their ancestors, archaeologists today work in collaboration with
descendants. For example, at the 19th-century Levi Jordan Plantation in Texas,
archaeologists conducted interviews with descendants, including descendants of
the plantation owners and of the enslaved plantation workers, in order to
incorporate the voices and perspectives of all the past peoples who lived and
worked there. Similarly, at Castle Rock Pueblo in southwestern Colorado,
archaeologists used oral history to learn about the ancient Puebloan people's
oral traditions.
Getting
Ready for the Field
Although written records are used by both historians and
archaeologists to learn about the past, only archaeologists interpret
archaeological sites. That calls for specialized fieldwork.
Instruments
of the Trade
When digging, shovels may come to mind, but the trowel is
the most crucial piece of equipment in an archaeologist's toolbox. Trowels are
used by archaeologists to remove thin soil layers from test units, or holes in
the ground. Archaeologists use a lot of other tools in the lab and in the
field, of course. To excavate, sort, measure, and examine artifacts, they require
equipment. Certain tools are highly specialized, such as scanning electron
microscopes (SEM). Others are commonplace items like dustpans, toothbrushes,
and tape measures!
How
Are Sites Found?
To locate sites, archaeologists employ a variety of
techniques, such as satellite imaging, ground surveys, and occasionally pure
chance! The prehistoric burials at Low Hauxley on the English coast were found
by an alert beachgoer. After a storm, a stone box had been protruding from a
sand dune. During construction in New York City, workers came upon a burial
ground containing the remains of over 400 Africans who lived in the 17th and
18th centuries. The African Burial Ground's importance to American history has
led to its designation as a National Monument.
A tool that shows the likelihood that an archaeological
site exists in a specific location is called an archaeological predictive
model. Based on elements that affect where people settle or carry out specific
tasks, such as soil type, ground steepness, and distance from water, it helps
archaeologists locate sites. The types of research questions that
archaeologists are attempting to answer will determine the strategies employed
in their search for sites. Archaeologists might need to be aware of any
archaeological sites on the property if plans call for building a highway or
homes. Initially,
they will ascertain whether any prior surveys have been conducted in the region
and, if so, what the findings were. The archaeologist will carry out an
archaeological survey if there are no previously known sites.
If there are any sites, the archaeologist will be
interested in learning about their numbers, locations, and connections to one
another. Typically, the archaeologists only test a small portion of the region
in order to save time and money.
Surface
survey
A surface survey is an organized analysis of the terrain.
A group of archaeologists will traverse the study area in straight lines, back
and forth. They search for signs of previous human habitation as they stroll,
such as walls or foundations, artifacts, or variations in soil color that might
be indicators of features. To ensure they move in a straight line and to note
the precise location of every piece of evidence they come across, they will be
carrying a long tape measure and compass. Any artifacts they find are gathered
and placed in bags labeled with their precise location. They take pictures and
draw the features on the surface that they are unable to erase.
Test
Pits for Shovels
Shovel test pits, also known as STPs, are a group of
small holes excavated in what archaeologists think could be a possible site in
order to uncover artifacts or features. In test pits with a lot of surface
vegetation and no farming or plow work, archaeologists typically dig. They
frequently create profiles of the test pits to document the appearance of the
soil in each hole, and they may screen (sift) the soil to recover tiny
artifacts.
Surveys
Geophysical
Archaeologists can locate sites without digging by using
non-invasive methods. Examples of non-soil-disturbing geophysical surveys are
resistivity, magnetometry, and ground-penetrating radar.
Assessing
Significance of the Site
Archaeologists will possess sufficient data to ascertain
whether any noteworthy archaeological sites exist within the study region
following the completion of a survey. They could come across a site or not.
Alternatively, the sites might or might not meet the National Historic
Preservation Act's definition of "significant". In any case, the
archaeologist will compile their findings into a site report that they will
submit to the State Historic Preservation Office. Should they discover
noteworthy locations, they may organize additional excavations.
Data
Recuperated
It's true that archaeologists don't always dig up entire
sites! Since archaeology is a destructive science, a site is lost forever after
it is excavated. The site itself can never be rebuilt, but the artifacts and
data collected do remain. Additionally expensive and time-consuming is site
excavation. Following the excavation, archaeologists have a professional duty
to evaluate all the artifacts and data gathered, to publish research findings,
and to curate the collections. Because of these factors, archaeologists
typically only excavate when there is a risk of destruction or when doing so
could provide important new insights into the past. Moreover, they typically
only excavate a tiny portion of each site. Despite working in diverse
environments across the globe, archaeologists adhere to a standard procedure
when organizing an excavation.
Design
of Research
Archaeologists draft a research design prior to starting
an excavation. The "who, what, where, when, how, and why" of the
fieldwork are described in this. This is a crucial document that archaeologists
have to submit for approval before being allowed to begin excavation at a site.
This plan is reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office in the United
States. The appropriate agency within that government must give permission for
an American archaeologist to work abroad. In the United States, tribal
(American Indian) lands are subject to separate review procedures, and certain
tribes manage site access through their own archaeology initiatives. A team
gathers the required personnel and equipment after a research design is
approved and granted permits.
Gridding
site
The precise locations of all objects and features on a
site must be noted by archaeologists. They make a site grid before excavating
any dirt or artifacts. For every measurement, they create a datum point, or
fixed reference point. They then cover the entire website with a rectangular
grid. Every square in the grid is measured and given a number. Units are a
common term used to describe these squares. With the aid of this technology,
the archaeologist is able to precisely map the site and note the locations of
all the features and artifacts.
Excavating
a Unit
To choose which squares or units to excavate,
archaeologists employ a statistical sampling technique. They will remove any
ground vegetation after gathering surface artifacts. To find tiny artifacts and
ecofacts, archaeologists screen all soil removed from a unit. All recovered
materials are precisely located, both vertically and horizontally, and
recorded. The site, excavation unit numbers, and level are marked on the secure
bags in which they keep the artifacts from each unit. Digging can be done in
the unit at random intervals (every 10 cm, for example) or by following the
soil's natural stratigraphy, or layers.
Stratigraphy
The study of soil or geological layers is known as
stratigraphy. Soil layers are created over time by both cultural (human-caused)
and natural processes, such as the decomposition of organic matter. These soil
layers have a cross section that looks like a layer cake. The most recent
layers are at the top and the oldest layers are at the bottom. This is one of
the most significant ideas in archaeology and is known as the Law of
Superposition. Stratigraphy is a useful tool for archaeologists to ascertain
the relative age of individual layers and their contents.
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