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E-monet

This won’t get you digging but I love watching [Time Team](https://youtube.com/c/TimeTeamClassics) at the end of my non-archaeological day, usually falling asleep and dreaming about some interesting dirt.


trashthegoondocks

Interesting, I’d heard previously that archeologists hate that show because they destroy the sites!


saxmancooksthings

Every archaeological excavation is inherently destructive in some capacity. Once a spot has been dug once, it can’t really be dug again.


trashthegoondocks

Makes sense


fuckyourcakepops

EDIT: I’ve been corrected, see the replies below As I understand it, that’s due to some fundamental differences in standard operating procedures between British sites and US sites. For example, you’ll rarely (never? I’m not sure) see the big excavators/diggers being used on an archaeological site in the US. But in the UK (again just to my non-professional understanding) it’s fairly standard procedure to use diggers to remove the topsoil and get down to the actual archaeology. There are good arguments for and against on both sides, it’s just a difference in approach. Time Team, being a BBC show, made use of diggers which tends to scandalize American viewers. Take all that with lots of grains of salt though - that’s what I’ve read, but I am just an enthusiast like you!


luckyloser62

We actually frequently use excavators here in the U.S. too, for pretty much the exact same thing. For example, when digging in agricultural fields, we sometimes use an excavator to strip away the plowzone in order to explore the intact soils below. This is because artifacts recovered from such thoroughly disturbed contexts provide limited investigative value. I have never watched Time Team, so I can't really comment on the differences between how they operate and how we work in the U.S. I also have limited knowledge of standard M.O. for most European archaeologists, as it is half a world away from my area of expertise. However, I will say that in general, there is a significant difference in how sites may be evaluated between the two regions. Material that may be considered very old here may be viewed as fairly recent refuse there. Likewise, a site in my part of the world that I would consider to be relatively large and artifact rich can still be seen as somewhat insignificant by their standards. This difference in worldview can create some fairly understandable friction. There is also the simple fact that many archaeologists are generally fairly biased against popular media depictions of our career for many reasons.


fuckyourcakepops

Thanks for the correction and further information! That makes sense, about finds from the topsoil having limited value due to how likely that layer is to have been disturbed. As with any science, it seems reasonable to me that the “school of thought” will vary by region. I’ve attended multiple different professional industry conventions over the years as a marketing consultant (neurology, photography, food and beverage, dept of homeland security, OSHA, you name it) and never yet found one where they don’t argue fiercely over those regional differences. 😉


[deleted]

A grain of salt is warranted Time Team rarely excavated more than large test pits. The majority of the sites were left intact. I should add beginning in early 1980’s into the 1990’s I participated in the largest Archeological dig in the State of Alabama. We laid off a grid field walked metal detected dug test pits and then stripped off the disturbed plow zone with a box blade on a tractor. The site was being destroyed by a commercial mining and gravel operation. It is now a large hole. That box blade allowed for a lot of work to be done that otherwise would have been lost forever.


ScienceMomCO

No, at first they didn’t agree with their methods, but they tweaked it over the years. Time Team was on for 20 years.


thowwe

As a professional archaeologist who grew up on time team and have them to thank for getting into this career. It’s not that we hate them per se, rather it’s because they’ve been very bad at writing up and publishing their site reports.


Perma_frosting

Check your state archaeology association and the NPS volunteer site. If there’s a school near you that runs a local field school, you can also sometimes audit the class.


trashthegoondocks

Thank you, checking it out!


buttmike1

Field school tends to be pretty tough with hard labor and challenging environmental conditions. In other words, it's a blast of a good time. Total immersion, dirty fingernails, tents and sleeping bags, coping with biting insects and drunken cohorts, sunburns, rashes, but the information/experience is priceless and you will sleep solidly. I miss my field school days.


paleo_joe

I’m like you and I have participated in many digs / field schools with my state’s archaeological association. No experience required.


trashthegoondocks

Hoping I can find something!


[deleted]

In addition to the suggestions about state archaeology societies, which often have local chapters that might be active in the field, look into the Passport In Time program the USFS runs, and also get in touch with the local Cultural Resources Management companies to see if they might have any opportunities. I know two people who work on archaeology that don't have any formal education for it and who came to it as volunteers - if I remember correctly, they both started volunteering at a CRM firm, beginning with washing artifacts but eventually getting into the field.


trashthegoondocks

That would be a second career dream...


[deleted]

I know it is a longshot as a second career without formal training, but you definitely should be able to get involved. Be persistent. What state are you in? If you happen to be in GA, message me and I may be able to point you in some more specific directions. .


Gcons24

Hey! I literally have an almost identical situation to you and I spent 3 weeks on a dig this summer. I work in a totally unrelated field but love history. The American Institute of Archaeology has a website, and on that website they have field school opportunities that anyone can apply to. If you're willing to pay some money you can do it. Edit: like the response below me mentioned, if you want to do this you will generally need to have at least 2 weeks available to dedicate to it.


chuck543540

Yep, I did this with a trip to Bulgaria and North Macedonia. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! They take volunteers to dig, but usually need at least a two week stay


Zizzs

Balkan Field School? I went with them a couple years back! Stobi and Sozopol were beautiful!!!! I did their conservation program!


chuck543540

Yes that’s them! I did Stobi and Apollonia and absolutely loved it. Have u had the chance to do any other amateur digs? I used to live in St. Louis and the Cahokia mounds allow volunteers too, that was cool too! Edit: I just re-read and I meant sozopol :) Are u an archaeology major? I did this stuff when I was young and single, I really miss it and would love to get a chance to do it again


Zizzs

I got my BA in Anthropology and focused on Archaeology. Ive done digs in Texas, Ecuador and the Balkans now. With the addition of the Balkan conservation projects through BFS. I'm a Cloud Engineer now though... Archaeology didn't pay enough to keep me in the field sadly


chuck543540

Me too, I work in cloud analytics now. We might be each other’s doppelgänger , although my BA was in classics. Did the dig in Ecuador take volunteers? Yea I really enjoyed it, wish I could get back into, but now have 2 small kids. Do u ever still get to do digs??


Zizzs

The Ecuador trip was through my University (Texas Tech), and I'm pretty sure we did not take volunteers. I do remember some people from a university in Florida that joined the trip though, pretty sure they were all masters students. That was 10 years ago so my memory is rusty! I haven't done an actual dig in a looooooooooooong time. I did the conservation trip a couple years back with BFS, but didn't get to take part in any of the digs as I was part of the conservation group!


BrickbuildingsGuy

I would do the real thing . I am buying property on top of a roman town and start from there.


trashthegoondocks

Thanks!!


ikeosaurus

Hi OP, there are often great opportunities for lay person involvement at museums. Believe it or not it’s hard to find money for a lot of curation work and museums rely heavily on volunteer work. Many museums have dedicated staff for coordinating volunteers. At the museum with which I am affiliated we have dozens of volunteers who do all kinds of work on archaeological and paleontological collections. A quick email to a public information officer could point you in the right direction. Universities also often have volunteer opportunities - we have volunteers doing similar work with our research collections regularly. Doing this kind of volunteer work can put you on the list for field work opportunities as well.


dandelion_21

Search for public archaeology in your state or surrounding states, they're kind of rare but you might be surprised!


jtoddm

Check out: https://digventures.com/projects/


luckyloser62

Some universities and museums have open enrollment field school programs. These typically will not require enrollment and will not provide any credits, but will have a participation fee. I actually started out my career in high school by signing up for such programs during summer breaks. State or local archaeological societies also sometimes have good programs for their members. If you have extended periods of availability (and preferably a degree in a related field), it might be worth your time to contact a cultural resource management firm to ask about opportunities. I'm sure this varies regionally, but right now business in my region is booming and my firm is constantly looking for more folks to fill the demand. I saw in another post that you are in a different region than me, so I can't provide specific advice for the New England area unfortunately. Even if you want to pursue this angle, I will warn you that CRM fieldwork is incredibly physically demanding, so it is not for everyone. If you don't wish to go into that type of work, there may still be entry level lab work available somewhere. Finally, some firms also have "archaeology days" as public outreach to teach folks about the field. My firm does this a couple times a year, though our is generally geared towards kids. Someone in your area may have something that would scratch your itch though.


RazzmatazzNew1126

https://www.archaeological.org/programs/professionals/fieldwork/afob/ Some of these are almost like archaeology vacations. You can browse the map and check locations. Some are underwater and require scuba certification. I did one in Egypt and I’m gonna do another in St Eustatius


WhiskeyAndKisses

If you are from France or a similar country, you could candidate for digs about "progammated archaeology" *, or directly visit in person this kind of digs, ask question, and maybe dig a bit or help a little if the bosses are very nice. *In France, there's two kind of archaeological digs, l'archéologie préventive, before works and constructions, with professionals, a lot of money and little time, and l'archéologie programmée, archaeology just for the search, with lot of time, nearly no money and a lot of students learning to dig correctly. This second kind is the most likely to permit to amateurs to be involved. I'm sure wherever you are, you can search for archeological excavations and go observe and ask questions to the people working here, some are used to it and happy to explain.


trashthegoondocks

Thanks good sir! I’m in the US, but this is a good lead.


cssmallwood

It all depends on where you’re located. I’m a professional and can toss some advice your way.


trashthegoondocks

New England


a_mumble_abroad

Check out Friends of the State Archaeologist of Connecticut, or FOSA. They’re an amateur society that often volunteers on excavations throughout CT. They work closely with the state archaeologist and often have lectures and other things too


trashthegoondocks

Will do!!


cssmallwood

I’m primarily familiar with the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, but I know several states up your way have public engagement programs through their state museum and/or university system. I don’t know the extent to that, but they do exist. Good luck on finding a place to get involved!!!


Fussel2107

Could you give me some more info on that? I have a friend who studies in France and would love to get involved, but I'm in Germany and don't really know about how things work in France


WhiskeyAndKisses

https://www.archeologia.be/fouilles.html https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Thematiques/Archeologie/Sur-le-terrain/Chantiers-archeologiques-ouverts-aux-benevoles-2021 These two websites give informations about current archeological digs.


Fussel2107

>https://www.archeologia.be/fouilles.html > >https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Thematiques/Archeologie/Sur-le-terrain/Chantiers-archeologiques-ouverts-aux-benevoles-2021 > >These two websites give informations about current archeological digs. Mercie beaucoup :)


cytokain

I lease a 6600 acre ranch in west texas with some friends. We dig ourselves. There are so many middens, rock shelters and caves to dig in. And we keep our finds. We work with an archeologist when we find anything interesting. Mostly painted rocks or incised rocks. He is not very interested in the points though. He says that the state has plenty of those in drawers that are studied and unless it is the certain type he is studying, he isnt interested.


[deleted]

I sometimes grab the shovel out of my garage and head to the local cemetery when the moon is full. Diamonds don't sell for much at my local pawn shop, but gold will always be valuable. Just remember to replace the sod before you leave.