Q & A with Tony Wilmott

Which archaeological achievement are you proudest of? 
Without doubt, the discovery at Birdoswald fort of the timber buildings of the immediate post-Roman period, which allowed the period to be examined in a more informed light. Standing on top of the farmhouse tower, looking down and recognising the rectangle of a huge timber building was a great feeling.

What was your archaeological moment of the year?
Finding that the Maryport Roman altars had been reused as packing in the post-pits of a huge late-Roman timber building (CA 259). This blew received ideas about reverent ritual burial out of the water. Overturning established ideas by further excavation is a real highlight in any archaeological life.

How do you view the future of archaeology?
Now is a time when the various branches of archaeology – academic, public,  commercial, and amateur – need to take a long hard look at how they can co-operate. There are encouraging signs of this and some good models to follow.

Archaeologist of the year

Tony Wilmott won the Archaeologist of the Year 2012 award at the prestigious Current Archaeology awards, announced earlier this year during an evening reception at the Current Archaeology Live! 2012 conference at Senate House, London.

Tony made the following comments on receiving the award:

“Thank you, Current Archaeology, for nominating me for this award – it was a bright spot at the end pf a very difficult year. I’m accepting this award on behalf of all people working in public service archaeology – and I’m also delighted to be the second Sheffield Wednesday supporter (along with Clive Waddington) to be collecting an award tonight.

“I have been in this game for a long time – it has been over 40 years since I first lifted a trowel. My school history teacher first introduced me to Current Archaeology magazine and it was them that got me into archaeology in the first place.

“But how do you define ‘Archaeologist of the year’? There are so many more people who are equally or more deserving of this award than me. I have known Martin Carver for years – in fact, he was my mentor during my Birmingham University days. And Mike Heyworth’s radio interview with Councillor Melton was one of the highlights of my archaeological year. After being in fieldwork for over 4 decades I realise the importance of getting information out there – such as Martin Carver with Antiquity or the work of CBA. The difference is that excavation is particularly visible.”

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, added: “One of our best – well done Tony.”

We recently interviewed Simon Thurley on challenges facing the heritage sector, and the draft National Planning Framework.  To read the full interview, click here.

Archaeology is a fascinating and diverse subject that is hugely enjoyable to study, and can lead on to a multitude of employment opportunities both within the discipline and beyond. There is an increasing pressure on students to choose a course at university that will lead directly into work, yet there is so much more to university life and education than simply establishing a foothold in the job market.  Study should be creative and stimulating; so, choose a subject you find absorbing and fulfilling, not merely a means to a pay-packet.
Obviously, with the financial commitment required to spend three years studying, no-one is underestimating the importance of finding paid employment at the end of it. For graduates in the current economic climate, there are no guarantees in any field of study, and an archaeology degree does not limit a graduate to a career in archaeology. On the contrary, it demonstrates to future employers a multitude of valuable attributes above and beyond the ability to attain a degree level of education, such as transferable skills in data analysis, computer proficiency, technical expertise, research and presentation.
Of course, there are some students who are certain that a career in archaeology is what they want. Thinking laterally and approaching your education with imagination and flexibility is the key.

Careers related to archaeology are varied and far-reaching. For example, forensic archaeology (see p.44) can lead to a career in modern criminal investigations; conservators can work for commercial units, in museums or as consultants; archaeobotany and environmental archaeology can be applied to research into climate change in both the public and private sectors. Our own Editor in Chief trained as an accountant before pursuing a career in archaeology by writing about it, and encourages others to consider their options in a similar fashion.

 
A full-time job outside archaeology does not preclude enthusiastic amateur involvement. Many major excavations survive because of the dedicated volunteers who return year after year, and work every bit a hard as their professional peers. See our digs section for excavations in Britain and abroad.  Participating on a dig as a volunteer is also a great way to discover what aspects of archaeology you find most interesting, and even whether or not it’s really for you.
Finally, finances allowing, if archaeology is your passion, why not consider sitting out the current recession and study for a Masters, even a PhD? The job market will surely be better in  the future.  According to Professor Graeme Barker, Chair of the Archaeology panel for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, the quality of archaeological research as a whole across UK universities is outstanding: ‘During the review period, archaeology has enhanced its position as a core field of research that is indispensable for the study of the human past … the panel came away from its deliberations confident both in the creativity of the archaeological profession in the UK and in its high international standing.’

Archaeology has long been a popular subject for television and radio. Although the relationship has been controversial at times, archaeology has definitely benefited from the widespread public exposure of programmes such as Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and Time Team. Now, as new technology evolves, we are being forced to rethink how we tell the world about the work that we do.

Launched in 2010, the Centre for Audio-Visual Study and Practice in Archaeology will study the association between archaeology and the audio-visual media: radio, television, film, the Internet, hand-held digital communications and static interpretation media. Mercifully known by the acronym at CASPAR, the main aims of the Centre are primarily to promote a greater use of audio-visual media within archaeology and to research and better understand the relationship the two. This relationship goes both ways: we want to enable inventive and creative use of audio-visual media by archaeologists but also to be an active voice for greater use and understanding of archaeological practises and themes within broadcasting and ICT.

To achieve these goals, the Centre employs a range of strategies from organising conferences, workshops and film festivals, to publishing books and articles. It is compiling and maintaining a database of archaeology films, TV and radio programmes and websites and intends to help provide input into relevant university courses and research seminars at the Institute of Archaeology as well as carrying out research into its area of study.

As a means of communicating to a wider audience, the audio-visual media is key to engaging and involving people in public archaeology. CASPAR builds on the work of the former Committee for Audio-Visual Education (CAVE) set up by the CBA and the British Universities Film and Video Council in 1977. Keen to build links across universities, and even across continents, members of CASPAR’s Advisory Committee come not only from the Institute of Archaeology, but also Bristol University and University of Berkeley in the United States.

As well as promoting academic research, the Centre will be an advocate for the greater use of audio-visual media within archaeology, and for the creative use of archaeology within broadcasting, and information and communication technologies (ICT) as a whole.

Interested in learning more?

In the future, we plan to set up workshops, publish books and articles, organise film festivals, and maintain a database of archaeology films, TV and radio programmes, websites and games. The inclusion of games might surprise some readers, but the world of gaming is no longer the preserve of teenage boys: it is one of the UK’s major industrial successes in recent years, a multi-million pound industry with users spanning all age ranges and both genders – and let us not forget that well-known British ‘archaeologist’ Lara Croft!

New technology offers more direct interaction between the user and the content, even allowing people the opportunity to create their own content, wresting control away from archaeological professionals. This represents a form of democratisation of archaeology that can either disturb or delight, depending on your point of view. Archaeologists must engage creatively with the challenges presented by this new world – an opportunity which the Centre hopes to facilitate – without losing the advantages and success of traditional TV and radio. To this end, CASPAR aims to help archaeologists make better links with TV and radio producers. But, above all, CASPAR will seek to be an influential voice in the future of archaeology.

For further information email  Don Henson

Here we list all the major University departments that specialise in archaeology, together with descriptions of them taken from their websites and our thoughts along with a list of undergraduate and post graduate courses offered. Some universities listed do not offer straight archaeology but offer archaeology modules related courses such as Anthropology, Egyptology and Ancient History; additionally they may offer courses such as Classics, which we have not listed here as we feel they do not fall under the remit of ‘archaeology’ . All entries link to the univerisities website and provide the relevant contact details. Current and former students are welcome to add their comments and experiences!

The ratings on each of the Universities are taken from the last two Research Assessment Excercises, in 2001 and 2008. The markings are completely different, so don’t compare them! The 2001 Excercise (RAE01) is marked from 1 to 5 (and then 5*); whereas the 2008 marks are an average figure, where the lowest score was 1.85, and the highest was 3.05. There is also a Teaching Quality Assessment score which measures the Teaching as opposed to the Research, and is a score out of 24. Not all ratings are available for all universitites, particulalrly newer departments.

CA University Guide

Universities are ‘tagged’ to allow you to filter them by RAE 08 ratings, TQA ratings and courses they offer. Click on a tag to view all entries tagged with the subject.

Roger White:

For many, the words ‘distance learning’ automatically conjure up a world of geeks staring fixedly at computer screens all day. However, for those of us delivering teaching in this way, it is a much broader church than just computers, software and the internet. More and more of us have complex lives that do not allow us to miss work to go to lectures, or find the time and opportunity to physically attend courses. Distance Learning offers an alternative, since it is a way of delivering teaching, at many levels, to those who cannot attend to study during the normal teaching period.

At Ironbridge Institute, the long-established postgraduate centre operated jointly by the University of Birmingham and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, we run two successful versions of Distance Learning programmes. The earliest of these conforms to the conventional model in being Web-delivered. Students who register retrieve their learning materials from a ‘Virtual Learning Environment’ and participate in on-line discussions. The content of the course derives from the original Heritage Management degree that is still taught in conventional format at Ironbridge Institute.

The other course, Historic Environment Conservation, has adopted a completely different model. Here, the teaching is aimed at professionals in post, who need to upgrade their skills or earn a qualification relevant to their profession. However, as a course delivering practical skills, a full on-line approach could not work. Accordingly, teaching is done in weekend modules, one a month, on a Friday and Saturday. These workshops are intensive, but allow students to explore the conservation theory and practice of, say, stone masonry or timber-framing – as well as allowing them the opportunity to ‘have a go’ at it themselves. Of course, we cannot pretend that we are turning out professional stone masons or timber framers overnight, but we are allowing our students, who are often employed in the sector, an opportunity to understand why traditional approaches need to be specified and what that actually means in practice.

Why choose Distance Learning? What does it offer that a conventional course doesn’t? Basically what DL offers is the opportunity to learn without risk. If you wanted to take a conventional degree, you need to take into account both the cost of the course and of living and loss of wages, since you can’t easily earn while you learn. This might mean giving up your job or other sacrifices to take on a career move, or develop a skill without losing the security that you might already have in a post. Alternatively, if your job is raising a family or caring for someone at home, Distance Learning could be a real life-saver in keeping you mentally active and engaged in the outside world. For those already working in the sector, Distance Learning can also be a boon, fulfilling the requirements of Professional Career training (CPD) without having to leave employment.

It will never be to everyone’s taste, since some will always choose to benefit from conventional study, as opposed to the inevitably less structured approach offered by Distance Learning. Equally, others will always benefit from the fact that Distance Learning can be undertaken at ones own pace, allowing those who need it more time. Personally, my belief is that Distance Learning will continue to offer an ideal medium to learn, for many whom would not otherwise have the opportunity.

Caroline Wickham-Jones:

I am a lecturer in a standard Department of Archaeology, at the University of Aberdeen. My students are mostly a bit older than the standard age for University undergraduates.  They do not all live within commuting distance of the University; many live in remote parts of Highland Scotland and some on distant islands.  We gather by video-conference.  Most are accumulating credits towards a qualification, though some study archaeology just for fun.  They have access to ‘conventional’ student courses, just as the younger students have access to my courses, and of course those courses taught by my colleagues. My students come from all works of life, and keep me on my toes regarding issues like Health and Safety on site (my builder student), Access (the lawyer) and Interpretation (everyone).  Classes are lively.  A few of the students access the sessions just from the web; for example, at the moment there is one in Stavanger and one in Paris.

I know I am not alone.  We may be a dying breed (and I do not wish to negate the important role of the independent sector), but I do want to point out that some universities do still cater for the older student and for those who cannot take time off to attend conventional classes.  Of course, this is all facilitated by modern communication.

Wherever you live, if you want to study archaeology, there is no excuse for not trying!

If you want to be an archaeologist, what do you need to do to get that first job?

Most entry-level jobs are in professional practice, usually as fixed-term contracts doing fieldwork, so you need to be aware of the changes you will encounter as you move away from full-time education. The good news is that by following a few tips while you are a student, you can build up the skills and experience that will help you on the way to getting a job.

Overall the two most important things you can do are to:

• understand what goes on across archaeology as a whole
• use some of your time at university training to become an archaeologist

At university, the archaeology curriculum will be focussed on delivering knowledge about the past, how it is interpreted, methods and theory. Although practical experience is recognised to be important, universities only have limited time and resources to devote to this.  If you are certain you want to be a field archaeologist, consider choosing a university that has a good field school, which will provide digging experience to put on your CV.

Employers are keen on practical experience because it means new graduates are better equipped to work for them. This old debate about education versus training is familiar to most disciplines, but the last 20 years have seen dramatic changes in the volume of archaeological work and the ways in which it is done.

How can you be more prepared?

You can bridge this gap while you are still at university by keeping up to date on the profession, and new discoveries, in publications like Current Archaeology, British Archaeology and the Institute for Archaeologists magazine The Archaeologist. All feature new discoveries and short pieces on what is going on across archaeology as a whole, from issues facing museums to government policies on how archaeology is dealt with in planning applications. If you are in touch with how archaeology is organised and the current issues facing employers, you will be better prepared for getting your first job.

A graduate job in archaeology is likely to be a fixed-term contract doing archaeological fieldwork. These get you into archaeological employment; from there, it is much easier to get a permanent job. The number of these jobs is directly related to how well the economy is doing. As most archaeological work is done in relation to building developments, employment dropped off sharply early on in the current recession, but the profession will be amongst the first to benefit when the economy improves.

Although your first job may well be doing fieldwork, it is important to recognise there are many other types of jobs in commercial archaeology. The larger practices, called ‘Units’, also do historical studies, building recording and have a wide range of experts in finds, environmental archaeology, graphics and computing. There are also specialist companies dealing with geophysical surveys, marine archaeology and consultancy. Some of the largest units also provide these services, which means that it is now easier to work in a specialist area or move into management. Having all-round skills is a good starting point.

Essentially, universities and commercial units use the same techniques and produce similar fieldwork reports. However, the aims of the projects are different and so is the way they are done. Universities will balance fieldwork that relates to their own research interests, with providing training for students. In professional practice, clients contract the projects and the work is bid for in a tender; therefore, conditions are stricter.
Pull quote (if needed) Fieldwork should be sociable and enjoyable, but you must also think of it as a stepping stone to build up the skills and experience that will help you stand out and get that first job.

Unlike a university project, where time is already paid for (staff have a salary and the students have a debt!) professional practice is run as a business, even where the practice is a charity and not-for-profit. Some of the biggest changes new graduates face in practice is the speed at which they will have to work and the pressure that comes with it. These are some of the reasons why employers ask for experience from applicants for fieldwork posts. It shows commitment; and, people with experience should be able to work more quickly and require less supervision from other staff.  Therefore, regard your time at university as training time, particularly when doing fieldwork. Fieldwork should be sociable and enjoyable, but you must also think of it as a stepping stone to build up the skills and experience that will help you stand out and get that first job.

Below there are my five top tips for getting your first job in archaeology. They are particularly aimed at professional practice but will still be useful if you want to go in other areas such museums or academia.

Good luck!

Five Top Tips for getting your first job in archaeology

Don’t wait until after final exams. Follow these simple tips while you are at university and give yourself a head start.

1.  Get archaeological experience

Start with projects run by universities or local societies. There are volunteer opportunities available all over the country during the summer; having experience on a range of digs will help your CV. Working in a museum or record office also provides valuable experience. This work experience is likely to be unpaid, but it helps the organisations and shows employers you are interested and committed.

2.  Get the right range of experience

Try to work on different types of projects and do different things. If you are on a dig, go beyond the trowel and work with the environmental samples and finds processing. Making records, whether it is through planning, filling out record forms or surveying, is particularly important. Understanding why things are recorded and the significance of those observations is vital. Don’t be afraid to ask to do this – supervisors will be pleased you are taking an interest.

3. Get your Driving Licence

Most permanent jobs in fieldwork require you to drive as part of the job. It is hard to fit in lessons if you are away from home digging, so be sure to so plan this into your vacations. Tell your parents or guardian they need to invest a teeny bit more in your future sooner rather than later! If you have a disability that means you cannot drive, you should look at this issue carefully.

6. Make sure your CV is strong

Most projects and jobs will ask you to send in a completed application form or a CV. This CV is about your employability, not just your educational achievements. You need to tell people about your archaeological experience, your transferable skills such as graphics, and your soft skills such as team working, presentation and communication skills. Summarise these skills and experience in a covering letter.

5. Look at joining the IfA

The Institute for Archaeology has student membership which gives you access to information and training about professional practice. Joining the IfA will help show employers that you are serious about the profession.

 

Source:

Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, Head of Communications, Wessex Archaeology

On a typical day, the morning starts with an e-mail session: picking up reminders for work to do, responding to queries, putting my own out, lobbying for financial support for Anglo-Saxon CSI: Sittingbourne project, confirming dates for future work (today it was setting up a week to return to re-packaging the Egyptian Garstang collections at the University of Liverpool; confirming travel dates for the IIC (International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Work) biennial conference in Istanbul; and registering for an Icon seminar on the use of Portable XRF equipment).
Next will be an action plan for things to try to accomplish for the day and rest of the week.

Today I will write-up my report from treating a Chinese bronze with active corrosion yesterday at the Compton Verney collection; examine some Roman coins and provide an estimate to Oxford Archaeology (OA) for their cleaning and stabilisation; work on publication draft and take micro-photographs of interesting technical details for OA publication of Roman bronzes from the A2 project; and answer queries/review work from volunteers working on Anglo-Saxon finds for Canterbury Archaeology Trust (CAT) at CSI.

 
Another thing for my ‘to do’ list is to book an X-radiography session at Oceaneering (a local Non-Destructive Testing Business who let me use their equipment); visit some local silversmiths to get estimates for producing replicas of the A2 Roman bronzes; liaise with the education officer at CAT about our sessions at CSI for school groups and the general public; as well as planning for next year’s Tudor metalworking and archaeology sessions for The Historic Dockyard Trust; and lending support to keep Medway Children’s University alive (recently the council announced the programme would be cut – I have been providing a series of “archaeological detectives” workshops for children aged 8-11 in Medway for the past 11 years).

 
Another thing I must remember to do today is order more gloves and silica gel for CSI: Sittingbourne, and get a couple of invoices out. At the end of the day I’ll check my emails again and answer anything urgent, (sometimes there is an exciting surprise, like an unusual find or project which requires me to visit an archaeological site  -  even as far afield as Abu Dhabi!).

 
Tomorrow I hope to have some time at the microscope doing some investigative cleaning, and chat to the CSI visitors and volunteers – these are things I love best of all, but not what occupies most of my time, due to the pressures of running a business and keeping up with a multifaceted profession.

Source
Dana Goodburn-Brown, ACR
Anglo-Saxon CSI Sittingbourne

Normally, pursuing research will lead to an MA and Ph.D. A likely career path will be to stay in academia, but other opportunities include becoming a museum curator or a consultant in either

the private or public sectors. A Ph.D. is usually a pre-requisite for an academic career as a university researcher or lecturer and it is common to hold a series of short-term post-doctoral positions before securing a permanent tenure.

See also:

Preserving Britain’s Industrial Glories, CA 216

Dark Satanic Mills? CA242

In my first year at secondary school I won an essay competition. The question read: ‘Imagine you are an archaeologist in the year 3000. Describe and interpret your discoveries resulting from the excavation of Anfield Football Ground in Liverpool’.

It is at times like this when you wish your parents had lovingly kept all your schoolwork. I do, however, dimly recall the excavation revealed an enclosure of concrete terraces and some turnstiles. The conclusion reached was that the building was an open-air prison (the turnstiles only permitting entry one way) and to judge from various graffiti the inmates had taken to worshipping a God named Shankly.

Fast forward 40 years to June 2010. I am sitting in 5-star luxury in one of the executive boxes in the Centenary Stand at Anfield, staring incredulously at a wall poster on which some corporate sponsor has contrived to misspell the name Shankly. A quote from another famous manager, Brian Clough, springs to mind: ‘… a lot of people are coming to games who wouldn’t know Stanley Matthews from Bernard Matthews. The stands are full of people who can’t tell you anything about the game unless it happened after 1990.’

This opinion holds true for the majority of clubs. They simply don’t do ‘old’ and rarely do they engage with the past. But Liverpool is different. The club, established in 1892, takes its history and heritage seriously. I am here to explore the implications of the decision to redevelop the site of Anfield, when Liverpool’s new stadium across the road in Stanley Park is completed. The club’s Regeneration Director and Museum Curator talk of the passion and pride of fans; of Anfield as a powerful repository of history; the depth of the club’s involvement with the local community; and the need to recapture the spirit and heritage of the place as part of the relocation project.

But why bring in an archaeologist? Simple. It takes an archaeological mind and an archaeological training to untangle the story of a site; to understand the value and significance of a place – whether sporting, military or ecclesiastic – to see beyond the bricks and mortar, and to see how to preserve its heritage.

‘This is Anfield’ is the working title for the redeveloped site that will form a grand entrance to the new stadium, with hotels, restaurants and shops grouped around an open plaza. The key is to ensure the scheme is of high quality, reflects the club’s history and heritage and allows the spirit of Anfield to live on.

Arsenal, in redeveloping its historic former ground, went for a unique solution when Highbury became ‘the world’s first sports stadium to be transformed into apartments’ – more than 700, in fact. The shells of the Art Deco east and west stands survive and have been sympathetically converted, with the famous marble halls and grand staircase in the listed east stand being retained as the entrance to the most exclusive apartments; and the pitch has become a communal garden. The scheme, in preserving the stadium’s historic fabric, footprint and sense of enclosure, successfully captures the aura and memories of the place, respecting its class and heritage.

As an archaeologist now specialising in the public history and heritage of sport and leisure, and football grounds in particular, it is a pleasure to encounter such reassuring dedication to the commemoration of historic stadiums like Anfield and Highbury. If only other clubs had had the foresight to do the same before their former grounds disappeared below housing estates, retail parks and supermarkets, without a nod of recognition, to await rediscovery by archaeologists in the year 3000.

Source:
Jason Wood
Heritage Consultancy Services

While universities are inevitably feeling the bite of this current recession, for students, graduates, and colleagues in higher education and the heritage sectors, many of the most pressing challenges go back even further.  How is a unit to deliver world class teaching that continually engages with research? How can students be equipped with an education that delivers the best practical training in archaeology while simultaneously delivering the range of graduate skills now expected from all degree programmes?
Neither question allows for complacency.  I refuse to accept the widespread view that at BA level archaeology degrees can only really be expected to deliver generic academic skills.  Having worked for field units, museums and several different universities, both in the UK and abroad, I am often struck by what I had to learn the hard way, but which could have been taught more effectively at university. Working with my Newcastle colleagues and archaeological employers to deliver new skills modules has been intensely satisfying – I feel we are addressing these challenges head on.  Our new placement modules are making a difference too, students and employers alike find them attractive and informative.
No less challenging is the effective development of Masters programmes. This must be understood in an international context: the UK attracts candidates studying for a Masters degree from all over the world.  But how can programmes meet the diverse needs of students who come from many different systems and who will subsequently go on to work in very different institutions?
These points have been very much in our minds at Newcastle as we have reviewed our Masters offerings in Archaeology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Roman and Byzantine Archaeology and the Archaeology of Historical Periods. We have added optional pre-MA training to help students with gaps in their skill-set get up to speed before they start the degree and this year we have added two new specialisations, one in Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe, and another in Roman Frontiers Studies, both of which take advantage of the particular concentration of expertise and resource that we enjoy at Newcastle.
I am particularly involved in the Frontier Studies programme and delight in the fact that so much of it can be taught on our doorstep.  Of course with so many Roman sites in the vicinity and an outstanding collection of material in the museum on campus, there is a danger that the conversation can quickly turn parochial. We avoid this by travelling extensively out of the region, drawing on the University’s extensive history of research in North Africa, Central Europe and Asia Minor and by remembering that our local stretch of frontier, Hadrian’s Wall, is in many respects atypical.  This is an exciting programme and the shared seminars we run with our colleagues in Human Geography, for example, ensure that the ideas and discussions are always fresh and stimulating.  I believe this specialisation option will prove an excellent formation for those wishing to pursue a career in Roman provincial archaeology, whether as field archaeologists, curators or university academics (or of course, a combination of these roles).  For some, it will prove an excellent spring board into doctoral research, but we are also expecting candidates whose primary aim is to spend a year deepening their knowledge of the armies and frontiers of the Roman Empire.

Source:

Professor Ian Haynes,

Professor of Archaeology at Newcastle University

I got into environmental archaeology when, as a geography undergraduate, I was introduced to the world of pollen through the Bronze Age copper mine site of Mount Gabriel, Co. Cork. After graduating, I went on to take a Masters, investigating the presence of early Mesolithic people in the area – and I believe we found them, too! This work sparked my interest in palaeoenvironmental techniques and how they can be applied to archaeological sites. Finding evidence of early Mesolithic people in the environmental record showed how these techniques can provide evidence of humans in the landscape from periods where we have no visible archaeology.

After completing my PhD in the Archaeology Department of the University of Reading (where I investigated submerged forests along the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel) I joined Headland Archaeology Ltd., starting at Project Officer Level. I was responsible for the processing, assessment and analysis of environmental samples from sites in Scotland.  With environmental archaeology becoming ever more important, I soon found this role expanding and my responsibilities broadening.

Today, I head a team of specialists carrying out environmental work, covering a wide range of site types and periods.  I regularly find myself working on pollen from a Neolithic site in Co. Wexford one day, and plant macrofossils from a Medieval midden in the heart of Edinburgh’s old town the next.  The scale can also differ greatly, from whole road schemes with multiple sites that allow a broad overview of the landscape, to the specifics of an individual site.

I am continually developing my own skills and recently have become involved in setting up environmental sampling strategies. But I like to go out into the field as much as I can: it is a great opportunity for lively discussions with the field archaeologists (never mention ‘ritual’ to an environmental archaeologist!), that, in turn, can lead to new theories and new strategies being formed and, best of all, figuring out how to answer these hypotheses.

It is heartening to see more and more people taking an interest environmental archaeology: the discipline has a solid career progression, and with more commercial units having their own post-excavation departments, environmental archaeology is becoming a business in its own right. I certainly see environmental archaeology growing as a profession, becoming ever more important to archaeological investigations.

Source:
Dr Scott Timpany
Head of Environmental Department
Headland Archaeology Ltd

There is no denying archaeology is a topic that continues to grow in popularity; just turn on thetelevision and have a look at an evening’s schedule – there will be at least one programme (probably more!) on archaeology. Certainly, it is an increasingly popular subject to study at university level: new fields of study, and new degree courses, are opening up around the country. Many who already have an active involvement in archaeology, either working in the commercial sector or as volunteers on a community dig, are deciding to make the move to academia. Traditionally, archaeology attracts as many mature students as it does school leavers. Here, in our Educational Guide, we make it easy to find the right university and the right course – and to explore the opportunities that await after graduation. There are many pathways in the archaeological profession.

But how to choose? Where to begin? Archaeology is not just a job: it is a career, a way of life. What form that career takes can vary hugely depending on which aspect of the discipline you pick. Do you have a passion for Roman hillforts? Or are you fascinated by bones? Whether you want to dig sites all over the world, spend time in a laboratory analysing ancient pollen, or interpret the skeletal remains of our long-dead ancestors, archaeology offers a much wider range of options than might be immediately obvious. There is something for everyone. But you don’t have to decide on a specialism before you begin university. The first year is usually an introduction to the many aspects of archaeology, across time and across continents, from the theoretical to the practical and technical. When you begin your second year you will explore specialised topics that may interest you more so that in your third, and final, year you will have the opportunity to develop a greater, in-depth knowledge of your chosen area of expertise. Most archaeology departments have their own research excavations or connections with commercial units offering opportunities for hands-on digging experience. Check what practical experience the various universities offer: for example, some have links with projects abroad where excavation work can be combined with travel; if you dive, you may want to use your skills in underwater archaeology; or you may be interested in becoming a curator, in which case a university with a museum attached may suit you better.

Student life

For many students, these three years are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to submerge themselves in a subject they love, and to enjoy a brief respite from the responsibilities of a working

life and all that goes with it – or of lack of employment, and all that goes with that! So, whether you are leaving school, looking for a career change, or studying post-retirement, look through the list of universities in this special Education Guide, check out their websites, download their brochures or contact their admissions departments, and make your selection. But, above all, enjoy a future uncovering the past!

There is more to archaeology than scraping away with a trowel or brushing dust from ancient hieroglyphs. The word ‘archaeology’ (derived from the Greek archaiologia) means the study of ancient people through their material remains, or, as Paul Bahn succinctly puts it in his book Archaeology, A Very Short Introduction: ‘nosing around in dead people’s leftovers and trying to guess how they lived their lives’. Since its inception as a newly-named discipline in the late 19^thcentury, archaeological methods have developed, evolved and diversified. The increasing sophistication of scientific techniques in the field and in the laboratory means archaeologists are not only discovering more evidence, but are able to interpret it with greater confidence. Yet, it is not all lab coats and flickering computers: archaeologists can still be found up to their knees in mud, or ploughing through ancient texts and excavation data. For the student thinking about studying archaeology, this may all appear daunting: which direction should they take? Indeed, are they even aware of what is available to study, let alone what would most appeal? Universities usually offer a general introduction to archaeology for undergraduates, covering a broad range of topics that includes general theory and practice, and an overview of human history. The second and third years will be the time to investigate areas of interest in more detail, and to consider specialising in a particular discipline. For those wishing to go into field archaeology or pursue a career in commercial archaeology (see p.52) usually no further degree is required; rather, these students should focus on getting as much field experience as possible, through university or volunteer excavations. Graduates who want to concentrate on a chosen speciality can invariably find a suitable post-graduate degree course.

Sugested  Further reading: 

Archaeology;Theories, Methodsand Practice by Colin Renfrew and
Paul Bahn, Thames & Hudson (ISBN: 0500287198) £29.95.

The Oxford Handbook of Archaeology, by Barry Cunliffe, Chris Gosden, and Rosemary Joyce (eds), Oxford University Press, (ISBN: 0199271011) £85.
Practical Archaeology: a step by step guide to uncovering the past by Christopher Catling, Lorenz Books (ISBN: 0754817474 ) £17.99.