I was browsing through a Men’s Health-type magazine a couple of weeks back that had an article on “the 50 best Jobs”. One of the jobs listed was working on archaeological field excavations, which sounds right up my alley. The magazine listed a web address, mnh.si.edu, which no longer seems to be working. My Google searches have been frustratingly sparse.
All I want is to find more information about going on an archaeological dig, and what sort of opportunities are available. Can any Dopers help me out?
However, the Smithsonian is hardly the place to start. Far better would be getting in touch with local museums, history groups, or whatever is going on in your area. Few such organisations will turn down the opportunity to have another pair of hands to do the tedious stuff like sifting through piles of earth, or cleaning crap off what’s probably crap anyway (hey, in some ways, it’s like any other field of work ).
How about the Archaeological Institute of America? I got their catalog years ago. I never went anywhere, but it was great fantasy fodder. Thanks for reminding me.
If you like working long hard day for low pay and crappy per diem, then yes it is could be one of the 50 best jobs. When I did it I was working long hard days for low pay but great per diem. Couldn’t drink it all in a week. Of course that was contract archaeology.
OTOH it was pretty cool finding neat stuff AND getting paid for it. Some of the finds were better than what was on display in the museums.
One day we were doing survey on an access road - digging small test pits every fifty feet. At one pit a we found a lot of flakes and some FCR -(fire cracked rock). The crew chief came over and found two hammerstones lying right next to our little pit.
“This is so neat,” she said. “There were two cool indian dudes, like you guys hanging out by a little campfire banging on rocks.” That really hit home because the site was undisturbed for centuries until we showed up - and disturbed it. But that connection to the past was intense.
Of course my last reply didn’t really answer your question. Its been about twelve years since I did archaeology work and it was as a geologist ( and I knew the section leader and they were looking for able bodies).
The only real opportunities required at least a master’s degree. All the crew chiefs had advanced degrees or had been doing it for so many years they were high up on the pecking order.
When the job was winding down the networks went up, and many people on the job left for other opportunities. So once you get in and prove your worth you may be able to follow the work around for awhile. This is in reference to contract archaeology - where companies and government require cultural resource survey to be completed before construction activities proceed. Typical projects include pipelines, roads, federal buildings (more or less), etc.
Sleep on the ground? Been there, done that.
Work in the freezing cold, blistering heat? Been there, done that.
Eat the same crappy food for weeks on end? Been there, done that.
Get paid squat to do all the physically exhausting grunt work? You guessed it. Been there, done that.
I’m used to traveling every few weeks, carrying all my personal belongings in one backpack, surviving on $30 grocery money for a week, wearing the same clothes for days on end, and living with strangers in cramped quarters. At least in archaeology I can conceivably choose what locations and assignments I apply for. One of my friends did a dig in the Mojave desert and we were talking about doing something like that together.
I found a nifty website called www.archaeologyfieldwork.com that I’m definitely going to check out. Will also see what museums and local historic orgs have available in order to gain experience.
As long as you know what you are getting into. Many people think that it is glamorous in an Indiana Jones kind of way. Don’t get me wrong - I loved the work and the people - it was one of the better jobs I have had, but there was alot of drudgery involved (and I didn’t have to write any of the reports).
).