Field work is not the only aspect of an archaeologist’s job, however. Indeed, you won’t just be digging holes, waving a trowel around and unearthing skeletons using a little brush.
Archaeologists spend a large part of their time conducting research, planning excavation projects and analysing artefacts from the comfort of a laboratory.
Many archaeologists also take responsibility for the conservation and restoration of the artefacts they discover, as well as dabbling in a bit of radiocarbon dating.
The planning part of an excavation project is incredibly important. During this process an archaeologist will be responsible for conducting geophysical surveys, taking aerial photographs of excavation sites, and using state-of-the art equipment, such as geographical information systems (GIS).
All archaeological work needs to be recorded. Consequently, as part of this responsibility, archaeologists are required to take photos, produce detailed drawings, take notes and use computer-aided design (CAD) techniques.
Once all the artefacts and data have been collected, archaeologists are usually required to write and publish detailed project reports.
