Archaeology. Everyone makes different assumptions about what an archaeologists does and they’re rarely correct. An archaeologist does not dig up dinosaur bones; dinosaur bones are left to the paleontologists. Speaking of paleontologists, Ross Geller wasn’t an archaeologist either. But what about Indiana Jones? Wikipedia calls the classic character an archaeologist, but most people in the profession can’t say they’ve had to run from a rolling boulder. An archaeologist, put simply, studies cultures through their material remains. Sometimes that means studying human skeletons, but often the work entails sorting through what most people would consider trash.
Pictured is an example of my typical workspace during a day in the lab. Even the lab itself is simple, made up of tables and stacks of boxes scattered about. Our best tools? A pan of water, a toothbrush, some paper towel, a Sharpie, acid free bags and paper, patience, and not being afraid to ask questions take us a long way in the lab. Collections almost always need to be washed first. The goal is to make the artifact identifiable, not spotless. Artifacts are rarely going to be in mint condition in the way antique collectors seek out. Broken glass, lithic material, rusted nails, and ceramic sherds regularly cycle through the office. We begin by brushing off the excess soil with a dirt-stained toothbrush, dipping into the pan of water as necessary. We lay out each artifact onto sheets of paper towel to absorb the excess water, which we reuse to minimize waste. Then we place the artifact in a dry pan and use a complex drying system that involves placing the pan in the sunlight. In other words, the process doesn’t need to be high-tech or complicated to be effective. Once dry, the artifacts are sorted into bags, labeled on the outside of the bag and on a piece of paper inside designed not to disintegrate with time. Tom, our supervisor, writes up a report of the contents and the bags are placed into an acid free box to be sent off to Richmond for storage. And, yes, there’s always plenty of dirt to clean off the tables at the end of the day.
The work is time-consuming and relatively straightforward, but the simplicity of the process means ample opportunity to learn new things. Tom has been a brilliant supervisor, taking the time to show us different methods even if the artifacts don’t require it. A hot day spent working wasn’t so bad, for example, when he let us take out the float tank to learn how to separate charcoal from excess soil and organic material. I manage to leave the internship covered in dirt and sometimes water almost every time, whether we were in the field or not, because Tom encourages us to be hands-on. He takes the time to teach us about the history of the region and discuss what we want to do after we graduate. I don’t know if I’ll pursue archaeology career-wise, but the processes and people skills I have obtained will be advantageous regardless.