Blog 2: During

This summer is proving to be quite the challenge, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. My experience here has only proven to me that I belong in Academia, teaching other college-level students. My nerves are sure to be shot due to the fact that I have never been in a staff position on an archaeological dig where I am given my own area of excavation to run completely on my own. I have been spending my days working on site, throwing a pick pass into the ground and sifting through artifacts from 7am to 3pm. After working on-site, I head to the lab with the other staff members to drop off my finds from the day which typically include pottery and bone.

Working in the Field

At the end of the day, we have paperwork and documentation from the day’s work to catch up on. I have been given a trenchbook to write my daily finds in which has to be a direct narrative of what happens in my trench every day. I’ve learned so far how best to instruct first year students on how to recognize specific artifacts on site. I have already learned so much about documentation and teaching and I am excited to see what the rest of the season will look like.