Interview with Archaeologist.

I did this interview with an Arcaeologist and It was Very Fun.

But the reason I did it was for Heritage Studies.

It did help me a little on my test. Luckily I made a 85 on my Test.

But I also did it for interest. I am interested in Science.

But Archaeology caught my Attention.

Please Enjoy my Interview.







Hay Ms. Rachel. My name is Savannah Whitman. My mom talked to you about Interviewing you. And I'm excited to interview you. I am very interested in Science. But right now I am studying History. And Archaeology caught my attention.I am glad to interview you. Here are my Questions.


1. What drew you to be an Archaeologist?





Hi Savannah,It’s very nice to hear from you! I’m excited to answer your questions, and I’ll do the best I can. If you need clarification about anything I write, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I was first drawn to archaeology when I was a sophomore in college at LSU, although I think the groundwork was laid much earlier than that. My father has always been very interested in American history and alternative ideas about history and I believe his interest was influential In my choice of archaeology as a major. When I was a young woman, around your age, we would visit historic sites as part of our family vacations, and I grew very interested in the type of history that is not necessarily available in history books, but has to be inferred from the ground, much like a puzzle in a box. When I began attending LSU, I thought I would be a journalist. After beginning a journalism class, I realized I was not so interested in that type of lifestyle. I took an anthropology class and fell in love with it. It was so interesting to me, that it didn’t seem like studying at all.





2. How long did you have to go to collage to become an Archaeologist?





I attended college for about 6 years to become an archaeologist. I received a bachelor’s in Anthropology (specialization in archaeology) and a minor in Spanish. I received a master’s degree in Anthropology with Archaeology as my focus. Many people who want to be professors continue on for a PhD which generally takes another 4 years. Most archaeologists have to know a little bit about a lot of different types of subjects. It’s important to understand geography, geology, chemistry, biology, math, and to be able to write detailed reports.





3. Where all have you been on an Archaeological Dig?





I have been to digs in Nassau, Bahamas; Louisiana; Catamarca, Argentina; South Carolina; Georgia; and North Carolina.





4. How many people were you with on an Dig?





In the Bahamas, I was at a field school, which is a class taken in college to learn how to work at an excavation (another word for dig). There were about 12 college students, 2 graduate students (getting a Master’s degree), and 2 professors. In Louisiana, I helped two of my professors on some weekends and we would have anywhere from 10 to 15 students and 2 professors. In Argentina, the research project was a collaboration with my graduate school professor and an Argentinian professor. On that dig, there were 3 American students, 2 Argentinian students, the 2 professors I mentioned, 1 paleobotanist (someone who studies ancient plant remains), and 4 local Argentinians who helped us. On the digs in the Carolinas and Georgia, I was the lead archaeologist for a non-profit archaeology company and I would hire between 4-10 people per survey or excavation.





5. What did you do on an Archaeological Dig?





I have worked on surveys and excavations. A survey is what is done to actually find sites when you can’t see any remains above ground. We walk in straight lines using a compass through the area we are investigating and dig holes, also known as shovel test pits, every 100 feet. That is very tedious work, but necessary. After finding artifacts in some holes, we make maps showing us exactly where we found the artifacts and then we “test out” from those holes. To “test out” the holes, we dig more holes 10’ away from the positive holes (the ones where we found artifacts) in the cardinal (North, South, East, West) directions. We continue doing that until we have 2 or 3 negative (no artifacts) holes. That gives us a rough idea of how big the site is, what type of site it is, and whether or not it needs a full excavation. Excavations for universities are different than excavations for an archaeology company. (I’ve done both). An archaeology company usually has a set (and small) amount of money to complete an excavation in a short time period. For that reason, a company works very quickly to get as much of the site excavated as possible within the allotted time and budget. University excavations usually do not have the same time or money constraints because professors often receive grants (like a scholarship to do a certain research project or excavation) and use free labor – students! University excavations go at a slower pace because the students are being taught how to work at an excavation, whereas a company expects its employees to already know how to do most excavation work. An excavation usually involves digging as much of a site as possible in large blocks, probably like you have seen in books or on tv. Most archaeologists begin big excavations with a question that they want to answer. For example, when I worked on the site in Argentina, I was interested in how women gathered food, cooked, and stored food. In Maya temple sites, archaeologists often want to see how many times a temple has been rebuilt.





6. How long does a Dig actually last?





Digs can last for just a week or so, all the way to years and years! For instance, at Williamsburg, VA, there have been excavations going on in different parts of the town since 1950!





7. What was one of your Teams Best Find or Oldest Find?





In Argentina, I was working on a site that was about 2,000 years old. It was a village site that had many houses on top of a ridge in the Andes. While digging in one of the houses, we found a small clay jaguar, about 3” long. Mostly, we found pot sherds (pieces of broken pots) and points (arrowheads). The jaguar was a really unusual find, because, for one reason, it didn’t have an easily recognizable purpose. I think it was a toy for a child. We also found a mostly intact water jar (made of clay) that had a face on the neck of the jar. I’ll try and scan a picture of that for you. It had a round bottom and was probably hung from a rafter or set into the dirt floor.





8. What is your best memory on an Archaeological Dig?





My best memories on digs are usually funny things that happened with my friends. Some digs are in very inhospitable locations, so we are often “roughing” it. Sometimes there is no electricity or running water (like the site in Argentina), so we really get to know one another very well. People often play jokes on each other, or tell funny stories to pass the time when we aren’t working.





9. Are there any Dangers on an Archaeological Dig?





There are some dangers on digs depending on the location of the dig. Mosquitos, ticks, spiders, and snakes are the worst dangers! It’s also very easy to hurt your back when digging. Blisters are common when using shovels. In some parts of the world, there is danger from other people who may want to steal artifacts to sell them.





10. To you, What is the best thing about Archaeology?





The best thing about archaeology is the amazing feeling I get when I hold something in my hand that was used by a person 200 or 2000 years ago. I try to imagine what sort of life they had and what sort of person they may have been. I also really enjoy digging and seeing things emerge from the dirt. I like mapping and drawing the artifacts. After the excavation, I enjoy washing the artifacts and looking at them all cleaned up. The next part is like a puzzle- figuring out how or why things were used and what that says about the people who lived there.





There is my Interview with the Archaeologist.


I will be posting some Pictures that she will send Me.


Streams of Grace