An Archaeology splinter sub-sub-forum

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I got asked why Archaeology rather than history, but that was leading on from me mentioning my interest in politics and consideration of doing comined honours in politics and Archaeology (not at UCL)

Reply 81

foutoosh

I had my telephone interview with UCL this morning and at the end, they offered me a place! Was not expecting such a quick response but am soooooo happy!!! :biggrin:

Thanks for your interview advice guys. Maybe see some of you next year!

Reply 82

maylee

awww well done. what's the best uni for arch?

Reply 83

Magickal_Faerie

York is pretty good. Depends on what the course offers and what you want to specialise in.

Reply 84

Catsmeat

Seeing as this is about the only place for Archaeologists to talk, I thought you might all be interested in this link...

http://www.ilovethepast.com/

Loads on there about volunteering at digs etc, plus a couple of useful articles.

Reply 85

Magickal_Faerie

Aw, thankies!

Looks cool :cool:

Reply 86

Catsmeat

It's useful to have a relatively easy to navigate resource; it's usually not the easiest thing to find and arrange a dig.

Plus it has dodgy photo-shopping. What more should one ask from life?

Reply 87

guest star

Oh, cool. I knew there had to be other archaeologists-in-training here, but it took me a while to dig you up. :biggrin:

So, who would be responsible for dispensing shovels ... er... trowels around here?

Reply 88

Magickal_Faerie

I'm going to Germany for 6 weeks in the summer to dig with the Magdeburg Archaeology team :biggrin:

Otto 1st Palace oh ;yes;

I cannae wait!!! Tis gonna be sooooooooooooooo cool! :biggrin:

Reply 89

Catsmeat

Magickal_Faerie

I'm going to Germany for 6 weeks in the summer to dig with the Magdeburg Archaeology team :biggrin:

Otto 1st Palace oh ;yes;

I cannae wait!!! Tis gonna be sooooooooooooooo cool! :biggrin:

I am rather jealous of you.

I'm restricted in terms of cash (having lost tonnes of my gap-year money for various reasons - very bitter about that *grumbles*) so I'm going to be going for some cheaper options like field schools in the UK; nout wrong with that, though.

I was on a dig in Kent last Summer on a Saxo-Roman period site; had a fantastic time...although I came away with an accute hatred of op-sig...by the end of the dig I'd handled about twenty tonnes of the stuff.

Reply 90

Magickal_Faerie

I got to Germany on a Scholarship. The university offers the Leonardo Da Vinci training scheme, and I applied for it and got it. I dont have to pay for flights, accommodation or food whilst I'm there, I just have to keep a diary and write a review of it for the company who are paying for it all. I was gonna go on a dig near to where I live, but it was like £145 for a week!!! I was just like, uh, no. I'm not paying for something I want to eventually do as a job. There we go. Where do you want to go this summer?

Reply 91

Catsmeat

Magickal_Faerie

You have a 'plum deal' there, indeed. Nice one :smile:

.

There's a couple of digs I have my eye on; can't book anything yet though because I'm moving house soon (but haven't got a date yet) so I don't know where I'll be travelling from (it needs to be somewhere where I can travel to and from each day due to certain health complications)...if I'm still in the Home Counties it'll be a dig near Leighton Buzzard; if I'm in Suffolk by the Summer it'll be on a dig just north of Norwich.

Reply 92

Magickal_Faerie

Sounds good :smile:

I'm just working on an essay about causewayed enclosures - im getting a little bored with writing about Hambledon Hill!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although, its in by tuesday, so I guess I need to do it :rolleyes:

You'll have to let me know how your digs go, I really want to go to a dig on an Anglo-Saxon site, seeing as thats what I want to specialise in at the end of my degree!

Reply 93

Catsmeat

Magickal_Faerie

Sounds good :smile:

I'm just working on an essay about causewayed enclosures - im getting a little bored with writing about Hambledon Hill!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although, its in by tuesday, so I guess I need to do it :rolleyes:

You'll have to let me know how your digs go, I really want to go to a dig on an Anglo-Saxon site, seeing as thats what I want to specialise in at the end of my degree!

Good luck with the essay! I know what you mean about sites; at work (I'm currently involved in the rationalisation of a large chunk of Bedfordshire's archaeology stores) if I hear "Maiden Bower" or "Icknield way" one more time I may just go mad.

That it was a multi-period made it even more interesting; it was like a lucky-dip bag, really...one moment arm deep in a collapsed hypocaust system and then somebody else pulled out a complete (nearly...) Saxon brooch...you could either find absolutely loads or nout :rolleyes:

Reply 94

Magickal_Faerie

Thanks

I got it finished thank god. And I managed to work some other sites in so it's all good :smile:

Wow, Roman hypocaust to Saxon brooch in one site! Thats pretty damned impressive!! I've never been on a dig before, Germany will be my first one so I'm well looking forward to it. I've done Field Survey, we did that in february. If I have to stand in snow on a disused golf course holding a tape to the ground one more time, I may scream!!

Reply 95

Catsmeat

It's a really fascinating experience; quite humbling when you're surrounded by experts who know almost instantaneously what something is/means. But you begin to pick up little tips and skills and it all comes together quite neatly.

Your knees won't forgive you for a while, though. Mine certainly didn't.

Reply 96

Magickal_Faerie

Great!! I can see my little group (theres 8 of us on scholarship) being shovel monkeys *sigh* at least for a while. I'm not looking forward to the knees thing but I'm sure it'll be alright. How long did they take to forgive you last time? I need to be fully functioning 4 weeks after we get back - I'm helping out with Freshers week!

Reply 97

Catsmeat

Magickal_Faerie

There's nout wrong with being a shovel monkey; it's quite refreshing to do manual labour somehow :rolleyes:

.

The aches went away later that day (my car seats are quite forgiving).

Reply 98

Magickal_Faerie

Good - oh!!!! I wanna go now, 2 months and 2 days! woop woop!!

Reply 99

guest star

Magickal Faerie, good luck. Your dig sounds supremely exciting. :smile:

On a related note, I've just received handbook for my training excavation, which I will be doing this summer (I want to do some practical stuff before starting my degree). Now I'm another dig virgin at the moment and do not have a ready "equipment kit". I wonder if you guys can advise on where I can get the best shoes and trowels?

My manual asks for:

"steel toe-capped protective footwear"

"masonry pointing trowel with a 4" blade".

What are the best brands and such? Thanx :smile: