Dig two!
I just returned from my second dig. This one was a lot closer to home, about 2 hours from Auckland. We camped for two weeks in a sheep paddock, and were rained on for several days (though thankfully we did not have to dig in the rain!). Good news: the tent is waterproof. Bad news: I have no interest in camping for months to come. The landscape was incredibly beautiful, and it was sad to think that the area is being turned into a landfill next year.
This dig was with a local CRM firm (associates that dig archaeological sites as a business, as opposed to those that dig for academic research). I have been toying with the idea of working for one of these firms when I graduate.
This learning experience was brought to you by the Business of Archaeology. Not all it is cracked up to be, there are no neat squares and fussing over stratigraphy. A backhoe comes in, scrapes off the turf, and then someone with a probe (big metal stake) runs around as he continues to scrape, trying to identify features and decide whether we know enough to change to manual excavation (ie, get out the spade & trowel and move more dirt). It's a big, noisy, massive dirt moving operation. There are also time and budgetary concerns - not that academic archy doesn't have to deal with that, but in general I feel those excavations are a bit more thoughtful. I'm still pondering whether I really want to be involved in this type of archaeology...
Jen and Matt's photo album
The firm trucked in hot showers, which totally saved the day. The sun was hot (as it always is in New Zealand!), and I turned a new shade of brown I've never experienced before. By the way, I found out that it is not the fault of the hole in the ozone that causes all this hoo-haa about sun exposure down here. It's the massive reflection of the water surrounding this narrow country. So says Dr. Rod Wallace, and he's pretty much an expert on everything.
Tomorrow, school starts again. Gosh, it was a long summer break!
This dig was with a local CRM firm (associates that dig archaeological sites as a business, as opposed to those that dig for academic research). I have been toying with the idea of working for one of these firms when I graduate.
This learning experience was brought to you by the Business of Archaeology. Not all it is cracked up to be, there are no neat squares and fussing over stratigraphy. A backhoe comes in, scrapes off the turf, and then someone with a probe (big metal stake) runs around as he continues to scrape, trying to identify features and decide whether we know enough to change to manual excavation (ie, get out the spade & trowel and move more dirt). It's a big, noisy, massive dirt moving operation. There are also time and budgetary concerns - not that academic archy doesn't have to deal with that, but in general I feel those excavations are a bit more thoughtful. I'm still pondering whether I really want to be involved in this type of archaeology...
Jen and Matt's photo album
The firm trucked in hot showers, which totally saved the day. The sun was hot (as it always is in New Zealand!), and I turned a new shade of brown I've never experienced before. By the way, I found out that it is not the fault of the hole in the ozone that causes all this hoo-haa about sun exposure down here. It's the massive reflection of the water surrounding this narrow country. So says Dr. Rod Wallace, and he's pretty much an expert on everything.
Tomorrow, school starts again. Gosh, it was a long summer break!
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9:30 AM
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