When people found out that I study archaeology, it is common for them to ask, "Archaeology? What do you learn? What are the exciting things about your course?" or "What are some of the things that you like about your degree?", but I have rarely been asked about 'the other side' of this field (don't worry, I hope it isn't as bad as you thought it would be). Yes, archaeology sounds very adventurous and exciting, but obviously, everything in life comes with a set of challenges - it's a life package that archaeology doesn't seem to have an exception on (and I can say these things now since I'm finally done with three years of undergraduate studies phew)
Disclaimer: The following points are extracted from my personal experience of being in the field for the past three years. I am no expert in this field, and I am merely reflecting on my time as an amateur. I guess it's also safe to say that, this post is probably gonna be more about me rather than archaeology lol
1. Archaeology is about fieldwork and travel
Correction: constant travel. If you have been reading my posts with the 'archaeology' labels, then you'd know how much travelling I had undertaken as an archaeology student. UCL undergraduates are required to complete 70 days of fieldwork in the span of three years, Oxford and Cambridge students a minimum of four weeks, and USM students two weeks. According to a friend of mine, Durham has also started incorporating similar fieldwork/placement components into their undergraduate courses (unfortunately just after he had left the university). Since fieldwork is an important element of archaeology, I have a feeling that universities all around the world that offer archaeology courses would provide the opportunity or at least encourage their students to undertake such excursions. Speaking on behalf of UCL students, we've also been going on day trips to museums and heritage/archaeological sites for tutorials and other learning purposes.
If you think that this travelling routine only applies when one is reading archaeology as an undergraduate, then I have to break it to you that you got it wrong - unless you've managed to find yourself a desk in the museum office or the (cultural/heritage) management sector. While I was in USM for my internship in 2018, I had to move around for 4 times. I spent the first few days in Tanjung Bungah, Penang for a conference, spent another few nights in Perak for a site visit, back in USM for labwork, spent a week in Sungai Batu, Kedah for fieldwork, and back in USM again to resume my lab analysis. My second time interning in USM in 2019 was not much of a difference. I spent the first two weeks in USM to conduct a skeletal analysis, spent a fortnight in Baling, Kedah for fieldwork and a weekend in Sungai Batu for a seminar (another conference) and a festival, and went for a weekend trip to KL to conduct an analysis in Jabatan Warisan Negara before I found myself back in the lab for another week to learn about petrography and complete my internship report.
Travelling can be exhausting - the planning part is not only time-consuming; it can also be draining. But since I'm that wanderer who can barely stay put for a few days, I have been enjoying this challenging part of the field despite its demanding 'mobile' commitment. So, if you're ever considering archaeologists as a career, I hope you're not a naturally stay-at-home person 😅
2. Archaeology is 'messy' (and dirty?)
Okay, when I went abroad for a dig I've been telling people about the places I've visited during my day off. They are amazing and stunning indeed. But I have never really talked about the kind of things we had to trade for the experience, right?
While I was in West Dean, Sussex for my very first excavation, I had to sleep in a tent for two weeks on a slope. God knows how cold it was at night and the struggle I had to go through to wake up and take wudhu and solat Subuh at 3 in the morning (and sahur, for God's sake). We had a toilet at the camping site but there was no place to shower at the site - we had to walk a few kilometres to a shower place in the village (which looked abandoned to me). As for my group, we went to shower once every other day, but we had also taken a shower once in three days. Yes, archaeologists' life (on-site) isn't fancy. It's nothing weird about having my hair damaged every time I came back from fieldwork since we only wash for the sake of hygiene and sometimes we have to be wary on the communal water usage, there's no way we could have taken the time to clean our hair like they do in shampoo ads.
In Kazakhstan, we had a bathroom and toilets in our accommodation (alhamdulillah ðŸ˜) but there wasn't any proper toilet at the excavation site because we were literally in the middle of a dessert... I held my pee or stomach ache every time we were on site (6 hours every day for two weeks) but some of my friends just looked for a place with a ground/hill higher than our trench and went behind it to 'do their business'.
Cyprus was fine since I was there for lab work and not digging on a site. But Georgia was a whole different experience... Our excavation site was located close to an unopened museum so we had toilets for 'emergency business' (though there were days when the flush was not working hmmm). Unfortunately, the toilet in our accommodation... well it isn't really a toilet. It's basically a small 4x3 ft 'room' (outside the house, like the ones they have in kampung-kampung in Malaysia) with a cement-covered floor with a hole in the middle. Yes, no toilet bowl. There's just a hole that has been dug a few metres deep. (It looks exactly like a toilet yang belum siap if you guys have ever been to houses under construction).
Oh, that said, like any European toilets, there wasn't any tap or hose or anything that indicates a source of water. And it didn't help that I had a really bad diarrhoea (siap muntah semua) a few days before I flew back to London.
Erm, I am sorry if this sounds gross. Should've warned you guys beforehand. But anyway, these 'sacrifices' had taught me to be resilient, and they have always reminded me to be grateful for having a comfortable place to stay, to pray and most importantly, buang air 😠whenever I go travelling or when I'm back home.
3. Archaeology is about reading, reading, reading... and writing.
Even though some parts of the course are hands-on or practical, this field requires you to undertake a great deal of reading and writing because, in reality, that's what archaeologists spend more time on: doing analysis or writing publications (reports, journal articles, blogs, some even write books and novels). It goes without saying that you're expected to have a good command of language to survive in this field.
If you have four modules in a term and each module requires you to read around two (20 to 40-page) research articles (or any publications) on average in a week, then do the math on how many pages of articles you would have to finish over a weekend (if your weekday is full). But fret not, time management will help you through it. Hopefully, over the years you'll improve your speed reading and note-taking skill eheh
On that note, reading and writing are amongst the essential components of the course as archaeology is all about evaluating theory and practice - which is also the case for a lot of social sciences subjects. Critical thinking is definitely an important element of this course - and reading and writing are good in helping with that. If you are aware of the reasons why something is deemed right, you also need to make yourself familiar with the reasons why it can (or cannot) be wrong. One thing I've learnt from my degree at UCL is that the lecturers are less interested in what has been said or claimed by other people. It is important to understand theories and issues in the field, but it is equally important for you to reflect on what you yourself have learnt from your own work. I have been asked to include my reflection on my tasks or assignments on several occasions; while I was documenting the process of re-creating a rattan mat, while I wrote a summary of my first fieldwork experience in Sussex and my reflective essay on the field school I went for in Cyprus. Again, it's about you and your thoughts, not the prominent archaeologists whose writings have been read by the lecturers for God knows how many times.
4. Archaeologists are not only scientists but also investigators
In fact, we are detectives of the past. And part of that detective work is to be consistently inquisitive and ask a lot of questions, especially the simple ones as those are the ones that have often been overlooked.
And yes, as archaeologists, we experiment with things all the time. We - UCL students - even had to go for a compulsory experimental archaeology course in the first week of our undergraduate degree! Speaking of experiments, which is linked to practice, things don't always go by the book in real life and when this happens it definitely calls for proactive decision making (as archaeological finds can be very vulnerable) hence the reason why critical thinking is indispensable.
I have always believed that theory and practice should go hand in hand. I'd say it's not an easy task to have a balance in both, and it's even harder to look for the connection between the two. If you stay long enough in this field, I think you'll eventually find out that Matthew Johnson is right - "common sense is not enough".
As detectives, what would you do once you have gathered evidence? You present them. And that's what archaeologists are supposed to do as well. Archaeology is about delivering and communicating your research to the public. Archaeology is not a property of the scientists or researchers. Instead, it belongs to the local community, therefore, it is essential to ensure that archaeological findings are safely in the knowledge and the apprehension of the public. Throughout the years, you'll be trained on how to engage your research with the public and I can't emphasise enough how critical it is to encourage public involvement in your project/research.
5. Archaeology requires precision and attention to detail
As archaeologists, it is very crucial that you study or examine everything carefully. That said, it really helps if you're an observant and attentive person. When I was doing an object analysis for a material culture module, my marker/assessor really appreciate the observations I have made on very minute detail like additional lines on a pattern, small breaks, and wears on the artefact, etc. In a conservation module, I have had to pay good attention to what each component of a spy radio set was made of, as different raw materials require different conservation and preservation treatment. Artefacts are not the only thing that demands a high level of attention, archaeological sites are also in need of excellent surveillance to ensure excellent management.
Evidence doesn't lie. History may be accurate, but archaeology is precise. - Doug Scott
Why is it important to be observant?
Archaeological finds are not always easy to spot - potsherds and bones that have been buried for decades or centuries in the ground wouldn't seem very distinctive or distinguishable from the soil they were buried in. If you miss a find while digging, chances are the 'supposed-to-be artefact' will never find its way to the conservation lab, let alone to the exhibition cases in the museum. Instead, it will experience a twist of fate and end up in the spoil heap.
Oh, don't worry too much about missing a small piece of potsherd during your first dig. You'll get there through focus and practice. As we have always been told, practice makes perfect.
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All in all, archaeology is ALWAYS about teamwork since archaeology can never be a one-man-show and will always be in need of a crew. The image I put on the very top of this post serves as a prove - you can't be the person holding the measuring tape and take coordinates of the features in the trench and draw the site plan at the same time. You can't be the person holding the pole and also the person who take the reading of the slope's height while doing contour mapping. It's always a team effort 💪 I would say archaeology is always about making friends but since we are a small and close-knit institution all over the world, archaeology is also about making new families 💓 I find it hard to part with anyone I have met or known from fieldwork or field school as we have been striving for a common goal, share meaningful moments together and most importantly, they have always been very supportive of each other.
So, 'the other side' of archaeology isn't at all that scary, right? After all, the lessons gained in classes or outdoors are all that matters. Also, regardless of what you'll be experiencing or what is going to take place at the end of your archaeology degree/career, you'll be proud of yourself,
because all research in archaeology is groundbreaking 🌚
p/s: the pun isn't mine, just saying :P
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